Bandsaw advice request

[Dionysios]

Greetings to the community, this is my first post here.

I would like to add a bandsaw to my workshop and, after a very disappointing experience with a Metabo BAS 318, on my shortlist I have the Charnwood W730 and the Scheppach Basa 3.

Both are in the same price around £500, which is my absolute budget limit.

The Charnwood has a larger capacity and more power, but it looks a bit cheaply made and the Scheppach has less power and capacity but it seems to be a better quality machine.

The main use of the bandsaw will be rip cutting and resawing for rough timber dimensioning.

Any advice on which machine will suit best to these tasks and any updated feedback about the machines from the members that have used them will be much appreciated.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I have the Scheppach's big brother, the Basato 5. It has never let me down.

 

[loftyhermes]

I have a 730 which I bought second hand, I did change the guide bearings as they were a little noisy. Now I don't know if it had any or how much fettling the previous owner did to it but in 4 years it has never let me down. With a Tuffsaws blade it'll rip 9" Oak no problem. Based on how this one has performed if I ever need to buy a new one then it would be another 730.

 

[deema]

Probably the most important build quality concern is how stiff the frame is and by consequence it’s ability to tension up a blade. If it were me, apart from the normal checks for build quality I would ask to see the largest blade it says it can take fully tensioned up and tested with a tension meter to verify it can do it. Don’t be surprised if none can tension the maximum blade width specified and that the best will probably only tension a blade around 1/4” or 6mm thinner properly.

It my experience only top quality industrial machines can tension blades to the specification limits and some of the older high quality machines such as a Startrite 14S5. Most are subject to marketing interpretation........everyone in marketing should self isolate for ever in my humble view which would make these decisions far easier.

 

[Dionysios]

Many thanks to all for the replies.

@loftyhermes: What blade width – thickness do you use? I was thinking that a Super Tuff Premium 13mm width, 3tpi, 0.5mm thick would work for me for nearly everything I want to cut.

@deema: Yoy read my mind. When I referred to the machine quality I was thinking about the strength of the frame, the blade tensioning and the blade guard (on the last two the Scheppach looks a bit better).
The Metabo claimed to have a maximum blade width of 20mm (0.5mm thick). It came with a 13mm (0.5mm thick) blade that could be properly tensioned, but I had the impression that it would struggle with anything wider.
Charnwood states 19mm maximum blade width without any reference to thickness.
Scheppach finally states maximum width of 19mm, but in a manual from the older Basato 3 the maximum width of the offered blades is 15mm/0.5mm for wood and 12mm/0.65mm for non ferrous metals.
Though as I mentioned above, possibly both of the machines will be able to deal with the blade I intend to use most of the time.

 

[loftyhermes]

Dionysios, I use the Supertuff Fastcut 1/2" which I notice they don't stock anymore so the next order will be for the 1/2" premium varitooth.

 

[eyeballpaul72]

ive got a clark 12'' bandsaw the blade broke ive got box but dont no what blade to buy there is digits on box which is 4'8'' x3/8''x014'' x14 RAKER can any one point me in the right direction or a link so i can require one

 

[Steve Maskery]

OK. I'll assume my own punctuation. Apologies if my assumptions about what you are trying to say is incorrect.
The length of the blade is 4'8" or 54"
The width of the blade, from the back of the blade to the tips of the teeth is 3/8"
The thickness of the blade is 14 thou.
There are 14 TPI. That is very fine for woodwork, what is it that you are cutting with such a fine blade?
Most of us turn to Ian at Tuffsaws for our blades. Small, independent, top quality, excellent Customer Service on the rare occasion you need it, affordable.

Please. Learn to use Upper Case to start a sentence, Full Stops to end them, and Commas at appropriate points in between. It would make your requests for assistance so much easier to deal with.