AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => Tool tips & reviews => Topic started by: fuzzyturns on January 09, 2017, 08:38:34 PM
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Since I now have a decent size workshop, I can finally get myself a decent bandsaw to go with it. I am wondering whether you guys could give any feedback on the bandsaws you have , anything to avoid, or to seek out.
I am not looking at a monster model, probably couldn't afford that anyway. I reckon I'd need about a 10" throat and about 6" clearance, with a tilting table. Any feedback highly welcome.
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i have the sip 14" bandsaw with cabinet for the extra height and it's perfectly good in my book.
https://www.sipuk.co.uk/sip-14-heavy-duty-bandsaw.html
its an older model but still does the job however in my opinion you don't need to worry about the model of bandsaw, work out what you need the bandsaw for and find a decent make which fits those requirements and buy it.
spend some decent money on good quality blades as they do the cutting and not the bandsaw...
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Would you buy a second hand one or always recommend a brand new one?
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I just picked up a Startrite 'Bandit'....11" throat and 7" depth. Cost me £100 and it's too darned heavy to shift without help. No way I'd buy new with bargains like that around.
I put a new set of bearings on the blade guides and invested in a new band, that added about £35 to the overall cost.
Les
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as long as it's in perfect working order i don't see what is wrong with an older one but make sure that it's good before you buy it.
i'd offer you mine if i had the space to get a bigger one.
a bit of advice might be that once you've found the one that you want, get the next size up...
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Nothing wrong with 2nd hand as long as you see it and check it first. I wouldn't buy one blind or any other machinery come to that.
Pete
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I have a 50 year old Startrite 352 schools model Bandsaw, It's one I used when I was in school back in the 1970's so when I closed the school a couple of years ago to build a new one I made sure I was top of the list to buy some of the equipment. So yes SH is good so long as you know it. -- Julian
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I used to have a Kity 613, which had about 8" depth of cut. I reluctantly sold it when I upgraded to a bigger saw. If you can find one of those second hand, they are well built machines. I think the older models had wooden blocks top and bottom for blade guides, mine was a later model with bearing guides at the top, which I think would be better if looking for another one.
Startrite always had a reputation for being well built. A second hand one of those would probably be a good bet too.
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I have the RecordPower BS300X bandsaw which has a throat depth of 305mm (12") and a max cutting depth of 200mm (8") I find it is ideal for a small workshop as it is on castors and can be easily moved. You can see more details and how I have adapted it for preparing wood-turning blanks HERE (http://www.pettigrews.org.uk/odg/project-01.htm).
The BS300X has now been superseded by the BS300E which has an almost identical spec, details HERE (http://www.recordpower.co.uk/product/premium-12-bandsaw#.WHani1yt_TY).
Hope this helps.
Tim
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Thanks, Tim, this is useful indeed.
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Hi Fuzzyturns
I bought a second hand minimax s45 which is brilliant with Hamilton beverstock blades we use a record bs400 at work for cutting rubber/plastics and I prefer the older minimax by far
I hope this helps
John
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for the last 10 years or so I have been using an Elektra Beckum 315.It ha s 6" depth of cut and does virtually all that I want it too. Any larger cuts I need I do with an electric chainsaw.
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Thanks all around for the good tips. Has anybody ever used (or heard of anybody using) a bandsaw from Warco? I bought an engineering lathe with milling attachment and a metal bandsaw from them, and they were good value for money, just wondering about their wood bandsaws.
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Thanks all around for the good tips. Has anybody ever used (or heard of anybody using) a bandsaw from Warco? I bought an engineering lathe with milling attachment and a metal bandsaw from them, and they were good value for money, just wondering about their wood bandsaws.
Yes, I've had the 18" for about ten months or so. I'd been looking for a used single-phase bandsaw for ages but gave up in the end (nothing anywhere near me came up) so I went for the Warco which was £888 at the time.
For the price I have nothing to grumble about. The upper door was dented in transit and replaced promptly by Warco. Several months later I had an intermittent problem with it failing to get up to speed; tried getting some help from them as their engineer was never available at a time when I could speak to him. I eventually found that it was down to the damp/corrosion in the starter switch; some wet and dry, a squirt of WD40 - and its been fine since.
Doesn't get an awful lot of use, not this time of year in Scotland as the ManCave is too damn cold in the evenings!
Any questions, fire away!