bandsaw advise please

[devonwoody]

Never had any myself, but prepared to listen.

 

[keithhickson]

Many thanks for the above advice, I have read most of the posts re bandsaws and all of them state to change the blade, HOWEVER this is the first thread I've seen which suggests a brand to use. Apologies as always should the info have been previously posted.
Has anyone any experience of Rexon's EBS 250A ? I'm braced for the howls of derision :lol:

 

[Paul.J]

Nick Welford wrote
As a matter of interest - where do Axminster blades fall in the league of blade perfection
I've been using the Axminster Axcaiber blades for cutting logs etc,and i think they last well.Still using the one now which i've had for some time.
Paul.J.

 

[Paul.J]

Keithhickson wrote
Has anyone any experience of Rexon's EBS 250A ? I'm braced for the howls of derision
Keith i've had the BS10SA for about 5 years and has cut all that i needed.
Had 2 belts break in that time but the service has been first rate from Rexon.
Very pleased with it,though i could do with something bigger now
Paul.J.

 

[keithhickson]

Paul, many thanks I'll be checking with the listed companies for new blades as soon as I can. Thanks again
Keith

 

[stevebuk]

want a laugh, well my Record BS250 arrived this morning in a very squashed box, but i decided to open and see how it faired. I duly built the bandsaw and on putting the final rip fence on i noticed it was completely bent and twisted on one end, and i also then noticed the plug was smashed completely, i phoned the company who say they will post out a new rip fence to me, ok thought i, lets try it out on some wood. I carried it outside and into my cabin where i plugged it in and switched it on, Nothing happened.. *** said i, changed the new plug and fuse for another one but still nothing, i phoned the company again who said they would get Record to ring me, they did, and we tried to sort it out over the phone, after going through a few bits and bobs, he decided it was the door switches not working, i said there is no plastic lugs sticking out for the door to turn off th safty switch, so he had me strip down the switches and tape them up to see if it worked, i had to jam some wood into one switch in order to get it working, but work it did, he has now told me he will send out two new switches and a free blade for my trouble. What a ****** day..

 

[stevebuk]

hi again guys
well after the mishap of the Record bandsaw i cannot use the new blades on it at the moment as the switches have not arrived as yet, but as for the charnwood, TOTALLY ****, the new blade for it is really sharp, but as its only 200W it will only cut pine, even slowly feeding 1inch oak the motor almost stalled and the blade almost stopped turning.
Totally recomend Dragon saws, first class company, with first class manners and reliability.
thank you

 

[timbar]

Record BS300 is not far of the standard of same sized Startrite. Great value too.

 

[Slim]

Steve, you should not accept that bandsaw. It is unacceptable to receive a brand new machine in that condition. At the very least you should receive a partial refund.

 

[stevebuk]

Steve, you should not accept that bandsaw. It is unacceptable to receive a brand new machine in that condition. At the very least you should receive a partial refund.

well i did get a new free blade for it but no doubt i could have gotten more if i had tried, oh well just my luck ..

 

[Scrit]

......but if I am to cut veneer thickness stuff, what tooth pitch should I go for?

The pitch and tooth form are dependent on the thickness of material you are trying to cut. For deep (i.e. 6in or more) veneer cutting I'd recommend going for the coarsest pitch you can find, probably a 3 or 4 tpi blade in a hook pattern (or skip if you really can't find a hook pattern) and as wide as you can comfortably tension (for a blade rated as 3/4in by the manufacturer that means about 1/2 or at a pinch 5/8in).

Hook pattern blades cut more aggressively than skip pattern and the larger gullets mean that they will carry away waste better with less tendency to clog, freeze or burn in cut.

Manufacturers tend to state the width of the wheel as if this is the maximum width of blade the machine will tension. Often they can get nowehere near enough tension, especially as the wider the blade the thicker the material it's made from. So it's a juggling trick. Below 1/2in wide blades are much more prone to drifting or twisting cut than wader blades - and if you have a blade for veneer sawing or tenon cutting then keep it for just that purpose. Once you start to use a blade for curved work it will tend to develop a set to one side or the other and will thereafter never cut truly straight.

I did a sort of primer on band saw terminology a while back, here, which you might find of interest

As a matter of interest - where do Axminster blades fall in the league of blade perfection?

In my experience pretty low. They don't seem to have perfected the art of grinding the welds properly, but then again their prices reflect that

Scrit

 

[stevebuk]

thanks scrit, i found that information excellent and i have bookmarked it also for future reference.
thank you for sharing it.

 

[Haggis]

I have been following this thread with interest. The main reason is that I have a small cheapo bandsaw and when I came to use it seriously the table was next to useless, no matter how much it was set and tightened up. My obvious disgust prompted a response from SWMBO "Why don't you get a decent one?". Last Friday I picked up a Record Power BS300X.
Mind you I spent most of Saturday morning assembling the stand for it. :?
Once the whole thing was assembled the first cuts were a bit disappointing. There was no way I could cut a veneer as demonstrated in the DVD that came with it. The guys at Record Power were very helpful and provided advice, which wasn't contained in the manual, on how to align the table. Now I am a happy bunny and have been able to cut a reasonable veneer as a test, albeit with the course blade supplied as standard.
Thank goodness, as it would have been difficult to explain the expense.
Thanks to all in this thread as it was this that put me onto the machine and I look forward to many projects using it. Demonstrates the value of the forum.

Haggis
(not to be confused with Haggisbasher, who has just joined the forum)

 

[Haggis]

Forgot to thank Scrit for his very detailed information on blades. Now I know what I am looking at and looking for.

Haggis

 

[devonwoody]

I have also seen DVD's demonstrating veneers being cut but they refer to a depth of 1/8".
Seems a bit thick, I then assume you need another piece of machinery to get it down thinner.

Any experience in what to do in such a situation?

 

[Anonymous]

I have also seen DVD's demonstrating veneers being cut but they refer to a depth of 1/8".
Seems a bit thick, I then assume you need another piece of machinery to get it down thinner.

Any experience in what to do in such a situation?

1/8" veneers give a more 'solid' appearance to the surface than thinner verneers and there is less chance of sanding or planing through them

 

[Scrit]

I have also seen DVD's demonstrating veneers being cut but they refer to a depth of 1/8".
Seems a bit thick, I then assume you need another piece of machinery to get it down thinner.

Any experience in what to do in such a situation?

1/8in is the sort of thickness that traditional hand-sawn sawn veneers were. To get consistently thinner veneers than that requires a very rigid blade (i.e. one with high beam strength) at high tension - I'd say 12,000 or more PSI for carbon steel blades, 20,000 PSI or more for spring steel, bimetallic, stellite-tipped or carbide-tipped blades. That also means going for a blade with a 1/2in, 3/4in or even wider body in a heavier saw as narrow blades will deflect badly under deep cutting, especially if they're not sharp. That isn't to say you can't cut veneers with a 1/4in blade, just that you'll need to restrict yourself to 1in or 2in thick stock otherwise the blade will deflect backwards too much to make a clean, consistent cut. A low tooth count (2 to 4 tpi) and preferably a hook (or if unavailable a skip) tooth format will help clear waste and keep the temperature down, worth thinking about as carbon steel blades start to lose their temper around 200°C/400°F, or below the point at which timber scorches. That makes spring steel, bimetallics, etc a better bet but they do require a much more substantial saw to tension them adequately and they also need to run at a much higher tension. I've sucessfully cut 1mm thick veneers using both carbon steel and TCT blades in fine grained timbers including pine, beech, mahogany, etc but found that open pore stuff like oak and ash tend to fall apart too easily, but getting a consistent result is much easier with a power feeder in my experience. Also carbon steel blades don't stay sharp all that long. So my response is probably not what you want to hear. Note that between passes it is necessary to smooth the face of the stock on the overhand planer

We certainly have another member on the forum who cuts thin veneers as can be seen here.

Scrit

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Scrit for the reply, a real education.

 

[stevebuk]

hmmm, now i seem to have a new problem, i have received a few new blades, 1/2 inch 6 TPI and 3/8 6TPI.
Now the machine with the 1/2 inch blade just wouldn't cut a straight piece of iroko 1/2 inch wide by 1 1/2deep without almost stalling, again it seems underpowered, but the 3/8 flew through it.
I read on the side of the BS250 that in position No1 the power is 200w but in position No2 the power is 350w but i cant find how to check what the power or postion is, even in the book.
anyone know??

 

[DaveL]

Steve,

Those power figures may be the power drawn form the mains and the useful power at the shaft. The difference being the losses in the motor.