Shopsmith Forums

Question for the more experienced Shopsmithers - how big have you been able to go on a bandsaw box? I have a green sycamore log from a tree that fell behind my house. I used a chainsaw to cut a 10-12" diameter log into 6" lengths. I was thinking I could trim the bark and about an inch from the circumference, then cut a couple of inches off one side to make a flat base. That would leave me with a chunk of wood about 6" thick and 6" tall when standing on the flat base, but probably 8" across the widest point. Would that be too much for the Shopsmith bandsaw, if I'm careful to feed it slowly?

I should have mentioned, this is on a Mark 7 and I have a 1/2" 3 TPI blade.

The band saw will handle it just fine. I have found that it will pretty much handle whatever you can fit in it. You will probably not be able to use the 1/2” blade to make a band saw box unless the curves are very slight. You will need a 1/4” blade or maybe a 3/8”.
Paul

Thanks Paul. I'm planning to use the 1/2" blade to cut the segment down to size, then switch back to the 1/4" blade that came with the bandsaw to cut the box. I've seen some videos on YouTube of guys cutting thick cherry and oak with the Shopsmith - going well beyond the 6" the book says it can handle. Glad to have that impression reinforced here!

Ken

kkoyle wrote:Thanks Paul. I'm planning to use the 1/2" blade to cut the segment down to size, then switch back to the 1/4" blade that came with the bandsaw to cut the box. I've seen some videos on YouTube of guys cutting thick cherry and oak with the Shopsmith - going well beyond the 6" the book says it can handle. Glad to have that impression reinforced here!

Ken

What pray tell is your definition of WELL beyond?

JPG wrote:

kkoyle wrote:Thanks Paul. I'm planning to use the 1/2" blade to cut the segment down to size, then switch back to the 1/4" blade that came with the bandsaw to cut the box. I've seen some videos on YouTube of guys cutting thick cherry and oak with the Shopsmith - going well beyond the 6" the book says it can handle. Glad to have that impression reinforced here!

Ken

What pray tell is your definition of WELL beyond?

I too have been confused by some of the comments.

I have not checked but I do believe the 6" dimension in the manual is the physical height of the cut/thickness of the stock. There is no way to exceed that let alone "well beyond" that.

The bottom line is the SS band saw can handle anything you throw at it as long as you have the proper and sharp blade.

There was a Sawdust Session where they showed how to remove some of the excess casting that holds the upper blade backup bearing and got an additional 1/4-1/2 inch or so of height.

EDIT: http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... lude_1.htm

Also, a few users have made other mods to get a little more height still.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... =5&t=15932

They make pretty tough machines. True story and testimonial on that saw. In 1979 my wife and I were building our first house and we were on a serious shoestring. We were using our paychecks to buy materials every 2 weeks while we lived in a 20 ft travel trailer. As we bought framing lumber my wife would pick out the clear pieces ( this is back when there actually was some clear DF) and stickered them under a tarp. The only machinery we had was a Craftsman radial arm saw and the SS. When it came time for the exterior trim we took a bunch of those clear DF 2X4’s and split them on edge into 3 1/2” X 3/4” trim. We split several hundred linear feet of them with the SS bandsaw. It never whimpered. It was slow and took several new blades but they were cheap and we had lots of time and very little money. That trim is still looking pretty good all these years later.
Paul

JO

I have cut oak / walnut / beech / hickory that barely fit under the blade guide with out any issue //sycamore shouldn't be a issue .
Use the right blade for the job.