Band saw advice

[Jitter]

Happy New Year to all.

I am currently in the market to purchase a bandsaw. I’m currently running a business making hardwood tables and have been using steel bases until now for the larger tables. I would like to be able to cut larger sized timbers i.e. in excess of my current limitations which are about 60mm depth and only in straight lines. I would like to be able to cut frame parts from kiln dried hardwood in much larger sizes and cut curves to shape them too. For example, 150mm x 150mm lengths although the bigger capacity the better as I could also use the bandsaw to cut up stock from larger pieces, i.e. slice up into flat stock etc. I would like to keep a budget of £2k maximum, precision and quality are most important and would consider second hand if it meant keeping to these guidelines. I’d love to hear other people’s experiences with what they use and recommend, particularly from bespoke furniture makers using chunky hardwood. Thanks for any input at all, I’m a newbie to bandsaws and would appreciate other woodworkers views on the subject.

 

[Spectric]

It is hard to beat a good second hand machine made of cast iron and not pressed sheet metal like the modern ones made in a far flung country, unfortunately they can be larger and are much heavier so a lot of us don't have room. If you have a three phase supply then you will have a larger secondhand market to choose from. You will also be able to get a larger throat machine which will not limit you in the future, I originaly looked for a BS300 from Record and when I saw these machines I soon realised the larger BS400 took up not a lot more footprint and just a little more height as the 300 sat on a cabinet.

 

[Jitter]

It is hard to beat a good second hand machine made of cast iron and not pressed sheet metal like the modern ones made in a far flung country, unfortunately they can be larger and are much heavier so a lot of us don't have room. If you have a three phase supply then you will have a larger secondhand market to choose from. You will also be able to get a larger throat machine which will not limit you in the future, I originaly looked for a BS300 from Record and when I saw these machines I soon realised the larger BS400 took up not a lot more footprint and just a little more height as the 300 sat on a cabinet.

Thanks. I did notice that the new machines at this price range were possibly not industrial enough and heard from Axminster videos that the capacity of a machine is the maximum capacity and best not to use a machine to its maximum capacity all of the time. It’s a grey area for me and very unsure about the capacity I should be looking for really. If it were a second hand machine, I can always upgrade to a larger size later on but I need enough power and accuracy to cut chunky hardwood parts. I have a 3 phase rotary converter that can handle 5hp although not sure if I could get away with say a 3hp machine.

 

[Ttrees]

These two recent threads have some piccies.
Bet those machines are still available
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/looking-for-a-bandsaw.134051/

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/first-bandsaw.133078/#post-1511179

 

[Ollie78]

For 2k you should be able to get an outstanding second hand machine.
Spend 1.5 k and then you will have a bit spare to get a few blades or upgrades etc.
I would suggest getting an 18 inch wheel size. I have a smaller basato 3 which is 14 inch I think. Its a bit too small.

Ollie

 

[Jitter]

For 2k you should be able to get an outstanding second hand machine.
Spend 1.5 k and then you will have a bit spare to get a few blades or upgrades etc.
I would suggest getting an 18 inch wheel size. I have a smaller basato 3 which is 14 inch I think. Its a bit too small.

Ollie

Thanks. It’s a good idea to keep some back for blades/ installation if possible. I’ll take a look at 18” machines and get an idea.

 

[Jitter]

These two recent threads have some piccies.
Bet those machines are still available
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/looking-for-a-bandsaw.134051/

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/first-bandsaw.133078/#post-1511179

Thanks, I had read one of these but not the other.

 

[deema]

I have a SCM S45 bandsaw, it’s 3ph it has its original fence and can take a 25mm wide blade with 300mm cutting height. We need to service and clean it to ensure it will be running as it should, fully tested before we shipped it. I’d be looking for £1350 delivered on a lorry with a tail lift.

 

[Jitter]

I have a SCM S45 bandsaw, it’s 3ph it has its original fence and can take a 25mm wide blade with 300mm cutting height. We need to service and clean it to ensure it will be running as it should, fully tested before we shipped it. I’d be looking for £1350 delivered on a lorry with a tail lift.

Hi Deema. Thanks for the offer. If it’s accurate and works fine I’d be interested. Is this the 18” wheel model? What is the year made? Just so I can get info online about it. Where about in the country are you? I’m in West Lothian Scotland.

 

[deema]

I will have a look tomorrow and report back. Sideways and I are both retired engineers, we tinker with predominantly old iron machines restoring them, we do also pick up along the way more modern, but good quality machines as well. We don’t do this commercially, it’s just to keep the grey cells active. The machine will be both accurate and work correctly, or we don’t sell them.

You might have seen this thread of a machine we are ‘playing’ with to get an idea of what we do. The SCM will not be a full strip, repaint and rebuild. It just I believe needs a good service.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/thread...e-full-restoration.132165/page-7#post-1542431

 

[Ttrees]

Thanks, I had read one of these but not the other.

That Multico B 500 is half an hour drive from you.
I'd make an offer for 1000 if it's prefect, and they've got a fence for it that is, if not it's worth less,
and getting a piccy of the motor nameplate to see if it's dual voltage, i.e can run from household , you hopefully would see 240v on the motor nameplate, so you could run it from an inverter/VFD.

Just saying should a courier be very expensive.
Good luck

Tom

 

[deema]

The price, if I was a bit ambiguous is fully inclusive of having it delivered. I.e, price for it to be standing on the ground outside your workshop, or if your nice to the driver, inside your workshop

 

[Jitter]

That would be amazing! We do have a forklift for backup. The compound where I work is open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday. Because my landlord runs a plant hire business from there, the place is secured up outside of these times although it may be possible if planned to have access on a Saturday but may depend on his availability for opening up and also to use the forklift.

 

[deema]

I use Pallet Force to move machines around for me. They deliver during normal hours, and so far, I’ve never had a problem with shipping damage, and they have collected and dropped off all sorts of machines for me. The machined would be bolted to a pallet, wrapped and photographed in case of any shipping damage.

 

[Jitter]

I use Pallet Force to move machines around for me. They deliver during normal hours, and so far, I’ve never had a problem with shipping damage, and they have collected and dropped off all sorts of machines for me. The machined would be bolted to a pallet, wrapped and photographed in case of any shipping damage.

Sounds like the most sensible solution to me.

 

[Jitter]

That Multico B 500 is half an hour drive from you.
I'd make an offer for 1000 if it's prefect, and they've got a fence for it that is, if not it's worth less,
and getting a piccy of the motor nameplate to see if it's dual voltage, i.e can run from household , you hopefully would see 240v on the motor nameplate, so you could run it from an inverter/VFD.

Just saying should a courier be very expensive.
Good luck

Tom

Thanks Ttrees. Although this machine is only a hop, skip and jump away, I feel that Deema’s offer is a good one and is worth the wait and distance, particularly after reading his and Sideways thread on the Wadkin table saw rebuild. Not knowing much about these machines, I feel much more at ease dealing with a valued member here and fellow engineer that has high standards of workmanship. I feel lucky that he has a machine there which looks like it fits the bill. Sometimes I feel these things are carma for a reason and should not be overlooked.

 

[deema]

Thank you for your very generous and kind words. I have sent you a message.

 

[heimlaga]

The only bandsaw I have ever owned is an old cast iron monster made by E.V.Beronius Mekaniska Verkstad in Sweden in the 1910-s. The wheels are 60 cm in diametre. It has been modernized with modern guards and blade guides and an electric motor.
The great advantage with a saw like this is the ability to use a wide blade which can cut both straight cuts and smooth curves with a reasonable feed rate. This because a wider (for instance 25mm) blade can take a lot more pressure against the cutting edge without buckling and going out of straight.

With an ordinary 12mm blade ine can do the same sort of cuts but the feed rate would make a sloth fall asleep from pure boredom.

With small wheels a wide blade will break from metal fatigue. With a weak pressed steel frame one cannot tension a wide blade.

 

[Jitter]

The only bandsaw I have ever owned is an old cast iron monster made by E.V.Beronius Mekaniska Verkstad in Sweden in the 1910-s. The wheels are 60 cm in diametre. It has been modernized with modern guards and blade guides and an electric motor.
The great advantage with a saw like this is the ability to use a wide blade which can cut both straight cuts and smooth curves with a reasonable feed rate. This because a wider (for instance 25mm) blade can take a lot more pressure against the cutting edge without buckling and going out of straight.

With an ordinary 12mm blade ine can do the same sort of cuts but the feed rate would make a sloth fall asleep from pure boredom.

With small wheels a wide blade will break from metal fatigue. With a weak pressed steel frame one cannot tension a wide blade.

They sure don’t make them like they used to. Your machine sounds like a beast at a 60cm wheel size. I’ve heard that scm bandsaws are quite well engineered, even though steel. I watched something about scm models in the USA where they were using a triple hollow box sections for the ‘spine’ (for the lack of the real terminology) to help with the rigidity. At least they made an effort.