Record Power BS400 Bandsaw Review

[orchard]

Welcome Stavlin, just in case Bob's busy, here's a link to a thread where Bob adds his criteria to help someone on a similar mission:
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/startrite-352e-or-hammer-n3800-t78411.html

"The scope of my research focused on the mid-range trade/serious hobby machines and took in the Hammer N3800, Axy SBW4300B, Startrite 352E and the Jet JWBS 18Q amongst others but they were the shortlist. A combination of build quality, price, delivery timescale, lengthy warranty, capacities and personal positive experience with other RP kit led to the decision on the BS400. "

Hi Bob, I have been Gooogling the S#!T out of Band saws and came across your post, nice work, sweet.

1. Could you give us an update how the BS400 is running so far.
2. I'm looking at the N3800, due to size restriction, it was on your short list, what didn't you like about it?

Cheers

Stav,

Sharp knives don't hurt as much

 

[Jmac80]

This is one of the best reviews EVER!
In my job i get a fair amount of large tree trunks etc so this looks like it would be perfect for me.
Anyone know off any incoming winter / xmas sales before i order one?
Thanks James

 

[Alexam]

A bit too far for you to travel I think, but Paskins of Kidderminster have a Record demo and sale on the 10th December and will be offering discount. I bought my BS400 bandsaw from them and I am now looking at the PT260 Planer thicknesser which Record are also demonstrating on that day 10am to 4pm. Perhaps you can arrange something through them? http://www.rspaskin.co.uk/

 

[Jmac80]

Quick question for the current bs400 owners. (just ordered mine today)
The specs say the table is 900mm from the ground. After adding the wheel kit does it raise this height much?
Ideally i would like the table to be about 935mm high as that's what my mitre saw and stand are and i can use the mitre saw stand as an out feed table for the bandsaw as they will be next to each other.
I also want to keep the wheel kit on the bandsaw as occasionally i shall need to move it.
Hope this makes sense!
Thanks James

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Hi James

The jockey wheels raise the base by exactly 35mm from ground level. That puts the top of the table at circa 930mm from the ground. Mine does vary a little round the table because the slab of concrete its stood on at the moment isn't uniformly flat so there is some variability. I suggest you offer yours once in situ and just cut 4 shims that raise it to the exact level of your intended outfeed and pop them under each corner. There is a chance it may fit exactly but I suspect you will need to fine adjust it with shims.

The jockey wheel kit is superb by the way. I expected it to be a token and almost valueless but in fact it works really well, way better than those pedal operated flimsy wheels on the models lower down the range.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jmac80]

Thanks very much Bob.
Sounds like it will be perfect, it's like it was meant to be!

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

It's almost like you pre-measured it

 

[Jmac80]

One last thing (i hope)
Not sure if you mentioned this but what size is in mm is the extractor outlet on the bs400?

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

100mm (4") ie the regular extraction hose standard diameter. It also has a secondary extraction hose with a much smaller bore (about an inch) that exhausts from just below the lower guides and joins up with the primary 4" waste. You have to assemble that yourself with a jubilee clip. The smaller hose attempts to pull dust out from the top of the lower wheel house just as its come through from the blade and before it gets fanned all over the lower wheel house by the windmill effect of the lower wheel. You don't extract that separately, it empties into the 4" waste and you then extract that from the primary 4" port.

It's a great theoretical idea on paper, because it seems a reasonable solution of getting at the dust before its fanned. But in reality, it doesn't work particularly well and the BS400 suffers from a dusty lower wheel house just like every other bandsaw does. I always pay particular attention to cleaning mine after long sessions when having cut green timber, to avoid the build up of wet waste and possible long term corrosion.

 

[Jmac80]

Thanks for that, I shall need to purchase an adapter for my dewalt vac, think it's about 32mm.
Cheers.

 

[Alexam]

I agree with Bob on this. When my wheel kit was fitted, it as out of level, so Record sent Peter along to re-drill it and make it fit. I did not want to change the bandsaw just for that. However, it's easy to wheel around and as we use our double grage for cars and well aswoodwork gear, I need to wheel it out of the way at night.

The garage floor is not totally flat, so I have used a marker pen to outline three positions where it will be level and steady, which makes it easier that just trying to find the right spots every time.

 

[simon41]

Not only am I a complete newbie to the forum but I am a beginner to bandsawing. I'm on the verge of buying the BS400 and I just wondered if there is anything in the way of accessories I should buy to get the best out of it. Any advice will be most welcome.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Hi Simon...welcome to the forum. Personally, I wouldn't be without the wheelkit and you will definitely need to get blades from Ian John at Tuff Saws. He's an independent blade maker based in Wales and his blades are used by everyone on this forum. They're superb quality and actually less expensive than others. Your bandsaw wont cut well with the blade it ships with (they never do) and that often throws new owners, thinking its something wrong with their setup.

Call him and tell him the kind of cutting you plan on doing and he will advise you on the blade choice because that is also potentially bewildering to the new. Rule of thumb....the fewer teeth per inch (tpi) the faster but less well finished the cut will be. And you should always aim to have a minimum of 3 teeth in the cut at any one time meaning the blade choice (tpi) and wood thickness are linked. A good general purpose blade is either a 4 or 6 tpi 1/2" but it does really depend on what you're planning to cut. I rip green logs for example and have made extensive use of 1" 1.3 tpi "ripper" blades. So, point is, talk to Ian and he'll tell you what you need and then make it for you. Blade quality and fitness for purpose is CRITICALLY important for bandsaw success, you simply wont get decent straight or radiused cuts without focusing in on the blade and Ian's the fastest shortcut to that.

 

[simon41]

Thank you for your speedy reply. I tried to order theBS400 today but, apparently Record are completely out of stock and arn't expecting their next shipment until the end of Feb! I will order some blades from Ian as soon as I can place an order for the Bandsaw and the wheelkit.

Simon

 

[gwr]

They may be sold out due to your great review on here Bob.
seriously one of the best reviews i have come across in a long time
thanks for taking the time to share.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

They may be sold out due to your great review on here Bob.
seriously one of the best reviews i have come across in a long time
thanks for taking the time to share.

You're welcome

In all seriousness I do suspect this review has had a significant impact on their sales albeit my evidence is anecdotal. But since its been published the quantity of pm's and public discussion we've had on the forum about this particular model has gone through the roof, as have purchases by forum members. Secondly, if you google RP BS400, this review is 2nd place in googles results, second only to Record Power's own website in fact.

I became motivated to publish a comprehensive review when I couldn't find anything to help me make my own decision at the time I was in the market. It was very frustrating that nothing objective was documented. It meant I had to research the market in my range very thoroughly because I was determined not to make a mistake. I also was very keen to keep the thing focused on actual results and not opinion which is why I tested and published all the way through, no guesswork, all the data is empirical and measurable. I just figured it would help anyone else navigating the same channel I had to go through and speed up time for their decision a little.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

It's worth adding that other people's contributions to this thread are helping to create something of a body of knowledge for this particular band saw. Alexam in particular springs to mind as having contributed some very useful information about narrower blade use and after market guide assemblies.

I think it's fair to say that my use has been focused on capacity and green timber ie the big stuff. Alexam makes some very fine band saw boxes so he's at the opposite end of the scale with some fine radius cutting requirements so I find it interesting that the detail is evolving at either end of the range of possibility for the band saw.

Further, we're collecting the bugs and gremlins here too. We've had uneven wheel base holes drilled and some challenges related to tensioning different blades. Lets be honest, all machine tools have their little foibles and require fettling to deliver maximum efficiency. This thread I hope will continue to evolve with a permanent record of some of the workarounds and home grown solutions to get the best from it so we can all benefit.

 

[Alexam]

Hi Bob, thanks for your kind comments, but for this particular bandsaw, your in depth review is essential reading for those wanting to understand the finer detail of the BS400. Although Record have produced their own video, it does not go into the detail that you have given and perhaps they should update their promotional information based on your own findings, which would help new buyers.

My own research prior to buying and following your review, was then in respect of the correct blades (Tuffsaw of course) and the use of finer blades, less than 1/4", which is the lowest width recommended by Record for normal use. That led me to the Carter Stabilizer, which allows smaller blades. After a deep breath as to the overall 'delivered' cost, I purchased this for my bandsaw and have found it to be 'as advertised' and a great advantage in getting those tight turns without burning the wood. Coupled with occassional use of the scrollsaw where 'hidden' drawers are incorporated, I am having great fun and am presently working on some different designs.

Overall, I think the most important issue with any bandsaw, is the time taken to 'fettle' the machine with the appropriate blade. This cannot be rushed and often takes me up to half an hour to get it 'just right' each time. It is getting easier, as I am now marking positions of the tensioning leaver in relation to the various blades being used, as one setting does not work for different blades and each set of guides (original compared with Stabilizer) requires it's own setting to ensure correct cutting.

The more reading a buyer does before purchase can only be a good thing.

 

[veneerman]

Here's the remainder of the log. Once I'd got through that first cut, it kind of broke the ice and I relaxed and just pushed the rest of the log through at normal speed. The slabs are 3" thick and I guess about 16" long. Just under a foot in width ie about a 1/2" below the capacity of the saw. It just didn't even blink. I noticed not one jot of change in the tone of the motor suggesting it was slowing down. I have to be honest, much as I hoped my painstaking research had led me to the right choice, I still had my doubts, its human nature to worry after all right?





That test is in my humble opinion....definitive. This saw is absolutely superb quality. I will confess to having encountered quite a bit of bandsaw snobbery which centres around a sort of status issue of European vs Far Eastern made machines during my journey to make a choice. Part of the reason for doing these tests was to be completely objective and base conclusions on measurable results rather than peoples opinions. I hope this review has helped highlight some of the reality versus myth for this particular saw.

My conclusions are:

Pro's

Very quiet and smooth running.
Very robust construction of all major components, bandwheels, table, fence mount, trunion, frame, guides
Tensioning assembly works to the stated capacity of the manufacturer
Accurate and precise in table, fence, blade setup
power and capacity
only requires 13amp supply
design well thought through with things like the ability to take the rip fence off with no hassle
Results - far exceeded my expectations for capacity, feed speed, accuracy

Con's

Extraction not great
there is a part of the fence mount assembly that is just higher than the table so long pieces are slightly tipped up though it didn't impact performance

Summary
I'm extremely pleased and somewhat relieved that this particular decision has been vindicated because I really didn't want to go back to the market. I can thoroughly recommend this bandsaw, it just works and works well.

Thanks for this review as this is on the top of my to buy list i still have to look at a few others but i am edging even closer to this saw now. great review and pictures !!

thank you

lee

 

[HARLEYDOOLEY]

Just picked up on this thread. I have recently taken delivery of a BS400. Dismal service from Scott and Sergeant in Horsham btw who left the machine in its box at 45 deg half way through my workshop door. Less than straightforward to unpack and assemble on your own! I have all sorts of trouble with tracking especially using the 1" blade but Alan Bigg at Record is on the case. Basically it is rubbing against the body of the machine , ie the slot into the bottom wheel housing. He tells me there is some adjustment but not sure what - any ideas??