Bandsaws around the €400 mark

[jpa]

Hi,
I've been considering adding a bandsaw to my collection of tools as I start to get back into woodworking again.

A couple have caught my eye on the local equivalent of ebay. The first is a Luna BBS 315, seems brand new and still boxed, and the other is what looks to be a well used Record rpbs 12.

Both of these machines have an asking price of 400 euros. I don't yet know the story behind either, why they are for sale, etc.

I was wondering if anyone on here could suggest which might be the better bet, and also more generally is there anything specific that I should be checking when looking at used bandsaws?

Many thanks!

 

[MikeJhn]

All I could find out about Luna is this, although its about a 500 not the 315: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyoMxEgCshQ OK if you speak Swedish, if the Luna is new, would seem to be the best bet IMO, especially if it has cast iron wheels.

The Record RBPS 12 is basically a Record Power BS300 with with aluminium wheels and is now an old model, but spares are available: http://www.bedfordsaw.co.uk/spare-parts ... r-bandsaws

Price I would say for a 300/315mm machine €400.00 is about top price for either of these, assuming these machines both work, things to look out for are:
Tyre wear, give a good indication of how much use they have had.
Noise from the motor and bearings.
Condition of Wheel bearings, open the doors and try to wobble the main cast iron wheels.
Tension rod, these have been know to pull through the tension mechanism, I think I read it was a weakness on the RPBS12.
Condition of bed and its tilting mechanism the quadrant can get broken.
Fence and mitre gauge parallel to the mitre slots and ease of sliding.
Fence clamp, if this is overtightened the T nuts can split making it impossible to tighten up the clamp bolts, this is the fence to sliding unit clamp, socket head bolts on the underside of the clamp.

All I can think of at the moment, but I am sure others will be along to advise further.

Mike

 

[jpa]

Thank you very much! Unfortunately I don't speak Swedish (Finnish, yes) but I've got the impression from my own attempts with Google translate etc that Luna is a respected brand there. What isn't clear to me though is if the newer machines aren't imported generic Chinese ones - not that that's necessarily bad.

I found new ones for sale online in Finland and the "new new" price is over 1k. What I haven't been able to find are any user reviews on this or Finnish sites. I haven't as yet heard back from the seller, either.

Regarding the Record, I had a message yesterday saying that the machine is '99 vintage, has been in hobby use (which could mean anything, but I get the impression that it has been in very active use). There is no fence or mitre gauge any more, but it does come with a UFO80 dust extractor.
As far as I have been able to find out it might be a 1/2hp small cyclone type unit , but I can't find anyone selling that brand in Finland .

It does seem a bit expensive maybe but things here always are. My work takes me to the UK several times a year, with an hgv too, so transport isn't a problem. However my schedules are always very very tight so being in the right place at the right time for a second hand machine purchase would require a very favourable alignment of the planets

 

[DennisCA]

Luna is a respected brand, but I am not sure that extends to models are modern looking as these. Not sure it's made in sweden or just a rebranded china machine.

 

[jpa]

Luna is a respected brand, but I am not sure that extends to models are modern looking as these. Not sure it's made in sweden or just a rebranded china machine.

Yes, thanks, that was pretty much what I figured. I just heard back from the Luna seller, he said he ordered the wrong saw by mistake for a building project and the return cost was too high so he decided to sell it instead. I'm not sure how that works as his asking price is about a third of the new price here in Finland.

 

[MikeJhn]

I don't find I use the mitre gauge on my bandsaw, but I do on my table saw, the absence of the fence is another matter, its possible that an upgrade may be in order, Axminster tools upgrade fence has had favourable review on here: http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ri ... ade-100205 not cheap, but a better option than a replacement Record Power one if you offset the costs of each against one another.

As to the dust extractor, I am assuming its from this manufacturer: http://www.kufogroup.com/UFO-40.htm and falls somewhere in-between the two current models, these being a 70 and a 90, it will be adequate for a bandsaw and a small table saw, but would possibly struggle with a Planer thicknesser, they look like cloned models of everyone else's, whilst on the Axminster site have a look through the chip extractors and you will see what I mean.

Mike

 

[jpa]

Yes, I was already thinking of the lack of a fence in terms of bargaining negotiations

Thanks also for the detective work regarding the extractor, that's something that I'd also need, really.

It's a pity that both machines are a long way away from both where I live, and where my work is based. Having said that, the cargo that I'm bringing back from Norway at the moment is going to a place only 200km from where the Luna is.

 

[MikeJhn]

Huh 200Km that's nothing, my workshop/bandsaw is 830Km from me in the UK :shock:

Mike

 

[jpa]

Huh 200Km that's nothing, my workshop/bandsaw is 830Km from me in the UK :shock:

Mike

Yes, 200km is nothing, that's what I meant. My commute is around 300km and work trips are generally around 3-4000.

 

[heimlaga]

Last June I and a friend drove some 350 km back and forth to Iisalmi to pick up a Raute bandsaw for 400 euros. It needed a new motor and a new switch and new rubber tyres and probably new ball bearings as well but the rest is all right. A top quality 90 cm industrial bandsaw with appropriate guards.
Another aquintance paid 400 euros for a 70cm Sagar bandsaw in Korsholm. It needed new bearings but now it is earning it's keep in his business.
I paid 300 euros for my 60cm E.V.Beronius in which I found in Jalasjärvi. It is manufactured in the 1910-s and required a very extensive rebuild before it was fit for professional use.
Old industrial bandsaws are plentiful in Finland but smaller ones of good quality aren't. Hence the ridiculous asking prizes for not very good saws.
Hence many hobbyists I know use old industrial saws. We have three phase power almost everywhere so there isn't anything holding us back.
This is a good example of what can be found:
http://www.findit.fi/sv/1053058.htm Unfortunately in the wrong end of Finland for you.


In the old days before turning into the China dealer Luna machines were made by Lini which was essentially a division of the well respected machine maker Ejca in Värnamo. Such bandsaws in the 30-50 cm range are plentiful in Sweden and often turn up surprisingly cheap on http://www.blocket.se if you search for "bandsåg".
If you are a lorry driver maybe you could convince your employer to let you pick up a secondhand Ejca/Lini along the road as you pass by?
This is an example though a bit expensive:https://www.blocket.se/orebro/Bandsag___Sag_68988263.htm?ca=2&w=3

 

[jpa]

Thanks very much, that findit site is a new one to me. That particular machine is indeed at the wrong end of the country but not actually that far from the Luna.

We have three phase at our smallholding but the only place we have in theory where I could install industrial equipment is full of swmbo's horses.

I am indeed a truck driver, but this Norway and Sweden trip that I've just returned from was a rarity; Usual destinations are in D/F/B/CH or GB (but it can be anywhere).

 

[jpa]

Just as an update to this, I made the round trip today and collected the Record RPBS12 and chip extractor. The final deal was closer to €200 than 300, and therefore much less than the originally asked 400. I think this was fair though considering all the various factors. The saw seems to be in pretty reasonable shape overall, there is no obvious wear to the (original, I'm told) tyres or drive belt. Having said that, it looks as though I have some work to do to set it up well. At present the lower blade guide is aligned so that the blade is running against the edge of the guide casting rather than the bearing material (the guide bearing material is flush with the guide casting on that side). The lower thrust bearing is a good 15mm behind the blade and seems to be seized. The upper bearings are rollers and seem to be adjusted more sanely, and although they are slightly stiff - presumably due to fine dust buildup - they do rotate.

Unfortunately I am off on a work trip tomorrow so it will be a week or so before I can investigate properly - very frustrating. It's terribly annoying when work gets in the way of hobby activities :/

 

[MikeJhn]

Have a look here: http://www.bedfordsaw.co.uk/spare-parts ... r-bandsaws even a full bearing guide kit for the RPBS12, tyres, belts etc.

Mike

 

[jpa]

Have a look here: http://www.bedfordsaw.co.uk/spare-parts ... r-bandsaws even a full bearing guide kit for the RPBS12, tyres, belts etc.

Mike

Thanks, I messaged them already and they don't stock individual bearings, but did steer me in the direction of the bearing guide kit. I'm sorely tempted as the shipping cost they quoted me was very reasonable too.
Actually I just started a new thread about this bearing thing (I don't know if it was a good idea?)

 

[MikeJhn]

IMO the rubbing blocks where there should be bearings is a no brainer, especially if the rear bearing is side on, do not understand that at all.

Mike