New bandsaw advice

[Sparky57]

Hi,I am looking for a bandsaw in the region of £200,I have looked at many reviews but quite frankly am undecided.some suggestions would be welcome ,availability of blades and spares etc.thanks all.

 

[Terrytpot]

Sooner or later someone will mention Ian at Tuffsaws as the place to goto for blades so it might as well be me as I’ve just had 3 of him and his service and advice is on the money. As for a saw at that budget I’m not the chap to ask as I picked up my first 14” delta clone for free and sold it in July when I upgraded to my startrite that was a fair chunk outside your budget although most will agree bigger is better which would mean trying to scoop up a second hand bargain. Good luck finding one

 

[Ttrees]

Go to 450 and you stand a chance of getting something decent if you wait.
Something like below, might be worth having a look on ebay.
Prices vary wildly.

 

[Jameshow]

Go big or go home!

I'd sell you a draper 10"

Double your money and get a proper bit of kit!

 

[Fireburst]

Tuffsaws is the place to look for advice when you need blades. Their service is second to none.

It is possible to get a good bandsaw for £200, but you will need to be patient, and your best bet would be Facebook marketplace in your local area so you could collect yourself. Typically much cheaper than eBay, in my experience.

 

[Terrytpot]

Don’t forget there’s a “For sale” section if you hit the button marked “Forums” at the top left of the page where gems like this can be found..
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/thread...e-startrite-440r-bandsaw-power-feeder.140037/

 

[Spectric]

Stretch that budget and get something that will make you a happy woodworker and not a frustrated one who thinks he cannot achieve his goals. Look for a decent second hand one as others have said, you will get more for the money and then buy some decent blades from Ian and then enjoy using it.

 

[Orraloon]

Yes " Go big or go home" really says it all as far as bandsaws go. May as well save time and money and get something with a bit of power to start with.
I started out with a Ryobi 3 wheeler I got secondhand for $50. Soon found out how limited it was. Next saw was a cast iron 14'' and while a huge step up it was still under powered at only 3/4 hp. My current saw is a 14'' 2hp and while at times I hanker for more power still it does 95% of what I would like to do. Now if I had started with my current saw I would have saved a lot of frustration, time, effort and money over the long term. I suspect many bandsaw users have been down the same path as there is more of a learning curve with bandsaws than most other woodworking machines.
Regards
John

 

[mark61]

Sooner or later someone will mention Ian at Tuffsaws as the place to goto for blades so it might as well be me as I’ve just had 3 of him and his service and advice is on the money. As for a saw at that budget I’m not the chap to ask as I picked up my first 14” delta clone for free and sold it in July when I upgraded to my startrite that was a fair chunk outside your budget although most will agree bigger is better which would mean trying to scoop up a second hand bargain. Good luck finding one

Thanks for that.

 

[Jameshow]

https://www.gumtree.com/p/power-saws/bandsaw-axminster/1448228088
14" saw in liskard Cornwall for £275.

 

[Agent_zed]

I guess the first question to ask is what you intend to do with it. I have a Sheppach basa1 which does most of what I want but it is only a small machine. But I also have a table saw if i need to cut bigger things.

It zips through inch size wood without a problem. The only issue I have with it is the guides are a bit of a rubbish design, but I suspect thats the same with any of these small machines. It's £200 at screwfix with a 2 yr warranty.

If you want to resaw large sections then as above get a much bigger machine.

 

[Terrytpot]

Log in or sign up to view very local to me..as is this one
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1073509133282635/