The BZB has landed

[JonnyD]

This is going to be a review of the wadkin BZB bandsaw only one comment so far and that is its bloody heavy

Been to Doug B's today to pick up the bandsaw. Many thanks Doug for the effort required to get a 700kg machine onto the trailer with a couple of planks of beech a block and tackle and some muscle.

Just got it back tonight and will hopefully unload it tommorow and get it ready to start cutting soon.

for scale the wheels are 24 inch round and the machine about 2.4m tall.

cheers

jon

 

[ByronBlack]

That's some impressive bits of iron!

 

[PeterBassett]

700Kg! Feck!

 

[woodbloke]

Hope the floors up to it 8-[ - Rob

 

[mailee]

HOLY SH*T!! Thats big and heavy! :shock:

 

[markymark12]

Great bit of kit.

I have the same myself. Having had to stand the thing back up in the workshop from being on its back like your own, i hope you have lifting gear. We did not and used the van and a winch with some big lumps of timber. Never again, my nerves have never been the same.

Good luck with standing her up. Worth all the effort.

 

[big soft moose]

yeah good luck with that - ive got a sedgewick morticer flat on its back that 3 of us cant lift uprioght - and thats about ahalf the weight of that bzb

 

[jhwbigley]

It will be nice to see how you get on with the BZB, just in case i get stuck with a certain bigger BZB..

I hope your not putting it upstairs.

JH

 

[OPJ]

Wow, what a machine!! My dad and I struggled with a bandsaw weighing less than one-quarter of that (150kg) - and that was with the table removed!! :shock:

I'm surprised you didn't at least remove the table on yours. :wink: What's happened to the doors, or is the machine that old? :?

 

[Mattty]

Is it in yet? Is it stood up yet? Do you want me to call an ambulance?

It'll be good to see how sweet you get the beast running mate.

JH- "It will be nice to see how you get on with the BZB, just in case i get stuck with a certain bigger BZB.. "
You are such a **** :shock:

 

[JonnyD]

We managed to get the bandsaw stood up and in the workshop by 9am. It was a lot easier than getting it on. We used a bobcat digger with some straps under the bandsaw to take the weight and then wheeled the trailer out of the way and then carefully lowered it. We then put a lifting eye in the top and used the digger to stand it up. Its quite handy having a mate whos a builder next door. Managed to do it without damaging the table

The machine stood up in the shop.

Grabbed on hour after work to start sorting it out and freed off the mechanisms and cleaned the rust of the table. The bottom thrust bearing is missing so I am considering using these as the top guides. I was given them by a mate to try out but there is no lower guides . Does anyone recognise them so i can get the bottom guides or do you think i should stick with the brass cool blocks?

Thanks for the comments

cheers

Jon

 

[Mr Ed]

That is a monster Jonny. I thought mine was a struggle at 160KG with 3 of us (it did have to go up a flight of stairs mind you...)

Ed

 

[jhwbigley]

You are such a **** :shockB.. "
:

Love you too Mattty

 

[markymark12]

I still use the brass blocks myself, well i say that, when i got the machine they had pretty much come to end of their life so i had a friend machine some out of bronze for me. They have been on a number of years dince then and have served well. I know of others who have used lignum for the same purpose.

The only thing i did change was the spring for a new die square wire type, which increased tensions and at the same time the silly bakerlite wheel for tensioning for something bigger to make it easy to get lots of tension on.

Had mine for around 10 years now and would not look at anything else on the market now. Apart from a DR of course but i would need to lift the ceiling by around 3 foot to get it in.

 

[markymark12]

Forgot to say.

The thrust bearings are plain bearings, which is not their best bit of engineering but in truth the blade should not be run on these when properly tensioned anyway, i replaced mine when i got it by taking along to a local supplier who replaced with new. Never had any problems with them since.

The other guides you show are a Panhans type, they look a cheap version of them which appear very similar to that fitted to Felder machines at one time. Not cheap mind, scott and sargent offer the panhans ones if you feel the need.

 

[JonnyD]

Thanks for the info Mark. Been having a bit of a google and the guides i have seem to be these http://www.conwaysaw.co.uk/toolingcutte ... wguide.htm the 789 model at £92 had a look at the scott and sargent ones and they are pretty pricey.

cheers

jon

 

[markymark12]

No worries glad to help.

I would recommend changing the spring, which can be found online, just do a search for square wire die springs.

The guides you linked to appear to be identical to ones that were fitted to a Felder540 i had years ago , i must admit i was not a great lover of them, can't remember why now. the Panhans are good but way overpriced. I would recommend trying to get used to the guides as they are, i have never had any issues with them and they are very accurate and hardly ever need refacing, when they do i just touch them up on the disc sander.

I think you will be pleased when you get it working.

 

[JonnyD]

I have got the machine sparked up and it runs nice and quietly. I was wanting to try it out and the original brass guides need replacing so i decided to give the guides a go and bolted them to the machine. The only blades I have at the moment are 4tpi hook blades at 9mm wide which came with the machine. The blade was easy to tension but I think I will take Marks advice and change the spring and handwheel.

I spent a few mins bandsawing up scrap timber and having a play and was really impressed. Even with a 9mm wide blade there was no problem in resawing 250mm Oak .

I was intending to keep my startrite bandsaw but will be putting it up for sale at the weekend as it doesnt compare with the Wadkin.

Cheers

Jon