AJB Temple
Finely figured
I posted recently about my dilemma in finding a bandsaw that would equip my home shop for doing some significant development work including making a large kitchen and some furniture, as well as some timber framing. I looked at Hammer, Startrite, couldn't find a MiniMax, Jet, Record, Axi Trade and Industrial. This was in a previous thread and the conclusion is here. I will post pictures and review when the machine arrives.
A very kind member here (thanks Pete) invited me to his workshop yesterday. I had a look at his machine and listened to some sage advice about my project. This included: get someone else with industrial capacity to convert all your substantial 10 year seasoned oak timber beams to floorboards, and don't use the bandsaw to cut the tenons on your oak framing timbers as moving the timbers about is too much hassle. Use a Festool sword saw (200mm capacity kind of chain saw / circular saw hybrid that is £720) instead, plus my Skilsaw, hand tools and chain saw. This is because 10 x 10 and 8 x 8 timbers are really heavy when they are 16 to 20 ft long. I did know this but was being excessively optimistic! He was right and I have now delegated this re-sawing job to my brother to get a sawmill to take care of in Warwickshire where he lives (and where my oak resides in a nice dry barn). Floorboards will be sawn, planed and delivered to Kent in the Spring, when the sun has come out again.
So, the bandsaw does not need to be massive. I decided not to risk buying used as the collection and delivery hassle is too much. Does not need to be continuous duty. After checking with my electrician it turns out I have comfortable 16 amps and just about 20 amps available if needed plus a 6amp lighting circuit, and appropriate breakers will be fitted shortly. Tools looked at:
Record 400E - cheapest large capacity saw. Good cast iron table. Cast iron wheels. Very good blade guides for the money. Less keen on plastic adjusting wheels. Not as heavy duty as I had expected. Fences a bit rudimentary. Runs off 13amp supply. Would cost around £960 delivered inc VAT after a bit of discount. Show deals have been as low as £820 ish apparently. Net of VAT £800. You get quite a lot for your money.
Hammer N4440 - Austrian made. Well regarded machine. Needs 20 amps. Everything is extra £££ (single phase, blade, delivery, mitre fence). Felder are a bit annoying to deal with but a discount was eventually offered. I was unable to try this machine but I did try its smaller sibling at another members shop today. Thanks Alan. A small discount takes it to just shy of £2.1k gross. Quality wise this is the best of the bunch - but not by as much as they like ti make out.
Startrite 352 or 500E or the new 403. I tried a 500E. 16amp. Excellent tool, easy to work with and well made, despite being far east. I could get a 404 in a few weeks delivered and installed for around £1500 inc VAT. Kick stop safety switch is a good feature (especially for schools) but not essential for me.
Axminster trade series. 16" or 18". This is a 16 amp (sales guy told me it is 13amp despite the blue 16 amp plug dangling on a wire beside him). Same kind of ballpark as the 403 money wise. The fence looks nice, as it has a magnifying scale. However, I found it awkward to use and on one of the machines I tried the fence adjustment would not stay fixed in place. The blade wheels did not look as robust and heavy duty as the Startrite. Record 400E table is better. The Axi one has a transition from folded steel to cast iron and the fence seems to catch on it sometimes.
Jet 16". JWBS 16X Also 16amp (20amp preferred). Fence guide is metric only, but I found it very quick, smooth and easy to use. Blade height adjustment etc easy to set with robust wheels. Blade change looked easy enough for the guy who showed me. I like the very rigid triangular back frame. Mitre guide (not amazing quality but OK) included. Easy to adjust table angle and cutting height adjuster. Made in FE. This machine was demo'd cutting very thin veneers and also ripping some large section timber. had Axis own brand TCT blade on it. Deal offered was £1,100 including extra TCT blade, a wheel trolley set (none of the other had this - it adds at least £100), delivery, set up and VAT. Net of VAT cost (I can recover it) is £917.
Axi industrial. Very similar to the trade ones, but with different paint scheme and some uprated motors and, to be fair, much better fences. Substantial price jump ruled this out as we are into MiniMax money.
To a degree, I found the 16" and 18" saws to be all much of a muchness in build quality and features whatever brand name they had on them. Some had very easy tension release devices, some had good inspection windows (some had none). The better machines had robust upper and lower door links. Upper end had better facilities for extraction which is more important if using it all day. A blade strung across two wheels has not changed a great deal in the last three decades.
I went with the Jet. This was purely because at a net cost of £900 the saving over a Startrite or especially a Hammer pretty much pays for a PT. I am not earning my main living from it so I decided the compromise was sufficient. I found the Jet comfortable and easy to use, it felt robust enough and that was the deciding factor.
Thanks for a lot of advice on this forum, including two members putting themselves out personality to help me. I will post a set up and what I think of it thread when it arrives. My wife is unimpressed with this choice as she prefers to buy German. Austria is almost Germany. degree, I found the 16" and 18" saws to be all much of a muchness in build quality and features whatever brand name they had on them. Some had very easy tension release devices, some had good inspection windows. Upper end had better facilities for extraction which is more important if using it all day. A blade strung across two wheels has not changed a great deal in the last three decades.
Adrian
A very kind member here (thanks Pete) invited me to his workshop yesterday. I had a look at his machine and listened to some sage advice about my project. This included: get someone else with industrial capacity to convert all your substantial 10 year seasoned oak timber beams to floorboards, and don't use the bandsaw to cut the tenons on your oak framing timbers as moving the timbers about is too much hassle. Use a Festool sword saw (200mm capacity kind of chain saw / circular saw hybrid that is £720) instead, plus my Skilsaw, hand tools and chain saw. This is because 10 x 10 and 8 x 8 timbers are really heavy when they are 16 to 20 ft long. I did know this but was being excessively optimistic! He was right and I have now delegated this re-sawing job to my brother to get a sawmill to take care of in Warwickshire where he lives (and where my oak resides in a nice dry barn). Floorboards will be sawn, planed and delivered to Kent in the Spring, when the sun has come out again.
So, the bandsaw does not need to be massive. I decided not to risk buying used as the collection and delivery hassle is too much. Does not need to be continuous duty. After checking with my electrician it turns out I have comfortable 16 amps and just about 20 amps available if needed plus a 6amp lighting circuit, and appropriate breakers will be fitted shortly. Tools looked at:
Record 400E - cheapest large capacity saw. Good cast iron table. Cast iron wheels. Very good blade guides for the money. Less keen on plastic adjusting wheels. Not as heavy duty as I had expected. Fences a bit rudimentary. Runs off 13amp supply. Would cost around £960 delivered inc VAT after a bit of discount. Show deals have been as low as £820 ish apparently. Net of VAT £800. You get quite a lot for your money.
Hammer N4440 - Austrian made. Well regarded machine. Needs 20 amps. Everything is extra £££ (single phase, blade, delivery, mitre fence). Felder are a bit annoying to deal with but a discount was eventually offered. I was unable to try this machine but I did try its smaller sibling at another members shop today. Thanks Alan. A small discount takes it to just shy of £2.1k gross. Quality wise this is the best of the bunch - but not by as much as they like ti make out.
Startrite 352 or 500E or the new 403. I tried a 500E. 16amp. Excellent tool, easy to work with and well made, despite being far east. I could get a 404 in a few weeks delivered and installed for around £1500 inc VAT. Kick stop safety switch is a good feature (especially for schools) but not essential for me.
Axminster trade series. 16" or 18". This is a 16 amp (sales guy told me it is 13amp despite the blue 16 amp plug dangling on a wire beside him). Same kind of ballpark as the 403 money wise. The fence looks nice, as it has a magnifying scale. However, I found it awkward to use and on one of the machines I tried the fence adjustment would not stay fixed in place. The blade wheels did not look as robust and heavy duty as the Startrite. Record 400E table is better. The Axi one has a transition from folded steel to cast iron and the fence seems to catch on it sometimes.
Jet 16". JWBS 16X Also 16amp (20amp preferred). Fence guide is metric only, but I found it very quick, smooth and easy to use. Blade height adjustment etc easy to set with robust wheels. Blade change looked easy enough for the guy who showed me. I like the very rigid triangular back frame. Mitre guide (not amazing quality but OK) included. Easy to adjust table angle and cutting height adjuster. Made in FE. This machine was demo'd cutting very thin veneers and also ripping some large section timber. had Axis own brand TCT blade on it. Deal offered was £1,100 including extra TCT blade, a wheel trolley set (none of the other had this - it adds at least £100), delivery, set up and VAT. Net of VAT cost (I can recover it) is £917.
Axi industrial. Very similar to the trade ones, but with different paint scheme and some uprated motors and, to be fair, much better fences. Substantial price jump ruled this out as we are into MiniMax money.
To a degree, I found the 16" and 18" saws to be all much of a muchness in build quality and features whatever brand name they had on them. Some had very easy tension release devices, some had good inspection windows (some had none). The better machines had robust upper and lower door links. Upper end had better facilities for extraction which is more important if using it all day. A blade strung across two wheels has not changed a great deal in the last three decades.
I went with the Jet. This was purely because at a net cost of £900 the saving over a Startrite or especially a Hammer pretty much pays for a PT. I am not earning my main living from it so I decided the compromise was sufficient. I found the Jet comfortable and easy to use, it felt robust enough and that was the deciding factor.
Thanks for a lot of advice on this forum, including two members putting themselves out personality to help me. I will post a set up and what I think of it thread when it arrives. My wife is unimpressed with this choice as she prefers to buy German. Austria is almost Germany. degree, I found the 16" and 18" saws to be all much of a muchness in build quality and features whatever brand name they had on them. Some had very easy tension release devices, some had good inspection windows. Upper end had better facilities for extraction which is more important if using it all day. A blade strung across two wheels has not changed a great deal in the last three decades.
Adrian
