Scheppach Basato 3 + Bandsaw suggestions...

[ByronBlack]

Just a quick inquiry really to see if anyone here owns one of these and what they think of it? I've managed to find a few reviews online, most are positive, a few say it's a little difficult to initially setup, but they have a new version out now that has an 8" re-saw capability and looks good value for money.

 

[Mr Ed]

I have one.

I was thinking of selling it to upgrade to a bigger machine in the near future. If you're not in a huge rush mine would be going for a reasonable price. The resaw capacity on mine is 160mm.

I'll be honest I haven't been overwhelmed with its performance from an accuracy perspective, but maybe I'm expecting too much of it.

Cheers, Ed

 

[ByronBlack]

HI Ed,

160mm unfortunately will be too small for me - I originally discounted the Basato 3 because of it, but noticed on the D&M site they have re-launched it with a 205mm d.o.c which is about the minimum I'm looking for..

Out of curiosity, what machine have you thought of in terms of upgrading? The Basato 4 looks quite a nice machine

Is your scheppach decently built? You mention the accuracy, do you know what might be the cause of that? Guides, build-quality, etc..?

 

[Mr Ed]

In terms of upgrade I am looking for something with 300mm depth of cut and more power so I can resaw veneers.

Generally I think the Scheppach is well made

- The case is solid and paint finish good.
- I am not over keen on the corrugated finish to the cast iron table.
- The blade tensioner is not man enough
- The guides are a bit flimsy and tricky to adjust.
- I cannot see the point of the variable speed for 99% of jobs, so its a bit pointless for me.
- It takes up more or less the same space as a model with bigger capacity but can only saw 160mm max.

I've not used many other bandsaws, so I'm not necessarily best to judge it and as I said I might be expecting too much for a £350 machine. When I see video of other machines in use, or look at what others achieve with a bandsaw, I know most of it would never happen with this one. I haven't put Dragon blades in it, but I believe the Dakin Flathers Carbon Flexback blades I do have are likely to be similar.

For replacements I am considering Axminster, Jet and Hammer. I am in no particular rush so I will browse the market for a while before I choose.

Cheers, Ed

 

[andycorleone]

Hey Byron, I know you don't like Record Power but after weeks comparing all bandsaw in the market that I can afford I went for a BS350 which I still think is the best you can buy for around £400 don't forget the DM show in the weekend

 

[ByronBlack]

Ed, thanks for listing the pro's and con's, I appreciate that. Like you, I would prefer a 300mm, but it's quite a jump in cost from the 205/250 machines, but the Hammer does look an excellent machine.

If the guides are fiddly as you say then that's a big no for me, so I'll probably have to look a other machines, I hate having to fight with the guides..

Andy - I was looking at the BS350s on the D&M website ahead of this weekends show. It certainly has impressive specs for the price - which is also what makes me slightly concerned; it makes me wonder if they have cut corners elsewhere to get the price down. It's not that I dislike Record Power, (I have not owned any of the upper market stuff) it's just they seem to have a overwhelming feed of dissatisfaction when ever I research their stuff. Although to be fair that was for TS's and Morticers specifically, maybe their bandsaws are better...

 

[woodbloke]

I'm looking at similar sorts of machines as Ed for the same reasons. The minimum doc I could get away with is 250mm. If you're going to go for a 300mm doc for sawing veneers then you'll need a p/t as well with a 300+mm table to make a smooth surface on the timber for the next cut... which is starting to get mucho expensive. The big Jet p/t (aka Waka :lol: :lol: ) is the one that springs immediately to mind but it's £1300, plus a grand or so for a b/s. SWIMBO though, in here infinite wisdom, has put the skids under my cunning plans for the next few years so I'll just have to go on drooling, 'specially when I see Ed's new machine - Rob

 

[ByronBlack]

You make a fine point rob - I only have a thicknesser with a 250mm capacity so a 300mm doc BS would be wasted. I suppose if I think about it, all this is for guitar building, and most guitar bodies are 14-16" inches wide, so 250mm book-match will be plenty of big enough.

Are there any other decent options for a 250mm depth of cut Bandsaws other than the Record? I think the axminster are a little too expensive when they get that big

 

[woodbloke]

Are there any other decent options for a 250mm depth of cut Bandsaws other than the Record? I think the axminster are a little too expensive when they get that big

The one that's caught my eye at the moment is the Jet 10" doc at Axminster for £1k...looks a nice bit of kit to me, but I haven't had a close eyeball at it. There is a 12" doc Jet on offer as well but it's a MkI machine, not sure what the difference is between a MkI and II? - Rob

 

[ByronBlack]

Are there any other decent options for a 250mm depth of cut Bandsaws other than the Record? I think the axminster are a little too expensive when they get that big

The one that's caught my eye at the moment is the Jet 10" doc at Axminster for £1k...looks a nice bit of kit to me, but I haven't had a close eyeball at it. There is a 12" doc Jet on offer as well but it's a MkI machine, not sure what the difference is between a MkI and II? - Rob

I had the Jet 14" machine and that was fantastic, you can see where the money goes. However, they are almost twice the price of the Record and way out of my budget.

 

[Con Owen]

FWIW I purchased this bandsaw approx 18 months after it came out due to the excellent reports that it had in the trade press, at this time I believe it was produced in Germany (currently I understand they are produced in the Far East so may be better!). My theory was that by then any teething problems would have been resolved. The variable speed did not work and in my opinion it was a pig to set up. It was replaced and that machine replacement did not even work, IIRC they sent me a new spare capacitor as they throught that this may be the problem, it still did not work. I got my money back.

Cheers
Con

 

[toysandboats]

Byron,
I have the Basato 3 and have had it for something over 4 years. It has only ever had light use - perhaps 1 day per month and though in general it does what it is meant to do, the build quality has some issues.

The blade tensioner was wobbly so I added an oak block inside the bandsaw to act as a stabiliser.
The tensioner handle is made of plastic and has a nut embedded within it. Last year the plastic handle and nut parted company so I had to manufacture a modified handle.

I do use the variable speed - minimum when cutting plastics and maximum for wood - but here again the plastic handle parted company from its embedded nut and again I had to manufacture a replacement.

I think the handles are poorly designed and there was no point replacing them with similar Scheppach parts.

I agree with Ed's comments about finish though I'd describe the blade guides as fiddly rather than "flimsy and tricky" to adjust.

I have the mitre fence which is very adjustable and accurate.

Despite my negative comments above, with a good blade - I now use a meat and fish blade from Sharpquips - it will happily cut through 6 inches of oak.

Hope this helps you make your mind up

David Ward

 

[ByronBlack]

Cheers for all the info chaps, I think i'll discount the Bastato 3 and start looking at alternatives. The RP BS350S seems to be the best option at the moment, I should be able to have a good look at one at the DM show on sunday.

 

[hpl]

I've got a BS350. I bought it for small work as I have a large cast machine for my main ripping so can't comment on it's ripping ability.
I use it for shaped work, hardwoods mostly up to 60-70mm thick, with 6 -12mm blades from Axminster. (I know, but I bought a load before I found this site and realised there are good quality blades out there)
I'm not overly impressed, but it does the job. When I looked around the various other options in the price bracket it seemed to be the best available to me at the time.
The guides work well and are reasonably easy to set, the bed is solid and doesn't move in use. The wheels are more solid than most, some were quite a light alloy. By biggest things with it are the fence not coming on and off with out having to get out the allen keys and the tensioner seeming a little weak, although they all seem that way in this price range.

HTH

Johnny B

 

[Blister]

BB PM sent

 

[ByronBlack]

I've got a BS350. I bought it for small work as I have a large cast machine for my main ripping so can't comment on it's ripping ability.
I use it for shaped work, hardwoods mostly up to 60-70mm thick, with 6 -12mm blades from Axminster. (I know, but I bought a load before I found this site and realised there are good quality blades out there)
I'm not overly impressed, but it does the job. When I looked around the various other options in the price bracket it seemed to be the best available to me at the time.
The guides work well and are reasonably easy to set, the bed is solid and doesn't move in use. The wheels are more solid than most, some were quite a light alloy. By biggest things with it are the fence not coming on and off with out having to get out the allen keys and the tensioner seeming a little weak, although they all seem that way in this price range.

HTH

Johnny B

Thanks Johnny, appreciate the feedback. The fence issue won't bother me too much and for the tensioner - like you said, most machines this size can't tension wide blades all that well, so apart from those two issues, do you feel it is an accurate machine? And do you think there is enough power there for 10" re-sawing?

One last thing - the upper-guide height adjusting mechanism, how good is that? On some bandsaws I've seen/owned, the guides themselves wobble and shift a bit out of position when the height is adjusted, what is it like on the RP?

Thanks.

Blister - Cheers.

 

[Ironballs]

I'll be interested to see what you end up with BB, I've grown out of my little Axminster 120mm saw and several times recently have been cursing that I don't have a machine with a bigger DOC. Funds are tight at present though so I'm keeping my eye on fleabay to see what pops up

 

[Mikey R]

Hey BB,

Im also interested in a bandsaw that can resaw the occasional guitar top, I was also looking at the BS350S.

I was also thinking the Axminster SBW3501B, but this is probably a little underpowered for deep resawing and its a bit more expensive.

Keep us posted!

 

[ByronBlack]

Hi Chaps,

Just wanted to update those that asked. I went to the D&M show today and purchased a Basato 4 after being somewhat unimpressed by the Record Power machines. A mini review will be on its way soon.

 

[TobyB]

Any early comments Byron?

I went to Harrogate yesterday and took a good look at the Record 350X and the Bassato 4, as well as the SIPs, Charnwoods and others there ... came away thinking the Scheppach seemed a lot more saw and engineering than the Record for the money.

I need a saw that I can get down to my basement workshop, assemble when the ceiling is about 185 cms, and then move into the corner when not required as I'm short of space, so mobility is important, and the big/tall/heavy machines that can be delivered to outside garages and workshops aren't an option for me.

Does it seem like a good buy?

Cheers

Toby