: Does anyone have comments or advice regarding using a band saw instead of a
: table saw to rip strips from 3/4" boards. I am a newbie and have
: learned a lot already from this board. Thanks.

Most bandsaws have tables that are considerably smaller than the table on the cheapest tablesaw. Your fence attaches to the table, and it is the other main part in assuring even strips. (The blade is of course the first part of that picture.)

Many people can rip strips on a standard tablesaw with no additional infeed or outfeed tables. This is particularly true when working with boards that are 8 feet long or less. With the reduced landscape on the bandsaw table, though, it is harder to keep the board lined up.

Thes problems diminish, and may e even vanish, if you have an infeed and outfeed setup that supports the stock being sliced, and helps to keep it moving straight as it goes by the blade. David Hazen has a photo in his book showing how he cuts strips on a bandsaw. The setup appears to be 20 feet long, or longer. His bandsaw is in the middle of what appears to be two narrow tables -- a 10 foot long infeed table, and an equally long outfeed table. These tables are probably just 1x8 or 1x10 boards that are mounted on legs to bring them to the same height as the bandsaw table. The infeed table can have a very simple "fence" from just a 1x2 screwed down to that 1x10. Once it is aligned, this long, straight, arrangement allows the two people working to stay well away from the blade.

With a band saw you may have a slightly longer setup time.

There is no reason you can't make an auxiliary table out of a 1 by 4 foot piece of 3/4 inch plywood. Nail on a straight slat for a fence, cut a 3/4 inch wide slit in it to fit it around tha blade, align it, and clamp the thing firmly to the smaller table on your bandsaw. You'll have a much better infeed arrangement, and you can use a roller setup for infeed, outfeed, or both.

Hope this helps.

PGJ