Axminster Craft?

[BrodieB]

Hi all,

Anyone have any experience with Axminster Craft range? Just starting out and their prices seem reasonable. Just wondering if it’s a novice trap from a good brand.

Thanks,

Brodie B

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I'm now on my second machine - bought the baby table saw last year, and now just had their biggest craft bandsaw arrive. Not knowing any other brands for this sort of thing, all I can say is I can make accurate cuts, and have implicit faith that any failure is mine, not the machinery. It would seem that the other make at this price would be Record Power, which I think is similar in quality/value. The table saw (AC216TS) seems very well put together, and I have abused it without issue. The band saw (AC2606B), on the other hand, has some overly lightweight, cheap door knobs which lower the tone, but everything else seems reasonably solid. I will have to do a few stupid things with it and find out just how robust it is, but for now all I can say is it cuts 5" hardwood exceptionally easily - I was really surprised.

My main reason for buying Axminster is having zero access to second hand machinery, and free delivery to Greece. Axminster's reputation for after-sales service certainly doesn't hurt.

If I had the same cash to spend in the UK, I would definitely be looking at second hand kit, because I would then have real machinery as opposed to "hobby" equipment. If something is designed to be used for only a couple of hours a week, then it won't last as long as something intended to run 24/7. Perhaps.

 

[Bodgers]

Hi all,

Anyone have any experience with Axminster Craft range? Just starting out and their prices seem reasonable. Just wondering if it’s a novice trap from a good brand.

Thanks,

Brodie B

Not sure what you mean by a 'trap'.

It is Axminster rebooting their old Hobby brand.

They are trying to make it better than they were previously.

I have the AC216TS table saw. Very happy with it, it has a lot of features of a professional cabinet saw.

I would just order and go for it. Axminster customer service and returns are excellent, so if it goes wrong you have options.



Sent from my Redmi Note 5 using Tapatalk

 

[marcros]

What are you looking to buy?

I would be more hesitant about something that is in constant use for a hobby- lathe, scroll saw etc than for something that is used on and off like a table saw or handsaw.

There is another post which mentioned that the hobby intended usage was 2 hours per week. On something that you use for a hobby, that is half an evening per week. On a table saw it may be several evenings a week to clock up 2 hours if cutting.

 

[BrodieB]

Thanks all for the replies.

‘Trap’ was probably a little harsh for such a well respected brand. What I intended was, is the craft range just really cheap and poor quality from a good name. Similar to for example, the orange range from Makita. I was hoping the Craft products would just be that little bit better than basic and poor, which it sounds like they are which is good.

I’m after a bandsaw. I have very limited space and it would only be for very light hardwood work. 2 hours a week probably sounds right for the amount of time I actually spend in the shed due to my day-job.

Thanks again for the advice.

Bb

 

[Bodgers]

Hard to compare as most of the Makita stuff is battery operated hand tools whereas Axminster Craft is more machinery.

I’d say their stuff was a lot more durable than the Red Makita stuff. If you want a better bandsaw then look at their Trade or Industrial stuff, high end Record Power or something from Felder/ Hammer.

Craft stuff is decent though. Why not visit a local Axminster shop and try it out?

 

[Brandlin]

What are you looking to buy?

I would be more hesitant about something that is in constant use for a hobby- lathe, scroll saw etc than for something that is used on and off like a table saw or handsaw.

There is another post which mentioned that the hobby intended usage was 2 hours per week. On something that you use for a hobby, that is half an evening per week. On a table saw it may be several evenings a week to clock up 2 hours if cutting.

What you are referring to is a 'Duty cycle'. All machinery is designed to operate to a target duty cycle - this represents the continuous running time and the the required down time between running. Running machines generates heat and the duty cycle usually represents limits due t build up and then required dissipation of heat. Duty cycles should include maximum running length and minimum shut down time - machines also tend to use greater power and create more heat at start up, so you may also see numbers referring to time between starts.

The recommended duty cycle is also use to help designers calculate warranty periods . After all anyone can offer a 10 year warranty if they specify a duty cycle of maximum 1 hour running and a down time of 10 years!

Duty cycles are often in (or should be in) that small print in the manual that no one ever reads. Its one of those bits that allows a manufacturer to claim you have't been using the machine within its limits when you buy a cheap tool and then try to use it 24/7 in your business.

Axminster used to list the duty cycles of some of its machines on the website/in the catalogue but i can't see anything there now.

Marcos is right that 'hobby-rated' machinery will be designed for a limited usage. His example of 2 hours per week is a little unusual as that sounds more like a warranty restriction, ie we think this machine will last 500 operating hours so if we limit its use to 2 hours a week thats 250 weeks or 5 years. Give ourselves a safety margin and we can put a 3 year warranty on the tool and know that we will more or less cover costs of failure.

 

[Bodgers]

I think that's based on the old Hobby rating of 100 hours a year.

All academic anyway as there is no way of proofing how long you have used it.