Flex SBG 4910 or Femi 782XL

[Wuffles]

Hi,

Anyone here own either (or both, although the question why would be relevant there) of the above band saws?

I'm leaning toward the Flex, spoken with Matt at Stakesy's at length about it and the fact that a 3rd party vertical adaptor table is available for it clinches it for me. He wasn't aware of the Flex though, and although I've emailed Flex to find out about where it was manufactured, I was curious as to whether anyone had first hand experience of it. The fact that you can slip the Flex out of the bracket and use it freehand is appealing to me.

I'm a novice user, but need to recreate accurate mitres, and the Rage Evolution chop saw isn't really cutting it for that.

 

[marcros]

accurate mitres on a bandsaw? it isn't really the tool for that- I would saw that of all the saw options, a bandsaw would be my last choice.

 

[Wuffles]

accurate mitres on a bandsaw? it isn't really the tool for that- I would saw that of all the saw options, a bandsaw would be my last choice.

Do you use a metalworking band saw?

 

[marcros]

i am sorry, i had read "new posts" and hadn't seen the forum section.

no wonder the brand names weren't familiar.

 

[Wuffles]

i am sorry, i had read "new posts" and hadn't seen the forum section.

no wonder the brand names weren't familiar.

I'd hoped that was the case, years of YouTube videos died in my mind when I read that.

:wink:

 

[Wuffles]

Just an update. Flex did eventually come back to me and confirmed their saw is made in the PRC, whereas the Fermi is made in Italy. Normally I'd be confused, but I have been informed that Italy make some very decent metalworking tools.

Seems the Flex is being sold at Ferm money with a generic quality.

 

[adidat]

depending on accuracy needed, i would be leaning towards one of these.

abrasive chop saw

adidat

 

[adidat]

sorry just searched for the flex, seems to be a similar idea

adidat

 

[Wuffles]

A bandsaw is mm accurate in metalworking, a cut off saw or a grinder (got lots of grinders) isn't, certainly not repetitively anyway, sometimes you get lucky on a cut.

I've got a chop off saw, noisy thing, rarely makes the same cut twice but is good for roughing lengths.

As a woodworker it's hard to get your head around bandsaws being the accurate cut off saws used. But you're right, they use a similar principle to a mitre saw in woodworking.

 

[Boatfixer]

For accurate and repeatable cuts I use a neighbours Mec Brown circular saw. Huge solid cast vice clamps both sides of the cut and it is very stable with long bits of metal in it. I would get my own if I needed it more often than every other month. I suppose the small size of these bandsaws might be an advantage if they are not in daily use.

 

[Wuffles]

If you go to a steel stock holder to purchase lengths, you'll see they are using very large bandsaws (admittedly these are messier wet cut ones) and not a circular saw of any kind. When I say mm accurate I mean on both sides, in that you could probably cut a mm sliver off and not be concerned about safety, you can't do that with a chop saw.

They're slower, but accurate is the point.

With all due respect, I think this post was wasted a little on this forum. Like myself before getting into metalworking a little more I didn't understand that a bandsaw would be the tool of choice for cutting metal, nor did I understand that Italians have a good name in tools for metalworking. Actually, that surprised me more than anything else.

I have only posted my results of "where is this Flex tool made" simply because if someone searches that model number they'll hopefully find the info - I couldn't and had to go to the "Brand HQ" to find out.

 

[chipmunk]

With all due respect, I think this post was wasted a little on this forum.

...not sure I'd have gone that far myself but you might have got a better answer had you posted on http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums.

...but +1 for the comments in favour of metal bandsaws.

I have both wood (an 18" Elektra Beckum) and metal bandsaws (tiny Warco CY90) and wouldn't use an abrasive or TCT metal cutting chop saw in my workshop, except of Dremel proportions. They fill the workshop with abrasive grit and/or chips that go everywhere.

By comparison, the bandsaw creates a nice tightly controlled heap of metal swarf/filings, it's quiet, precise and, because of the tiny kerf, wastes hardly any stock. I use mine even in preference to parting on the lathe if possible as even with a 3/32" parting blade the lathe wastes almost twice the stock.

HTH
Jon

 

[Wuffles]

With all due respect, I think this post was wasted a little on this forum.

...not sure I'd have gone that far myself but you might have got a better answer had you posted on http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums.

...but +1 for the comments in favour of metal bandsaws.

I have both wood (an 18" Elektra Beckum) and metal bandsaws (tiny Warco CY90) and wouldn't use an abrasive or TCT metal cutting chop saw in my workshop, except of Dremel proportions. They fill the workshop with abrasive grit and/or chips that go everywhere.

By comparison, the bandsaw creates a nice tightly controlled heap of metal swarf/filings, it's quiet, precise and, because of the tiny kerf, wastes hardly any stock. I use mine even in preference to parting on the lathe if possible as even with a 3/32" parting blade the lathe wastes almost twice the stock.

HTH
Jon

Never heard of model engineer forums, I tend to lurk at a welding forum. I'll know better next time.

Cheers for the confirmation. I knew I needed a bandsaw, that's never really been the question. It was just the Flex was similar money to the Fermi, but it seems (potentially at least) to be rubbish.

 

[Wuffles]

Forgot to post results from this, in case anyone's interested. Might need to zoom in to see the sliver being cut.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[t8hants]

If you want repeatable accurate cuts in metal section you need a slow speed, bladed, non portable chop saw, with coolant pump.
These do not burn the section as the grinder types do, but revolve slowly cutting the section.
In fact they revolve so slowly you can put your finger gentle on the blade and feel the teeth go by
A 250mm blade would be the minimum requirement, 300mm would be better.
We only ever used Italian made, and they put up with unbelievable abuse for years, later ones were let down by poor electrics if anything

 

[Wuffles]

I don't know where this falls into your recommendations above, but it certainly performs repeatable accurate cuts, with no coolant required,and if I hadn't bolted it into a 3rd party mitre saw stand it'd be very portable. That's what the photo was for really, to prove the "hype" I'd read about this saw beforehand. Very happy with it.