Which Bandsaw?

[ByronBlack]

Hi Chaps,

After much thought, i've decided to buy a bandsaw, however my budget is small, and there are a number of machines i'm looking at, but before I buy I would like your opinion.

First of there is a 9" Ryobi (250 Watt motor) for £95

http://www.powertoolwarehouse.co.uk/produc...roducts_id/2374

Then there is a SIP 10" (350 Watt motor) for £130

http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/product...ProductID=32552

Or a Nutool 10" for £115

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/245mm-Band-Saw-From-...1QQcmdZViewItem

(looks the same as the SIP ??)

Or a Perfrom 12" (550 Watt Motor) for £190

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=21702&recno=2

Now, I want to spend as little as possible for something that will still be useable for cutting body blanks and necks. I like the Ryobi, but is it too small/underpowered?

Also, would a 12" be a big improvement over the 10"?

And finally, anyone have any experience with these tools, as i've been told that Ryobi and SIP are probably the best ones out of these four ??

Some advice would be much needed so that I can finally purchase one.

[westhemann]

as i said in your other topic,the ryobi is horrible.i don't know anything about the others...but i think you should get the largest you can afford.

[Drak]

Dude, do NOT buy a RYOBI!!!!!!!!!!

[M_A_T_T]

I'd go for the perform. It has the largest capacity (width/depth/blade/table size) and motor.

[egdeltar]

I would not buy any of those, save your $ and get something a bit more quality.

[ByronBlack]

Egdeltar,

Say I do save for a better machine, what do you recommend for someone just starting out, bearing in mind i'm not just going to be building guitars, although that will be 80% of what i'll use it for. Also i'm not in the US so Detla, Grizzly and Jet aren't available.

The only bandsaw of real quality that I could probably afford is this one:

http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/product...iProductID=6626

However, I've read good things about:

http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/product...iProductID=1853

If you can't recommend a manufacturer, what are the features that I should look for that will determine a good bandsaw?

And i've been told to replace the blade on a new bandsaw with a high quality aftermarket item as this will make all the difference. What is the best blade I could buy for my bandsaw?

[egdeltar]

Byron,

I have absolutely no clue about the machines you are able to purchase in the UK, so Id hate to recommend anything for you. That perform doesn’t look half bad and it could work ok for you and be in your budget, I would ask people that are familiar with these products.

Make sure the saw you get is very sturdy and at least 12"...good luck.

[ByronBlack]

Byron,

I have absolutely no clue about the machines you are able to purchase in the UK, so Id hate to recommend anything for you. That perform doesn’t look half bad and it could work ok for you and be in your budget, I would ask people that are familiar with these products.

Make sure the saw you get is very sturdy and at least 12"...good luck.

←

Thanks for the advice, the perform does look quite sturdy I agree, is 12" a nessecity? The reason why i'm asking is that I had a look at the 10" SIP today and had a breif tutorial, and must admit I was quite impressed, not sure how important the extra 2" space would be though..

[jay5]

The consensus around this sort of circle is that a 14" bansaw is about the lowest you would want to go. If you really forsee yourself building guitars into the future I would save up and buy one that size. You will be able to do most of the cutting necessary with the smaller benchtop machines but if you ever wish to re-saw wood or work with laminates or whatever outside the basic run of the mill cutting you are goint the wish you had bought a larger machine. Im going to qualify myself by saying that bigger isnt always better if you forgoe quality. I too am unfarmilliar with those brands you listed. I would spend some time on a few woodworking BB's and see what you can find out about them there. If you do decide to get a smaller model I would not hesitate to buy the BEST one available to you.

[egdeltar]

I looked around the net a bit and found this:

http://woodworker.co.uk/bandsaw.php

Look half way down the page and there is a 14" saw with a 1.3 hp motor and 7 1/4" cuttin height for £ 279.00

Those other saws you listed I couldnt find hp ratings on athem and the one I did was only .5 hp. Try and get one over 1 hp.

[ByronBlack]

Thanks for the insight Jay, unfortunatly i'm unable to find a good UK woodworking forum that has any kind of discussion on bandsaws, but what I have done is to order a number of back-issues of UK woodworking magazines with reviews, hopefully this will help me understand the quality of these different brands.

I have actually ordered a 10" SIP, I got it very cheaply (£130) and will use it as a 'learning tool' to help build up my knowledge, skill and experience with the tool. I'll only be using it to cut out body and neck shapes to begin with.

When I get more skilled, I'll sell it and invest in something larger and better quality, and hopefully by then i'll know a little more of what to look for.

When I get it, i'll do a review of my own for anyone else who wants a small bandsaw to start out with.

[ByronBlack]

I looked around the net a bit and found this:

http://woodworker.co.uk/bandsaw.php

Look half way down the page and there is a 14" saw with a 1.3 hp motor and 7 1/4" cuttin height for £ 279.00

Those other saws you listed I couldnt find hp ratings on athem and the one I did was only .5 hp. Try and get one over 1 hp.

←

That machine is actually the SIP model that I linked to (only the larger version) as of my previous post i've actually ordered the 10" to learn with - scroll up a bit on the same page.

[Simo]

I brought a 14" SIP bandsaw at the beginning of the year and I'm very happy with it, out of all the other 'budget' bandsaws I looked at they seemed to be the best for the price I also have a SIP 6" jointer which again is well made and works well.

[ByronBlack]

Ah, excellent, Simo, that was just what I was looking for - a user feedback on the SIP. If I get on well with the 10" eventually i'll trade it in for the 14".

How did you find the accuracy of the fence and mitre guage.

[Simo]

The fence works fine, my mitre guide is still in the packaging so I can't comment on that I only really use it for cutting out bodies and for that it works great.

[ByronBlack]

I've taken deliver of my 10" SIP Bandsaw, here are my initial findings:

First impression is that it's very heavy and very sturdy, the design is quite nice too and is a similar case to Elektra Beckhum and Record power bandsaws, i'm guessing these are all made by the same eastern company.

I took the table, fence and mitre guage out of the packaging and they were all covered in gum, oil and some other nasty substance, not sure how nessecary that is.

I fit the table and its corresponding bracket, this is quite tricky, the holes have poor thread on the table making it difficult to locate and screw in the bolts. Once the struggle was over, I measured up and the table is a degree of, I have to adjust with said annoying bolts. It is quite tricky to get the table perfect, but its there now.

The blade has rust on it - not a good sign.

After all its been put together, I start it up and do some tests. First off, I like to comment on its quietness, the blade seems smooth, there is no warping or wobbling and it cuts straight as a die. The mitre guage rattles slightly in its groove, however this is very small and I don't think it will effect the cut too much.

The rule on the table is off by a number of millimeters, this is fine as I can now compensate.

The fence fixing bracket is quite flimsy and it tooks a bit of wiggling to make sure that thef fence is parallel to the blade, not a big problem though, just a tad annoying.

So, my conclusion is:

Despite the bad points ive listed above, it cuts very quickly, very straight and is generally a joy to use. I stuck some thick maple through it, and it cut it like butter, very impressed. I will however change the blade for a good quality after-market one. The controls are easy, and it has a number of safety features (blade stops when opening the door), has a large extraction port, and despite some of the lesser made parts, it's mostly well-built, solid and very good money for value.

I intend to use and learn with this tool for a while, and will upgrade to a Scheppach quality tool later down the line.

If you want to spend under £130 for a bandsaw that can accuratly cut out your body and neck shapes, then this tool is just the ticket.

[i-j-c]

Sounds good. Byron, where have you got this setup - is it in your shed and what did you mount it on - or is it free standing?

Sounds like a bargain to me..well done!

<<edit>>...forget the question, I looked it up on diytools site...did you get the stand with it for £130

[ByronBlack]

Sounds good. Byron, where have you got this setup - is it in your shed and what did you mount it on - or is it free standing?

Sounds like a bargain to me..well done!

<<edit>>...forget the question, I looked it up on diytools site...did you get the stand with it for £130

←

At the moment i've got it sat on top of my workbench in my shed, the bench runs round two walls, so its perfect to have it on one end. I believe you can get a stand for it for about £25, I didn't get it with the unit as I don't have the room to have it free-standing.

[ByronBlack]

For those who might be interested in a 10" bandsaw, i've taken some pictures of the SIP model that I recently purchased. I've done quite a lot of test cutting with it over the weekend, and i'm very happy with it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/byronblack/sets/737901/