Bandsaw recommendations

[J-G]

I'm in the process of building a new workshop. One of the reasons is that I have no room left in the current one for a decent sized Bandsaw.

I have a budget of ~£700 and have looked briefly at Axminster, Clark, RP & Charnwood.

I would like multi/variable speed, 300mm + throat, 200mm minimum cutting depth, lever activated tensioning, at least 1000w motor and whilst I can readily eliminate (or include) some models just by reading the various specifications, I'm looking for personal recommendation - or indeed negative comments - regarding what you use/have used.

Thanks

 

[sunnybob]

There are a 100 opinions for every bandsaw out there, but I have an axminster 350N and I am a VERY happy bunny.
Of course whatever you buy, get some TUFFSAWS blades for it.
I dont know what Ian does to them, but they consistently outperform any other make I have tried.

 

[J-G]

You're preaching to the converted there Sunnybob I've recommended TuffSaws (and Ian's fantastic service) on many occasion on this forum.

 

[CHJ]

Why do you need variable speed? most wood cutting band saws are set to a speed of 15-16 mtrs, per second (3000FPM) which is optimum for the majority of woods.

Presumably as you are asking the question in the Turning Section then you want to use it for preparing blanks, with that in mind don't limit yourself on cutting height clearance, get the deepest you can afford, throat width usually goes up in proportion but is not so significant for turning support.
As soon as you venture into cutting up logs you will find sooner rather than later the next one is 10mm deeper than the cutting height available so try keep the annoyance at bay as long as possible.

 

[JWD]

ive got the record bs350, i like it, bigger motor than most of its competitors! if i had the choice again and £700 spare i'd say go find an old startrite with a good capacity.

yeah never really heard of variable speed in bandsaws, you can control the cutting with your feeding speed...

 

[J-G]

Why do you need variable speed? most wood cutting band saws are set to a speed of 15-16 mtrs, per second (3000FPM) which is optimum for the majority of woods.

Good question CHJ - Yes, my prime use will be blank prep but I also work with plastics/Tufnol etc. and even alum and brass sheet so a lower speed would be a distinct benefit.

I've just downloaded the manual for the RP 350-s to find out how the speed change is done. No-one seems to consider this aspect important enough to provide the detail on the general specification pages and it took me quite a while to find it in the manual. I presume that Axminster and Charnwood will use the same 'dual pully' method but would appreciate input on this matter from current users.

Presumably as you are asking the question in the Turning Section then you want to use it for preparing blanks, with that in mind don't limit yourself on cutting height clearance, get the deepest you can afford, throat width usually goes up in proportion but is not so significant for turning support.
As soon as you venture into cutting up logs you will find sooner rather than later the next one is 10mm deeper than the cutting height available so try keep the annoyance at bay as long as possible.

I always seem to stretch the capacity of any machinery I buy to its absolute limit - even by temporarily removing any 'safety' features as the need arises - but one is always constrained by budget and to get above the 9" that seems available within mine, it would have to be increased by some 50%.

 

[deema]

For that budget I would buy a secondhand Startrite 14S5. It gas 5 speeds that allow you to cut most things. I’ve had different Startrite saws including the 352 (two speed). I’m now onto a Felder FB510 machine that I bought for its larger capacity. I have to say though the 14S5 is a far better machine on a number of fronts.
1. Dust extraction was brilliant.....better than nay other machine I’ve had.
2. Easy blade change, it is by far the easiest to change the blade on with brilliant access.
3. Rigid frame allows for good tension setting. I cut 6” aged oak with a 3/4” blade.
4. Tracked perfectly, cut absolutely straight in all directions.
5. Cut veneers perfectly.
6. The cast iron fence should have a micro adjuster (often lost / missing) which was a dream to use especially when cutting tenons or dovetails.
I sold it reluctantly a few months ago to a fellow woodworker who makes a living making oak stuff and has been delighted with it. I really do miss that Saw!

 

[sunnybob]

The axminster has two pulley speeds, but its not something you need to do often. Slow speed is if youre cutting thin metal, fast speed is for everything else.

The axminster uses a jockey wheel on a threaded rod to adjust belt tension for speed changes. Its a fiddly swap and theres a real risk of trapping your fingers as you slip the belt from pulley to pulley, but top speed is for ALL wood. The thicker the wood the slower I push through the blade.

I watch the side bearing wheels while cutting. if one of them starts to spin I know I'm going too fast because the blade is twisting under pressure.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If you can stretch your budget - workshop-machinery-for-sale-t112137.html

 

[J-G]

If you can stretch your budget - workshop-machinery-for-sale-t112137.html

I've already stretched my budget from £500 ish to £700 ish and that seller has already had low offers which he has quickly rejected - it also looks as though it might be a 3ph unit.

... but thanks for the heads-up

 

[J-G]

...The axminster uses a jockey wheel on a threaded rod to adjust belt tension for speed changes. Its a fiddly swap and theres a real risk of trapping your fingers as you slip the belt from pulley to pulley, but top speed is for ALL wood. The thicker the wood the slower I push through the blade...

Thanks for that detail sunnybob - it's what I expected and why I used the emoticon in yesterday's post.

 

[J-G]

For that budget I would buy a secondhand Startrite 14S5. It has 5 speeds that allow you to cut most things.

Thanks deema - that's not a machine I knew about - I presume it precedes the RP 'takeover'

I've had a quick search and found one in Kent (I'm in the Midlands) which seems to have has a cosmetic makeover but pictures show well rusted pulleys so I'll keep looking. The new workshop base has only just been laid so I have plenty of time.