New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

6/20/19, 2:38 PM #1

Barry Irby
Member
Offline
13,125 posts

Registered: 1/27/05

New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

Barry Irby

I have posted about the Hitachi Bandsaw I bought from the son of and aging woodworker. It came with a 3" wide blade with Stellite on every other tooth. I sharpened it and it did OK, but I bit the bullet and bought a new blade. The new one from Hitachi has Stellite on every tooth and is also 3" wide. I am almost stunned at the difference it makes. I added dust collection to the saw and that helps a lot also. Doesn't affect the sawing much but it cuts down on the amount of sawdust that rides around and come off the upper wheel.

I am still tweaking the saw and fence, but I re-sawed a piece of poplar about 3" wide and 2 feet long. I got a piece off that measure between .11" and .12". In other words a .01" variation. A light pass over the jointer or though the sander will flatten the surface. I am wondering if it's time to leave it alone and use it?

I do need to improve my feeding technique.

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

6/21/19, 2:15 PM #2

Ellis Walentine
Moderator
Offline
8,683 posts

Registered: 11/26/00

Use it if it's good enough

Ellis Walentine

You be the judge of how accurate the saw has to be for a particular job. Do a test piece and decide.

I didn't understand where this .01" variation is. Are you talking about thickness across the width? What happens when you resaw a wider board, say 8" or 10" wide? Is this a table tilt issue?

Also, I hope you really weren't talking about jointing a 1/8" thick veneer. :-/

Ellis

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

6/21/19, 7:17 PM #3

Kneale Brownson
Member
Offline
1,031 posts

Registered: 8/1/07

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

Kneale Brownson

Mine's in storage (along with almost all my tools), but I hadn't used it for a couple years before because I need new guide blocks. Couldn't find anything at the time. Was thinking some exotic wood would be best.

- - -

I’m a fairly spry 82-year-old who had been a reader/participant at WoodCentral since the demise of Badger Pond. I started visiting BP to learn something about finish for a project I’d completed and became hooked on internet forums as a way of increasing my knowledge about all sorts of topics. I have been a moderator for a couple other forums on subjects I enjoy. My interest in woodworking began in the early 1970’s when my wife and I had contractors add to our house near Traverse City, MI, and I ended up doing the trim work to reduce mounting costs. I had no tools. I bought a P-C skilsaw, hammer, screwdrivers and one of those wooden miter boxes with a backsaw. I made trim for windows and doors from one-by lumber and started my woodworking career. At the same time, I started a 50-year career as a ski instructor. I got onto the night shift at a mental hospital so I could ski days, and spent my 30s and 40s with that schedule. I eventually replaced the PC-upside-down-in-a-board with a real table saw and began the purchase of enough equipment to fill a jam-packed 40-foot shipping container we used after we sold our property in Michigan. The ski instructing had taken us to Colorado and we were spending too much on maintaining utilities for two homes. A couple years ago, the dozen years spent at 10,000 feet of elevation was making my body produce too many red blood cells, so we had to leave my “forever” home in the mountains and we moved back to Michigan. Now I have to find myself a shop space for all those tools in the container.

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

6/22/19, 1:06 AM #4

Barry Irby
Member
Offline
13,125 posts

Registered: 1/27/05

Re: Use it if it's good enough

Barry Irby

Ellis, the Piece I cut was a piece of poplar about 3" wide and an inch thick and 2'long. I eyeballed setting the fence at about 1/8" and resawed off a slice. What I was thinking about was jointing the piece that was about 7/8" thick after the slice.

The .01" was the maximum variation. End to end and top to bottom. Some of that may have been from my lack of practice feeding the stock.

No, I would never try to face joint a piece an 1/8" thick. I would run it through my Performax but even then I would probably double stick tape it to a carrier.

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

6/22/19, 1:09 AM #5

Barry Irby
Member
Offline
13,125 posts

Registered: 1/27/05

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

Barry Irby

Mine still has the original phenolic guides. I think you could use carbon fiber or some sort of really hard wood. They are pretty simple. If you could find some material like Cool Blocks are made of it would be great.

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

6/22/19, 1:24 PM #6

Kneale Brownson
Member
Offline
1,031 posts

Registered: 8/1/07

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

Kneale Brownson

I bought a chunk of lignum vitae, but didn't have a chance to whittle it down to fit into the guide system. Hoping that will work if I ever get to bring my container full of tools to where I live now. At 79, I'm probably close to being like your source for the saw.

- - -

I’m a fairly spry 82-year-old who had been a reader/participant at WoodCentral since the demise of Badger Pond. I started visiting BP to learn something about finish for a project I’d completed and became hooked on internet forums as a way of increasing my knowledge about all sorts of topics. I have been a moderator for a couple other forums on subjects I enjoy. My interest in woodworking began in the early 1970’s when my wife and I had contractors add to our house near Traverse City, MI, and I ended up doing the trim work to reduce mounting costs. I had no tools. I bought a P-C skilsaw, hammer, screwdrivers and one of those wooden miter boxes with a backsaw. I made trim for windows and doors from one-by lumber and started my woodworking career. At the same time, I started a 50-year career as a ski instructor. I got onto the night shift at a mental hospital so I could ski days, and spent my 30s and 40s with that schedule. I eventually replaced the PC-upside-down-in-a-board with a real table saw and began the purchase of enough equipment to fill a jam-packed 40-foot shipping container we used after we sold our property in Michigan. The ski instructing had taken us to Colorado and we were spending too much on maintaining utilities for two homes. A couple years ago, the dozen years spent at 10,000 feet of elevation was making my body produce too many red blood cells, so we had to leave my “forever” home in the mountains and we moved back to Michigan. Now I have to find myself a shop space for all those tools in the container.

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

6/23/19, 1:34 PM #7

Mike Cutler
Guest

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

Mike Cutler

To get statistically any closer than a .010" deviation will require a power feeder and a pressure plate/roller system.

If you want to spend another $1000.00 to $1500.00 dollars you can get there with the power feeder and pressure plate/rollers, but a .010" deviation in thickness, being hand fed, is pretty darn good.

Re: New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

6/23/19, 4:53 PM #8

Barry Irby
Member
Offline
13,125 posts

Registered: 1/27/05

Ain't happening...

Barry Irby

That is pretty much what I figured. I saw one on YouTube with a power feeder and it looked pretty slick, but I only have $300 in the saw and $150 in the new blade, so .010" is going to have to be good enough. Unless I find one in a junk bin somewhere and even then I'm not sure I would take the time to install it.

New to me Hitachi Bandsaw...

Posts