Which Bandsaw?
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- This topic has 13 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 5 months ago by Nicholas Newble.
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Folks,
I’m at the stage where, having seen what they can do, I thinking of getting a bandsaw for initial prepwork.
However, I’ve no real idea of what to look for in terms of features, quality, makers, retailers or price!
I wouldn’t say “money no object”, but nor do I want to buy too cheaply and find I’m disappointed with what’s possible.As a starting point I’d welcome comments/observations on the following, which are at either end of my probable budget scale;
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cbs225-229mm-9-band-saw-230v/
or
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cbs300-305mm-professional-bandsaw-sta/
I have been looking on eBay, but the same dilemmas apply!
Thanks in advance for any input.
Regards,
Matt
9 November 2017 at 5:14 pm #360902The general advice I got when I went looking is “However big a bandsaw you think you’ll need, go at least one larger”.
Most serious woodworkers seem to favour at leat 14″ wheels thatcan take 1″ blades, if not bigger. Instantly, you’ll be in the £600 sort of range if buying new and a grand for a ‘basic’ machine would not be unreasonable.
If you’re serious about this, then anything with ‘Hobby’ in the title is possibly too small and underpowered, which certainly looks to be where that Clarke 300 sits, alongside the Axminster 310 and Record Power equivalent.Despite all that advice I went with an Axminster HBS310 anyway, because it’s the best I could afford, because their aftersales customer service is highly regarded (even if their kit isn’t always), and because getting older means I need a bandsaw for the donkey work part of dimensioning!!
My bandsaw is a (now sadly discontinued) 12″ (300mm) Sears Craftsman machine which I think was made in the same factory as Rikon saws. I’m happy with it but would prefer a 14″/310mm model . I wouldn’t consider anything smaller than 12″. Besides their reduced capacity, smaller bandsaws are said to be prone to breaking blades. One of my saw’s coolest features is its huge 2 foot square table. That is a feature i would recommend looking for.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by Dave Ring.
I posted this some time ago.
On occasion I do resort to a bandsaw for some cuts. After struggling with an inexpensive 20+ year old small benchtop bandsaw (4 inch) from Harbor Freight which would not cut hardwood thicker than approximately 1.25 inch without throwing the blade I decided to look for an upgrade. After much research it looked like a 14 inch Laguna or 14-17 inch Grizzly (price $1500-$2000) was the way to go – until I kept reading such positive reviews of the 10 inch Wen.
The Wen is placed really well as it has a 6 inch rip (resaw) capacity versus the more common 4 inch for the bench top models. Plus it had a nice fence that is similar to a high end saw which has both a tall and short option for different thicknesses of stock. Couple this with a $250 price and I thought it worth a try. I checked Walmart’s return policy first and found that I had 90 days to return it so I gave it a try. Truthfully I was dubious.
The first task was to take a 6 inch piece of white oak and rip it. It worked perfectly somewhat to my surprise! Since then it has done everything that I have needed to do. Would a high end saw cut faster – sure. But, since this has met all of my needs with a low cost and smaller footprint I am more than pleased. Now the common 1 inch stock can be easily ripped to make the thinner pieces for projects like the Dovetail Caddy Project and the Coasters. Not to mention that after hand cutting all the pieces for the rocking chair my first use was to cut the rocker rails – it was a very nice experience!
I just wanted to pass along my positive experience with a relatively inexpensive bandsaw that has worked for me.
Someday I will build one of these…
http://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/homemade.html10 November 2017 at 1:23 pm #361951Brand-wise… there are several. It depends on whether you want a shiny new one which will cost lots of money, or will be happier with a second-hand one which will likely be bigger and better but may need a bit of servicing to get it up to scratch.
If you’re going for Record or Axminster, you’ll definitely want the larger ones, probably from their Trade series rather than any of the hobby ones. You can get good results from cheaper bandsaws, but you really do need to fettle them carefully. It’s a bit too much faffing around for some people, but if you get it right it will be great.
A lot depends on the cutting height and especially the power, especially if you’re ripping and resawing thick hardwood. Avoid anything with ‘3-Phase’ as that’s purely industrial and well beyond 240v mains.
However, for similar money you can find an older heavy-use models second hand, like a Startrite. Scheppach and Hammer are other brands I hear praised often, especially the latter’s N4400.
Mostly those that are floor standing, either with legs or particularly cabinet stands, rather than bench models.Two bits of advice I see most often are: Get your blades from Ian at TuffSaws and get Steve Maskery’s “Workshop Essentials” DVDs.
The reason is that both are excellent. Anything you buy will likely come with a naff demo blade fitted, which will work for test cutting but will be blown out of the water by any TuffSaws blade – If you’re not sure which one(s) to buy, get in touch with Ian and he will see you right!!10 November 2017 at 2:14 pm #362064The coolest would be to make your own, as @franiel says. Also, Matthias at woodgears.ca is a good engineer and has good plans. However, not everyone is up to such a build. Being in the US, I will not say anything about brands available to you to buy, but I have a Delta 10″ (254mm) bandsaw and as a hobbyist, it has done whatever I needed. I guess it all depends on how much you will be using it and what use you see yourself as needing. Are you planning on splitting the width of your boards on a regular basis? This is called resawing. Or are you just looking for something that will cut out odd shapes rather than straight lines? Do you have other saws for other jobs, or will this be the place you go whenever you need to cut something? Just some thoughts that may help you decide what you really want and need.
15 November 2017 at 10:01 am #366971The Record Power BS series of Bandsaws seem to get consistently recommended and will most likely be what I get, the BS350 would cover most needs very well, but even the BS250 is a decent machine:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/record-power-bs250-120mm-bandsaw-230v/21725
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