Band saw

[SIMpleONe89]

Hi everyone. I'm thinking of starting my own scratch builds and I think I will benefit from having a band saw. I've read from other forums that the minimum (or recommended) band saw size is 14". I've seen some band saws from the green shed and SCA but those are about 8" or 9" and too small.

Does anyone have any recommendations for an affordable band saw some where in Sydney?

Thanks for the help!

[wokkaboy]

Hi Simon, that's a cool step to start building scratchys.

As I am not aware of what machinery shops are in Sydney you will have to do a bit of research.
I would visit a couple of machiney shops and maybe report back what bandsaws are available and the price.
I presume the 14" measurement is the distance/clearance from pillar to blade.
My bandsaw is roughly 330mm I think (about 13 inches) and that is enough clearance for fairly large bodies I have cut.
You can always invert the body and as you remove more material the easier it is to move around on the bandsaw table.

DB and Gavmiester have theirs from Hare and Forbes I think but don't know the model or brand. I'm unsure if they have sales shops in Sydney

[SIMpleONe89]

Thanks for the reply Wokka! How much did you pay for your band saw? I also noticed they're really expensive!

[wokkaboy]

Hi Simon,
I bought my bandsaw about August 2012 at the Perth annual woodshow so it was discounted by a fair bit.
I can't even remember the brand, but it cost $600.
I reckon DB's may have cost around a grand or $1200 (I am only guessing) but his is much more heavy duty and has more adjustments.
It is worth having 2 or 3 different blade widths and they are rated as teeth per inch I think the unit is.
So for a body you would need a fairly small depth blade so it bends around curves.
It's important to practice on scrap wood to get a feel of how it cuts, and so important to be so careful it will slice off a finger or wrist in the blink of an eye.
I built about my first 7 or 8 scratch bodies with cheap pine from the big green shed, got 2 pieces of 1200 x 90 x 45mm, cut them in half, glue/clamp them and had a 600 x 360mm body blank to work with, big enough for just about any shape other than a Flying V needs 5 pieces wide instead of 4.
The pine is soft to cut/route and if you messed it up the blank cost about $25. I learnt so much building these before moving onto nicer tonewoods

[wokkaboy]

Hi Simon there is a phone number for Sydney Hare and Forbes, here are some of the models they stock
http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Bandsaw

if it's not too far from home is a good place to get an idea what's available

[SIMpleONe89]

Thanks for the reply again Wokka.

Yikes that's a big figure haha. I currently have a jigsaw so I'll definitely experiment on some scrap pine. A band saw sounds very intimidating at this stage but I'll definitely keep an eye out for a good deal.

Ben Crowe from Crimson guitars has this useful video about cutting a body without a band saw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbrz_xOxI6M. I might give it a shot without a bandsaw for now and if it gets too frustrating I might consider investing in one.

[wokkaboy]

no worries Simon, another option is a router with a long pattern following bit but it would be much easier on a table router.
Jigsaw should give you a rough shape but I could see it wandering cutting 40 or 45mm thick timber and blades breaking.
Another option is to buy a blank that has the shape pre-cut and you could route the pup and control cavities

[WeirdBits]

You could check for a Men's Shed in your area and, depending on their membership requirements, that may give you access to a bandsaw.

[wokkaboy]

thats another great idea Weirdy !

don't speak to the bloke with 3 fingers hahaha

[dingobass]

Like all machines, the more you pay the better the quality...
Having said that, unless you are going to get a lot of use from it paying 1+k can be a bit off putting.

[SIMpleONe89]

Thanks everyone for the replies. A men's shed would be a good alternative to paying for all the machines!

[wokkaboy]

that's it Simon, high hundreds to a grand is a pretty big outlay unless it gets plenty of use

[vh2580]

Another option is to look at the grays online or other clearance auction sites as there are occasionally new machines up as liquidated stock in the current economic climate.