Bandsaw

[jimmy bond]

I am after getting a bandsaw and would like any advice on brand/model. I have recently got a circular saw and went for a proxxon,the smaleer of the 2 models,i would liked to of got the larger but the price was a facter,looking back i wish i went the larger because the one i have does struggle a bit with 1/8 ply and hard wood and it as no angle adjustment.

Proxxon do a bandsaw and i have seen a simaler draper in size which seems more poweerrfull.but saying that i do not have the room for a large "pro" model.It will be used on the kitchen table when allowed and if not on the floor! with all precxautions taken.It will be mainly woods upto 1/4 max

Any ideas?

[Peter Miller]

I used to have a Burgess bandsaw. Very good for cutting up to 2" thick wood. I even cut 3" hardwoods but that was a struggle.

Personally I think that if you are only going up to 1/4" you would be better off with a good scroll saw. I have a Titan that I bought about 6 years ago. Clarkes do an almost identical item but it costs more. Look at Screwfix for example.

My Titan will cut 1/2" beech without struggling. They are also easier toi use on aa table, unlike a bandsaw.

Another advantage of the scroll saw is that you can cut out holes in sheet, you can't with a band saw.

[Kevin Wilson]

I have a blue Record version of the Burgess 3 wheel bandsaw.

Horrible piece of rubbish! I spent more time refitting and adjusting the blade than I ever did cutting anything.

It now languishes under the bench stealing valuable space.

Too expensive to throw away and too poor quality to sell.

I have an old Shapercraft 1000 which I got from my father, slow but more reliable than the Record b/saw.

For aeromodeling I would agree with Peter, a scroll saw is very versatile and probably more usefull.

[Martyn K]

I have an ancient Burgess BBS-20 Mk 1 - it's about 40 years old. It takes a bit of effort to get the blade aligned, but once done, it is brilliant for cutting balsa, ply, hardwood etc. up to 2" thick. - although thick hardwood needs to be cut slowly. I also use it for cutting glassfibre PCB material, brass, aluminium, plastics etc.

I use a fine tooth blade and with care it will last for years. My last blade lasted for over 10 years and it is very regularly used.

Cut slowly, watch your fingers and vacuum it our regularly, it's the little bits of wood that get trapped between the wheel and the blade that do the damage. It's number 2 in my top used power tools, the Dremel is number 1, the vacuum cleaner is now number 3

Martyn

[Dane Crosby]

I inherited an EMCO bandsaw. It works OK but sourcing drive belts and small parts was a problem. I have found somone who sells lengths of round section silicone rubber which can be cut to length and hot welded to make a very good belt. It takes long 70" blades via three spools. A local saw sharpener can make up blades for me; and quite cheaply too. So far it has worked well and I have most of my fingers left! I would like a small scroll saw for smaller parts though. I have not decided which one yet.

[TheFlyingCrust]

For modelling I agree with Mr Miller. But if its to be a bandsaw, whatever make, buy one that uses a generic length of blades. I acquired a bandsaw from my late father and its a good 'un (bought originally from Axminster Tools) but blades are an odd length and only available from them. Luckily I have 3 spares.

FYI scalpel blades are ridiculously cheap from them provided you buy quantity.

Ian

[kc]

I agree with Peter & Kevin- a scrollsaw is much more useful for aeromodelling. My small
bandsaw sits unused while the scrollsaw is always used. Apart from the other reasons given the scrollsaw has the huge advantage of being much safer. I wont say you cannot cut yourself with a scrollsaw because you might but at worst it hardly draws blood, while a bandsaw is used by butchers to cut meat......
Buy a scroll saw and a good supply of the coarse ( 18TPI ) pin ended blades. Not everywhere stocks pin ended so make sure you get a fretsaw ( plain ended) blade adaptor with the saw in case supplies of pin ended eventually dry up.
Some companies weld up bandsaw blades from bulk lengths to suit any saw. Axminster PTC is one.

[Peter Miller]

Personally I find that coarse sccroll saw blades tend to tear and splinter the back of ply wood. I use 25 teeth per inch blades.

Squires always has them in stock. Ask for their free catalogue, about 450 pages of tools , glues and everything else you might need. I buy my glues from the them

Just phone 01243 842424

Bye the way, they do free postage on minumum orders of £15. If you can avoid looking through the catalogue you might not find your self spending more on all the "That looks useful" items that you never knew existed

Edited By Peter Miller on 25/11/2013 11:00:10

[Barrie Dav 2]

I used to have a 2 wheel bandsaw but because of the small radius of the wheels the blades broke too frequently. I then bought a Dewalt 3 wheel saw and have had no problems in over 20 years. I use the saw for much more than modelling so the cost was justified but too much just for cutting the bits and pieces that we modellers need. Try to buy a 3 wheel saw if you can. They are so much more flexible (with tilt tables etc.) Perhaps a second hand one. Place a wanted ad in a local paper or look in a woodworker magazine. You should be able to get one for a really reasonable price.

[PatMc]

I have a scroll saw & an old Burgess BK3 bandsaw. I mainly use the scroll saw to cut epoxy board because the blades are fairly expendable. But I find it difficult to control the cutting line with the scroll saw so I use the bandsaw for most wood cutting. I find it's generaly best to use 1/4" medium blades( offhand I think about 10 - 14 tpi) for balsa & ply. If I break a blade that's still reasonably sharp it only takes a couple of minutes to repair it in a small jig-clamp I was given & brazing the broken ends together.
The bandsaw has a sanding disc attachment, the flywheel effect of which seems to help keep the blade running smoother as well as it being an indispesable tool.

Also have one of the smaller Proxxon table saws which is great for cutting, straight edged formers, strip wood for longerons etc.

[Highlander]

I have the Proxxon bandsaw as well as a couple of industrial ones and I find it an excellant piece of kit,albeit expensive. The main advantage being with a quick change of blade it will cut steel , aluminium and brass and leave a near perfect finish.

James.

[Depron Daz]

I have a Delta 2 wheel bandsaw **LINK** and cannot rate it enough. I have cut 2"- 4" thick white oak, maranti, beech, cedar, teak, iroko, pretty much all of the common hardwood species. The trick is to throw away the blade that comes with any machine, and buy top quality blades. They can be expensive, but the machine will be absolutely transformed. This machine is about 8 years old now, and worth every penny.

Also get several different sized blades, and don't be lazy when it comes to changing the blade for the right job. Trying to cut a thick piece with a thin blade normally results in too much heat and the blade snaps. Also don't try and cut a tight radius with a wide blade. Setting the machine up correctly can take time, but do so after you have fitted the good blade.. Use a couple of engineer's squares to get the table at 90 deg to the blade, and set the 45 deg setting as well. A properly set up machine will pay dividends in the end.

[jimmy bond]

PatMc,Mentioned cutting straight lines.I did intend to do this on the material the proxxon can not cope with and angled.Was mentioned a scrol saw is hard do to strait cuts.If i was to use a guide fence or rail are strait cuts possible because i think this might be 50% of the work

[Dai Fledermaus]

Jimmy, I've worked with band saws for many years. Get a small a small 2 wheel band saw you'll find it invaluable. The three wheel models are generally very poor, I think that's the technical term is crap.

Provided the blade is set correctly, it will cut straight lines, inside and outside curves with accuracy all day with little effort, the cut edges needing little in the way of dressing if you use the right blade.

[Barrie Dav 2]

Colin has just prompted me to look at my post again and I must set the record straight. In my earlier post I should have said that the 2 wheel bandsaw is the better and not the 3 wheel. I had transposed the numbers. Sorry if I mislead anyone. I hope senility is not just around the corner. Fingers crossed....

[kc]

All the books say the 2 wheel type is better, maybe due to better blade tension and rigidity of the frame. However 3 wheels give better throat distance in a compact size.
A scrollsaw for curves and a japanese type pullsaw ( hand operated!)for straight cuts is all you need. A better chance of retaining all your fingers too.
Whichever you choose it's the skill of the operator that counts. Hence whatever you use most is the one you become most skilled with. Hence that's your favourite. That's why opinions here are divided sharply!

[Jimbo565]

I have one of the B&Q bandsaws,got it from the guy next door and it does all I want it to do,it must be well over 10 yrs old and made ( badged by Nu Tool ) who no longer exist.

I have checked out the M/Cs by Draper,Silverline and Powercraft and they are identical,now here is the problem I need two 230mm urethane tyres for the two wheels and I'm struggling to find a supplier.

Checked online with the above companies and when you ask about spares only one supplier comes up for all of them and that is Solent Tools of Southampton,and guess what,waiting for stock to arrive,been onto them 3 times in the last 3 weeks and still the same answer.

Found the tyres on ebay and they only come from the USA and at a cost of around £40 including postage,for another £40 I could buy a new one.

Does anyone know where I might obtain these tyres ??

[Dai Fledermaus]

Three wheel band saws were popular in the 1970s and 80s. I think I'm right in saying that you couldn't buy a new one now if you wanted one. K.C is right in that the tool you use the most is your favourite, but you would be hard pressed to rip multiple long lengths of material with a hand saw of any type with accuracy. Take spars as an example.

It all depends on what you want to use it for. If you are just making ply formers and the like, use a hand saw. As for safety, well I'm sort of attached to my fingers and I find a band saw much safer to use than a table saw which will take a finger off before you know you've lost it.

[Alan Dorrell]

Hi,

Here's a tale. Forty one years ago, as a handicraft teacher, I took over an old and somewhat under equipped secondary school workshop. I ordered a Burgess mk2 bandsaw as an interim until I could get a larger model (neither to be used by pupils). I was told there was a six month delivery period !!! A few weeks later, visiting friends, I was glancing through their copy of a mail order catalogue and saw in the tool section this same saw (a little under £30 if I remember correctly). We argued over the delivery period, was told less than three weeks, so I got them to order me one to prove them wrong.

It arrived in less than a week !!!

Eventully, the school one arrived. It was thick with dust and parts of the main castings were distorted. There followed much returning and replacing of parts but I did get it to work after a fashion.

I kept the mail order one for myself. It worked perfectly. It still does after all these years, I got some new blades for it from Axminster's a couple of years ago. Apart from my model building activities, I also did a lot of classic cabinet making, using it extensively. However, I must say that nowadays I use my scroll saw, also from Axminster, almost exclusively for my current model building.

Alan.

[kc]

Jim phone up Axminster and have a chat about the spares-they probably sold a similar machine and know if they are available.
Colin is right about safety. We use tools very infrequently and that's the danger, just rushing to do a quick cut and not thinking. I watched New Yankee Workshop on TV on Sunday - I was horrified how near his fingers got to planers,bandsaws, routers and table saws without guards. Still seemed to have all his fingers but a terrible example to casual woodworkers.

[Jimbo565]

KC

Well done that man, looked on their web site and found another identical machine carrying their brand JET.

gave them a call and the two tyres are in stock and I should have them in a couple of days and they are half the price of the ones Solent dont have.

Solent were quoting £24 + postage for the two and Axminsters price is £16 all in.

[ben goodfellow 1]

proxxon here too, smooth to use and the right size forthe bench top

[Dai Fledermaus]

Your absolutely right about Norm Abram kc. Have you seen the way he cuts his tennons - on a table saw with the crown guard removed. Home woodworkers might be tempted to try this method which is not only dangerous, but illegal in any commercial workshop in the U.K.

[PatMc]

Posted by Colin Ashman on 27/11/2013 09:03:18:

Your absolutely right about Norm Abram kc. Have you seen the way he cuts his tennons - on a table saw with the crown guard removed. Home woodworkers might be tempted to try this method which is not only dangerous, but illegal in any commercial workshop in the U.K.

Home woodworkers would be better off watching Reg Prescott's DIY series before using power saws. Here's one from his shows :

[kc]

Jim, glad you found Axminster had the goods! I have always found Axminster very nice people to deal with -a family firm I think. For anyone who like tools the Axminster free catalogue is a great read and so much better to browse through than just a website. You will be tempted to buy something....
He who dies with the most tools wins....