: Can you build it? You sure can! But before you do go to a bigbox
: store and look at a Rigid of any of the other 14 inch
: top-of-the-lines that are rip-offs of a Delta. Notice the BIG
: cast-iron backbone. For a bandsaw blade to be able to follow
: lines, cut scrolls, etc. it has to have sufficient tension. And
: the thing that allows that tension to be built up is that BIG
: thick cast-iron backbone. I can't imagine a compact wooden
: framework could be designed to stand up to the tension a bandsaw
: blade requires. There is also the problem of controlling the
: blade in the cutting area. The bigboys will spend hundreds of
: dollars on rollers and guides. You don't need to go that deep
: but you have to have good control (rigidly supported guides and
: rollers with sufficient adjustments) just to be able to cut a
: straight line.
: There is also the problem of a saw's ability to maintain
: adjustements. Even the most expensive bandsaws need regular
: re-alignments to keep it performing up to par.
: If the was one woodworking machine I wouldn't consider constructing
: out of wood it's a bandsaw.

Have to agree, it's one of the problems of the steel welded frame of some of the newer bandsaws is the frame isn't strong enough for enough tension on the blade, getting that from a wood frame would be a real trick. And the wood would stretch over time loosening the blade further, cast iron really is needed for the frame.

Bill H.