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Band saw

Jskyking

Well Known Member
I?m getting ready to start my RV14 and need to buy a band saw. Does anyone have a recommendation or possibly a used one for sale?
Thanks
Jt
 
No band saw but

I've got a Craftsman table saw you can have for free! The shipping might be prohibitive......

-Marc
 
I'm building a 14A and I use mine a little bit. Rudder stops come to mind. I got a tabletop wood bandsaw at home depot. Think it is a Rigid model. They are pretty much all the same, though. They run too fast for metal, but for our purposes they work fine. I use Boelube if it's a thicker piece.
 
I have a 10" Craftsman bandsaw (~$150), also designed for wood. I ordered some Lenox 10/14t bi-metal blades to fit, and am happy. It would be nicer if it would go slower, especially for non-aluminum cuts, but since most cuts are on aluminum, it works well. I started with a scroll saw with a bi-metal blade to fab those "make from" parts; works in some cases, but not all. The band saw is great for all these tasks. Building a 7, so there are more bits to fab on this bird.
 
I used a Craftsman 9" with a SuperCut 62" 3/8"x0.14 24 TPI blade. That blade made short work of aluminum.

Here it is working on the aileron stiffeners.

IMG_3776.JPG
 
I used a Delta table top model to build my 7 and wore that sucker out.

Had to get a new one for the 10 build. I just got the cheap Porter Cable table top from Lowes.

With the metal cutting blade it works fine for what we need it for. Like others have said, these things run too fast for real metal work but they serve the purpose for aluminum airplane building.

Seems the newer kits don't require as much heavy metal cutting.
 
Seems the newer kits don't require as much heavy metal cutting.

This is correct. I think with the newer kits you'd be fine with a jigsaw and a metal cutting blade. Not that a decicated bandsaw isn't useful, but if money or shop space is an issue, you could do without one.
 
Nice to have

Though you may not need one much, I find the old bandsaw to be a great shop addition. I use mine alot..though building my -4 it was a MUST, there are many uses. I picked up a like new Crafstman 12" at a pawn shop for $50.00. Didn't break the bank.
 
If you are using a band saw to cut stiffeners you are wasting hours and hours of time. Stiffeners are easily cut with old fashioned tin snips. Do not use the short aviation style, the longer the blade the easier the job. A bandsaw will leave a rough edge that takes extra work to smooth. After a good cut with sharp tin snips a light touch of the scotch brute wheel is all it takes.
I like band saws, I have two of them, mainly for woodworking. They got little to no use on the 14.
 
If you are using a band saw to cut stiffeners you are wasting hours and hours of time. Stiffeners are easily cut with old fashioned tin snips. Do not use the short aviation style, the longer the blade the easier the job. A bandsaw will leave a rough edge that takes extra work to smooth. After a good cut with sharp tin snips a light touch of the scotch brute wheel is all it takes.
I like band saws, I have two of them, mainly for woodworking. They got little to no use on the 14.
Yeah, but a 6" notcher is even cleaner! Like butter.
 
If you are using a band saw to cut stiffeners you are wasting hours and hours of time. Stiffeners are easily cut with old fashioned tin snips. Do not use the short aviation style, the longer the blade the easier the job. A bandsaw will leave a rough edge that takes extra work to smooth. After a good cut with sharp tin snips a light touch of the scotch brute wheel is all it takes.
I like band saws, I have two of them, mainly for woodworking. They got little to no use on the 14.

There is surely an element of personal preference in which tools one uses as there are multiple ways to complete many of the tasks.

I wonder if your experience with a band saw is related to the blade you have? My experience was different from yours: The cuts were very quickly executed and smooth. A run on the Scotch-Brite took of the burrs.

I went back into my time lapse video for the stiffeners, which I cut and deburred on 6-Oct-13. All 32 stiffeners were completed in less than an hour. I started at 1428 and completed before 1530.
 
I wanted a bandsaw that would be useful for other purposes as well -- but I still wouldn't use it that much. After giving up on a great old find from garage sales or craigslist, I've been pretty happy with a new Rikon "10 inch Bandsaw 10-305" that I picked up on sale for $199 ffrom Highland Woodworking: https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/rikon10bandsaw.aspx

It's much higher, like $300-400, on Amazon, but a good number of reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Rikon-10-305-Bandsaw-Fence-10-Inch/dp/B0032YZB2S

Now, I may have gotten lucky as mine was well within tolerances and easy to adjust. Some review are quite the opposite though. (And don't even bother with the included blade.)

That said, I probably didn't need it for the work I did on the kit...but I love tools, and its nice to have around. :)
 
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I bought the same Rikon 10" bandsaw at Rick, and mine has been accurate as served me well during my RV-10 build. A bit more expensive than the benchtop band saws available at HomeDepot or Lowes, but also a much heavier, stiffer, higher accuracy saw.

Best of luck with your project.
 
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