Official Luthiers Forum!

So a bandsaw question....

Last time I was in Taiwan, my shop had a 18 inch bandsaw because the 26 inch bandsaw was too heavy to be moved up a hill (it was so steep it had stairs) and too far to crane up. I wasn't entirely happy with it because it had terrible designs, and the motor was weak, and the wheel is still a touch too small for most resaw blades. But now the situation is different.

I had purchased a Bridgeport style milling machine, rather cheaply too. I thought I could move it upstairs by using a crane but that turned out to not work (essentially I would have to remove a wall or something in order for the machine to get inside). The landlord allowed me to transfer my lease to another part of the building that's on the ground floor and has 3 phase electricity. Unfortunately the place is half the size of my current place.

So that got me thinking, I have been eyeing this 26 inch bandsaw for general resaw work, https://www.yengtong.com.tw/product-detail-1288751.html (the saw in question is YT-26S) and it looks like it will be able to resaw just about anything a guitar maker could possibly use. I have seen these saw (used) sold for around 1000 dollars, and they are designed for resawing.

Question is, can I still use them for cutting curves by putting a narrow blade on it? The page says the smallest blade it will take is 1/2" but is there anything wrong with putting a 1/4" blade on a large bandsaw? The footprint appears to be around 49" x 31" which is about the same as my bridgeport style mill (and I still want to get a lathe too). Anyone had to make do with a shop that's too small?

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I can source 1/4" bandsaw blades up to 262" (6.655 metres) here, so it's possible to use 1/4" blades in large bandsaws.
But I would think that if you're doing larger re-saw work using a machine like that you would perhaps be better to have a smaller bandsaw saw as well rather than swapping blades all the time for the more delicate work.
Just my 2 cent's.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

With less than 400 square feet for my shop area.... 2 machines is a lot to ask that does the same thing.

I could possibly get a benchtop bandsaw that can be put away when not needed but I hate those bandsaws.

And it seems large bandsaw up to 28 inches take up more or less the same footprint...

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

As long as the guides can support the smaller blade, it should be fine.

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

The guides would be the biggest concern as stated above. If the 1/4" blade sits too far into them the teeth might rub, causing the "set" to be affected which would make the blade drift and generally become uncontrollable.

Maybe I can machine an auxiliary guide for it...

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

A 26" band saw is mighty large, but if you are going into re-saw in a big way it would be nice to have. But just for re-sawing stuff for your own use, and general band saw work you might be well served by something smaller? I use a Jet 16" with a single phase motor and it works fine re-sawing hard woods, as long as I use a carbide tipped blade

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I've had a lot of resaws because I've always sold a bit of wood. I started out over 40 years ago, like many folkstart, with the standard Rockwell/Delta 14" saw. BTW I've sold and bought that saw back twice, because they don' make them like they used to! Went to the larger motor and then to the extender black and then to a larger old Crescent saw, and on and on through Hitachi, Makita, etc. , until I was finally using a 3 phase 10H.P. 36" Northfield bandsaw a few years ago. There is such a thing as too big for guitar makers, IMO. i'm now back down to a 24" Laguna, 5 H.P . , which works pretty darn good. You do need a power feed for serious resawing. The cut is much smoother and blades last a lot longer. I don't think you want to try switching back and forth between 1" + resaw blades and 1/4" general purpose blades on the same saw. Resawing is a critical operation and you don't want to mess with the guides and set-up when things are working good.

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

yea here's the thing... that 26 inch bandsaw I showed you is all over the used market in Taiwan... it's cheap when it's used. To get a 16" bandsaw would require me to spend more since they're used and it seems woodworking isn't really a thing here so woodworking machines are expensive. If I could find a nice used 18 inch bandsaw in Taiwan for a low price I'd go for that.

I typically resaw in batches...

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

If you don't have room for a 14 inch saw maybe you could find a 12 inch two wheel craftsman clone with plastic covers. They are light weight and the motor can be rigged up to make them tabletop if necessary The 80 inch blades aren't hard to find here in the states and probably elsewhere. They are also fairly cheap and will do most of the things we need a bandsaw for. I carry one outside when the weather is nice.