Bandsaw or circular table saw?

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Sorry this is not a strictly welding thread as it's advice on woodworking tools, so hope you will forgive me .
I've currently got a portable circular saw which needs a new blade, and am looking at this as an excuse to look at alternatives. I used to have a Wolfcraft portable work bench which took the portable saw and used this for ripping down and the like, but ended up selling the bench as it was too heavy & unwieldy for the workmate role I needed it for the rest of the time. I've looked at both but can't decide which will be the most versatile. Most of the time I will be ripping timber down but would also like the option of doing more precise work if possible. I don't have much space so it would have to be one or the other.
Any (relevant/sanitary/sane) feedback appreciated

 

[TechnicAl]

Ive got both but I only use the bandsaw for small intricate bits. The table saw with a 10" blade are relatively cheap and easy to use....mind your fingers though. Sometimes if you hit a knot or something it can "wander" off.
Ive been looking at one of those track saws. Where a hand held circ saw runs along a track.........There are some Sheppach ones on ebay for about 150 quid with 2 lengths of track (3m I think).

The other day I cut about 20 scaffold boards into 4" widths and it did it but its not easy keeping one in line when your pushing from 4m away. Ive made a big table and fastened boards as guides all over it. Would be better with rollers but I havent got any.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Ripping is pretty useless on a small bandsaw as you can't really use a normal ripping fence, the blade will wander through the grain giving you a wavy cut. You can rip with a bandsaw but you are better off scribing a line and using a pivot point adjacent to the blade and compensating for wander with your eyes.
The only time that I use my bandsaw (Whitehead 12") for ripping is on deep sections over 8" thick*.

Anything less than 8" I can rip on the table saw by flipping after the first 4" deep cut.

 

[norlander]

Horses for courses mate, table saw ripping with no stress. Done loads of wood, table saw+ mitre (chop) saw, + hand held rail guided plunge saw. All portable and stowable. I used these:

http://www.tritontools.uk.com/page76.html
http://cdn.metabo.com/fa/metabo/_co...views/KGS_303_Review_Tool_Business___Hire.pdf
https://www.festool.co.uk/Products/...554&name=Circular-saw-TS-55-R-EQ-Plus-GB-110V

not cheap I'm afraid, the Triton is very versatile, I could have done most cutting and sizing jobs with it, but I got the other tools to speed up the work and save time configuring the Triton. Think they do a more compact version, note though that the triton ties up your circular saw-its a bench only the saw is another buy on top, you also lose a bit of the saws cut capacity, but that was not an issue for me I just flipped thicker stuff.

Even expensive bandsaws can sometimes be a pig to set up and keep running right.
Hope thats of some use.

 

[bigegg]

If you do predominantly ripping, then table saw all the way - unless you manage to find a bandsaw that will take a 38mm+ resaw blade. Mine takes a 2" blade, and has 10 speeds with a 2hp motor
It only has a 12" throat, and a 10" deep cut but never struggles cutting oak tree trunk off cuts up to the limit.
Timber ripped on a bandsaw will *always* need further finishing - you'll need a jointer or handplane
With a good blade, a table saw can produce stuff that looks planed.

I'd go for a table saw, plus a jigsaw, scrollsaw, or even a hand fretsaw. If I didn't have room for both.

 

[TechnicAl]

Ive been looking at how I can cut scaffold boards into featheredge. My table saw could do it but they would be at most 4" widths so after overlapping probably 3".
In the end I decided buying the featheredge would be cheaper and I can get the rebated stuff so the gaps are neater.

 

[bigegg]

Ive been looking at how I can cut scaffold boards into featheredge. My table saw could do it but they would be at most 4" widths so after overlapping probably 3".
In the end I decided buying the featheredge would be cheaper and I can get the rebated stuff so the gaps are neater.

There's a place down the road from me which does 5" (4" cover) feather edge in 6ft lengths for a quid each - it's simply not worth the time to make them.

Rebating is a simple job on the RAS with a dado blade

 

[Hitch]

Small bandsaws arnt really great for ripping, but will do it if setup. The correct blade would help no end though. Having the guides and fence setup properly will save a lot of frustration too. Incorrectly, and it might gradually pull off the cut line and bind the blade, throwing the blade off the wheels.
It was slow, but i managed to rip some bits of big old 4" thick reclaimed joists with a little DW100.

But with a table saw, you havn't really got the option to cut curves..well, very badly and with a lot of waste.

 

[TechnicAl]

There's a place down the road from me which does 5" (4" cover) feather edge in 6ft lengths for a quid each - it's simply not worth the time to make them.

Rebating is a simple job on the RAS with a dado blade

Yes theres the same here. Ive got some rebated already but I cant remember where I got it. Must be local and cheap or it wouldnt be me.

 

[bigegg]

Actually - have you considered a RAS? (Radial arm saw)
Planing, moulding, sanding, overhead routing.
Ripping, crosscuts, mitres, compounds.
Dados/rebates t&g joints.
Can be *VERY* accurate when set up properly.

 

[bigegg]

I keep thinking of other ideas.
If you have a router table, use a v-groove bit to run a groove both sides of a board you want to rip on the bandsaw.
The bandsaw will follow the "path of least resistance" so you get a much straighter cut.
In much the same way you can use a table saw to cut grooves in the narrow edges of a board before resawing to make a more accurate cut

 

[TechnicAl]

I think the easiest is the table saw but I need one with a bigger blade 12" or more. They are few and far between and the cheapest Ive seen was aboout 300 quid...........I can buy the featheredge for 200
I know I could sell it on but theres the time it takes and its still not rebated. Ive got a rebate bit for a hand router (a good one) but it would take me ages
As much as Id rather use the scaff boards buying is easier..........I could probably sell the boards for more than the faetherdege costs

 

[bigegg]

I think the easiest is the table saw but I need one with a bigger blade 12" or more. They are few and far between and the cheapest Ive seen was aboout 300 quid...........I can buy the featheredge for 200
I know I could sell it on but theres the time it takes and its still not rebated. Ive got a rebate bit for a hand router (a good one) but it would take me ages
As much as Id rather use the scaff boards buying is easier..........I could probably sell the boards for more than the faetherdege costs

My recommendation for the RAS is for the OP
A 12" table saw would need 3ph or 20a+ single?
If I was gonna cut featheredge from scaffolding boards, I'd make a dedicated jig for the bandsaw with rollers or featherboards to keep the boards in line

 

[rosinante]

Hi
I have a 12 ins multico rip saw runs on a 16a supply, it is a beast , I regularly resaw dry hardwood up to 8 ins by planing the edges and sawing from both edges in stages, I get good results,I have modified the fence to allow up to 25 ins wide, with the use of a sled it makes very accurate cross cuts.
If you wish to rip long lengths then make sure it has a riving knife fitted,also another consideration is the space available, eg to rip a 8 ft board you need 16 ft plus the length of the saw table + access.
Don't use out feed rollers, unless perfectly aligned they will cause sideways drift of the material and in the case of ripping can cause kickback, waxed mdf outfeed tables cheap and have other uses when not sawing,with a ras ripping will result in a face full of sawdust and in nearly all cases a blade change for ripping, a combination blade on a table saw does most tasks unless dedicated ripping is all that is required.
I use my saw to cut very accurate joints with the aid of homemade jigs, there is a multitude of utube vids on this.
HTH
Chris

 

[tlovatt]

If you are short of space my suggestion would be to get a bandsaw, but then when ripping used a hand held circular saw with a guide, either a standard saw and long straight edge or a plunge saw (this is the proper name for the circular saws that run on rails). This is the setup that I use, for rough ripping I use a hand held saw with an 8ft straight edge, for more accurate cuts and panel work I have a plunge saw, for smaller bits I have the bandsaw. Also doing the ripping with a hand held saw you can take it outside and not have all the dust indoors.

I tried some of the small table saws, they are a waste when working on larger pieces, not rigid or robust enough

 

[TechnicAl]

If you are short of space my suggestion would be to get a bandsaw, but then when ripping used a hand held circular saw with a guide, either a standard saw and long straight edge or a plunge saw (this is the proper name for the circular saws that run on rails). This is the setup that I use, for rough ripping I use a hand held saw with an 8ft straight edge, for more accurate cuts and panel work I have a plunge saw, for smaller bits I have the bandsaw. Also doing the ripping with a hand held saw you can take it outside and not have all the dust indoors.

I tried some of the small table saws, they are a waste when working on larger pieces, not rigid or robust enough

Plunge saw seems to be term for SOME and Circular Saw or Track Saw for others.......I dont know what the difference is but it doesnt seem that PLUNGE saw is the correct term

Festool seem to be the No1 and they describe this as a Circ Saw

http://www.powertool-supplies.co.uk...2jWXbzlvPoJch0Zei31yaWDE53No4WVa8YaAtsr8P8HAQ

a bit confusing?

 

[tlovatt]

Plunge saw seems to be term for SOME and Circular Saw or Track Saw for others.......I dont know what the difference is but it doesnt seem that PLUNGE saw is the correct term

Festool seem to be the No1 and they describe this as a Circ Saw

http://www.powertool-supplies.co.uk...2jWXbzlvPoJch0Zei31yaWDE53No4WVa8YaAtsr8P8HAQ

a bit confusing?

They are all circular saws, but the plunge saws are intended to have the ability that the name suggests i.e. to plunge into the workpiece. They have no riving knife (although that is now common with most hand held circular saws) but whereas a normal circular saw you set and lock the depth of cut and then cut along the workpiece end to end, plunge saws are intended to be able to plunge into the workpiece part way along. They normally will not lock in a down position (but do have a depth stop) so if for example you wanted to cut out a hole for a sink in a worktop, you place the rail along where you want to cut (the rubber strip on the rail is cut the first time you use the saw so it is bang on where the edge of the blade cut will be) plunge into the worktop and then slide the saw along the rail, doing this you can cut out some precise holes in objects.

They are more accurate than a conventional hand held circular saw, but do not work so well with joined rails (I have tried a few) and hence I find a conventional handheld circular saw easier for ripping long sections. The other advantage with plunge saws is that the track tends to stop a lot of the top surface splintering (plus there is no need to work out the offset as with a conventional hand held circular saw). If you have delicate pieces you can also easily take a scoring cut with a plunge saw to prevent tearout

 

[TechnicAl]

The hand held circular saw I bought 30 years ago could "plunge"
I used it to cut out floorboards due to that ability

Whatever its called............the rail bit is the transformation

 

[tlovatt]

The hand held circular saw I bought 30 years ago could "plunge"
I used it to cut out floorboards due to that ability

Whatever its called............the rail bit is the transformation

Yes it is the rail that is the transformation, whilst a 'normal' hand held circular saw can (in most cases plunge) its not the same - you have to find some way to hold it in place and some way to secure the guide. The tracks will (provided what you are cutting has sufficient surface area) sit on the workpiece without needing to be clamped and as you plunge the saw is held in place by the track. Also just being abnle to position the edge of the rail and know that that is where the balde will cut makes life a lot easier (I know working out an offset is not difficult, but it is surprising how much time it saves)

 

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Thanks for the replies guys, looking at what has been said and considering the space I haven't got, it's either be the plunge saw with guide rail or a table saw. I'll have a scout about and see what I think will fit my needs/budget.