Advice needed: Table saw vs bandsaw

[Dylan T]

Hi all - I'm about to take on a camper conversion project and am kitting out my little garden shed with a few essentials, and was hoping some kind folks could help give me some opinions on the table saw vs bandsaw debate. I'll likely be making my own cabinetry from formica+ply panels among other tasks, yet really only have space for one unless it becomes an impossibly tight squeeze. I was planning on buying this table saw as my mate has one which I've used and for the money it really does seem great, but the table extensions don't come off and does take up a bit of room. My father who to be fair to him is pretty experienced reckons I shouldn't even bother with a table saw but just get a bandsaw, but I've read bandsaws don't give great end finishes if doing something like cutting large pieces of ply.

I found this great article which contradicts itself a little in what it recommends, but suggests a bandsaw and a guided plunge saw as a good solution.

I'd need to cut curves on things like wall panels - I could use a jigsaw but know a bandsaw would be more accurate, so understand there will be compromises whatever choice I make.

I'm also wondering, if I'm ripping down say a 1220 x 2240 ply sheet into lengths for a long wall cupboard, is a plunge saw preferable because I can much more easily align all my cut lines instead of balancing it on a smaller table saw.

And do bandsaws REALLY produce such a bad finish, particularly on veneered surfaces such as formica?

Thanks so much!

 

[foxhole]

Maybe circular saw for sheet material ( that little table saw not up to full sheet size)and a band saw.Then you just needs a pair of stands to hold sheets on while cutting.

 

[Mr Chibs]

I’ve got all three, and very rarely use the bandsaw.

Table saw, worth it weight in gold.

Recently bought a plunge/track saw.
I cut down some 2.3m tall kitchen end panels.., painted ash veneer, The cut was very good, it was a surprise. Couldn’t have got these on the table saw easily.

I bought the evolution version think
It was £130.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I'll likely be making my own cabinetry from formica+ply panels among other tasks, yet really only have space for one unless it becomes an impossibly tight squeeze.

A small table saw is great for ripping down solid timber, but of limited use for crosscutting (e.g. a 16ft length of skirting or even an 8ft length of CLS) and would be downright dangerous for breaking down full size sheets unless you build some large extra support tables - for an 8ft rip you are talking about a 6ft long behind the blade, ideally atvleasr 4ft in front of it if you are after accuracy and safety. But sound like you don't have the room for that. I honestly think that a plunge saw and rail or even a small to medium size portable circular saw and a home made guide, plus a couple of trestles and several 8ft long 3 x 2 CLS timbers would be a better bet. Bandsaws are limited by throat depth, so again breaking down an 8 x 4ft sheet is out of the question and bandsaws simply don't cut straight, which means that every cut will need to be cleaned up with a plane afterwards

I found this great article which contradicts itself a little in what it recommends, but suggests a bandsaw and a guided plunge saw as a good solution.

The problem with that article is that it seems to be based on making furniture. What you intend to do is more like a shop fitting job, which is somewhat different. If you are cutting visible curves, it will probably be in thin materials, such as 2mm thick laminate, and for that a half decent jigsaw with the right blades will suffice. Where you neef yo cut heavier stuff it should be possible to hide the cuts, so the fact that cuts aren't perfect doesn't matter too much

And do bandsaws REALLY produce such a bad finish, particularly on veneered surfaces such as formica?

Yes. A decent jigsaw with a laminate blade will give a better quality of cut

TBH I'd be looking at a plunge saw and rail, a small portable circular saw, maybe a chop saw, a jigsaw and a decent block plane

 

[big-all]

you actually need 20 ft clear run to cut an 8x4 sheet so forget full sheets in your small shed
the reason for 20 ft is you need to stand in front and feed in the 8ft board onto the table saw then 2ft for the saw and 8ft to clear the table all with full support fore and aft

 

[Deleted member 174758]

An alternative might be to find a yard who will do the first couple of cuts for you so you are starting from a more manageable point

 

[Diver Fred]

You have described the work you want to do but haven't suggested a budget. As I have both table saw and bandsaw there are uses for both.
Now this is written with my knowledge of my tools - professional quality and build table saw and a 'hobby' quality bandsaw. Table saws without the space around them and table extenders are difficult to maintain accuracy when cutting large sheets (which is why good wood yards now have a dedicated sheet cutting saws).
Hobby bandsaws are low powered and will (not 'can') struggle when cutting thick timber. To get accurate, consistent parallel cuts you need wide blades, strong fences & mountings, extremely tightened up blades and a lot of experience. To get that width of blade I'd be looking at a 14' 'Professional' machine with a 35mm blade. I now only use the bandsaw to principally cut tenons in light frames and window beadings.

In your case a Track (Plunge) saw is much better value and you will far more out it. Buy one that you can get a 2.5mtr track as well as some shorter ones, you won't regret it. The 2.5mtr track will allow you to cut 8x4 sheets along the length.
For cutting curves buy the best quality Jigsaw you can happily afford with a good range of blades.
With those tools you can do all you want. If you are making frames from small section timbers then a chop or (sliding) mitre saw is a worthwhile additional investment. With a decent quality Mitre saw with depth stop you can cut tenons accurately.

If you want some ideas on making best use of a track saw look up Peter Millard on youtoob.

 

[lostinthelight]

If your looking at a tracksaw and intend ripping timber it may be worth looking at one with a riving knife, kickbacks are not nice.

 

[Dylan T]

I’ve got all three, and very rarely use the bandsaw.

Table saw, worth it weight in gold.

Recently bought a plunge/track saw.
I cut down some 2.3m tall kitchen end panels.., painted ash veneer, The cut was very good, it was a surprise. Couldn’t have got these on the table saw easily.

I bought the evolution version think
It was £130.

Thanks. Was it the guided track saw here? I’m still trying to work out how bad this is compared to a plunge because it has great reviews.

 

[Dylan T]

A small table saw is great for ripping down solid timber, but of limited use for crosscutting (e.g. a 16ft length of skirting or even an 8ft length of CLS) and would be downright dangerous for breaking down full size sheets unless you build some large extra support tables - for an 8ft rip you are talking about a 6ft long behind the blade, ideally atvleasr 4ft in front of it if you are after accuracy and safety. But sound like you don't have the room for that. I honestly think that a plunge saw and rail or even a small to medium size portable circular saw and a home made guide, plus a couple of trestles and several 8ft long 3 x 2 CLS timbers would be a better bet. Bandsaws are limited by throat depth, so again breaking down an 8 x 4ft sheet is out of the question and bandsaws simply don't cut straight, which means that every cut will need to be cleaned up with a plane afterwards


The problem with that article is that it seems to be based on making furniture. What you intend to do is more like a shop fitting job, which is somewhat different. If you are cutting visible curves, it will probably be in thin materials, such as 2mm thick laminate, and for that a half decent jigsaw with the right blades will suffice. Where you neef yo cut heavier stuff it should be possible to hide the cuts, so the fact that cuts aren't perfect doesn't matter too much


Yes. A decent jigsaw with a laminate blade will give a better quality of cut

TBH I'd be looking at a plunge saw and rail, a small portable circular saw, maybe a chop saw, a jigsaw and a decent block plane

thanks. I’ve got a chop saw I’m happy with (double bevel sliding one from erbauer) and an einhill cordless jigsaw that hopefully will do the job.

What I’m still curious about is the benefit of a full plunge saw and separate circular saw over a track such as this evolution one which has great reviews and a good track length available. If I changes the blade then what would that not have that a dedicated plunge saw does?

thanks!

 

[big-all]

actual plunge saw advantages over track saws
plunge saw lay track half covering half the pencil line thickness on the waste side off cut [bit you want under the track and saw]
100% clean accurate cut every time 99% no need for clamps on less than 30mm thick material assuming whole width off track supported on work
rubber edge give a 95+ chip free finish
plunge saw by there action means perhaps 2.5-3 times the saw weight holding the track on the work as you have to push against the lift spring to lower the saw into the plunge position

plunge saw can cut around 12mm from the edge ideal for trimming doors in situ or skirting for laminate in situ
plunge can be accurately set for exact depth

plunging with a normal saw needs 3 hands ideally and open to inaccurate motion as you pivot on one point down till the whole base locates on the track with the riving knife iff fitted forcing the machine forward to cut through the material for the knife go through

dylan t
your evolution saw is a normal saw with a track so no real difference to a normal stait edge clamped on

also on the "put curves on panels" band saw no good if greater than saw throat or around 2 times table size if cutting clear side as weight overhangs become an issue when manovering

 

[Deleted member 174758]

What I’m still curious about is the benefit of a full plunge saw and separate circular saw over a track such as this evolution one which has great reviews and a good track length available. If I changes the blade then what would that not have that a dedicated plunge saw does?

AFAIK the biggest differences are:

With a plunge saw it is possible to make far more accurate centre panel cut outs (e.g. a window opening in a door)

The depth of cut on a plunge saw makes it faster an easier to undertake scoring cuts (where the material is pre-scored to a depth of 1 or 2mm before making a second cut to full depth). Scoring cuts will edge chipping on veneered and laminated boards

When used with a vacuum plunge saws are far less dusty than conventional saws, even when those are used on a vacuum

Plunge saws are intrinsically safer to use as the blade is retracted into the guard after every cut

Because you can retract the blade on a plunge saw at the end of cut there is less liklihood that at the end of a cut you'll forget yourself and lift the tool off the rail whilst the blade is still spinning and catch the rail, damaging it. Believe me, I've seen guys get this wrong and do that with £600 Festools (including mine) where they have been in too much of a hurry to retract the blade or let it run down, so I know it happens

I also think that because the Evo has to start with its' weight supported fully on the rail, over the edge of the work, that it's highly likely that the rails would flex a bit and maybe bend off the line. A plunge saw is generally started with at least half its' weight supported on the material which makes that possibility much less likely.

As an aside I have some Evo rails which are used with an old Bosch GKT55CE plunge saw - they were bought to do a specific job cutting and laying cement fibreboard sub-flooring (about 4000ft2). They are nowhere near as rigid as the Makita or Festool rails, so they will flex under the unsupported weight of a saw. That said, despite needing a bit of adjustment before use (trimming the ends of the orange running strips and unbending one which had a bit of a kick up in one front corner) whilst they aren't industrial quality, they did the job.

 

[mrrusty]

I have track saw, band saw, sliding mire saw and table saw. I very rarely use the table saw. IMHO all the others do most things better/easier/safer.

 

[big-all]

I have track saw, band saw, sliding mire saw and table saw. I very rarely use the table saw. IMHO all the others do most things better/easier/safer.

i am the oposit virtually every task will use chop saw plunge saw and table saw as the band saw gets dusty

all depends on individual needs
i would say jigsaw before band saw but others may find bandsaw before jigsaw

 

[Deleted member 174758]

all depends on individual needs
i would say jigsaw before band saw but others may find bandsaw before jigsaw

I think the questions have to be what size of timber are you machining on the bandsaw and what type of material are you cutting? For longish scribes (3 to 5ft/900 to 1500mm) like those you'd get on a scribe to the inside of, say, a vehicle body, I think I'd find the jigsaw with the base tilted 10 to 15° (a faitly common back ckearance angle) would be easier to use than a small bandsaw with the table tilted 10 to 15° - where holding a piece of plywood and following a scribe line whilst also counteracting the tendency for the material to slide off the table sideways and overbalance at the end of the cut can be a bit, umm... , frustrating (of course this isn't as much of an issue if you a large 24in bandsaw with a massive table, but a small Aldi saw is a somewhat different prospect)