B&Q Pro bandsaw....?

[NikNak]

Hi guys (and gals)


I'm after a bandsaw for my wood turning hobby. As in i'm fed up with having to buy wood precut or needs very little doing to it before turning.

I've been looking on fleabay for a while, but they tend to go for silly amounts of money. So have resorted to putting a wanted ad in the local freeads.

Had a chap call me last night just a few miles away, who is offering a B&Q Pro bandsaw, not sure of model no. but stands about 5ft high (on stand) with a depth of cut of 160mm(ish). This puts it in the same league as the Metabo's, E/Bekums, Records, Ax's etc that i've also been looking at.

My first instinct is to not touch it with the proverbial barge pole.....! Mainly because it probably wont last 5 mins. However..... he's asking £70..... which with a bit of haggling and sucking of air between teeth means nearer £50.

So question is...... is it 'worth-a-punt' at that price. If its any good grab it see how i get on with it, and then maybe upgrade to a better model later..?

Second (and probably more important) question is...

STOP PRESS........ the guys just this second rung back...!!

810 watt motor
2 speed
2312mm blade length
depth of cut is 160mm (but with a bit of 'twiddling' on a stop screw may do to 175mm)


The second and more important question was going to be...... blade availability. Just done a quick search on fleabay & Ax's site and that specific length is not available, nearest is about 15mm shorter.


What would you guys do...??


Nick
Southampton

 

[MikeG.]

I'd have a very skeptical look.

If you don't want it for anything other than roughing out blanks it doesn't have to be a great machine.......but I hate buying cr*p. You never know when you will see the light and join the flat world, and might want a decent bandsaw.

Measured cutting depths and throats are an irrelevance really...........it is about how much tension can be put on the blade, how accurately the guides and rollers work, how stiff the framework is of the machine and how powerful the motor is. It is perfectly possible for a machine to have 200mm of clearance for cutting depth and be only capable of cutting 75mm of soft wood.

If you buy it, the very first thing you do is chuck the blade away and buy a good new one. Whilst the blade is off, check the bearings of the upper and lower wheels, and the rear thrust bearings behind the blades. Replace at the slightest hint of wear...they are cheap as chips.

Mike

 

[wizer]

IMHO you need a much beefier bandsaw for lathe work. Your going to be going through green wood and circle cutting 3-4inches.

Avoid the cheap B&Q, up your budget a bit and keep an eye on eBay. As long as some 'helpful person' doesn't post a link to it here, you should find a bargain on there eventually.

 

[Richard S]

Hi Nick

I bought a B&Q Pro bandsaw a few years ago when I first started out, I believe it was a rebadged Rexon item, I was not impressed, the main fault was that the trunnions that hold the table where not strong enough and flexed under load / weight allowing the table to move in relation to the blade, it was impossible to get consistent quality cuts with and was returned in short order. It was replaced with 12" SIP which it is fair to say is also a budget saw and not without its problems but is vastly superior to the B&Q and with careful set up and a bit of tweaking gives me acceptable results.

Hope this helps

Richard

 

[NikNak]

Well.......


Went to have a look this morning, and took with me a couple of bits of wood just to try you understand.... one was a piece of oak, roughly 3 x 4 planed (an offcut from where i get bits and bobs from) the other was a bit of cherry approx 4" dia.

At a guess i'd say it was about 4 years old and in fairly good condition.... i wasn't put off just by looking at it let's say.

The (fitted) blade was obviously knackered, but hey, give it a go. And to be fair it was chuntering its way through, albeit slowly.

Thanks Mike and Richard for your input too. Mike, the top & bottom bearings seemed ok, but when i looked at the blade guides.... well that was a joke.... there weren't any, just pointed pins pushing against the blade to hold it central (this was a design thing, not something he's bodged...) And Richard, like you said the table flexed all over the place, probably easily fixed with a bracket support down to the base but that would have made any angle cutting a problem then.

I offered 50squids cash, he said "no he wanted the whole £70 as it had cost him almost £200 new"..... on the basis it was 4 years old, cost 200 new, and needed work to make it cut right, i said no thanks.

So many thanks guys for your 'heads up'..... the search continues.


Nick

 

[NikNak]

Well..... what a difference 48hrs makes..!!

Boy am i glad i walked away from that pile of B&Q pooh..... another 50 spondoolics (and a bit of patience) got me a corker.


Have been 'watching' an EB316G on ebay for a few days, decided on my max offer, waited till 30 secs to go then put offer in (£150).... and won it for £127.50..!!


Went to collect it yesterday from a chap near Reading. It's only 2 years old, hardly used and in spanking knick. And he chucked in 4 blades too, one just sharpened and another never used.


Spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon setting it up (guides etc), and now i'm ready to roll....... or i would be if i knew what blade to use for what wood :lol: as in what size of blade (width) and tpi should i be using for say a bit of 3 x 2 oak or beech... just to get it down to a more usable size.


Thanks to all those who offered advice on what NOT to buy


Nick (one happy bunny)


oh i should say all its really gonna get used for is to cut wood to a more manageable size for wood turning hobby.