Sabre 350 Bandsaw Stand - Worth having?

[RichardG]

After a fruitless search for a larger used bandsaw I've decided to press the button for a new Sabre 350. Local dealer has no stock so I'm going to have to mail order but couldn't decide on the wheel kit. Can any owners out there comment on how well it works? My floor is quite rough so I'm thinking I maybe better off with a mobile machine stand instead?

Edit: Replaced stand with Wheel Kit....

 

[fezman]

I've got my 350 on the Axminster light duty mobile base (Axminster MB-518 Light Duty Mobile Base).
I was going to buy the wheel kit, but after making a planer carriage the above was freed up so used that.
It's been fine to date with no issues (as long as you keep your nuts tightened up - ooer). In fact it meant I could push the BS right back against a wall, save some space, and easily pull it out when required.

Oh - it runs on my concrete garage floor which is fairly even.

HTH

 

[eezageeza]

After a fruitless search for a larger used bandsaw I've decided to press the button for a new Sabre 350. Local dealer has no stock so I'm going to have to mail order but couldn't decide on the stand. Can any owners out there comment on how well it works? My floor is quite rough so I'm thinking I maybe better off with a mobile machine stand instead?

You mean the wheel kit ?

It works pretty well, but I only move mine from time to time if I need to cut very long stuff. If I were wanting to shuffle it around more frequently, I'd probably consider a full mobile base.

My workshop floor is tamped concrete, so smooth (ish)!

 

[RichardG]

Yes, I meant the wheel kit, have now edited the post.

 

[Sandyn]

I think it's worth having your bandsaw on a mobile base. It's very easy to make a mobile base 4 wheels and a bit of chipboard or plywood. Cost about £20 for 4 swivel locking wheels.

 

[Stevebod]

...definnately worth having if you are going to move ot on a regular basis, I've been waiting for a wheel kit to be available for my recent BS300 for months...must be a shortage!

 

[isaac3d]

I bought the Record Power 350 Sabre bandsaw recently and have been using it for a few weeks now. I must admit that it is my first real bandsaw but I'm really impressed; its a nice piece of kit. I bought the package with wheel kit and three blades. Whether you need a wheel kit really depends on where you're going to use it. I'm working from a one car garage and so almost everything (except me) is on wheels. Whether you buy the wheel kit with jockey stick or make your own mobile base is something to consider. My experience is that the jockey stick system works well, but you still need a bit of space for maneuvering. You mentioned a rough garage floor; that could pose a problem with mobile equipment as it will almost always be wobbly. I decided to pour a new floor using self levelling compound (final surface grade). That cost me about 250 pounds for my small garage but now all my equipment moves around easily; an essential investment in my case.
Comments on the machine:
It comes well packed in a wooden crate. It's heavy! Definitely a two man build unless you're a body builder, and even then some parts definitely need two people. Construction of the base cabinet is fiddley since the bolts are difficult to reach to tighten up. (They could have put a bit more thought in to that part of the design). However once constructed, its solid as a rock. (3mm pressed steel). Construction and set up will take a bit of time, but it's also fun if you are not rushed.
I've read comments that even high end bandsaws come with cheap blades fitted which should be replaced immediately but in my limited experience the pre-fitted blade on the 350 Sabre seems pretty good. (Maybe I will be even more amazed when I do replace the blade.) I was easily able to make uniform veneer thick slices with a good surface from a softwood test piece. The setting up is fiddley but worth the effort; there are lots of good videos if like me you are new to bandsaws.
So far I've cut mostly softwood (hardwood projects to start soon) but it slices through 3 inch thick timber like butter and I've sliced through 8 inch thick stock easily.
I also had to wait for delivery a bit but that's true of many items at the moment.
Have fun with your new toy and stay safe

 

[matkinitice]

I'd recommend the wheel kit for sure.

It's a heavy piece of kit. I have mine against the wall (side on) and if I need the extra length I can pull it out away from the wall. Without the wheel kit this would be horrible.

The reason this is critical is the fence is great but the guide bar sticks out quite a bit on each side. So pushing it up flush against the wall still means I can use it for most tasks, and only move it out into play if doing long rips. Without moving back and forth you'll find yourself constantly catching yourself on the guide bars depending on your layout. So in my case, the wheel kit pays for itself. My only gripe is it's a bit funky to put together - the pins that lock the wheels in could be better.

My floor is currently an old driveway (profile paving/concrete) and it moves across OK. I'll be skimming over it next summer and that should make it far more pleasant to move.

 

[RichardG]

Decided to go with the Axminster mobile stand, think it will work better for my situation. Thanks for everyone’s responses.

 

[Spectric]

I have the BS400 and on the Record wheel kit, but it shakes when in use. On this machine you can solve this by using two adjustable feet screwed into the two holes already there and when in position to use I just screw them down until good contact with the floor and no more shaking. To move just wind them back up.

The sabre 350 sits on a cabinet, the 450 sits on the floor and you will find does not take up much more space, same for the BS300 & 400 and was one of the reasons I went for the 400. The sabre has a better fence and blade guides when compared to the earlier BS models but they can be retrofitted.

 

[isaac3d]

I'd recommend the wheel kit for sure.

It's a heavy piece of kit. I have mine against the wall (side on) and if I need the extra length I can pull it out away from the wall. Without the wheel kit this would be horrible.

The reason this is critical is the fence is great but the guide bar sticks out quite a bit on each side. So pushing it up flush against the wall still means I can use it for most tasks, and only move it out into play if doing long rips. Without moving back and forth you'll find yourself constantly catching yourself on the guide bars depending on your layout. So in my case, the wheel kit pays for itself. My only gripe is it's a bit funky to put together - the pins that lock the wheels in could be better.

My floor is currently an old driveway (profile paving/concrete) and it moves across OK. I'll be skimming over it next summer and that should make it far more pleasant to move.

I agree, the set up on the fence and cast iron table are fiddly; and indeed the fence rail sticks out a bit but once in place it's solid as a ... well as a solid as a solid steel bar, which is what it is. One of the four bolts for the table is particularly awkward to get to. There is little room for the allen key to move. You'll get one sixth of a turn at a time on that one and as it is upside down and difficult to see without bending and twisting, its not good for the back! I wish the designers had to put these things together themselves a few times and then they might change the layout a bit. Having said that, once everything is in place and set up, it stays there! There are many adjustments to make but then that is the way to get everything perfectly aligned and working optimally.
My experience is that pretty much everything that requires some self assembly these days is a pain in the neck.
The thrust bearings on the other hand are fairly easy to set up and adjust with the cam lock system, though making small slots in the blade guard, as I have seen in some very expensive bandsaws, would have significantly improved visibility of the bearings on the blade. As you might expect, the bearings under the table are a bit more difficult to adjust.
Gripes aside, the 350 sabre is a very nice bit of kit.

 

[Bristol_Rob]

I own the Sabre 350 and the wheel kit with jockey wheel.

There is a huge design flaw with this IMO

Once everything is built the door on the base cabinet doesn't open 90 degrees

I was hoping to build some draws in mine but this isn't possible

I think the base cabinet door opens about 80 degrees then hits the rear wheel.

Please tell me everyone else has this problem and I haven't built mine incorrectly

 

[martin.pearson]

Decided to go with the Axminster mobile stand, think it will work better for my situation. Thanks for everyone’s responses.

I have my bandsaw on an Axminster mobile base & it works quite well for me, not a record power bandsaw though. Once I find a new workshop I am going to have to spend some more time trying to get it set up correctly though. Watched the Alex Snodgrass tutorial but still struggle with resawing, blades from Tuffsaws so a decent blade.

 

[isaac3d]

I own the Sabre 350 and the wheel kit with jockey wheel.

There is a huge design flaw with this IMO

Once everything is built the door on the base cabinet doesn't open 90 degrees

I was hoping to build some draws in mine but this isn't possible

I think the base cabinet door opens about 80 degrees then hits the rear wheel.

Please tell me everyone else has this problem and I haven't built mine incorrectly

I have the same issue. The cabinet door is restricted by the wheels of the jockey-wheel base kit. The door opens to about 80 degrees as you said and then the underside of the door hits the wheel. I agree that this is a design flaw. It could have easily been solved by making the wheel base fitting taller by a few centimetres. Doubtless this would have made the wheel base kit even more expensive and more importantly, in my case, the band saw would be taller. I'm working in a small garage and height is also a limiting factor because of the garage door. Not an insurmountable problem but annoying. The cast iron table would also be higher. Another fix would be to make the wheels a bit further back. Again, a few centimetres would be enough.
It's the usual story of "the people doing the designing don't use the item".
As I only use the cabinet to store a couple of tools and the manual, it's not a big problem for me but I appreciate your frustration.
As a fix, you could lift the door off to install your additional shelving, as long as you won't need the door to always open fully.

 

[Bristol_Rob]

I have the same issue. The cabinet door is restricted by the wheels of the jockey-wheel base kit. The door opens to about 80 degrees as you said and then the underside of the door hits the wheel. I agree that this is a design flaw. It could have easily been solved by making the wheel base fitting taller by a few centimetres. Doubtless this would have made the wheel base kit even more expensive and more importantly, in my case, the band saw would be taller. I'm working in a small garage and height is also a limiting factor because of the garage door. Not an insurmountable problem but annoying. The cast iron table would also be higher. Another fix would be to make the wheels a bit further back. Again, a few centimetres would be enough.
It's the usual story of "the people doing the designing don't use the item".
As I only use the cabinet to store a couple of tools and the manual, it's not a big problem for me but I appreciate your frustration.
As a fix, you could lift the door off to install your additional shelving, as long as you won't need the door to always open fully.

After typing this, I was thinking the same.

Bye bye door

 

[RichardG]

As I said I decided to go with the lightweight Axminster mobile machine base, mainly because my floor is uneven so the two adjustable feet will allow me to stop it rocking, I hope the wheel misses the door....another plus is can't loose the jockey wheel!

Order placed with Yandles, very few places with stock, hopefully here tomorrow.

 

[RichardG]

I have the BS400 and on the Record wheel kit, but it shakes when in use. On this machine you can solve this by using two adjustable feet screwed into the two holes already there and when in position to use I just screw them down until good contact with the floor and no more shaking. To move just wind them back up.

The sabre 350 sits on a cabinet, the 450 sits on the floor and you will find does not take up much more space, same for the BS300 & 400 and was one of the reasons I went for the 400. The sabre has a better fence and blade guides when compared to the earlier BS models but they can be retrofitted.

I did look at the BS400 and the Sabre450. I very rarely exceed the throat depth of my current BS300E, its always the depth of cut. The BS400 has another 20mm over the Sabre350 but the only issue I have with the BS300E is the guides, they work fine but just seem a bit clunky, so I couldn't bring myself to buy another model with the same type. The Sabre450 has 35mm extra depth but it's significantly more expensive, I think I would have gone with the Laguana 14/12 if I was spending that sort of money.

 

[Spectric]

With the bigger machines you also get a bigger table which is very usefull when supporting larger pieces to cut curves from. I did spend quiet some time looking into bandsaws and eventually concluded that a lot of the saws functionality is down to blades and setup rather than just design. Like all machines, none seem to perform straight out of the box or without modification and because we seem to accept this then the manufacturers / suppliers don't improve what can be simple anoying issues. I almost went for the Record fence upgrade for my 400 but last minute went for the Kreg fence instead. As for the Laguna saws, the one thing that seems to stand out are the ceramic blade guides, but then the sabre top guides will fit the 400.

 

[moosepig]

Ended up making my own base for my Sabre 350, allows the machine to swivel on the spot, reduced the height a bit and provided bespoke blade storage.

 

[Spectric]

Thats a neat idea for blade storage, how solid is it when in use with wheels locked.