What's wrong with the cheap(est) band saws?

[GrahamRounce]

Hi - Is the main drawback likely to be how long it lasts or how well it works? The former would be ok for me as I'd probably only use it a dozen times a year, but I would want it to do a good job while it lasts. (What is "blade drift" - sounds a bit ominous?) I'd not be cutting anything very thick (probly 2" max), but would want a clean straight cut (why I'm buying it rather than using the jigsaw). Has anyone any experience of a cheap model (eg B&Q's "Performance Power REDEYE Band Saw With Laser FMTC200LBS 250W 200mm" etc?)
Thanks for any help,
Graham Rounce

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Graham

Welcome to the forum.

If you buy a cheaper bandsaw the first thing to do is to throw the blade away. Invest in a good blade and it will make a dramatic difference.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Scrit]

Is the main drawback likely to be how long it lasts or how well it works?

The latter in all probability, but then I'm probably the wrong person to ask that of

What is "blade drift" - sounds a bit ominous?

Blade drift is where the blade twists in the cut meaning that the blade is no longer parallel to the rip fence. The reasons are as follows:

Blade with extra set to one side - frequently a by-product of using a blade to cut curved pieces then trying to straight-line rip with the same blade. The answer is to keep a separate blade for ripping.

Inability to tension blade adequately or tension too low. A major bugbear with smaller saws. Just because a manufacturer claims that a saw will take a 3/4in blade doesn't mean it can tension that blade! It means that the machine will probably tension a 1/2 or possibly a 5/8in saw blade, and preferably a thin bodies one as opposed to the 0.040in bimetallic monster your friendly local ironmonger is trying to sell you. So with smaller saws go for thin carbon blades and take the manufacturers spec, with a pinch of salt, as well as regarding his tension gauge readings as suspiciously low

The blade is worn out. Bandsaw blades don't last forever so don't try to make them last for years. Blunt blades will drift

The blade is very narrow. Below 1/2in wide can be all but impossible to cure blade drift because the body of the blade is not going to give you a great deal of support in the cut. Conversely 3/4in blades and above suffer from very little blade drift

Even if a saw/blade combination does drift it is often easiest to deal with the problem by simply adjusting the rip fence to compensate for the drift or using what is called a point contact rip fence

The other thing to say is take the manufacturer's blade, the one supplied, fold it up and bin it. Then go and buy a decent quality blade and set the guides up properly - it can make a world of difference to the smallest of saws.

Hope that helps explain it. Good luck with your purchase.

Scrit

 

[White House Workshop]

Just a point on tensioning.

Years ago when I was first learning about power tools I was advised by the instructor that the manufacturer's tension settings were not to be trusted as it was the BLADE that was critical, not the adjuster on the tool. All sorts of things affected tension - the thickness of the blade, even its length being off by just a little bit, the wear of the rubber tyres, etc etc

His method of setting tension was always to set the blade to a 'top F' note. He plucked the blade and listened to the note. When it was near enough to top F he would be satisfied that it was tensioned correctly.

I have checked this method against my own bandsaw and it's as good as any other method!

 

[Anonymous]

Graham

i have the Charnwood version of the standard Chinese bandsaw circa £299 and it has wroked very well for the past 4 years or so (it was ex-demo too).
the only issues i have had are a couple of the plastic knobs have broken (easily replaced) and i needed a decent blade (Dragon or Dure Edge) to get it to cut straight

Clearly they don't 'feel' as good quality as the expensive ones, but with a decent blade, they perform really weel as a hobbiest bandsaw and I modieif mine a year ago to alow it to cut 90" deep - something I often do when re-sawing wood

 

[Scrit]

I modieif mine a year ago to alow it to cut 90" deep - something I often do when re-sawing wood

90 inches? 8) :shock: Crikey, Tony, that's a heck of a riser block! Even my 28in bandsaw struggles above 16inches........ :lol:

Scrit

 

[promhandicam]

. . . I modifeied mine a year ago to allow it to cut 90" deep - something I often do when re-sawing wood

I found a photo of your saw Tony - perhaps you'd like to talk us through how you did the modification :lol:

Tony's modified charnwood

Steve

 

[mailee]

:shock: I hope you are going to post WIP pics of how you did it Tony? I may have a go on mine. :lol:

 

[lurker]

Tony,

We are well used to you bragging :roll: , but you have gone too far this time :lol:

 

[GrahamRounce]

Thank-you all v much for the advice. I'm glad to have been steered away from those cheap ones with 1/4" blades before it was too late!
So if I look for one with a 1/2"+ blade, maybe 1cm at a pinch?, claiming to tension more than that, throw away the included blade, I might not go far wrong? Unfortunately, for me that now means ebay, not new, especially as it will only be used sometimes, but I'll see what comes up.
Thanks again,
Graham