Bandsaw improvements. ..

I wonder if the old style bandsaws ever come up for sale. No way I can spend $700 for a medium sized bandsaw, but it would be nice to find one someday. Does this forum have a trading post like the Arboristsite chainsaw forum?

rjent · Post by **rjent** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 10:51 pm

teacherman wrote:I wonder if the old style bandsaws ever come up for sale. No way I can spend $700 for a medium sized bandsaw, but it would be nice to find one someday. Does this forum have a trading post like the Arboristsite chainsaw forum?

Yes they do. I am currently negotiating on one now. OK, I might have to buy a Mark V as well, but I am being told here that you can't have too many of these girls and I had intended on setting up a stand alone bandsaw anyway (thank God my wife loves me ....). Look on Craigs list and the like. They are out there and be patient. You can (not always) get them for less that 200.

Just My Uneducated Humble Opinion <- I figured that no one would understand the FLA JMUHO

dgale · Post by **dgale** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 10:55 pm

While you can't use the miter gauge as a rip fence on the new aluminum table, you can use the band saw rip fence that SS sells and only works on the aluminum table…they even have a "premium" option available that's made by Kreg. Either fence is a substantial improvement over using a miter gauge as a rip fence IMO. You also can get an extension table and circle cutter for use with the aluminum table.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/product_index.htm#bandsaw

As for availability and cost of each, both are readily available on the used market (and of course the newer version is available new from SS as well). I typically see either type go for ~$100-$200. I paid $100 for mine locally off of CraigsList with the aluminum table and I bought the "Bandsaw accessory kit" from SS…includes the fence, table extension, and circle cutter. They are also regularly posted on E-Bay as well - as with anything on E-Bay, having patience to wait for the right deal always pays off.

rjent · Post by **rjent** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 11:13 pm

dgale wrote:While you can't use the miter gauge as a rip fence on the new aluminum table, you can use the band saw rip fence that SS sells and only works on the aluminum table&#8230]http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... tm#bandsaw[/URL]

As for availability and cost of each, both are readily available on the used market (and of course the newer version is available new from SS as well). I typically see either type go for ~$100-$200. I paid $100 for mine locally off of CraigsList with the aluminum table and I bought the "Bandsaw accessory kit" from SS…includes the fence, table extension, and circle cutter. They are also regularly posted on E-Bay as well - as with anything on E-Bay, having patience to wait for the right deal always pays off.

OK, I have to ask. Is everyone just being anal about this or is the older bandsaw that flakey. After reading some of the "adjustments" and "improvements" that are necessary, I am thinking about just getting a new one next year. With that said, I can pick up a used SS 510 (don't know the SN yet so not sure, seen pictures has a toggle switch not a red switch) that has been in storage for a few years that has a bandsaw with it for three or four hundred dollars. He guarantee's everything works. I am not adverse to getting yet another SS, and actually see the advantage of having multiple machines (the 10ER is just because it is as old as I am and it has a jig saw) That is what I told my wife anyway LOL.

So anyway, what is the deal, are the older ones problematic or reliable. I like the idea of the rip fence as I have a LOT of Western Red Cedar that is probably 60 or 70 years old in trim logs of about 5 to 10 inches in diameter that were fence posts on an old ranch near my folks old place.

So what is it, problematic or reliable ..... :/