Machinery Choices

[Mr Ed]

I'm interested to know what choice you would all make on this decision. I know it depends on all kinds of parameters, the type of things you make etc, so the answers are subjective, but thats fine. I'm not necessarily looking for you to fix my problem, just curious what each of you would choose to do.

I am thinking about replacing my bandsaw, or tablesaw, or both.

I currently have a Kity 419 tablesaw and a Scheppach Basato 3 bandsaw. With imagination I could make about £2K available, assuming a modest return on second hand sale of the existing.

Would you replace both, or just do one but do it better? Personally I am still mulling it over.

Cheers, Ed

 

[PAC1]

From what you have said before you have the luxury of space. In which case I would upgrade the tablesaw for a nice big sliding saw arrangement and worry about a better bandsaw later. I do not really have the space but have squeezed a Felder CF741 in my shop. I have always to work around it but the sliding table is the most used part. I use it for cutting sheet materials unaided (SWMBO was happy), mitres angles, Tennons, half lap joints etc etc
Strictly speaking I suppose it depends what you are going to make?

 

[Ironballs]

I wouldn't do without my Kity 619 slider now and I'm thinking of upgrading to a bigger and better bandsaw. So I'd go for both

 

[wizer]

Yeh sorry Ed, but this is indeed a personal decision.

i have not yet mastered the bandsaw and so am concentrating on the TS. It comes down to what you do with the tools and how they are restricting you? If you are getting along with one more than the other then the choice is obvious. It maybe that you could really do with some extra depth and power for re-sawing, or it may be that you hanker after a larger sliding table on the TS for panel work.

I realise this is no help. Personally, before I bought the Jet, if you'd given me 2k in this situation, i'd have split it down the middle and bought both new. In fact I'd have still bought the supersaw and spent about £1400 on a Jet bandsaw.

 

[wizer]

something else worth considering in your budget is any work you may need to do to accommodate your new machinery. i.e strengthening the floor.

 

[woodbloke]

Ed - this is a 'no brainer' for me as I've puzzling over this one for months. Table saw, no question it has to be the Jet SS (same as Wizers) and for a bandsaw there's a 10" depth of cut Jet at Axminster for £1k. Both of those small items though would come to more than your two grand though I've got the K419 same as you and it's a fantastic, accurate little saw, but you're stuffed when you want to start to play around with timber thicker than 50mm. My bandsaw is only a small one as well (Euro 260) so I've got great difficulty in converting timber in thicker sizes which do limit the sort of stuff that you can make - Rob

 

[WellsWood]

I don't think I could improve on my current pair, Scheppach TS2500 & Axminster SBW4300.
The bandsaw is a good solid no frills machine that will cheerfully tension a 1" blade and cut to it's full 300mm capacity in Oak, more than enough capacity for me for the foreseeable future. And despite countless occasions of wishing cast iron topped machines had been so freely available when I bought it, my ally topped Scheppach has features that still can't be matched by anything in it's price range (easily removed and hugely accurate sliding table for example). Because there's no CI involved it's heavy enough to be stable without being an immovable object should the need arise (and it does).
I have a home-made turntable which it sits on that enables me to maximise the available space and change from ripping to crosscutting modes in seconds.

 

[Mr Ed]

I quite fancy this

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp? ... asket=true

and this

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axmi ... 780613.htm

Cheers, Ed

 

[wizer]

I'd either spend £50 more or save £100 and go for the Jet

 

[wizer]

Cor blimey look at this:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Jet- ... 362332.htm

Jet JWBS-20 MK1 Bandsaw - 240V £999.00 (normally £1,492.47)

:shock:

 

[Mr Ed]

Any idea what the difference between mk 1 and mk2 is, apart from £500?

Cheers, Ed

 

[wizer]

No I don't actually. Might be worth giving them a call.

 

[woodbloke]

Any idea what the difference between mk 1 and mk2 is, apart from £500?

Cheers, Ed

I think (not sure) that a lot of it's in the way that the cabinet is braced? - Rob

 

[Harbo]

As far as a TS it was a no brainer for me, Jet SS from Axminster £1388 plus delivery - DEFT T30 £795 delivered and an excellent machine to boot!

Bandsaw - Startrite 352 - last forever and 11" cut.

Rod

 

[wizer]

How are you getting on with the DEFT it Rod?

 

[Mr Ed]

I spent a while looking at the DEFT ones last night. They look very good. I take it you have one Rod? - how about some pics and a mini review...

The price almost seems to good to be true though, and the absence of a sliding table would be a bit of an issue for me as I have one at present.

Certainly worth considering though.

Wizer - how did you manage to get a Jet SS for £799?

Cheers, Ed

 

[wizer]

It was on eBay for ages before I snapped it up. I'm really not sure why it was so cheap. It was brand new, straight from BriMarc/Axminster but sold by Poolewood. It was on eBay for about 6 weeks before I couldn't bare to resist it any longer. I hate to pay list price, would you believe that even at the £799 listed price, I tried 3 times to haggle some off the price with Poolewood? They wouldn't have any of it I have moaned a bit about the sliding table but that's just me, it's a fantastic saw.

 

[Harbo]

I bought my DEFT T30 back in August and wrote a bit about setting it up back then.
Since then F&C did a good review of it though a lot of the extras stated in the article come as standard (blade, side table and feed out table).
And videos of it in action can be seen on Laguna's web site (click on videos):
http://www.lagunatools.com/tablesaw.platinumlt.aspx#

Machine basics similar but different fence and crown guard on UK version.

No sliding table but I get by with a cross cut chariot/sledge - I very rarely use boards.
I am very pleased with it and would not be without it. Cut a stack of long oak boards ready for my P/T the other day and at the other extreme some 15mm x 10mm angled glazing beads. You can change from the shallow fence to the taller one very easily. The saw height, angle and fence adjustments work very well and smoothly. The fence scale and adjustment is very accurate.
Pictures of the exterior won't show a lot - it's the amount of cast iron inside that's impressive!
I have not touched or checked the set up again as it is running fine but will do so when I get a chance - just in case there as been any "movement" - there's been no visible signs of any though?

http://www.lyndhurstwoodworking.co.uk/table-saw-silver-t30-and-t50_1491_578.htm

Rod

 

[Ironballs]

It's obviously a personal choice and needs of the pieces you produce, but I would be lost without my sliding table now and it would be a must for a TS

 

[Richard Findley]

Hi,

If it's any help, I've got this bandsaw:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-AWEFSBB-Bandsaw-580417.htm

and am VERY happy with it. Many people talk about the smaller and larger version with high praise but I recon, if you compare the 3 this one works out best. I've had it for nearly a year and am very happy. Biggest I've cut was 7" thich Cherry but ran a large batch of 3" Oak down with a 1/2" blade no problem.

I paid the old price of £300 something but even at £404.42 it leaves a good bit for a T/S!!!!

HTH

Richard,