Startrite 352 Vertical Bandsaw

[ByronBlack]

I'm looking at this machine on ebay at the moment, and I can't find too much in the way of good information on google other than it's a 36" bandsaw - made by startrite.

Here's the auction link:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Does anyone have any experience or know of any reviews of this brand?

[jer7440]

Hey I did some poking around on google as well. This seems the be a fairly popular industrial machine in the UK. I found two different specs for throat depth 300mm or 350mm I'm not sure which is correct. The machine seems to be able to cut up to a 280mm depth and uses up to a 3/4" blade.

Its probably a decent machine assuming everything is in good order.

I googled the words "strartrite 352 bandsaw" and I had to go 3 or 4 pages deep before I found any thing that gave specs.

[ByronBlack]

Thanks for that, thats more than I could find out :-)

This maybe a stupid question, but because it's a heavy-duty style industrial machine, would this be suitable for guitar making, or would it be a bit overkill?

[jer7440]

It seems like it would be a nice machine to have. It is probably more than you absolutely need. You would easily have enough capacity to resaw anything guitar related and that's a biggy.

I say if you have the floor space and the electrical capacity to run a 3 phase motor, go for it. Assuming the machine is in good condition and the price is right.

[Doc]

I don't have any experience with their bandsaws, but if they're like their tablesaws they are as good as they get. I had a 10" sliding panel table saw and it's one of the few machines i've ever owned that I had

1)absolutely no mecanical trouble that I didn't cause.

2) no trouble getting parts for when I screwed up and

3) no suggestions for anything that I would have liked done differently except for the cost, size, and weight of the sucker.

When I downsized the shop and went back to graduate school I sold it to a local high school theatre shop where it has seen heavy use by heathen teenagers for ten years on top of the fifteen I had it. I'm over there fairly often and the thing is still a phenominal workhorse in daily use.

I'm not sure in wood working that there is anything such as overkill with machines.

Shop space money and electricity are the only limitations.

[ByronBlack]

Cheers for the insight guy's.

I think i'll bid for it to a sensible level, as i've got a shed for a workshop, and if it was expensive and big, then I would better with something smaller, but it does seem to be a strong unit, so hopefully there aren't many people looking at it and i'll get a bargain !