Any help with a new band saw

[daaveyboy]

Hi
Could any body help me with a new band saw that I am looking to buy.I can't make my mind up between a
Record Power BS350S Large Band saw @ £664, a Jet JWBS-14Q Band saw @ £799 or a Axminster AWHBS400N Band saw @ £623.
The jet is more but is it worth the extra.
It will be used for thick Teak,Oak,Wenga and any other hard wood that I will be working with.
I have just sold my 1st saw a Axminster AWHBS250N that did not like cutting thick hard hard wood.it kept running off and struggled with the speed slowing down to a stop so I am getting a more powerful one that will hopefully be future proof.
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.

 

[RogerP]

Not having owned or even used any of the machines I'm not in a very good position to judge between them. I do have an Axminster 350n and correctly set up and with a good blade (Tuffsaws of course) it performs admirably. It hasn't flinched at anything I've put through it (hardwood) and cuts perfectly straight.

However, given the opportunity to start again, I'd probably go for it's bigger brother, the 400n, for the little extra maximum cutting height and more motor power. But then it is quite a lot more money and mine is fine and won't be changed.

Whichever you get you'll need to spend time getting it set up and buy a decent blade or two.

 

[Peter T]

I have the Axi SBW3501B and I like it very much. It's well engineered and easy to setup.

With a 3 tpi TuffSaw blade it easily cuts 8 inch oak.

Good luck,

 

[Grahamshed]

I have had the 400N for a couple of months or so and am well pleased with it but I haven't put any really thick hardwood through it yet so cannot help much.

 

[Noggsy]

I had the 400n for six months and it was a pain to be honest and ended up going back. Can't fault Axi for their service, but the saw had five or six things wrong with it straight from the factory and ended up being taken back to the workshop for a mod (which worked). Something else then went wrong and I sent it back and got a refund. It did saw really well though once it was set up and felt very robust, but I would be a bit concerned about the standard of the finishing and if you do get one, make sure you really check it over early doors and get the slightest thing put right straight away...mine wasn't the only saw of that model which went wrong, although other models seem to be fine.

 

[daaveyboy]

I had the 400n for six months and it was a pain to be honest and ended up going back. Can't fault Axi for their service, but the saw had five or six things wrong with it straight from the factory and ended up being taken back to the workshop for a mod (which worked). Something else then went wrong and I sent it back and got a refund. It did saw really well though once it was set up and felt very robust, but I would be a bit concerned about the standard of the finishing and if you do get one, make sure you really check it over early doors and get the slightest thing put right straight away...mine wasn't the only saw of that model which went wrong, although other models seem to be fine.

Many thanks for this information it has opened my eyes a bit.
I will bare it in mind when making my choice.
I think I am tending to favour the Record BS350S at the moment.

 

[Peter T]

One of the things that pushed me toward the Axi 3501 was the table mounting.

These seem to come in two types -

1. Two semicircular plates with teeth round the outside to crank the table round to an angle. These are fine when every thing is bolted up nice and solid, but when you need to adjust the table to line up with the cut line, they are a nightmare. Once the bolts are loosened, the assembly becomes as floppy as jelly, making accurate adjustment very difficult.

2. Trunnions. These retain their rigidity when the table it loosened making accurate adjustment very easy.

Good luck,