Posted by Gary Dodge on January 02, 2003 at 22:06:05:
In Reply to: Band saw posted by Kim on January 02, 2003 at 19:19:24:
Hi Kim,
There are three types of saws out there, band saws, ringsaws and wire saws. The band saw has been around for a long time and there are a number of different brands out there. The other two are relatively new on the scene and therefore are patented devices that are manufactured only by the patent holders, so there is no choice of ringsaws, (or wire saws), there is pretty much only one.
1) Bandsaws:
Bandsaws are fast and cut cleanly. They are generally quieter than the other saw types, but have their limitations. Replacement blades are expensive and blades can easily break if not used with care. Your budget pretty much limits you to a bandsaw like the Speedster, about $229.00. It is a fine saw, but in this price range you just can't get a saw with a wide throat. I'd have to draw pictures to really make this clear, but since the blade only cuts when you feed material straight into the blade, cutting complex shapes in largish pieces of glass invariably puts you in a situation where the glass hits the back of the throat and you are out of business.
2) Ringsaw:
The ringsaw gets you past the throat problem for most work, allowing you to rotate your piece and cut with the glass moving across the blade in any direction, thus avoiding the back of the throat. On the other hand, at $339.95, it will break your budget. Furthermore, there are serious maintenance issues. Items that regularly wear out, grommets, belt and of course the blade, which is expensive and can break if pushed past its'limit.
The other issue with the ringsaw is the noise level. I would recommend wearing protective earwear. I have found that if you work at the ringsaw for a few minutes everything sounds muffled, like walking our of a disco with loud music.
3) Wiresaw:
The wiresaw, at $269.95 cuts in all directions like the ringsaw, thus getting past the throat depth problem. Depending on the blade you have installed (there are several types), it can cut almost as fast as the ringsaw.
The big plus is that the saw is almost maintenance free. The blades are cheap and easy to change, and with the exception of the "slitting blade", they are almost impossible to break.
Because of the saws reciprocating motion, like a sewing machine needle, there is a bit more vibration than the ringsaw, but the saw is not as loud and can be comfortably used without ear protection.
Both the ringsaw and wiresaw will allow you to cut out the inside of a donut shape if you drill a hole first, something that no bandsaw can do. The ringsaw, however requries you to buy a special blade for about $80.00 to do it. The wiresaw just does it at no extra cost.
Finally, ANY saw is going to be SLOWER than hand cutting for the majority of your work. Saws are great for cutting those "special" pieces, but for day to day work you can't beat a glass cutter.
GaryD
: I want to buy a band saw to do some stain glass. I mostly do work from myself. But I would like to get a saw that would work if I wanted to do some pieces to sell. I have around $250.00 to spend on a saw. Can anyone recommend one?