Bodgers
Established Member
I recently sold my Axminster HBS250N bandsaw as I was finding it just didn't have the guts to cut through anything approaching hardwood of a reasonable thickness.
I needed something with the most power in a reasonably compact size. I did consider a Record Power 350, but decided against it - just too big for my workshop.
I'd read about the Makita bandsaw before, but basically dismissed it as some sort of site based tool. I quickly changed my mind when I saw a demo of one at a show and read the review in The Woodworker mag and decided to go for it.
Basically, what you get with this machine is 12" bandsaw, with a pretty substantial sized cast iron table with a 900W induction motor for a street price of less than £500. The 12" Charnwood for example, has a 750W motor, a smaller table and IMO isn't as well built.
Anyway, I ordered it and it arrived by standard courier (the guy complaining that it was written down as 60Kg when it was obviously more - 82Kg in-fact).
Unpacking was a bit of struggle. Manual recommends laying it down and chocking the body up so that the legs can be attached. Which is fair enough, but you have to destroy and rip apart package to make this work as the saw is too heavy to shift around. Another problem is that to upright the whole machine is almost impossible as as a one man job - maybe I need to get to the gym, but uprighting 82Kgs of saw is not back-friendly.
Saw comes with lots of different blades...even what looks to be a metal cutting blade...
Mitre gauge although feels like a decent chunk of cast alloy, disappoints as it is a little too loose in the mitre slot.
One of the most impressive parts of the saw is the table. Really nice piece of cast iron, and fairly large for a saw of this size at over 620mm wide:
The main fence is decent - locks down on both sides of the table, and has two sides; a low side for thin pieces and a higher, sort of 'resaw' side.
The saw, uprighted and the table attached to the trunions:
Once uprighted it became clear that one of the attractions of the saw for me, wasn't going to work out. The nicely padded grab handle (too low down to the centre of gravity of the saw) and the wheels just don't make for a convenient way to move it around the work shop. Once tilted on its back wheels it is a real lump to counter balance and a real struggle to move easily around the workshop. Looks like castors and a base will be needed after-all.
Looking around the machine after uprighting, main observations were that the bearings in the machine look very substantial and look like they will stand up to a lot of use. Guide bearings look decent, with 3 bearings per top and bottom of the table (left, right, and back).
Putting a blade on is soooo much easier than on my old Axy. You don't have to take the measuring guide off - it splits in two on a quick-release screw and you slot it through the table. With a few tweaks on the tension and alignment I was up and running and it was cutting through a 165mm (full capacity) chunk of spruce like butter. Didn't even get any blade drift.
There are a few nice features in addition:
The underside is slotted where a dust box is attached - this works well and catches a lot of dust that normally collects at the bottom of a bandsaw.
LED light - doesn't need batteries (like a lot of workshop tools) and works off mains power. It is bright.
Blade tensioner quick release - didn't have this on the old saw, makes blade changes easier and you can leave the machine un-tensioned when leaving it unused for long periods.
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In review, I am really happy with the saw. It has an overall feel of quality that you don't get on the Axy hobby kit (feels like a Makita hand power tool), is powerful enough for my needs and has some nice features that make it stand out from other bandsaws at this price level.
I needed something with the most power in a reasonably compact size. I did consider a Record Power 350, but decided against it - just too big for my workshop.
I'd read about the Makita bandsaw before, but basically dismissed it as some sort of site based tool. I quickly changed my mind when I saw a demo of one at a show and read the review in The Woodworker mag and decided to go for it.
Basically, what you get with this machine is 12" bandsaw, with a pretty substantial sized cast iron table with a 900W induction motor for a street price of less than £500. The 12" Charnwood for example, has a 750W motor, a smaller table and IMO isn't as well built.
Anyway, I ordered it and it arrived by standard courier (the guy complaining that it was written down as 60Kg when it was obviously more - 82Kg in-fact).
Unpacking was a bit of struggle. Manual recommends laying it down and chocking the body up so that the legs can be attached. Which is fair enough, but you have to destroy and rip apart package to make this work as the saw is too heavy to shift around. Another problem is that to upright the whole machine is almost impossible as as a one man job - maybe I need to get to the gym, but uprighting 82Kgs of saw is not back-friendly.
Saw comes with lots of different blades...even what looks to be a metal cutting blade...
Mitre gauge although feels like a decent chunk of cast alloy, disappoints as it is a little too loose in the mitre slot.
One of the most impressive parts of the saw is the table. Really nice piece of cast iron, and fairly large for a saw of this size at over 620mm wide:
The main fence is decent - locks down on both sides of the table, and has two sides; a low side for thin pieces and a higher, sort of 'resaw' side.
The saw, uprighted and the table attached to the trunions:
Once uprighted it became clear that one of the attractions of the saw for me, wasn't going to work out. The nicely padded grab handle (too low down to the centre of gravity of the saw) and the wheels just don't make for a convenient way to move it around the work shop. Once tilted on its back wheels it is a real lump to counter balance and a real struggle to move easily around the workshop. Looks like castors and a base will be needed after-all.
Looking around the machine after uprighting, main observations were that the bearings in the machine look very substantial and look like they will stand up to a lot of use. Guide bearings look decent, with 3 bearings per top and bottom of the table (left, right, and back).
Putting a blade on is soooo much easier than on my old Axy. You don't have to take the measuring guide off - it splits in two on a quick-release screw and you slot it through the table. With a few tweaks on the tension and alignment I was up and running and it was cutting through a 165mm (full capacity) chunk of spruce like butter. Didn't even get any blade drift.
There are a few nice features in addition:
The underside is slotted where a dust box is attached - this works well and catches a lot of dust that normally collects at the bottom of a bandsaw.
LED light - doesn't need batteries (like a lot of workshop tools) and works off mains power. It is bright.
Blade tensioner quick release - didn't have this on the old saw, makes blade changes easier and you can leave the machine un-tensioned when leaving it unused for long periods.
--
In review, I am really happy with the saw. It has an overall feel of quality that you don't get on the Axy hobby kit (feels like a Makita hand power tool), is powerful enough for my needs and has some nice features that make it stand out from other bandsaws at this price level.
