Resawing advice on a 12" band saw

[tool-man]

I ended up with an almost free Craftsman 12" band saw. It needs a little work but has good wheels, bearings, guides, cast iron table, etc.

What I am looking for is some feedback, advice, what have you, regarding its potential resawing capability. My needs are modest, just cutting up slabs into blanks for bottle stoppers, small bowls, etc. If I equip it with a 1/2 HP motor (a surplus motor I already have) and a nice Timberwolf 1/2" resaw blade how is it going to perform if I present it with a 3" or 4" piece of hard maple or cherry?

Do any of you have, or have used a similar saw? Is a 1/2 HP saw going to do what I want?

 

[bitshird]

I ended up with an almost free Craftsman 12" band saw. It needs a little work but has good wheels, bearings, guides, cast iron table, etc.

What I am looking for is some feedback, advice, what have you, regarding its potential resawing capability. My needs are modest, just cutting up slabs into blanks for bottle stoppers, small bowls, etc. If I equip it with a 1/2 HP motor (a surplus motor I already have) and a nice Timberwolf 1/2" resaw blade how is it going to perform if I present it with a 3" or 4" piece of hard maple or cherry?

Do any of you have, or have used a similar saw? Is a 1/2 HP saw going to do what I want?

I have a 12 inch Craftsman although mine has an aluminum table, I put a ½ X 4 TPI Lenox blade and using the stock ½ hp motor, I've cut some dry 5 inch thick Black Walnut. I'd say with a timberwolf blade you should have no trouble cutting through 5 to 6 inch stock, the real problem I've found is a reliable fence, I'm making one with adjustment for the off end to make sure it runs perpendicular to the blade, just some machine screws on the back side so it can be adjusted right or left as needed ,

 

[Rifleman1776]

The 1/2" blade worked for Ken. That almost shut me up. I was going to suggest that, on a 12" bandsaw getting proper tension with anything bigger than a 3/8" would be problematic. I still reccomend a 3/8"X6tpi as a good all around for you. Resawing no thicker than 4" should be OK. Beyond that, you are stressing a small hobby machine.

 

[jfoh]

The advantage that you have is that you do not need precise re-saw capability. Plus or minus an quarter inch is fine for what you are doing. Now if you were trying to re-saw wide stock and had to keep the tolerances below an eight inch you would be fighting a loosing battle. Go slow and keep pressure to a minimum and your blade should have very little drift. You can not beat the price.

 

[fernhills]

I have a 12" Craftsman BS. If you should go any bigger in what you are doing you might run into some walls. I find my BS performs great with 1/2" TW blade in it fine. I cut up blanks, fire wood size logs under 6" Dia. I also outfitted it with a sliding table and upgraded fence and it cuts very accurate. The only thing is, that i wished it would do and i think it is under powered to do is cut thick pieces with narrower blades so i good do more bandsaw boxes. Carl

 

[Bill Bulloch]

Craftsman Bandsaw

I had one for about 15 years; it was a sorry piece of equipment. I got very little use out of it. It wouldn't resaw very well, had way too much drift, and heavens forbid you try and cut a blank from a green timber. It finally stopped running and I was glad. I didn't even try to fix it just hauled it off to the dump and bought me a Delta from Lowes. Happy every since.