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I made a post a while back titled "What Is Your Go To Saw" and I really appreciate the comments and info you all gave me so I am looking at replacing my old 40 year old band saw. I am thinking of buying the General Excalibur 14" 1 1/2 hp model with 12" resaw capability. I am still looking and unfortunately price is one of the main driving factors in my decision.

Here are the specs"
http://toolreviews.woodmagazine.com/power-tool-reviews/saws/bandsaws/wood-cutting-bandsaws/2300-general-international-14-bandsaw-90-170b


But I was at Woodcraft looking at the above saw and decided to wander over to look at some of the wood stock they had and found a beautiful piece of Rosewood that was about 12" wide and 5" long. I thought it was pretty cheap at $90 but then I stated looking at how it was cut. About 3" of the board was fully 1/4 sawn and the growth rings angled off from there to almost flat sawn on the other side. Since I don't know much about re-sawing and what to look for in tone woods I would like some advice from those of you who actually do it.

So, I am curious what you think about the above saw and more curious what should I be looking for the wood I am going to make guitars from.

Thanks for your help,
Bob

Whoa, for that price do yourself a favor. Buy the 19" 3 HP 220 Grizzly Extreme. You can get a 1.3 TPI wood master CT down the line and never look back. Yes you can Re-saw with a 14" bandsaw but it's more trouble than it's worth. Drift and bogging down that 1.5 HP motor would be issues to deal with. You also can't get a wood master on a 14" saw. My 19" grizz with Woodmaster CT zips through 10" walnut and rosewood no problemo, no drift, minimal setup, no bogging down. If you don't like Grizzly get a Rikon or something similar. When re-sawing- get the biggest saw you can afford.

Check your local craigslist (I looked at yours already). There is a good older industrial sized saw or two on there. I personally use a Rockwell from 1976. That woodmaster ct is the way to go, so whatever you do, make sure your saw can handle a 1" blade.

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That 14" saw might be able to handle a Laguna Resaw King... but then Resaw Kings have a thinner blade than most. Note I am not talking about those Delta cast iron clones... and I know General makes pretty good bandsaw.

Most recommend Woodmaster CT simply because it's fairly cheap as far as carbide blade goes, but it's not really resharpenable because it has such a small amount of carbide.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

For about $100 more look at the Laguna 14" SUV. 3hp Leeson motor, 14" of resawing and not as huge as the 19". I have the Laguna and am very happy with it.

Jamie

Thanks for the replies gent's,

I am afraid I may have a problem with power. I think everything that has been suggested is 220volts.

I am in the process of setting up my new shop and just recently had electricity run to it. I had a 220 line pulled out there but powers all the 110 breakers so I don't actually have a 220 outlet. I do not have anything to do with working on electricity so I have no idea about it but it sounds like I would need more power.

I really appreciate all of your suggestions and info about what you have and find it very informative so I am happy to read what you say. I may have to just bite the bullet and call my electrician and ask him what I need and get it done.

Thanks much
Bob

Is there any problem with hard wiring a machine? I do it all the time but I'm not sure what the regulations are where you live. If you have a 220 line you will generally have to hard wire them as you would a AC unit, oven, etc. The only thing I have seen that has a 220v outlet is a window AC. I bet most of them just comes with a wire with terminals, no plugs.

1.5hp is enough by the way with the right blade. If the blade is really struggling it's dull or too many teeth.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I think that may be against code here. I am sure I have enough power at my main box because when I bought this house it had 4 electric ovens and a 220v hot water heater. A long story in itself but needless to say I removed them right after I moved in so I have 3 empty 220 breakers in my main box. I had one of them pulled into my new shop and have a sub panel in there but that feeds the other breakers in the sub. If I tried to hard wire it up I would have to run about 60 feet of line back to my main box. So i will probably have to have another one pulled... I don't know a lot about it but I know it has to do with how many amps you pull and when my electrician did the sub panel he calculated the tools I have now plus the lighting.

But that aside since it has nothing to do with building guitars...

I know power is everything when you are talking saws and I am guessing I will get impatient with brand new saw that I can just barely do what I want.

I guess I should ask the question about needing to resaw wood.

Does it save a lot of money to buy larger stock and cut your own?

Is it better to just buy it from a reputable seller?

Thanks
Bob

I don't know but when people are charging 500-600 dollars a set for african blackwood, and I can get probably 3 or so sets at that price from the lumberyard by resawing it myself, the saving is clear. Or if you need low grade wood for experimental builds it also saves money.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Which is the second part of my original question:

Ideally you want quartersawn sides but honestly, flatsawn wood looks better even though it's not the most stable. If you want it fully quartersawn like top wood you'll have to pay for it but there's nothing wrong with a little rift especially in backs.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

The Rikon 10-325 14" band saw is 110 volt. It's a decent machine for resawing and cheap. You can get them new at Woodcraft for around $900 or so. I got mine used off Craigs for $500. I have had no problems resawing 8" wood with a sharp 3 TPI blade. I havent yet cut any really hard woods that thick though, like ebony or rosewoods. It will cut cherry, mahogany, walnut, and similar woods just fine.

Does it save money to resaw?... That really depends. Is it worth your time to drive to the local lumber yard, sort through the wood pile and pick out the rare one or two pieces that might work for a guitar, pay for it, load it up, drive it back home, dimension it, then resaw it, and thickness it. Or cut the tree down, split it, cut off the bark, seal the ends, dimension the wood, resaw it, sticker and stack it to dry. OR...click a few buttons on Uncle Bob's (etc.) website, enter your credit card info, and it shows up on your doorstep. I've done all of these options and they all have their merits. I like knowing I have wood from trees I have cut and resawed myself. It's fun! But time is important and I usually like to spend it building instead of resawing.

Tai Fu, Thanks for that info, I knew the best wood to use is quarter sawn but I have noticed some guitars have what appears to be flat sawn wood on the sides and back with lots of wavy grain. I know it is usually preferred in furniture but was not sure it is optimum for guitars.

@Goodin, Yes I looked at that Rikon when I was at Woodcraft but the sales guy didn't dwell on it like he did the General (maybe they get a higher bounus...) I know I am not going to use it as a recut workhorse but I do want something that can handle it.

As for wood, I won't be cutting any trees down but I do have a good friend that owns a lumbar company and their main focus is buying local hardwood and kiln drying. I still have a stack of 5/4 Maple I bought a few years back as well as a few nice boards of Walnut. So I have a pretty good source of lumber and If I ask he will pull some nice stuff out for me.

As for Exotics I would probably rely on Woodcraft or one of the local lumbar yards who carries some exotics. Mostly 5/4 lumber is what I have access to.

I will have to have a closer look at that Rikon. I prefer to buy new since I have never had a lot of luck buying used equipment. I once bought a radial arm drill press and it turned out to be a better work table than a drill...

Cheers,
Bob

I feel like you can get this at a budget of 1500 USD...

http://www.grizzly.com/products/19-3-HP ... saw/G0514X

Personally I'd prefer something with a larger wheel size. Not only you get more work space for scroll work (it matters!), you also have a wider choice of blades and reduced blade breakage. I've heard pretty good reviews about Grizzly and the customer service is pretty good, so I'd go for that if I could. Although I heard General is a pretty solid brand... The fence on the 514x/514x2 is really good. I have one retrofitted onto my 18" bandsaw, and it is impossible to deflect once locked down, and is great for resawing right out of the box. Many others have also retrofitted their bandsaw for the fence on this one.. it's that good. Since Grizzly has an embargo against Taiwan I had to get a friend to smuggle it (what did we ever do to deserve it??)...

I think as far as "sound" and stability goes quartersawn is preferred but rift or even flatsawn woods are increasingly used (for example, birdseye maple are always flatsawn) simply because it looks better. Of course many consumers pick cosmetics over anything else...

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Yes you can save money but generally only if you plan on building more than one guitar with each wood purchase or if you can flip a few sets then you may end up with FREE WOOD! Well, that is if you don't take into account your time to cut it, the cost of a machine, blades and the time spent trolling through wood piles. But hey, it's fun to catch your own and a resaw is very handy saw to have around. I have one of these http://www.lagunatools.com/bandsaws/bandsaw-lt16-3000 and am very happy with it.

House and shop electrical work is pretty straight forward. Do you have an electrical panel in your shop? If so you need a 220 breaker of the appropriate amperage. You first want to make sure you have a heavy enough wire feeding your shop. You then want to run a heavy enough wire from the 220 breaker to run your machine. If you don't feel comfortable with electrical I'm sure you could find an electrician to do it pretty reasonably. It will be nice to have at least 1 220 circuit in your shop.

Good Luck

There are plenty of 220V receptacles .
My welder uses a 220V 100 amp receptacle .

I really appreciate your suggestions guys, I have made due for years with my old "crap" and they have more than paid for themselves so I think I am going to just call my electrician and have another 220 line pulled.

From reading what you have all said I think I will get a big enough one to do what I need. I was talking to my wife last night and she is encouraging me to get what I want. I have to say she is a great woman and supports me all the time. I am the one who always feels guilty about spending a lot of money on something just for me, but she never flinches when I do and I never get any flack... I am a lucky guy.

Now I just need to figure out which saw to get. So far I have been impressed by the Grizzly and the Laguna, Both seem to be well built and can handle more than I'll throw at them.

And I love going lumber yards and looking for that special piece of wood for a project. Now I just need to learn what good tonewood is. I have been learning a lot by tapping on every piece I get in my hands but I am far from knowledgeable on the subject.

Thanks again guys, I really enjoy this forum and all the help you have given me. I use to think I knew a lot about guitars and wood but in the short time I have been a member here, you all have humbled me... I am 60 years old and have done a lot of things in my life and I am still learning and happy that I still can.

Cheers,
Bob

Now to get that 220 line pulled...

I have the 18" Rikon and the Woodmaster CT blade. I thought it was as big as I would ever need when I bought it, but the frame isn't stiff enough and the motor not powerful enough to resaw 9" of Osage Orange without the blade grabbing and jumping. I solved the problem by using a Trimaster blade for the Osage ( the Trimaster has a less aggressive hook angle). I still use the Woodmaster CT for most other woods. If I knew then what I know now, I would have come up with the 1500 extra bucks and bought a big Laguna.

When you get the 220 line pulled, go ahead and pull another at the same time. It hardly adds to the cost and you will probably want another circuit later. You want a socket and plug so that you can disconnect the saw when you work on it!

Given the cost of the blades and the amount of time involved, I don't think you save gross amounts of money resawing yourself. What you do get is the ability to use woods that aren't available from commercial suppliers. And, you get the ability to cut up something neat you find at the lumber yard. Most of my builds since I got the Rikon have been with backs and sides I resawed myself. I build less than a dozen each year, so I eschew flat sawn wood. One of my early builds with flat sawn maple came back after sitting in the rain. The flat sawn wood didn't like that at all. I build with quarter sawn for stability.

I rebuilt and installed a hot tub.
I ran 3 6-AWG wires about 60 feet long. The wire alone cost me $300.
I had to split the 220V to the dryer onto two separate breakers so I could install a 220V dual breaker.
Needless to say, that darn thing cost too much to keep running.
I drained it and have not used it for a year.
I have a 110V 14" saw. It required heavy duty extension cord.

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@bobgramann


I am not surprised you had a hard time cutting Osage, isn't that comparable to cutting concrete? I know a bit about the wood because I had a friend that was a flint knapper and he used Osage for the handles. I did a bit of carving for him and it is tough stuff.

@dzsmith,
Fortunately I kept all the 220 cables when I had the 3 stoves removed and I also kept the 30 amp breakers so I don't really have to invest anything more than paying for the electrician to do the work. When he pulled the 3 breakers out he filled them in with 6 20 amp circuits and moved a few things around in my box so I am sure he can make room for them. Too bad because I just had him here last fall to run the sub panel into my shop. I should have had him run the 220 then but I didn't think I would need it.


@Todd Stock,



That is a beauty. I like the rugged look of the Grizzly it looks like it is built well.

I got one of these about 12 years ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR0v-27f4KI

I don't run it nearly that fast, nor did I get the conveyor return, but it's a hell of a saw, and it's made me money.

I like the 3/4" TimberWolf ASS Variable Pitch blades because sometimes I hit nails or barbed wire..."urban harvest". The blades take out about .046"...great yield. If I'm working clean wood, then carbide gives a slightly better surface.

Why not just put a 220 breaker in the subpanel you have now? Or are all the slots already used?

I used to be shy of electrical work until I bit the bullet and wired up up my garage. I put in the subpanel, ran wiring to a variety of 110 and 220 plugs around the perimeter using wiremolding, wired up the subpanel, ran the line back to the main panel, and then called up the electrician to come inspect and hook the subpanel line to the main panel. Very educational.

_________________
Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

In some places it might actually be illegal to do electrical work unless you are licensed, or rather you lose homeowner insurance coverage if they find out you did electrical work on your own house without a certified electrician signing off on it. In Taiwan they really don't care (most electrical work is way worse than I can do) but in most civilized countries, you can be penalized for doing the work yourself... And since such service usually costs a lot of money, I can understand why someone would rather not modify their electrical to accommodate a 220v machine.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I do lots of resawing and millwork for all kinds woodworkers and have had many bandsaws over the years. You might just consider looking around your area for someone who has a real resaw and resaw service. In the long run it just might save you a lot of $. Carbide blades and powerfeed are the critical things to look for.

_________________
“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso