Record Power BS400 Bandsaw Review

[timber]

.....
Chas...that sharpening YT you linked is the very one that Ian from Tuffsaws recommends.

So I gather, but hearsay to me. I used to give the blades a spruce up by turning inside-out and running backwards on the machine with a grinding block.

The video method avoids extra messing with the machine setup and I've found it to be superior in results because I have a very fine stone (Ex-Horizontal grinding machine) on one of my grinders.

I do also reset any blades * (if they can be) that have caught a nasty in a piece of wood before tipping.

*I predominantly use blades with low tooth count and large kerf so not too onerous.

The Record 350s is the smallest bandsaw that I have owned, thankyou Alexam for putting me in touch with Paskins.
I used to touch up my largest saw that I had in my small sawmill with an angle grinder, a very light touch across the top of the swaged teeth.
I was using the saw to break down very large elm and oak logs usually 24 feet lengths. (Ahh those were the days )
The max. cut was 6 feet it ran on rails and was driven with a 6 cyl. diesel engine The saw was a Forester 180. Horizontal My other saws were Stenners two 42" and one 36"
That is how I cut that large woodwork bench into two parts lengthwise. Laid it on it's side and made sure no nails or screws got in the way.
It certainly pays to carefully set up The excellent Record bandsaws as described by Orbital Bob and others ,and of course all other power tools
Take care

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Sounds fabulous Timber. There's a chap in our turning club that runs a business near Reading called Trees2Timber and he has a Woodmizer portable sawmill which he drags to various crown estates to saw some fabulous trees into slabs to die for

 

[AJB Temple]

This is such a helpful thread and an excellently informative review.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Most kind AJB and.......welcome to the forum

 

[Wizard465]

Hi Bob

Blade broke on my BS400 today, have replaced blade but cant seem to get good tension any more, any advise would be great.

 

[CHJ]

Is new blade correct length.

Why did blade break, did the tension mechanism fail * and slack it off.

* look for stripped thread on adjusting rod.

 

[Wizard465]

Hi

Thanks for reply, blade seemed to snap at join, i cant see any stripped thread on rod, no matter what i do i cant get proper tension at all.

 

[CHJ]

Hi

Thanks for reply, blade seemed to snap at join, i cant see any stripped thread on rod, no matter what i do i cant get proper tension at all.

Does top wheel adjust up and down? if so check blade length.

 

[Wizard465]

Hi Thanks again,

Wheel does adjust up and down and i have tried 3 blades in the machine and all will not tension properly.

 

[CHJ]

Hi Thanks again,

Wheel does adjust up and down and i have tried 3 blades in the machine and all will not tension properly.

Are the blades the correct length ???

 

[woodsaw]

are you relying on a cam re tension ? a lot of record machines had this, if so you must re tension when a new blade is fitted. quick cam tension/de tension is ok just to take tension off and on while machine is not used for a period. But it is quite wrong to believe that a new blade will tension the same as the one removed. When a blade is properly tensioned the blade material is stretched . most bandsaw blades are cut to length using a tape it is as unsophisticated as that, so a blade cut say 0.09mm long will not tension on the "quick action blade tension".
quick cam tension is what appears to be an attractive gismo on a hobby machine but really only any good for de tensioning/re tensioning same blade. Advice is always to look at a proper professional machine, non have this facility, if it aint got it you do not need it.

 

[Wizard465]

Hi Woodsaw

Thanks for the reply, i totally understand what you have explained however when i put a new blade on its does not matter how much tension i put on this it will not tension correctly, so its not just a case that i am relying on the previous blades to tension i am actually adjusting this to increase tension but go the full of the rod in terns of max tension and still have slack in the blade.

 

[CHJ]

....n i am actually adjusting this to increase tension but go the full of the rod in terns of max tension and still have slack in the blade.

Then there are only two scenarios:-

• 1. Something has broken or moved in the tensioning mechanism preventing it from separating the two wheels sufficiently.
  or
  2. The new Blades are to long.

 

[Wizard465]

Thanks for your help CHJ.

 

[Alexam]

Since the blade broke at the weld and if it is a Tuffsaw blade, then return it to Ian Black at Tuffsaw and mention to problems you are having. He will replace the blade for you and check the length. It should not take too long to get an answer. Have you actually measured the blade and compared the length to another one that works OK?

 

[pike]

I had a 1/4" blade which wouldn't tension. All my other blades were fine. I had it re-welded and it strangely started working. Ian told me it would have only been a few mm shorter. I put it down to user error but if I had to guess, something was not quite right with the quick release or how I was using it. Doesn't make sense though as it's not a complex mechanism, just on or off.

 

[Alexam]

This post, as well as a few others from time to time makes me wonder how the length may vary slightly between bandsaws of the same group. So, would the BS400, or any other group, have blade lenghts that vary by a few millimetres and should we be taking note of these measurements when ordering blades? I think I will get out the long tape and just see what length my blades are and perhaps other may wish to compare in order to establish if these lengths do in fact differ.

I cannot see that a few mm would affect the 'tune up' when there usually seems to be a couple of centimetres or so to fit the blade on and tighten up. Does anyone have a list of the stated blade lengths for the Record Bandsaws that they could PM me with please.

Alex

 

[fred55]

Thanks for that thorough and extremely good review - I now want one; my scheppach basto 3h seems impotence now and will be for sale hopefully the buyer has not read your Record report. Seriously a very good review its come just as I was considering an upgrade and you have helped to make up my mind. Now to get round the other arf.

 

[Alexam]

Hi fred55,

if you do go for the BS400, don't forget to buy it when a woodworking show is running somewhere. You not only get discount, but free shipping as a rule and that saves quite a bit. PM me if you need ny more information on this and I will be pleaded to help, but Bob is the lad for most of the technical questions.

Alex

 

[pike]

fred55, there's one of the shows Alex is talking about on the 20th 21st 22nd of this month up at Harrogate. You can probably get the deals by talking to snainton woodworking without going but it's not too far from you if you fancy it.