Keith Smith
Established Member
I mentioned I had this machine in another thread and surprise surprise "can I write a review" :roll: 
well here it is.
Axminster’s SBW4300 bandsaw is the smallest of the Axminster Plus Industrial Bandsaws, costing a penny under £800; this saw is also available as the Europac SBW4300.
It has a 2Hp, 1.5kW induction motor, maximum cutting width is 410mm, depth 300mm and has the usual tilt of 0-45degrees to the table. Blade length is 3345mm or 131 inches (not 132 as in the Axminster catalogue).
It has a small footprint at 680x450 (the table projects a further 200mm) and because of this it must be securely bolted down.
My first impression of this machine was that it was beautifully made, slender with simple lines and no frills, having used the machine for six months I am still of that opinion. This is a heavy machine at 146kg, which is some measure of its quality, for instance there is no hint of stress on the frame as the blade is tensioned.
Someone has put a lot of thought into this machine, it has just about everything you could ask for in a saw of this size;
well balanced cast iron wheels,
all the adjustments are accessible,
upper and lower blade bearing guides
two small windows in the frame which allow you to check that the blade is tensioned and running correctly without having to open the doors,
quick release tensioning lever which makes blade changing quicker and easier,
gauge to take the guesswork out of tensioning the blade,
height of the upper bearing guides is adjusted by means of a rack and pinion,
doors are released by turning two knobs (no need for screwdrivers),
braked motor,
interlocked doors ensure the motor won’t run with a door open,
table tilt is by means of two of two good sized levers.
The rip fence is locked in position by a lever and cam, when released it can be lifted off to position either side of the blade. It has some small provision for adjustment of angle which allows easy and accurate resawing.
This is 6inch oak and I have moved the guides up to show the cutting capacity
Here I have cut a 2mm board from a 150mm piece of oak using a 3/8” 3tpi blade
Dust extraction is by means of two 100mm ports, so this machine needs some serious extraction to clear all the dust it generates.
There are a couple of caveats to this machine, the first is only minor, in that the brake whilst effective is somewhat raucous.
The second is potentially more of a problem. Although the manual states that a 1/8” blade can be used, Axminster technical have discovered that the teeth of narrow blades can rub on the guides. Therefore they recommend that 3/8” is the minimum width of blade to use with this machine.
In use it is very smooth running and quiet, if you don’t need to use narrow width blades, I can thoroughly recommend this machine.
This review should appear in a future edition of The Woodworker so I need to retain copyright.
well here it is. Axminster’s SBW4300 bandsaw is the smallest of the Axminster Plus Industrial Bandsaws, costing a penny under £800; this saw is also available as the Europac SBW4300.
It has a 2Hp, 1.5kW induction motor, maximum cutting width is 410mm, depth 300mm and has the usual tilt of 0-45degrees to the table. Blade length is 3345mm or 131 inches (not 132 as in the Axminster catalogue).
It has a small footprint at 680x450 (the table projects a further 200mm) and because of this it must be securely bolted down.
My first impression of this machine was that it was beautifully made, slender with simple lines and no frills, having used the machine for six months I am still of that opinion. This is a heavy machine at 146kg, which is some measure of its quality, for instance there is no hint of stress on the frame as the blade is tensioned.
Someone has put a lot of thought into this machine, it has just about everything you could ask for in a saw of this size;
well balanced cast iron wheels,
all the adjustments are accessible,
upper and lower blade bearing guides
two small windows in the frame which allow you to check that the blade is tensioned and running correctly without having to open the doors,
quick release tensioning lever which makes blade changing quicker and easier,
gauge to take the guesswork out of tensioning the blade,
height of the upper bearing guides is adjusted by means of a rack and pinion,
doors are released by turning two knobs (no need for screwdrivers),
braked motor,
interlocked doors ensure the motor won’t run with a door open,
table tilt is by means of two of two good sized levers.
The rip fence is locked in position by a lever and cam, when released it can be lifted off to position either side of the blade. It has some small provision for adjustment of angle which allows easy and accurate resawing.
This is 6inch oak and I have moved the guides up to show the cutting capacity
Here I have cut a 2mm board from a 150mm piece of oak using a 3/8” 3tpi blade
Dust extraction is by means of two 100mm ports, so this machine needs some serious extraction to clear all the dust it generates.
There are a couple of caveats to this machine, the first is only minor, in that the brake whilst effective is somewhat raucous.
The second is potentially more of a problem. Although the manual states that a 1/8” blade can be used, Axminster technical have discovered that the teeth of narrow blades can rub on the guides. Therefore they recommend that 3/8” is the minimum width of blade to use with this machine.
In use it is very smooth running and quiet, if you don’t need to use narrow width blades, I can thoroughly recommend this machine.
This review should appear in a future edition of The Woodworker so I need to retain copyright.
