band saw

[duncs]

hi every one im looking for a band saw , not quite sure which to get as im limited on space in my shed
i can stick it on a dolly then i can move it about as and when needed any advice would be good .
A good 2nd hand one would be just fine ,looking for one to cut wood its only for my hobby as for budget around the £150.00 mark i would think i can fit a floor standing one in corner ,or a bench standing one for that matter hope ive gave enough imformation

 

[Myfordman]

At least give people a clue of what sort of size, capacity, power and materials to cut. Budget? new/used?

Its like asking us to suggest something that you would like for dinner!!

 

[sunnybob]

£150 will not buy much of a bandsaw unless youre into totally refurbing a rust bucket. Cheap bandsaws take an enormous amount of "fettling" to make them work properly.
we need to know what your hobby work is when its finished to be able to give real advice.

 

[John15]

Duncs, I sold my Record 250 about a year ago for around £150, can't remember exactly. I'd had it for 4 or 5 years, it was still in good nick and it served me well as a first bandsaw. Only suitable for smaller stuff but a nice little machine. Something second-hand like that may suit you.

John

 

[duncs]

thank you for that i only need one to use in my shed im only a beginner as i get better then ill probably be looking for a more expensive one

 

[sunnybob]

This is the voice of experience/////
I bought cheap to learn on, and spent a year learning how to make the cheap rubbish behave like a bandsaw. I then gave up and spent money to buy a better one (which certainly wasnt perfect, but was good enough to allow me to learn more about woodworking).

 

[duncs]

hi sunnybob
yes i can see exactly where you are coming from .
which band saw did you end up buying mate ive looked and ive seen some which look good machines and they were £1700

 

[lurker]

Duncs, I see you are in Leicester.
Charnwood machinery is a few minutes up the road
You can look at some bandsaws in the flesh in their showroom, a chap called Richard works there, he will explain the pros and cons of the various models; knowledge you can apply to other brands.
Charnwood are fairly run of the mill kit, but quite good value.

 

[duncs]

cheers for that mate ill nip up in the week and have a look at there bandsaws like you say it will give me a good idea as what to look for i never thought of that

 

[sunnybob]

I bought an axminster BS 350N. It cost almost 900 euros delivered to me in Cyprus.
It had teething troubles, and youre going to have to expect them whatever you buy less than a couple grand, but compared to the crappy Fox 170 I first bought, it was a mclaren F1 machine.

 

[duncs]

yeah im going to take a visit to charnwood just to look at them , ive been looking at the startrite bandsaws but i cant get one to big as i aint got the room in my shed , ive took your advice on board mate ,what you said .
Blimey you live in cyrpus . Get some great advice on this forum it great im glad i joined .

 

[Ttrees]

A smaller machine has basically the same footprint that a larger one up to 20" has.
Bring a tape with you to look at them, and measure the bases.
Tom

 

[J-G]

I bought a Charnwood B350 last August at one of their 'Open Days'.

The only issue I've had is the wear on the Rear Blade Guide bearings. These are needle roller bearings and the outer casing is flimsy pressed steel. Even with careful setting up (which is very important) mine were burned out within less than a month. I complained and Charnwood did replace them FOC with advice that I make sure that they are correctly adjusted.

The replacements lasted about 6 months but finally caused a blade to break (An M42 steel version from Tuff Saws) and when I asked Ian to re-weld, he told me that it couldn't be done due to the stress fractures that had been caused, probably, by mal-adjusted rear guides.

I suspect that most 'budget' bandsaws will use the same type of rear bearing so It's not just Charnwood who possibly consider these a consumable item - though at less than a fiver a set, it's not much of a revenue stream.

As it happens I do have the knowledge and wherewithall to design and build my own so now I have two Deep-groove ball bearings with hardened outer races doing the job.

 

[sunnybob]

The axminster has ball race bearing guides, which work quite well. Except the lower ones clog with sawdust and stop rotating and i just replace them every 6 months as they are stock sizes and only a couple quid a time.

 

[duncs]

Those projects you have done bob are brilliant ive just been looking .

 

[sunnybob]

Thank you, it just proves you dont need traditional skills to make something that people like (I have NO traditional woodworking skills! :shock: :roll: ) .
Bandsaw boxes dont have to be world class carpentry (thankfully) 8) 8)