The Bandsaw Book

If your new to band saws as I was, this is the book for you. I think that those who are skilled at the tool could glean useful information from it as well, but not to the degree as the novice. He covers, of course, everything you could possibly want to know about band saws. Blade choices, how to set up (which is really important to get top accurate performance), which size of unit is best suited to your needs, and charts showing what degree of curve you could expect out of different size blades. Additionally the type of material, and blade teeth differences, and their best suited application for different tasks, which is key to know. This book will be beneficial if you are contemplating buying a saw. Buy this book first, and be a knowledgeable purchaser. It is a well written, brightly and cheerfully illustrated, with full color photographs. The style makes it an easy and informative read. All in all a great book, unless you already have been using a band saw for many years.

This is a good book for those of us who thought we knew band saws. The tune up section alone is worth the price of the book, especially if you are trying to use a 40 year old saw as I am. I have found myself trying to figure out ways to make cuts on the table saw that I should have been doing on the bandsaw, because I could not get good results with the bandsaw. This book changed all that. After following Mr. Bird's guidelines for tuning up the saw, and replacing a few worn out parts, my old gray ghost is once again singing. I too noticed the absence of a mention of Timber Wolf blades, but you can't get everything into one book. These blades are great on old saws because you don't have to tension them as much as standard blades. I have a new bandsaw in my future, and the chapters on whats good and whats not and how to buy a new saw are invaluable. Photo's are excellent and just enough of them to get the point across. I highly reccommend this book to "experts" and amateurs.

Well-written reference book written in a sequence that allows each chapter to build on the previous. Purchased this book as a help in determining what type (size, model) of bandsaw to purchase. The book provided guidance in what is important, what is marginal engineering and what is well engineered. It describes each component of the bandsaw, how it works and the effect it has on the final result. Does a great job of describing the importance of blades, various types and their application. I had not thought much about blades; however, by the time I got to the section I was paying attention. The author is very good at describing a component, how it works, how it applies to the machine and its effect on cutting wood. I purchased an additional book on bandsaws; The Bandsaw Book is the best.

I've purchased several books on the Bandsaw. This book is the only one you will need. It covers, CORRECTLY, how to set up, tune, adjust, look for, and operate new or used bandsaws. The photographs are excellent as is the writing style. The information is up to date...very important in light of the many changes in this tool recently. The only thing Lonnie missed was an inclusion of the style of Blades manufactured by Timberwolf (Although he included everything else)which require LESS tension than carbon or carbide blades while still retaining beam strength. This is HUGE for those of us who cannot afford the bigger machines but still want to resaw on our 14" saws using riser blocks.If you're interested in learning about the bandsaw or are about to purchase one...this is the book to buy.

I bought this book hoping it would assist me in buying a new bandsaw. It did that and more! I was able to spot minor, but annoying flaws in 3 new saws after reading the book. The bandsaw I eventually purchased responded well to the improvements suggested by the author. I'd recommend this book to anyone considering buying a bandsaw or looking to get the best from one they already own.