BANDSAWS???

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ednoble

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hi im new to this forum but i am looking for a bandsaw for hobby use at about £100 to £150 i have been looking at the fox models and charnwood yet i cannot find any good reviews so was thinking what do you think and if you can suggest any better models as you know (i hope :) u know) what is a good band saw these are what i have been looking at thanks

Charnwood W715 Bandsaw 100mm Deep cut. *PLUS TWO FREE BLADES*Price: £159.99

F28-182 Fox Bandsaw 85mm Deep CutPrice: £99.00

F28-186 Fox Bandsaw 150mm Cutting HeightPrice: £178.99

Charnwood W711 Bandsaw 80mm Deep cut. Plus extra blades FREE of CHARGEPrice: £116.99
 
can't comment on any of the above but the smaller axminster one comes in at around £190 and once set up properly is a good saw
 
The advice on bandsaws tends to be a bit 'standardised' round here: get your blades from Ian at Tuffsaws and get Steve Maskery's "Workshop Essentials" DVDs.

The reason is that both are excellent.

Whatever you buy, you will almost inevitably be disappointed by the 'try-out' blade that comes with the saw, and, unless you understand a bit about the subject (see Steve's DVDs above), your initial results will discourage you.

A huge proportion of the cost of a cheap bandsaw is the taxes, shipping and retailer markup. What's left is the saw itself, within which the motor and cast table are probably the biggest chunks. So there's a good reason why most of them ship with really dreadful blades (Chinese steel isn't renown for its quality, either!).

I've only been a bandsaw user for a few years, which is why I can recommend Steve's training: if I hadn't had it all well explained, I'd never have understood what wasn't right nor what I should do to sort it out. It's small money, very well spent.

On the bandsaws themselves, you need to look for an adjustable axle on the bottom wheel. On mine (SIP), there are four bolts in a cross-shape, where the axle sticks out of the frame at the back (motor side). These allow you to align the bottom wheel, which you'll need to do, and not all cheap bandsaws still have them. Without that ability you're at the mercy of some Chinese welder on piecework! On mine, the frame is quite misaligned (paint covers many welding sins!), but it still works well because you can set it up to compensate for manufacturing faults.

So you can get good results from cheap bandsaws, but you really do need to fettle them carefully. It's not hard though, and when you get it right you'll be really pleased.

Hope the above helps. Use the search tool on the forum - there's a lot of good stuff out there, but beware: I've seen several videos on YouTube, some by otherwise-respected woodworking publishers, which have bandsaw theory all wrong, especially where blade tracking, drift and blade guides are concerned. Beware the person who dogmatically says, "this should be like this" without explaining why. They probably don't know!

Cheers, E.

(There are experts round 'ere, but I'm not one!)
 
also depends what hobby..

i have seen a lot of £100 or less that would not do for woodworking, however would be good for other hobbies, like modelling, where perhaps you are cutting foamboard.

I have a basato 5 (i think, anyway the smallest scheppach), and it is pretty good once set up. closer to £200 though. my father got a cheap one from machine mart for about £80, which you can use to cut your nails with...
 
All the cheaper bandsaws are made up from mix 'n match parts of Far Eastern origin. Mostly with fettling they will work well but I think it's important to buy from a retailer who'll give you good support. Axminster (APTC) are renowned for their customer service and returns policy. Their smallest machine the AWHBS250N gets some good reports and I think it's well worth you considering.
 
I bought the Jet JWBS-9 from Axminster and it's done me ok so far. The fences that come with it are pretty rubbish and good for the bin as there is just too much play for accurate work. The rip fence wobbles even when tightly fixed and the mitre slot is slightly wider than the guide on the bottom of the mitre fence so there is slight play side to side. Fitted with a TuffSaws blade and using a clamp guide as a fence, it does a good job however and can produce good results. Just means more time setting it up for a cut. One thing I'm quite happy with about it, is the motor which seems to be relatively quiet.

My advice would be go for the AWHBS250N if you can, or even check ebay for second hand ones of a reputable brand. :)
 
cmwatt":2ar4dswf said:
I bought the Jet JWBS-9 from Axminster and it's done me ok so far. The fences that come with it are pretty rubbish and good for the bin as there is just too much play for accurate work. The rip fence wobbles even when tightly fixed and the mitre slot is slightly wider than the guide on the bottom of the mitre fence so there is slight play side to side. Fitted with a TuffSaws blade and using a clamp guide as a fence, it does a good job however and can produce good results. Just means more time setting it up for a cut. One thing I'm quite happy with about it, is the motor which seems to be relatively quiet.

I fitted an Axminster Small Fence to my smaller bandsaw and the difference is amazing :)
 
I fitted an Axminster Small Fence to my smaller bandsaw and the difference is amazing :)

I was thinking this looked good until I read the part about having to tap bolt holes... Did you have to do this? Good tapping kit can be a bit dear, and if you only need for this... Well let's just say that over here in Italy as an expat I dont have many mates with this kind of gear..
 
wcndave":3v5o5wig said:
I fitted an Axminster Small Fence to my smaller bandsaw and the difference is amazing :)

I was thinking this looked good until I read the part about having to tap bolt holes... Did you have to do this? Good tapping kit can be a bit dear, and if you only need for this... Well let's just say that over here in Italy as an expat I dont have many mates with this kind of gear..

You'll probably need to drill a couple of holes, I did, but not tap any. It was very easy to fit.
 
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