Anybody else love bandsaws?

[Jonm]

I am pretty frustrated with mine. I expected it to be as easy to use as the OP suggested but find it very difficult to set up. Thinking of selling it to maybe buy a different make. It’s a Kity 613.

Agree with jonm and garden shed projects. I had a Kity too and whatever I did or tried I could not get in with it. Spent hours and in the end got rid of it. Having only previously used big old cast band saws before this I was left disappointed with the Kity. Which is a shame as I have had other Kity machines which have been superb.

Thank you for these comments, I have set up a separate post asking if anyone else has experience of these machines.

 

[MikeJhn]

All those with problems need to watch this:

 

[Mick p]

I started out with a bruised and battered three wheel bandsaw, cost me £20, I managed to get it going and have used it ever since, still do for odds and ends when needed

I also bought a used Record BS250 which is my main go to saw, it comes in handy for so many things

Then a few years ago I decided I really needed a table saw, poor decision as I have used just twice since I bought it

So yes very versatile machines bandsaws, hard to know how it took me so long to get one

I have a three wheeler that’s older than me a coronet imp i had it over 10 years six months ago I bought a record 250 on a stand got to supposedly upgrade set it up it was useless compared to the imp so I got rid of the 250 I’m sure the imp will outlast me great old English engineering built to last

 

[Spectric]

All those with problems need to watch this:

Yes this guy really helped with my bandsaw setup, the idea of running the bottom of the tooth gullet central on the wheel along with a decent blade totally changed the machine behavior.

 

[Garden Shed Projects]

Have you managed to get it working at all, and with which blade?
Mine has a 3/8 inch fitted. Tuffsaws were very helpful and recommended three blades 1/4, 1/2 and 5/8 inch. I did not go ahead as I cannot get the blade I have to stay on the wheel.

If someone wants us Kity bandsaw sufferers to stop clogging this thread let me know.

I have got it working with a wider blade, 1/2” and above, but if you apply any kind of backwards pressure like trying to cut a curve it comes off with such a bang, it’s scary. The machine seems well made and all adjusters are working well but the flat wheel design doesn’t appear to work.

 

[Spectric]

Are the guides too far back so you are just pushing the blade off? Also are you applying enough tension to the blade.

 

[Molynoox]

I think the off topic discussion is perfectly fine. Like somebody said, no real driving question or point to this thread from my side

 

[Garden Shed Projects]

All those with problems need to watch this:

This guy is good but his technique doesn’t solve the Kity’s problem because he uses a bandsaw with crowned wheels. I would love to see a similar video using a flat wheeled bandsaw as I am convinced it is user error and if some one showed me the correct way to set up it would work fine. The quality of the machine suggests it didn’t leave the factory unusable.

I think the off topic discussion is perfectly fine. Like somebody said, no real driving question or point to this thread from my side

It isn’t a guide set up issue as, with mine at least, the blade is moving towards the user and coming off the wheel.

 

[deema]

In my experience there are commonly three things that cause a bandsaw to cut incorrectly.

1. A blunt / poor quality blade. If you have problems first off buy a decent blade. I recommend Tuffsaws, Ian produces high quality blades that run true.

2. The tension on the blade is too low. Chances are, the bandsaw spring is inadequate or has been over compressed. Compressing a spring by more than circa 25% destroys them, and they need replacing. Bandsaws don’t normally have stops to prevent over compression. Also the tension guide on the saw is probably next to useless and won’t be calibrated to the blade you are using.
The majority of issues are covered by poor blades and blade tension.

Sideways wrote a thread on restoring a SCM bandsaw where we went though spring theory, selection and setup which is universal to just about every bandsaw.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/scm-minimax-s45-bandsaw-teardown-overhaul.135069/
3. Setup. There are a few that fall into the category, people get sucked into blade guides and what’s best. They do absolutely nothing for cutting straight. I know, controversial idea, but they are only a safety device not involved in anyway with cutting stuff. I write a thread on the theory. However they get the guides touching the blade which is simply wrong, which deflects the blade and causes it to heat up / follow an unnatural path.
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/bandsaw-blade-guide-theory.135481/Blade alignment to the fence, mist have saws have a way of aligning the blade to the fence for straight cutting. Mist are not aligned and the user ‘fights’ the natural cutting path of the blade causing heat.

Blades coming off the wheels are usually blade tension, or alignment of the bottom wheel.

 

[TominDales]

I'm sure a table saw would be needed for perfectly accurate cuts, like making an end grain chopping board for example, but for my type of projects and most of the cutting I do the bandsaw is 'good enough' and the perfect tool for the job.

Martin

Great to hear your success with the band saw. Chippendale didn't have a table saw, so you can survive without one. For most hobbiests you can get away with a bandsaw and hand saws.

It takes practice to lean to cut accurately on any saw, but with practice you can get good enough. A TS is great for a professional or big user, turning out loads of stuff accurately, but they need to be quality machines. I hate my cheap one.

 

[Molynoox]

This thread has got me thinking actually, I always thought that I would need a table saw at some point to do certain types of projects, but I hadn't considered some of the other combinations that get the job done such as band + track, band + router, or the one I had never thought of: band + jointer.

Pretty cool as my workshop is only about 4m X 3.5m and so I would prefer not to have a table saw in there taking up space. Also a good table saw is quite expensive. I am most likely going to end up going down the MFT route at some point early on, not going mad, just an off the shelf mft top and a few dogs and rail clips to give me a convenient workflow for 90 degree cuts. I like the idea of a fence at the back edge of the worktop with a decent stop block system, it feels like that gets me most of the functionality of the track saw / MFT method (and a table saw for that matter). I'm not overly bothered about the rail hinge considering the relatively significant extra faff and expense.

I might be over thinking it at this stage seeing as I haven't even finished the workshop yet....

Martin

 

[Bojam]

I have two work areas. A small room (4m x 2.7m) houses the bandsaw, PT, drill stand with table, and manual table saw mounted on a workmate. All except the drill press are on wheel bases.

If I had a decent stationary table saw in this room I wouldn’t have space for much else. It’s already a squeeze as it is and there’s certainly no room for a workbench in here. But it works.

 

[Bojam]

Outside that room under the “carport” I have a large homemade MFT with built in router table. Cyclonic dust extraction unit and wood storage rack overhead.

Here’s a couple of better shots in a tidier time:

 

[Molynoox]

I have two work areas. A small room (4m x 2.7m) houses the bandsaw, PT, drill stand with table, and manual table saw mounted on a workmate. All except the drill press are on wheel bases.

If I had a decent stationary table saw in this room I wouldn’t have space for much else. It’s already a squeeze as it is and there’s certainly no room for a workbench in here. But it works.

View attachment 133985View attachment 133986View attachment 133987

Interesting floor

 

[Bojam]

Interesting floor

Lol. The most commented feature of my workshop. [Inherited as the house is a rental].

 

[pe2dave]

Another recommendation for Record b'saw. No problems with 10 years hobby use.

 

[Jameshow]

I had exactly the same realisation a few years ago when I got mine. I was working/playing out of a 4’ x 5’ storage room on the 3rd floor of a block of flats in Brixton and the bandsaw felt revelatory, even though by then I already had a (invaluable) tracksaw for work.View attachment 133954

Robgul move over that'sorganised!!

 

[Jameshow]

What I hear is what ever you get make sure it's a quality item! No point struggling with a poor bandsaw table saw or track saw!

 

[John Hall]

I think a “Best bandsaw review” is required

 

[robgul]

Robgul move over that'sorganised!!

Things have moved on since you saw my workshop . . . bike storage has been re-arranged (compressed by staggering the racks with top-to-tail bikes that "interlock") and all the secondhand wood now lives in the shed, just the good stuff in the workshop. But still could do with more room.