Ultimate Bandsaw Table Jig

Chris Hatfield

Former Member (by the member's request)
Messages
380
I'm very excited in that I will be picking up a bandsaw on Saturday, should the store have it in stock. Something I've had my eye on ever since I received a box of old magazines is something Wood Magazine called the Ultimate Bandsaw Table Jig (June/July 2003). You can see a picture of it here. It looks fantastic. Anyone build this, by any chance?

Also, a plan of attack for buying blades is needed.

At some point I can see myself needing 12" of resaw capacity. But not now. It seems like the best plan though would be to buy and install the riser block and have all my blades be of the larger length.

But I can also make the argument that I may never need that added height and why waste $80 plus a couple of bucks on each blade in the difference.
 
My suggestion would be to add the riser now if you can afford it. You may not ever need to do a 12" cut, but you might be surprised how many 6 1/2" cuts you want to do.

My suggestion for general-purpose blades is to skip the marketing hype about "name brand" blades and buy blades from a place like Ellis Manufacturing Co. They don't list prices on the web, you have to call them to order, and they have a minimum order of $50, but you can get blades that are as good or better than the $20 "name brands" for about $7 each. Bandsaw blades are expendables like sandpaper...they wear out and need to be replaced periodically. IMO it's worth it to stock up on $7 blades, and a waste of money to buy $20 blades one at a time. There are a few special-purpose blades (especially for bigger bandsaws), but for your run of the mill cutting on a run of the mill saw, a good flexback like the ones at the bottom of this page would be my suggestion. Depending on your location, you may find a local industrial supply place that makes and sells generic, made-to-order bandsaw blades in the same price range as those from Ellis.

The bandsaw table jig looks neat, but if the bandsaw you buy already has a fence on it, I don't see the jig offering a lot of extra usefulness aside from a circle-cutting jig. (And those can be whipped up very easily on their own, often with scrap laying around the shop.) For something like the bandsaw jig, I'd be inclined to wait until I had a project where I knew it'd make things easier before investing the time an materials into it. If you're really in the mood to build jigs for the shop (and that's not a bad thing, by any means), I can think of one or two tablesaw jigs that'd likely be more useful. Tablesaw Magic by Jim Tolpin has several great tablesaw jigs. I built the vertical fence and vertical sled in that book, and they've been handy from time to time. One jig I did build for my bandsaw is a sled for holding irregular-shaped pieces -- primarily turning blanks -- while cutting them. For someone without a lathe, though, the sled might not be as useful as it has been to me.
 
I'll pile on about getting the extension riser. I got mine at the same time i got my saw and never looked back. I only have to deal with having the one size of saw blades. Of course you won't typically find the size of blades at the borg, but you can get them at better woodworking stores and as Vaughn pointed out, online.

That table sure looks cool, but it looks pretty big. Not sure I'd want to put something like that on if space was at a premium. My saw came without a fence, and I bought the Kreg bandsaw fence for mine. Works great for resawing and I've never even thought about putting an accessory table on it.

Keep in mind, that if you don't get the riser and use that accessory table, it will cut down on your resaw capacity by the thickness of the table...

Congrats on getting the new saw! :thumb:
 
It's a good, and the correct POV about the riser kit. It's what I know to be the right way to go, but I was asking to see if anyone could convince me otherwise.

The accessory table, from what I remember, is about 27x20, and the stock table is 14x14. So it would be about 13"x6" bigger than normal. It would probably stick out about 3" on each side and about 6" out front. The added size I don't think will be an issue with the plans I have going now. I'll use something with the final dimensions to check, though.

The saw doesn't come with a fence. What attracted me to this project was the ability to use a duplicating jig first and foremost, something that would help greatly with the chair legs. The circle jig and a potentially accurate fence are bonuses. I'll have to look at the plans in detail, but I have on-hand most of the wood needed to build it. What I would have to buy is a couple pieces of channel and a piece of aluminum. I will say that it would be a lot less than the Kreg fence, something I really like but is particularly pricey.

That's not a bad thought on the blades from that site. Otherwise, I'll probably be buying from Peachtree or Highland.


EDIT: Any thoughts with the quality of blade that comes from Grizzly's riser set?
 
...not a bad thought on the blades from that site. Otherwise, I'll probably be buying from Peachtree or Highland...

If you're going to be doing a resawing, try Highland's Woodslicer® blade. It's a bit pricey, but is the best resaw blade I've ever used. (Ask Larry. I sawed off some 1/16" maple and cherry veneer to show hime when he was he a while back.)
 
...Any thoughts with the quality of blade that comes from Grizzly's riser set?

I had one. Unless they've changed something in the last few years, it's junk. ;)

I'll ditto Jim on the Woodslicer. It's a great blade, but only for resawing, not cutting curves. For everyday use, you'll probably want an assortment of blades, likely ranging from 3/16" to 1/2" or 5/8" wide. For the price of two or three store-bought blades, you can get multiples of each from an industrial supplier like Ellis.
 
I had one. Unless they've changed something in the last few years, it's junk. ;)

I'll ditto Jim on the Woodslicer. It's a great blade, but only for resawing, not cutting curves. For everyday use, you'll probably want an assortment of blades, likely ranging from 3/16" to 1/2" or 5/8" wide. For the price of two or three store-bought blades, you can get multiples of each from an industrial supplier like Ellis.

That's painting with a broad brush, Vaughn.
When I bought my Griz bandsaw almost seven years ago the 3/8"X6tpi blade that came with it served very well for several years until I got stupid and kinked it. Dunno what brand but it cut fast and clean.
The Griz catalog has (haven't looked in current one yet) offered both Timberwolf and Olso blades. Few folks would class those as junk. But that doesn't mean what is shipped with a new bandsaw would be one of those.
A lot of guys have the riser and haven't complained. You don't like yours, I'll keep that in mind when I (someday) install mine.
 
Frank, I should clarify and say the factory blades I experienced were with a Shop Fox saw, but considering the shared heritage with Grizzly tools, I figured the blades were similar. The fact that you're getting several years of use out of a bandsaw blade hints that you and I might have different opinions about what a workable blade is. ;) On the other hand, I'm using primarily 1/2" 3TPI blades and often cutting thicker than 6", so maybe they don't last as long as thinner 6TPI blades cutting thinner material. :dunno:

I also bought an Olson blade when I got my saw, and I didn't like it either. Timberwolf blades are good, but overpriced by about 300%, in my opinion.

The fact that a lot of folks have bought the Grizzly riser and not complained about the blades may be because they don't know the difference. A lot of guys buy less-than-stellar tools or supplies and feel they're great until they have a chance to use something better. I know that's happened to me a number of times.
 
I bought my HF BS used, but the prior owne had installed both a riser kit (presuming grizzly) and what is now sold as the Kreg BS fence system. I like having the riser I suppose... I haven't had a need to resaw anything that large, nor have I slung large turning blanks across it, though I'm sure that will change eventually.

The fence, however I really dislike, and am planning on taking it off of the saw in the near future, along with the auxiliary laminate table, as I don't like either one.
 
Well Chris congrats on the pending new machine.

Sorry but i cannot convince you otherwise as to the riser kit. I wish i had done my right at the beginning. Its not just the extra cutting height its the whole area inside the bandsaw C.

I am also with Brent on the Kreg fence. I have one and its sweet.

As to the table well that is personal preference but as much as i like making jigs sorry thats one of the last that would be on my list were i to begin again. You got some real good practical advice from Vaughn imho.

Living in the US, go with the Ellis and throw in your savings to getting a fence on a promotion when they come up.

Not to disillusion you but to get the best out of your bandsaw and experience the delight that these 14inch machines can provide take the time when you set it up on Sat night to tune it up.

One thing i would urge you to consider doing is get an upgraded tension spring right out of the starting blocks if you saw dont come with one.
You can get them at Peachtree or several other places now. For $15 this makes a significant improvement over what the tai chi machines are shipped with. You can recognise the spring not only by its color but the rectangular shaped wire used to make the spring. While you at it you might want to think about the zero clearance inserts too. Given its handy to cut small parts out on a bandsaw having the plastic insert plate will certainly make a big difference to the die cast one it comes with. You need that though if you tilt your table.
http://www.ptreeusa.com/band_saw_acc.htm


BTW which Grizz unit you gonna buy. I had a look at them and they all seem to come with an aluminu, fence regardless of the model.

The key points to check on your new machine when you assemble it are to make sure the wheels are in the same plane vertically both on the faces and the edges. If you have a problem there are thin washers with a large hole available specifically to be able to get it right if needed.

Then make sure that if you do decide to go with the riser that you adjust the blocks and bearings when you take it to the top or you will be hearing squeeling. If you get the wheels lined up vertically on the side this might not be a problem for you depending on the adjustment range on the arm that moves up and down with the thrust bearing and blocks on.

You might want to think about link belts at some point they help with vibration. Ensure you get your v belt firm and align the motor to the saw pulley with some attention to detail.

Man its always exciting when a member buys a new tool. Have fun. Will think of you on Sat hope the weather is in your favor for a shopping trip.:thumb:
 
...The fact that a lot of folks have bought the Grizzly riser and not complained about the blades may be because they don't know the difference. A lot of guys buy less-than-stellar tools or supplies and feel they're great until they have a chance to use something better. I know that's happened to me a number of times.


I can relate to that. I thought bandsaw blades were supposed to cut mediocrely until I changed out to a good one. I probably used the OEM blade on my TaiChi saw for a year or more before I bought a blade welded up from Starrett stock and found out how one was supposed to cut. That was nearly thirty years ago, and I've been thru a lot of blades since then!
 
I'm actually buying the HF model. I did my due diligence and decided that the G0555 and the 67595 were one in the same, or close enough to it. If Grizzly hadn't raised the price of the G0555P, I might be ordering from them. There's a guy on my TS forum who has had his older version for awhile, and knows all the tips and tricks of how to get the most out of it, and I'll be following his advice.

I may get a few minutes to look in the box Saturday, but I think I'll be able to do some initial assembly on Sunday and then try to finish up on Monday. I'm not sure if I'll do final assembly or not until the riser gets here. I may put it together straight away to sort out any potential issues.

An upgraded tensioner is on the medium-term to do list, along with a link belt if needed. I'll also probably relocate the power switch to the column at some point

I know some will question the choice, but after four months of research and trying to find alternatives on CL, this is the one that best fits my needs and budget at under $300 for a 1HP saw.
 
blades- regular use =ellis blades ,,resaw jims woodslicer in 1/2" size done a excellent job.

bandsaw with no fence is what i have on three saws, when i need a fence i clamp on a piece and go but the one bill showed from kreg is a good system i have used it on anothers saw..
 
...bandsaw with no fence is what i have on three saws, when i need a fence i clamp on a piece and go but the one bill showed from kreg is a good system i have used it on anothers saw..

You bring up a good point. I'd say the fence on my bandsaw is either unused or completely off the saw for about 98% of my cuts. ;)
 
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