The Only Band Saw for Me

My 1980 Rockwell/Delta cast iron band saw.

I’m in the middle of engraving 100 spell panels this week – and teaching a chairmaking class. So there isn’t much interesting progress to report on “The American Peasant.” But that doesn’t mean I can’t write something about band saws and use some fun swear words.

Sheet-metal band saws are dong swillers.

I’ve owned three of them. I’ve used dozens of them that were tuned to a high level in shops all over the world. (Yes, even the Agazzani.) I have liked exactly none of them.

These welded sheet-metal saws are supposed to be stiffer than cast iron saws. If they are, I sure as hell can’t tell. I find them fussy and vibrating masses of needy-needy. These saws always have “advanced” blade guides, which are always worse than two stationary blocks of steel found on basic band saws.

The welded-steel saws are lightweight, which seems to be a problem when you mate a mass of welded tin foil to a 5hp motor. And they are generally huge machines. And that is also…