guapote Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 hey guys this is my first post on TU but i have been stalking for a while now, i haven't posted because i haven't really had any questions. What do you guys prefer to use scroll saws or band saws? There only going too be smallish lures 8cm and downwards.Any advice on what you guys think would be the easiest of the two to start me off with would be extremely appreciated. Cheers guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 I would never part with my bandsaw and belt sander. Apart from lures, they are so useful for other jobs. Which ever machine you buy, read the manual and set it up right before use, very important. I didn't (unusual for me) and it cost me $$$ on both the bandsaw and the belt sander. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baitmaker2 Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Band saw with a thin blade. You can cut your wood blanks and your lips both. I bought mine on sale at Lowe's a few years back for about $75.00 and I wouldn't take triple my money back for it. Have had to replace about 4 blades over the past 4 or 5 year and clean the saw dust out every now and then. Be sure you read the instructions and practice safety when operating it, they can be a little dangerous to fingers if you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VANNDALIZER Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 100% band saw!!! I use a scrolling blade. Very small in width and depth, the teeth are even smaller. I can cut more on the band saw than a scroll saw hand down so if your in the market go for the band saw!! Good Luck MAV www.vanndalizer.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 A scroll saw cuts more exactly. A bandsaw cuts lots faster. It depends on what wood you're cutting to some extent. If it's hardwood - definitely go with a bandsaw. Either will cut balsa fast enough to keep you happy. You have to be very patient to cut hardwood more than 1/4" thick with a scroll saw. Believe me, I own only a scroll saw and know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark berrisford Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 for the lure size you mention i'd go with the scroll saw,i use a band saw for large musky/pike sized lures but a scroll saw would be better if your cutting small 3 inch baits in my opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipock2 Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Band Saw hands down. Wouldn't part with mine ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 A scroll saw cuts more exactly. A bandsaw cuts lots faster. It depends on what wood you're cutting to some extent. If it's hardwood - definitely go with a bandsaw. Either will cut balsa fast enough to keep you happy. You have to be very patient to cut hardwood more than 1/4" thick with a scroll saw. Believe me, I own only a scroll saw and know!I agree with bobP. What kind of wood is very important. The band saw is more versitale and you can cut oak with no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guapote Posted March 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 o sorry guys, majority of the wood will be pine so nothing to hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Bandsaw hands down....I've got a scroll saw aswell and haven't used it in years..Like Vodkaman said,throw in a belt sander and you can build just about any bait..Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 A small, table top bandsaw will be the perfect saw for you. It can cut all but the hardest woods, as long as you have a sharp blade, so pine would be no problem. And the blades will last many times longer than with a scroll saw. Plus, it cuts much more smoothly and easily than a scroll saw. The there a couple of simple safety rules with band saws. Always keep your fingers to the sides or behind the blade, never in front, always use a sharp blade ( the smaller the saw, the shorter the blade, so the faster it dulls), never feed the work into the blade faster than it will cut, and always keep the blade tensioned. properly. I've use power tool all my life, so my brain is always concious of where my hands are, but these rules will keep you safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Band saw. I have both and find the scroll saw much more difficult to use so it just sits there taking up space. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lure--Prof Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I have a scroll saw which is fine for balsa, and a minor mistake does not cause a major hospital bill. But a guy with only a scroll saw, will need a band saw at some point, and as you see here, a guy with a bandsaw does not necessarily ever need a scroll saw. Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guapote Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 well i picked up a small desktop band saw, still trying to tune the guides it came with 3mm blade so thats pretty cool. o well back to tuning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guapote Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I have a question about the tension of the blade, should i be able to move the blade where you cut from side to side with ease or difficulty? the manual doesn't really elaborate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 With difficulty. Mine has adjustable blocks each side of the blade, above and below. These prevent the blade from deflecting or wandering. They should be adjusted very close, but not touching. There are also thrust bearings above and below that require adjustment in a similar way. With the side open, the tension is judged by plucking the band and tightening until a definite musical tone can be heard. Side still open, then you spin the wheel by hand and check that the blade sits in the centre of the wheels. If it gets close to the edge, there is another adjustment for this. Read your manual for all these adjustments. Your bandsaw may have variations on mine. Look after your eyes, ears and fingers with appropriate precautions, again, read the manual for suggestions. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guapote Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 well i have got .8th of mm between the two upper guides, i didn't need to adjust the lower guides, i have got the teeth in the center of the wheels. and the back up bearing just under a mm away from the blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I just dug out my manual, which was neatly stored under a pile of paint tins, in the shop. Thrust bearing gap 0.4mm (1/64") Blade guides gap 0.8mm (1/32") So the figures are the same. The notes on blade tension were very vague. It mentioned the musical not thing, but musical notes vary from a bottom A flat to a double Z sharp! This is not precise enough for Vman. It did say that the tensioner knob should not be screwed all the way down, as the spring acts as a shock absorber. I adjusted mine from slack, until a discernable musical note could be heard, so probably close to the bottom A flat. It did mention an alternative of raising the head and measuring the side play at the cutter point (1/8"). Again, very un-precise, depends how hard you push the blade. You have to do the tension thing before doing the gaps thing. If you didn't, just re-check the gaps. You may feel that I am being over pedantic about this, but I stripped the liner off the wheels on mine, by not doing the adjustments. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guapote Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 wow trying to track it straight is really quite frustrating, i manage to get the blade to track straight for about 8 rotations than it likes to drift to any of the sides of the wheel, the tension of the blade is anything but loose? I'm assuming its because the tool is low quality Ryobi150L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Sounds like you are having the same problem as me. I could get the blade centred on one wheel, but not the other. The manual did not cover this, so I had to figure it out for myself. The tracking adjustment moves the top wheel in and out. The tensioner adjustment, rather than moving the top wheel up and down, actually angles the wheel up and down. So, unless both wheels are parallel, the tracking is near impossible to achieve. I found by playing with the tensioner, I could improve the tracking. I did not get it perfect, as I did not want to over tighten the blade. It did the trick, as I have had no more problems since. Mine was a cheapo piece of garbage. I guess you get what you pay for. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Try using a straight edge to get the two wheels parallel. That will insure the best tracking. Then tension the blade, and recheck. The wheels need to be parallel for the blade to track correctly. My blade rides on the outer half of both wheels. The wheels are covered with a rubber "band", a hard rubber wheel covering, that's crowned, so it's higher in the center, and tends to draw the blade inward to the crown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
