bandsaws best choice

[pip1954]

hi all if you had say £400/£500 quid to spend which bandsaw would you buy and why please answer as i have been given permission buy her indoors to replace my small delta bandsaw
many thanks in advance =D>
pip

 

[marcus]

Secondhand Startrite. This sort of thing:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Startrite...ies_Carpentry_Woodwork_ET&hash=item1c37c7bfb7

Nothing you'll get new will come close.

 

[custard]

I'd agree that a good, used industrial bandsaw is the best option. But if for whatever reason you need to buy new, then there are some decent machines available for £500, like the Record BS300e.

Bandsaws seem to be one of the (few!) product categories where not a huge amount of money can still get you a surprisingly capable machine.

 

[nicguthrie]

I got myself the record power bs350s which is only a couple of features different from the bs300e around your price range.

I'd not change my choice even for double the money, it's a great saw with features that aren't very common any more, like cast iron table and wheels, most of the competition use aluminium or cheap pressed steel for one or both these days.

It has a 5 yr warranty and runs beautifully, happily making veneering cuts along 4 foot lengths of 4 inch hard wood without any stress at all.

Couldn't be happier with it.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

 

[custard]

I got myself the record power bs350s which is only a couple of features different from the bs300e around your price range.

I'd not change my choice even for double the money, it's a great saw with features that aren't very common any more, like cast iron table and wheels, most of the competition use aluminium or cheap pressed steel for one or both these days.

Are you sure Record use cast iron wheels, I thought they were aluminium? Not that it's necessarily a problem, I've had a Record 300 in the past and it gave sterling service. One of the guide bearing support arms (which definitely was an aluminium casting) cracked but Record replaced it free of charge and there were no subsequent problems.

 

[nicguthrie]

They're aluminium on the cheaper models, from the 300 upwards they're cast iron. I just double checked in case I'd forgotten. The reason I shelled out the extra hundred (at the time) for the 350 was for the fast and easy blade change that you get from having the cam action tensioner lever (allows you to slacken the blade right off with the pull of a lever, rather than winding a wheel for five minutes )

I went with the RP for the build quality, did massive amounts of research and couldn't find anything else within a massive margin of the price that had the cast iron table and wheels or the very sturdy framework. I wanted a machine that's likely to be the next generations version of a wadkin or something, and with a bit of TLC I could easily imagine mine still serving well for my great nephew or further.

Interesting about the bearing guide fault, I'll keep an eye on that, thanks. The only thing I've noticed that's not absolutely spot on about the 350s is that it could do with better dust extraction. The port it has is inside the lower cabinet so it doesn't clear much from around the blade itself (I think this is "standard" in bandsaws, from what I've seen) I usually just stick my extractor nozzle right under the table insert below the blade with a magnet, if I'm cutting a wood with dangerous or nasty dust (yew is really irritant, spalted wood can be very nasty) Oh, and if I'm being critical, the fence could be better, but if it bothered me, I'd buy an after market one anyway.

I'd recommend the RP models over the competition if you're looking for a new machine. I may not be a massively experienced woodworker, but I've used bandsaws for around 25 yrs, and the 350 is one of the best I've had the pleasure of using.

Nic.

 

[HeliGav]

Im looking at either the 300 or 350, they are nice machines, compared them to the axy machine and they appear to be loads better. After cutting the tin open and buying a tory t7, ive now got a new tin to start saving for a RP! Might get a few more tins for a thicknesser, scroll saw, and 1/2 inch router and table! Anybody have any advice about remortgaging!
Hahaha

 

[custard]

The only thing I've noticed that's not absolutely spot on about the 350s is that it could do with better dust extraction. The port it has is inside the lower cabinet so it doesn't clear much from around the blade itself (I think this is "standard" in bandsaws, from what I've seen)

That's an interesting point. I moved my workshop a year ago and during the process changed from a Record bandsaw to a Hammer bandsaw. I noticed dust extraction was far, far better even though the extraction port is in much the same location. I mentioned this on the forum, which is when someone asked if I'd also changed my bandsaw dust extractor. I had, from a Festool vacuum to having the bandsaw fully plumbed in to a massive Felder dust extractor. That was when the light bulb went on over my head, in all probability connecting the Record to a very large industrial extraction machine would have likely yielded a similar improvement!

 

[pip1954]

hi many thanks to one and all for all the comments i would not have looked at record so i will have look and check them out
cheers =D>
pip

 

[pip1954]

hi back again
been looking round at record bandsaws seems funny to me they all seem to be £699-99 no price rigging there ahh
any one know best place to buy ie best price /kit for money ,it's a bit more than i want to pay but aint that always the way what ever you want is always that little bit more than you can afford do i bite the bullet and buy ? don't tell her indoors she will flip her lid :lol: (hammer)
pip

 

[RogerP]

The thing to bear in mind is that the majority of this class of machine all come from the East (nothing inherently wrong with that) so they are mix and match parts painted in different brand colours and with different names. They vary only in detail, motor size, wheel construction etc. but the main parts are the same. Check the photos and specs. and I think you'll soon see a commonality. There are, of course, a few makes that don't and are obviously quite different.