Space for a bandsaw at last

weekend_woodworker · 1 Jan 2020

I have finally finished building enough storage in my garage so I can remove a set of shelves and have space for a floor standing bandsaw. I have a 16amp supply but only single phase. I am contemplating spending about £1000 on it. I would like as much capacity as possible and ideally being able to re-saw 300mm thick hardwood.

I have seen the record sabre 450, Laguna 14/12 and Charnwood W750 and the Axminster AT3327B.

They are all a bit more than I really wanted to spend. I was interested by the Laguna as it appears to have a fairly large capacity and ceramic guides on a small saw, but didn’t know if it was any good.

Alternatively I could see if I could pick up a second hand Jet, startrite or Axminster saw on eBay.

I am not keen on having to do a lot of fettling on an older saw.

What would anyone recommend?

Thanks

Mark

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

fezman · 1 Jan 2020

I'm sure there are previous posts on this topic if you search for them.

Personally I went for a Sabre 350 - which is within your budget - it has been great so far. Just get some good blades for it (tuffsaws or axi ground tooth are usually recommended)

weekend_woodworker · 1 Jan 2020

Thanks fezman. I have searched previous topics which seem to be a few years old. I was curious to see if anyone owned a Laguna and what they thought of it. It claims to be able to cut a depth of upto 300mm but I was not sure how good it was at that.

https://www.yandles.co.uk/laguna-1412-2 ... des/p24194

I was also curious to see if there was anything that I had missed considering. I assume the Charnwood bandsaws are not worth considering as no one mentions them.

Thanks

Mark

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Fitzroy · 1 Jan 2020

I went through a similar decision. Ended up a choice between a new Record Sabre or a used Startrite 352. Ended up with the Startrite as one came up locally for a reasonable price.

Fitz.

Sideways · 2 Jan 2020

My local Men's Shed saved and bought an Axminster floorstander last year.
https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-t ... saw-501200 or its immediate predecessor as the models vary very slightly over time.
We waited for a sale and even so it's a bit past your budget, that said it gets fairly well hammered and hasn't broken yet. Many members are less intimidated by a bandsaw than a tablesaw so it is fitted with a 3/4" 3 tpi blade and is the goto machine for many people.
If you are mechanically minded, you will get a better deal buying a higher quality machine used (heavy solid wheels, stronger frame, steel and cast iron rather than alloy in the critical parts of the fence...) but our shed wanted the reassurance of the warranty.
My personal experience of Axminster customer service is better than Record Power's and warranty + customer service + reputation are what you're paying a premium for if you buy new...