Advice on My first Bandsaw (and last! if I get it right)

[glenp]

Dave
I just followed all the threads from your review, very helpful. I understand a lot more about Record saws than I did. Good to hear that Record customer service is so well rated. Would you still go for the wheel kit now that you have used for some time?
Glen

 

[misterfish]

I'm sure I never removed the table on the EB315 I used to own. It wasn't a bad machine and was improved by using decent blades.

But, I can only say that compared to the Startrite 352 I've now got its way down the scale.

If I needed to replace my bandsaw I'd go for another old Startrite - solid, straightworward good engineering.

Misterfish

 

[matt]

I have the 300X and, despite not having anything else to compare it to, I have no complaints except the crap blade it was supplied with. It's also worth noting that not everything is as it seems if you compare the E and X. The X is touted as a superior machine but, for example, the wheels are cast alloy compared to the E's cast iron. That said - it does not seem to detract from performance despite being a bit of a furtive spec compromise.

 

[9fingers]

I'm sure I never removed the table on the EB315 I used to own. It wasn't a bad machine and was improved by using decent blades.

But, I can only say that compared to the Startrite 352 I've now got its way down the scale.

If I needed to replace my bandsaw I'd go for another old Startrite - solid, straightworward good engineering.

Misterfish

Another vote for old Startrites- unbreakable engineering.

Well worth travelling for IMHO

Bob

 

[loz]

Had a RP350S since christmas and i love it love it love it.

1.5Hp motor,

Will cut anything.

Loz

 

[dickm]

With respect to the 352s on Ebay, I would not be put off by their being 3 phase. Mine was when I got it, but the m/c takes a standard foot mounted motor which is easy to replace. On the later models with electric interlocks and the switchgear on the outside of the neck, the necessary replacement of the switch is easy too. Not so easy on the earlier ones with the switch built into the neck and mechanical interlocks, but if you buy the correct overload trip, it fits directly into the original space.
I actually ran mine single phase for a while by parallelling the existing (lower amperage) contacts on the original overload, but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Racers]

Hi,

Yet another vote for the startrite 352 fantastic machine, so solid, it will see me out.

Pete

 

[PerranOak]

Hi,

Yet another vote for the startrite 352 fantastic machine, so solid, it will see me out.

Pete

So can one still get them?

 

[big soft moose]

Hi,

Yet another vote for the startrite 352 fantastic machine, so solid, it will see me out.

Pete

So can one still get them?

AS further up, the new ones arent all that , but these regularly come up on ebay s/h (for a price)

one thing i would note having looked into it myself is that they are a big unit and not suited to every small workshop - but if you have space and are likely to do a lot of deep ripping then they are an excelent choice.

 

[yetloh]

Yetloh

Which model of Festool do you have & are you happy with it. I am also looking for my first bandsaw but am looking for one a little bit heavier. I was looking to spend around £1800.00 But will need a blade width of 32mm. I would need it to cut true straight tenons in 180mm oak. I have been recommended the Basato 5-2 but i think this only has a 25mm blade ? What price would the equivalent Felder be as i like Felder as i have their planer. I suppose Hammer might also be an option.

Sorry if i hi jacked this thread.

Woodguy

I have the Felder FB400 which has a 250mm cutting capacity but the maximum blade width is only 25mm. I was aware, when I bought it, that Felder bandsaws are not made by Felder. They are Italian but I was not bothered by this because I was interested in quality of construction rather than the name on the side. Despite the comments of another poster my experience is that they are very well made indeed and fully up to Felder standards. I frankly doubt that Felder would risk their reputation by putting their badge on a sub-standard machine. My only real criticism is that the saw really needs an additional extraction port under the lower blade guides which is something I plan to fit.

The price of mine in now about £1600 which has gone up about £300 since I bought - exchange rate effects I guess. The 300mm capacity FB500 is now £2250 but the webside boes not give max. blade width.

The Hammer machine is also Italian and has been well reviewed. However it is much less sturdily made and the chassis has quite a lot of flex - it is these factors which made me decide to pay the extra for the Felder branded model.

By the way, adjustable aluminium extension table which is available as an extra is brilliant. You have to take the main table off the saw to drill and tap it for the mounting plate but that is easy enough. I bought two mounting plates so I can have it on either the side or the back.

Jim

 

[Racers]

Hi,

I bought mine secondhand from work, for what turned out to be a good price, try Ebay or secondhand machine suplyers.

Pete

 

[PerranOak]

The total height in my "shop" is 1.8m floor to ceiling.

Are many taller than this?

 

[glenp]

Many thanks to you all for your replies, it is a great help.
Where I am at the moment is as follows (please correct me if my logic is flawed):-
1. I will continue the search for a used Startrite 352, there is one on Ebay at the moment with an electrical fault, but it in Cleveland some 6 1/2 hours each way from Plymouth, too far I think.
2. If 1 fails I'm inclined towards the Basato 4 (around £630), my logic being that a saw designed to accept 30mm blades has to be more robust than those limited to 19mm ?? as the tension required is greater, also the fence is designed to operate on both sides of the blade, essential for ripping mitres! The motor is 2hp and probably compares better to the Record BS400 which sells for £699 rather than the BS350. Members have reported good support from Record, but only as a result of faults which should never have happened in the first place!
Does anyone have any experience of support / spares availability from Scheppac in the UK?
Glen

 

[TobyB]

Quite a lot are - I went for the Basato 4 as my workshop ceiling is the same height and it fits in ... it seemed to be one of the highest spec/best made machines that was within my budget and would fit into my basement ... a number of other machines in my budget plus or minus (including secondhand) were no good either because you'd never get them down there, or it wouldn't stand up if you did!

 

[big soft moose]

There are also a couple of wadkin BZB s on ebay at the moment , both reasonably priced and one is single phase - oplus there is a single phase startrite S18 - but note that both the startrite and the wadkin are going to require a dedicated high amperage supply - not a domestic 13 amp plug

 

[iajon69]

I've recently bought some Timberwolf blades from the US but haven't tried them out yet - the theory is that by using higher grade steel they can be thinner and use a thinner kerf - and so don't need quite so much tension (????) which may help these slightly lighter construction band saws.
ian

Can I be nosy and ask what width blade you bought and how much the Timberwolf blades cost?

Only I've just had some 1" x .025 blades in stock that are identical to some of the Timberwolf blades and would be very interested to know how much the Timberwolf cost - you can PM me if you don't want to say on here.

Thanks in advance

Ian

 

[TobyB]

I haven't needed any "support" - but Scheppach are supported/imported by NMA who have been very positively reviewed on this forum on a number of occasions concerning bits of kit - so hopefully at least reasonable ...

 

[glenp]

Toby
Thanks for the response the NMA website has turned up a dealer in Somerset that I didn't know about, Yandles they also stock Records and Startrite so I can get to see all of them in one go!
Glen

 

[9fingers]

Toby
Thanks for the response the NMA website has turned up a dealer in Somerset that I didn't know about, Yandles they also stock Records and Startrite so I can get to see all of them in one go!
Glen

Glen,

Yandles hold open days a few times a year where manufacturers turn with demonstrations and often have special offers on the day. The next one is 9th 10th April. Well worth saving your trip till then if you can.

http://www.yandles.co.uk/index.php

Good luck

Bob

 

[markymark12]

Having owned and used a number of different bandsaws in my own workshop and in others when employed in them, be it a large boatyard or small joinery shop, i myself would always stick with the heavy weights, whilst i have the BZB in the workshop at the moment if i had the room it would have been a DR, the MZF/MFC are a smaller brother of the BZB and much the same size as most of the saws mentioned here but with a far better frame allowing better tensions.

The Felder i had i was a FB540, i seem to recall i paid around £2000 for it when new going back a few years. And it struggled with resawing anything over 9" without a bit of drifting, it did cut it, but not very well. The BZB cuts anything up to its full height without any problems at all, and cost me less than half the money of the Felder. I have used lots of other machines prior to this and it had nothing to do in how it was set up, the bands that were being ran etc, if you put the Wadkin and the Felder alongside each other and a pile of timber alongside close to the limits of the saws i know which one would come out on top, and it would not be the expensive one for sure.

Felders bandsaws are by no means one of their best products, and with a bit of searching on various forums you will come across a lot of disappointed buyers. For the money they charge there are a lot of far better machines on the market. Still nothing to compare with the oldies though. Don't get me wrong i have a couple of their machines in the shop still and whilst i would not say they are true industrial types, they are very good and accurate after many years of trouble free use.

I did see comment about the fact that someone was looking to buy a saw based on it taking a 1.25" band, just because the wheels take a 1.25" band, does not mean it will be able to tension it propebly. A 1" band tensioned as it should be, will cut far better than a under tensioned 1.25" one. I use 1" bands and resawn up to the 13" limit of the saw without any problems at all. It takes 1.25" but it is not required, if the BZB took the 2" width of band of the DR then i would use these, as the beam strength would be a noticeable gain.

Having said all of this, if i were to ever buy a fabricated type saw again and having used a number of old startrites years ago my money would be on this. Most large shops i have worked in, all had 1 or 2 dotted around the bench areas for use. But the main mills were still always fitted out with iron. 352 were always the choice.