I got a cheap 9" bandsaw from Sears last fall. The blade was too
coarse-toothed,
and had a lumpy joint. Than I bought some good blades from these guys:
http://www.toolcenter.com/Lenox/
They were about the only place I could find that sold good blades in the
smaller sizes.
Their blades cut better, and did not wander around at all. Also, you can get
them
made to order, if your saw tales an oddball length (I needed 56 1/8").
The saw itself (a blue "Companion" brand for $59) was surprisingly good. I
looked
at all the usual $100-range 9" and 10" saws at Sears, HD, Lowes, etc. and this
one was at least as good as any of them. It has more metal in the body
casting, so
it flexes less when in use. Some of the others (especially Ryobi) had more
cute features,
but the bodies and tables were often very flimsy.
Doug Braun
At 05:24 PM 10/4/2005 -0400, you wrote:
>Shop-talkers:
>
>A while back there was a thread on the economically- priced ($169.00) bandsaw
>that Harbor Freight sells. The concensus was that it was ok as a basic
>cutter, but not extremely accurate and not intended for heavy duty use. I
>think this model will probably suit me, and I intend to buy one this weekend.
>
> Most listers said to toss the Harbor Freight blade immediately and get a name
>brand one. I've been looking at the MSC Industrial Supply Company website,
>and they list several blades in the 5' 4 =" X =" X .025" size the Harbor
>Freight bandsaw takes. I was looking at the Starrett brand, and they have a
>wide price range from $13.00 to $29.00 each.
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