Thread: Advice on bandsaw

At the risk of being flamed , I bought a s/h Taiwanese generic model from Gumtree for $300. After replacing the blade with a 1/4" from Henry Bros, and replacing a cast alloy part that broke, it does everything I ask of it from resawing to cutting patterns with tight curves. It came with bearing guides (top only). What particularly impresses me is I can rip without the blade wandering.

Presumably more $$$ will get you more power and extra features like a brake, but these are features I don't necessarily need at this stage.

Anyway that's my experience. YMMV

Tony

I think I'm going to bite the bullet & buy one of the Hare and Forbes BP-360 saws while they are on eofy special pricing. I have very limited space so will be moved around a bit, and a LOT of stairs to carry it up to get it in the workspace under the house, so a heavy machine is out. The 360 will (I Hope) just about fit. I looked at the Record Power 14 inch - it's hard to justify the extra cost for slightly heavier wheels and slightly better guides. The BP-355 would be nice, but much heavier so would be hard to manage.



This video explains the very similar BP-310

Looks like a great machine for the money! It has a shedload of features. The video is really worth watching because it shows just how far the Chinese have come...

Tony

i have been seriously considering the Laguna 14/12 a bit over my budget but has good reviews. Would be nice to get a real review from someone who has one.

Cheers

The Laguna's are well praised and should be worth the extra coin over Carbatec or Hafco for example.

Originally Posted by Bucky

i have been seriously considering the Laguna 14/12 a bit over my budget but has good reviews. Would be nice to get a real review from someone who has one.

Cheers

Bucky, if you go to the band saw section you will find some recents comments on the Laguna 14/12. I have been using mine for a few weeks now and have nothing bad to say about it.

https://www.bbta.com.au/harvey-hw616e-16-bandsaw/

I love the Harvey gear for price vs quality.

Maybe have a look at 18" Jet Bandsaw and Hafco Dust Extractor

Yeah, the Brisbane show was, well, underwhelming. And that is sugar coating it!

Depth of cut is important but the critical criterion with resawing is the width of blade the saw can tension. A wide blade has more beam strength than a narrower blade.

There was a second hand Jet 18" bandsaw for sale here in Brisbane by Alex. I don't know if it is still for sale but I have seen this saw in person, and it is well worth the asking price. I bought a drum sander from Alex. That is when I saw it (so to speak...).

I have a Jet 18" bandsaw and it will do everything you want to do. You will not be disappointed.

I have read the reviews my owners of the Laguna here and confirm that it is a good buy. The Jet advised also looks like a good buy making my decision harder. I have in the past always bought new not wanting to buy someone else's problems. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Cheers

About Laguna. Our club bought one and I would not personally have that particular model.

WHY?? It has ceramic block guides which are impossible to adjust. A replacement kit using roller guides seems to be
either unavailable or just bloody hard to get AND expensive.

The thing is not big enough for its attested purpose of re sawing. This is not so much a fault of the brand but probably
the marketing pitch to those apparently duped by the apparent quality of the saw. Yes it is well made, but it will not take
the thickness of blade that was recommended for re=saw work. The blade could not handle the tightness of the curve on the wheel.

The table, because of the size of the saw, is not big enough.

I know that not everything said above is peculiar to Laguna but they give some pointers as to what to look for.

Had I have had a say in the purchase my advice would have been to opt for a larger saw, such as the Hafco which has a better guide set up and is less costly.

Properly set up, according to the advice of Alex Snodgrass _ look him up on You Tube - The Hafco is a very good machine for the money.

I am similarly looking for a 14" bandsaw for musical instrument making. So how does the BP-355 or BP-360 stack up against an equivalent Jet or Laguna?

I am looking to pay about a grand for one.

I had a Hafco BP355. It worked pretty well for the money but blade drift was a pain. Now that I know more about bandsaws I might have been able to fix that, but nothing I tried worked. None of the cheapo machines will work perfectly, nor will they resaw great big logs superbly. Unless you have heavy cast iron wheels and the ability to achieve considerable blade tension the machines do not handle the wider blades well.

But, traditionally, the 14 inch wheel bandsaws have been the mainstay of home workshops. As long as you do not expect them to be perfect and are prepared to fiddle with them you will be able to resaw adequately and cut curves adequately. Do remember though that these are very dangerous machines as they cut flesh more easily than wood.

There are some forums members in Brisbane that are totally in love with their Laguna, others are happy with their Hafco or Carbatec or Jet - it depends on what you expect to do with it.

My advice is to buy secondhand. The person who bought my BP355 got a bargain. When you buy new you stand to lose a lot more if you have made a mistake. Make sure to ask the hard questions of the forums member selling - any problems? blade drift? breakages? Most of us are pretty honest if we have the right questions asked.

One secret to a good bandsaw is the thing that often does not come with it - a good blade. The standard blades I bought with my Hafco should have been consigned to the bin immediately. However, with expensive tungsten carbide tipped blades it was a different and very much better beast. The Lenox tct blades from Henry Bros work well.

Thanks for the advice. So what do you have now or what would you go for now? And if so, what constitutes a good bandsaw? Lagunas look really nice but I am not wanting to pay over $2k with all the accessories that are needed to set up a Laguna.