Tim Esplan
Member
I have had my RP Sabre 350 for five years now, purchasing shortly after initial release.
I should quickly note that I was in the trade when I first purchased and although that is currently not the case, it has effectively had continual daily use in that time.
I have also owned and operated a number of bandsaws prior to this purchase, so I feel I have a reasonable knowledge of them as a machine.
As a general rule, it is an excellent saw; it does exactly what you would want and for the most part I am very very pleased with mine.
It has plenty of oomph, cuts perfectly when set up correctly(...) with an excellent working height and surface area that suits my uses.
That having been said, it is not without it's flaws and after much reading I've noted that these get very little mention, which I find surprising.
I've decided today to highlight them, partly because of the above and partly because every now and then, they water me off to the nth degree and I need to rant at someone about them; today dear fellow forumites, that someone is you!
1. It's a nightmare to set up properly.
How so? While getting the blade to run true and taught is wonderfully simple (although personally I'd prefer the tensioner to be at the bottom of the upper wheel, rather than right at the top of the saw - if you're short it must be troublesome), getting the blade guides (roller bearings on "thumb screws") set properly is a nightmare.
Under the table there is limited access, especially if you are a fat-fingered troll such as myself and visibility isn't great either, my knees don't like this task.
Above the table, the blade guard covers the guide bearings meaning there is no visibility of the bearings at point of (no) contact with the blade. It is virtually impossible without the aid of several mirrors and a camera studio lighting system to get these set properly, especially when you take into account that the "thumb screws" have the infuriating habit of adjusting slightly when tightened. You set the guides perfectly, tighten the screws and in doing so, knock your adjustment out.
2. The blade guard is atrociously badly designed.
Firstly, not only does it cover the blade and guide bearings at the point of adjustment, which is bad enough in and of its self but secondly, it has this ridiculously narrow slit which you have to manoeuvre the blade through.
I'm not normally one to complain about a narrow slit but getting the blade on and off the wheels can be tortuous, especially with larger blades that have less flexibility. I have managed to dull blades and knock set off thanks to this. Previous saws I've owned or operated have had a door that opens on the blade guard it's self, providing good cover for the blade in use and ample room to swaps the blades in and out. Once I'm out of warranty, I'm intending to modify my guard thus.
3. The dust extraction is rubbish and poorly designed.
I'm aware that bandsaws (any saw..) as a rule have pretty awful dust extraction but the Sabre 350 takes it to new heights of uselessness.
There is a 100mm port provided at the bottom of the rear wheel enclosure, set maybe half an inch above the "floor" of the saw. Just enough space for dust to get stuck and build up.
This isn't aided by the bars that run across the inside of the dust port, preventing all but the smallest of dust from being sucked away anyway. It clogs frequently and in doing so aids in dust build up, so when you open the lower guard door, you are met with volumes of dust falling on your floor. For some this won't be a concern but I like to keep my place as clean and dust-free as I can, especially as I've a small workshop and do all my finishing in the same place.
All of this is a frankly a moot point, given that there is about a thousand square feet of open air between the table and the dust port anyway, meaning that even if you've an extractor that can suck your socks off, it will be ineffective and dust still goes everywhere anyway, the bulk of it landing on the guide bearings, which get clogged with it or on the lower wheel, which will drag it round with the blade to shower you with it a second time.
While all the above can be solved by modification (although, if you're under warranty, you may not wish to start hacking bits off your blade guard) or the judicious application of patience that I don't posses, they are some pretty glaring flaws that could easily have been avoided by careful consideration by the manufacturer.
Rant over and hopefully someone finds this useful. Yes it's a bloody good saw for the most part but not without it's niggles, which frequently pee me off!
I should quickly note that I was in the trade when I first purchased and although that is currently not the case, it has effectively had continual daily use in that time.
I have also owned and operated a number of bandsaws prior to this purchase, so I feel I have a reasonable knowledge of them as a machine.
As a general rule, it is an excellent saw; it does exactly what you would want and for the most part I am very very pleased with mine.
It has plenty of oomph, cuts perfectly when set up correctly(...) with an excellent working height and surface area that suits my uses.
That having been said, it is not without it's flaws and after much reading I've noted that these get very little mention, which I find surprising.
I've decided today to highlight them, partly because of the above and partly because every now and then, they water me off to the nth degree and I need to rant at someone about them; today dear fellow forumites, that someone is you!
1. It's a nightmare to set up properly.
How so? While getting the blade to run true and taught is wonderfully simple (although personally I'd prefer the tensioner to be at the bottom of the upper wheel, rather than right at the top of the saw - if you're short it must be troublesome), getting the blade guides (roller bearings on "thumb screws") set properly is a nightmare.
Under the table there is limited access, especially if you are a fat-fingered troll such as myself and visibility isn't great either, my knees don't like this task.
Above the table, the blade guard covers the guide bearings meaning there is no visibility of the bearings at point of (no) contact with the blade. It is virtually impossible without the aid of several mirrors and a camera studio lighting system to get these set properly, especially when you take into account that the "thumb screws" have the infuriating habit of adjusting slightly when tightened. You set the guides perfectly, tighten the screws and in doing so, knock your adjustment out.
2. The blade guard is atrociously badly designed.
Firstly, not only does it cover the blade and guide bearings at the point of adjustment, which is bad enough in and of its self but secondly, it has this ridiculously narrow slit which you have to manoeuvre the blade through.
I'm not normally one to complain about a narrow slit but getting the blade on and off the wheels can be tortuous, especially with larger blades that have less flexibility. I have managed to dull blades and knock set off thanks to this. Previous saws I've owned or operated have had a door that opens on the blade guard it's self, providing good cover for the blade in use and ample room to swaps the blades in and out. Once I'm out of warranty, I'm intending to modify my guard thus.
3. The dust extraction is rubbish and poorly designed.
I'm aware that bandsaws (any saw..) as a rule have pretty awful dust extraction but the Sabre 350 takes it to new heights of uselessness.
There is a 100mm port provided at the bottom of the rear wheel enclosure, set maybe half an inch above the "floor" of the saw. Just enough space for dust to get stuck and build up.
This isn't aided by the bars that run across the inside of the dust port, preventing all but the smallest of dust from being sucked away anyway. It clogs frequently and in doing so aids in dust build up, so when you open the lower guard door, you are met with volumes of dust falling on your floor. For some this won't be a concern but I like to keep my place as clean and dust-free as I can, especially as I've a small workshop and do all my finishing in the same place.
All of this is a frankly a moot point, given that there is about a thousand square feet of open air between the table and the dust port anyway, meaning that even if you've an extractor that can suck your socks off, it will be ineffective and dust still goes everywhere anyway, the bulk of it landing on the guide bearings, which get clogged with it or on the lower wheel, which will drag it round with the blade to shower you with it a second time.
While all the above can be solved by modification (although, if you're under warranty, you may not wish to start hacking bits off your blade guard) or the judicious application of patience that I don't posses, they are some pretty glaring flaws that could easily have been avoided by careful consideration by the manufacturer.
Rant over and hopefully someone finds this useful. Yes it's a bloody good saw for the most part but not without it's niggles, which frequently pee me off!
just need to find a way to sell it to SWMBO
