Forum Users Bandsaws

[carlb40]

SIP 01444

still in wrapper

Steve

Cool gives you chance to do an unboxing for youtube, then an assembly video, then first impression video. :mrgreen:

 

[Peter Sefton]

My Hammer N440 is stil going strong, easy to change blades and set up.
Peter

 

[Hemsby]

Elektra Beckum bandage 315

Well looked after older Green model. Bought secondhand for £220

Very pleased with its performance, cuts true & square

 

[Tetsuaiga]

I'm looking to buy a new one now but I have a dewalt 738. I think it was around £380.

I've been resawing hardwoods up to 15cm in height. The table is poor and the i've broken the tensioner thread twice, probably my own fault though. I've actually replaced it with a 8mm threaded rod and wing nut and that's working just as well.

It has plenty of power which is it's best feature for the price.

I think i'd like to get a Record saw next.

 

[pcb1962]

Record Power BS300E
Wasn't happy with it at all for the first couple of years, then I found Alex Snodgrass on Youtube, so I took the table off (bit of a PITA but worth it) and set it up his way and now it's fantastic
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

 

[Distinterior]

Axminster AWHBS450N.

Got it new 14 months ago, a bit fiddly to adjust the blade guides but the motor seems strong enough for all the work I have thrown at it so far.

 

[PeteG]

My Record Power BS350S arrived on Monday, opened the box and it was love at first sight Had never used a bandsaw before but after setting it up, I couldn't leave it a lone. Made the mistake of not ordering the wheel kit, the basic wheels where OK moving the machine before I put the cast iron table on, but after! I ordered the kit on Tuesday and received it first thing Wednesday morning. Will update once fitted.
I cut what would be best described as a mouses door, the type you see in skirting boards in cartoons, then I tried a veneer, both cuts were made in pine. The veneer came out at 0.79mm at one end and 0.84mm at the other, hopefully this is an acceptable tolerance although I will try and adjust the fence when I have a bit more time. All in all, and although I have nothing to compare it to, it's a lovely machine, big cast iron table, cast iron wheels, two speed, lots of levers and knobs, and safety switches fitted to both doors.

 

[devonwoody]

Good feeling when your new machine gets off to a good start.

Next problem will be the dust, never known a clean machine.

 

[woodpig]

What's the Record wheel kit like Pete? How much was it, where did you get it and will it fit my BS300E?

 

[Alexam]

My Record Power BS350S arrived on Monday, opened the box and it was love at first sight Had never used a bandsaw before but after setting it up, I couldn't leave it a lone. Made the mistake of not ordering the wheel kit, the basic wheels where OK moving the machine before I put the cast iron table on, but after! I ordered the kit on Tuesday and received it first thing Wednesday morning. Will update once fitted.
I cut what would be best described as a mouses door, the type you see in skirting boards in cartoons, then I tried a veneer, both cuts were made in pine. The veneer came out at 0.79mm at one end and 0.84mm at the other, hopefully this is an acceptable tolerance although I will try and adjust the fence when I have a bit more time. All in all, and although I have nothing to compare it to, it's a lovely machine, big cast iron table, cast iron wheels, two speed, lots of levers and knobs, and safety switches fitted to both doors.

Well done Pete. Good call going for Record.

I bought the BS400 a few months ago and am very happy with it. Takes time to 'tune it' but then works extreemly well. Only wish is that I could use a 1/8" blade with it, but the guides are not so good for smaller blades. Pity Record cannot devise something to hold a smaller blade. Good luck with it.

 

[PeteG]

What's the Record wheel kit like Pete? How much was it, where did you get it and will it fit my BS300E?

Apologies for the late reply Woodpig hadn't kept my eye on this thread. The wheel is kit brilliant, makes life so much easier. It would have been easier to fit before the saw went on the base, so I had to be careful not to loosen all the nuts and bolts too much. The hardest part was pulling the legs together with the weight of the machine on top whilst trying to get the split pins through the axle. The P/T should be here this week and thankfully the same wheel comes as standard, so I'll get it right first this time. I bought the saw from D&M tools, and ordered the wheel kit the day after the saw arrived. The kit had an RRP of £59.99 but was on offer at £54.99 if ordered at the same time, when I called they said the wheel kit was advertised at £69.99 on line as a separate product, but hadn't been updated on the page the saw was on, so they let me have it at £54.99 plus a fiver P&P. I'd say it would fit the BS300, the base looks identical to mine

Well done Pete. Good call going for Record.

I bought the BS400 a few months ago and am very happy with it. Takes time to 'tune it' but then works extreemly well. Only wish is that I could use a 1/8" blade with it, but the guides are not so good for smaller blades. Pity Record cannot devise something to hold a smaller blade. Good luck with it.

Hello Alex I thought with all the videos I watched that I had mine tuned, but I doubt it is. I've had little mishap by incorrectly tightening the blade, can't remember which why round I was doing it now, do you tighten the blade with the quick release lever engaged or disengaged? But trying to get what I thought was the correct tension, I bent the little arm that holds the tension arrow/marker, so that doesn't work at all now, not that it was any use as it would be hovering over the mark for a 3/4" inch blade when I had a 1/4" blade fitted. But then I could have been doing wrong! When I ordered the 1/4" and 3/4" inch blade from Tuffsaws, Ian reckons after I have gained some experience I could get away with a 1/8" blade on the BS350, although with my hearing I quite often get the wrong end of the stick.

 

[woodpig]

Thanks for that, I think Machinemart have them so I'll go have a look.

 

[Alexam]

Hi Pete,
What you need is the video by Alex Snodgrass ........... I'm in the coffee shop at present, but if you google his name adding bandsaw to it, you should get the video. It is without doubt the one tune up that is appropriate to all bandsaws. ....................... (added) This is it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

I use a 1/4 blade and have also used a 3/16, but the problem with a 1/8 blade is that the guides can easily damage it, so don't go for that at present.

You should be able to bend the tension guide back. After all it is only a guide and just hooks over a peg. I normally find that the guide is only slightly off, but it depends on the blade size.

Tuning a newly fitted blade takes time and should not be rushed. The critical point is to get the blade in the centre of the top wheel without any contact with guides or thruster.

Good luck. Shout if you want any more help.

 

[koemanrob]

Hammer n4400
Had it for a few years now, never struggled for power, really accurate with a sharp blade. Easy blade change and set up which stays in the same place all the time, unlike a lot of old bandsaws i've used which need constant attention.

 

[woodfarmer]

Sadly I have a Fox 230mm Bandsaw. Ref: F28-194B

Absolute utter crap. very rarely use it now, back to using chainsaw to make bowl blanks.

It is not fit for purpose, because it is too flimsy.

To install it from new and run it three times I had to change both door switches which failed again (changed three switches in a month) so I wired them out.
To run it the third time I had to change two of the six guide bearings because they were seized. After weeks messing about without getting any help at all from Fox I bought the bearings myself online. (so much for a supposed warranty)
when I fitted the two that had seized I discovered two others were running very rough so bought another two for that. now need to replace the last two as they are now seizing.
Second time I tried to use it I had to dismantle all the upper wheel assembly and guide sliders because a bit of sawdust had jammed the rise and fall mechanism.
Had to angle grind the frame below the lower guides because the blade was rubbing on the frame. Rubbed even with no guides, just out of line by about 1/2 inch.
The entire guide rise and fall mechanism hangs on about 3 square millimetres of the edge of one side of the round edge of a coach bolt head. That is all that holds the entire mechanism in place. no wonder the guides flop about.
Warranty or any kind of after sales technical support is non existent.
I got the manual for it from Charnwood as I couldn't even get to speak to any engineer at Fox.

You would be better off buying a well used Trabant from Dell Boy.

Pm me and ask me what I "really" think of them

 

[Alexam]

I do hate to hear these stories of bad service from any supplier. It is such a shame that you didn't claim under guarantee and get it replaced or a refund. However, when you undertake your own repairs, the guarantee is not worth anything. Hope you have better service from future suppliers, but Fox does seem to have a reputation for reported problems.

 

[RogerP]

The Fox seems to be an example of these re-badged Asian sourced machines, although looking similar and with similar specification, are far from all being equal.

I have an Axminster which is almost the same thing and probably from the same factory but has been working well for several years with zero problems.

 

[DennisCA]

Missed this thread, my bandsaw, made sometime before 1960 is all I know about it, made in sweden. Resaw capacity of only 13" for it's size, I'd have more like 16" if the blade guard design didn't prevent the guides from moving up that final bit. I suppose it can be corrected if I need that much resaw capacity. I do plan to make my own lumber.

I resawed some 2x6 and here's what it comes out like with a Tuffsaws 1/2" blade, 3 TPI:

I think it looks pretty good, there's no real drift that I can tell and I just feed them through the planer/thicknesser later and they're fine.

 

[timber]

Hi
I recently bought a new BS350S from Record. Yesterday I removed the table and fitted a new band 5/8 wide from Tuffsaws, gullet in the middle of the top wheel, adjusted the top and bottom guides, ran the saw for a a couple of minutes all o.k. removed the band fitted the table, replaced the blade checked the guides again set the fence to the mitre slots then had to really struggle to get the fence parallel to the blade, I think that the slots in the trunnion were not quite right ,--- however with help only just managed to get it aligned Then cut a four inch piece of hard beech o.k.
I hesitate to alter the saw in anyway without a chat with Record first because of the guarantee .
Pleased with saw and very pleased with the Tuffsaws service and blades.
Woodpig please keep us all posted re the bearing guides
Regards
Timber

 

[Alexam]

Hi Timber, why are you removing the table? Don't understand that at all as there's no need to do this when changing blades.