question about band saws
 

I want to buy a band saw for use in making bows (as in archery). Thus, the saw needs to be able to cut hardwood (like hickory) that is several inches thick. My question is how powerful a bandsaw do I need? Is 1/2 hp enough or do I need to fork over the extra money for a more powerful saw?

when it comes to your tools, buy the best you can afford, the differences may seem minor at first, but you will appreciate those differences when you begin to use it. I would look at a slightly more powerful model and a couple of good quality blades. You want to be able to feed the stock fast enough so ya don't burn it and not have the saw limit your ability to do so. The wider the throat of the saw the better, I have never heard anybody complain about the throat of the saw too deep, but I myself have had problems when the saw was too small to do what i was trying to do.

I bought a $99 Ryobi band saw because I didn't think I'd use it as much as my other tools(drill press, table saw) and I regret it. Never gives me a good cut, underpowered, poor quality guides, etc.

I compare it to my Dewalt table saw for instance, which costs much more, but is a joy to use. cj2112 is correct- buy the best quality tool you can afford, and I promise you will never regret it. Better to be overpowered than underpowered

if you want to be able to make long cuts in relatively thick hardwood (for bow staves) you should probably look at the 14 inch models that usually run 3/4- 1 hp. i personally would avoid the smaller benchtop size (9 inch)

grizzly makes a number of pretty affordable models. http://www.grizzly.com/

hope that helps.

Thanks!!!
 

Thank you for your advice. It was not what I was hoping to hear, but I would not have asked if I was unwilling to accept what I was given. Therefore, I will purchase a more expensive and powerful saw. Thanks again, Mike

Grizzly has some good stuff, but getting parts can be problematic (or impossible if something happens to your parts manual).

Is Craftsman okay?
 

I was planning on getting a Craftsman saw from Sears. Is that reasonable or should I look elsewhere?

My experience w/ Craftsman power tools has left a lot to be desired, it's not that they're horrible, but they're not great either. For about the same price, Jet makes a much better saw. I think that if you end up w/ the Jet, you won't regret it. The old Craftsman stuff (and I mean OLD) is much better than anything they've put out in the last 25 years or so, of course this is coming from somebody who uses this stuff to make a living, not from a hobbyist. However professional looking results are much easier to obtain when you're not limited by the tools you've selected.

*edited to add this:*
My step-dad owns this Jet saw, we both have used it quite a bit, and both have no complaints.

Thanks for the suggestion and the link.

jet makes a good saw.

the rigid brand carried by home depot did fairly well in a recent magazine test. home depot always seems to be running some 6mo/0% interest deal or the like.

Some of the best deals on quality tools can actually be found in the tool section of Amazon.com