bandsaw buying advice

[aledt]

Hi, I'm looking at possibly buying a bandsaw and from looking in the local shops and online I have come to two possibilities, both 10inch. I would be using it for various tasks, hoping to use it for making toys, bandsaw boxes, maybe cutting tenons, and also for ripping driftwood.

site doesnt allow me to put the links to the machines properly, but-

Metabo BAS 260 swift http://www.metabo.co.uk/Product-cat...nd-stationary-tools.23957+M54a1deb6a67.0.html

fox F28-186 http://www.fox-machines.com/en/fox-machines-hobby-wood-bricolage.aspx?l=51&f=33&p=212

found some reviews on the metabo where people note that the bearings on the top guide are good, the fence is good and easy to adjust/set up, and the build quality is good in general, but nothing much on the fox machine, not had any experience of either brand myself so have no idea of their reputations for quality etc.

The fox machine comes including a stand and has 150mm max depth of cut, will this saw have the power to make use of that much depth when ripping? It's listed as 370w, the other saw has "input 350w, output 260w" so I don' know which is comparable, not that I would need that much depth often but I just imagine the annoying situation if I buy a 100mm saw that I'm bound to find a really nice piece I want to use but its 105mm or something and regret it.

On the other hand I need to be able to put the saw away most of the time and the metabo saw is a little bit smaller without the stand and much lighter to move around (33kg vs 45!) although with the table removed they both look like they would be quite small to put away and would the extra weight make it more stable in use?

one other thing, the metabo site gives the blade width minimum as 6.4mm, the fox gives their minimum as 3mm, would the 6.4mm be a big handicap when it comes to cutting tighter curves and details?

looking around there seems to a lot of very similar saws about, I'm guessing a lot of these are the same saws with different branding? (seems to be true of other power tools too?)

anyway, any insight into these or experience with these brands or saws would be much appreciated or recommendations of other machines that fit the bill.
thanks.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I can't speak for those saws, but you'll struggle to rip 6" with half a horse, although with the correct blade you'd probably get away with it once in a while. With the correct blade you can cut about a 25mm circle with a 6mm one.

 

[carlb40]

Just checked out the metabo. For that sort of money - if you don't mind used? You could get a kity 613.
For that you get a more powerful motor - 1.5hp
and just slightly under 8 inch depth of cut.
This is one i will probably try and get later in the year

 

[marcros]

the kity's seem to be very highly regarded. The prices vary a fair bit- worth keeping an eye on ebay to check the market rate.

 

[aledt]

Not sure about second hand that I'd be confident to spot the difference between a bargain and a wreck, what are they like in terms of repairs and obtaining spare parts etc.

the metabo caught my eye because there is one discounted in my local wood shop, which has obviously advantages over buying online, and also that it looks pretty small for storing away. Worry is it being too small or under powered.

 

[Dissolve]

Despite my recent post about my newly acquired Kity 613 having problems. I think it's fantastic!

The size is brilliant and I feel (once it's working again) it'll be much better than I first anticipated. I went for it as a bit of a stop gap until I find something ideal but to be honest, I'm not SURE I'll need anything bigger yet.

 

[aledt]

The other option might be to get a decent scroll saw which will do most of the smaller jobs I'd use the bandsaw for , then to look at getting a bigger more capable bandsaw later on when I move somewhere with more space.