new bandsaw: axi hbs310 or metabo bas318?

[mqbernardo]

Hi all, long time no see!

I need (or want) to buy a new bandsaw. should´ve bought a better one in the 1st place... i have an axminster´s smaller HBS250n that never worked really ok, even though i spent quite some time trying to improve it. max cash i can put into this is 500 eur, but i can fool myself into thinking 500 gbp is the same... a friend of mine has a Metabo that he thnks works really well (he is far from me so i can´t see it in action) but the lack of online reviews makes me a bit cautious.

links:

https://www.mtmc.co.uk/Metabo-BAS-318-P ... 06497.aspx
http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ho ... saw-508205

metabo will turn out around 100 gbp cheaper (with shipping to portugal), and seems o have more 100 W of power. apart from ha specs seem o be pretty close.

any comments?

thanks in advance,
miguel.

 

[mqbernardo]

oh forgot to tell... it´ll be mostly used for guitar work so it´s light stuff. max depth i need to cut on a regular basis is 8 cm thick spanish cedar (the hbs250n can´t do it). a good working fence and tilting mehanism would be next on the list (again, rubish on the hbs250).


thans!

 

[sunnybob]

Miguel, Dont rush too quickly into buying another bandsaw just yet.
Have you asked on here for help with the axminster? I have the axminster 350, but from what I can see of the 250 you have, it should be capable of very decent work.
If you have already posted here, show the thread message. if not, let us know the EXACT problem with yours.
I dont think that just buying a bigger machine will solve your problem.

 

[mqbernardo]

thanks for your feedback.

hmm.... where to start? the fence and miter guides are rubbish (really!) on this saw, the table is not flat (!!! - this baffles me), it´s a real PITA to adjust the table tilt. all these are problems that are not user´s fault (except the user being too naive not to return it when he got it).

besides this, drifting is an issue (but i can compensate) and blade tracking is also a problem... blade just jumps from front of the wheel (overhanging) to back of the wheel, and thsi process takes ages. then it seems it´s not powered enough, struggles to cut anything above 4 cm. whne i worked with my teacher i exchanged blades and adjusted blade and guides for him, it seemed (back then) pretty straightforward.

but its ok, i can still use it with a finer toothed blade to cut tops and backs, where it can negotiate the at times rather tight curves in a breeze. so the prospect of 2 bandsaws is not entirely wasteful.

 

[sunnybob]

mitre fence, yup, not much you can do about those.
Normal fence should not be too bad. If you carefully set the blade so it cuts well freehand, you can then adjust that fence to be square to the cut by loosening the four top bolts, moving the fence square and re tightening.

Are you using a very thin blade? the thinner the blade the more chance of it jumping forwards if you have the tension very tight.

The table should be flat. If it isnt and you can take pictures to prove it, contact axminster. They have an extremely good service reputation.
Dont understand why the table is hard to adjust, the 350 is simplicity itself. Turn 1 lever a half turn, turn 1 knob a half turn, tilt the table to angle shown on the scale, and tighten them both up again. Yours must be a different layout.
The 250 is only 370 watts motor, so cutting deep hardwood will be a slow job, even with a new sharp blade. Pushing the wood too fast is the number one cause of blade drift and blade jumping out of line.

If you really cant get it to work properly and fancy a second bandsaw anyway, I am very happy with my 350N, and axminster have a fantastic export service at very low cost.