Thread: checklist for buying 2nd hand bandsaw

Sounds like you have most of the standard things covered by using common sense. On top of those things you need to check the condition of the tyres on the wheels. If they are rubber and very old they could be starting to perish and could need replacing in the not too distant future.
Check the brackets and adjusters on the blade guides (upper and lower) to make sure they haven't been broken at some stage and then just bolted back in the right spot somehow. Some of the cheaper Chinese machines used fairly poor quality castings for these and either the metal was poor or the design weak. Check that all the adjustment knobs for these are there also and that the adjusters move freely.
If when it is running it makes noises that don't sound right you can back the guides away from the blade so that the only things moving are the wheels and motor and that will help isolate the sound for closer inspection.

If it has a tilting table; most do, then have a go at tilting it. I was surprised by one that I looked at, where the tilt feature was basically unworkable unless you almost pulled the table off.

I would also suggest if the unit is older than about ten years and/or been heavily used and still running original tyres, then replacing them will need to be included in your buy price. I replaced my tyres with urethane units from the USA.

Urethane Band Saw tyres (tires)

Mick.

thanks guys, appreciate the thoughts.
on guides, that wasn't something I'd mentioned but I had considered it in "bearings" but the actual adjustment and castings is a good thing I'll now look at. I had expected to replace the tyres, as the one I am looking at is ~10 years old - as a newbie I'm not really sure what a deterioration of the tyres would cause, I'm assuming if they've chipped and cause the blade to run strangely it's an obvious sign, but as they approach that point?

Optimark, I'm assuming the implication of what you said about the tilt table is more that it was a badly designed tilt mechanism rather than the previous owner had left it in a state?

* All adjustment knobs fitted, and all are free and easy to tighten/loosen
* tilting table free and easy to adjust
* surface of table finish appropriate for age/price

Yes, the mechanism of tilting the table on one saw that I looked at, was not the greatest. I remember when I declined to purchase it after looking at it for some time and mentioning that the table tilting mechanism wasn't that easy to use. The owner/vendor agreed with me and stated that he had hardly ever tilted his table as it was very hard to do.

With regard to tyres, I'm mainly talking about slipping. My own band saw tyres worked perfectly, for light cuts. However when I was running the saw close to maximum cutting depth (around 200mm) the blade started to slip a bit. If you look at the link I gave, look at the pictures of the original tyres, one is quite shiny. The real shiny tyre was on the drive wheel and that shine comes from where the wheel was driving but the tyre was slipping; it is a shine developed from the alloy drive wheel.

If the blade keeps coming off, as far as my experience goes,that is telling me that the top wheel, with which you get alignment, is incorrectly aligned.

Best of luck with your searching.

Mick.

With tyres, watch out if they are too hard, they should have a small amount of give in them. If they are are hard that means they are on their way out and will need replacing. Not that big a deal but something to look for.

It's very difficult to tell much by cutting as the cut is so "band" dependent and a New Band could make a lot of difference. When I went to but my metal cutting bandsaw the seller had it set up to make perfectly square cuts for thin stock. As soon as got it home and adjusted it for wider stock it no longer cut true. After a lot of mucking about I replaced the blade and the problem went away.

Thanks again Mick. I had read your urethane tyre post before and re-read it - all sounds good to me. And it turns out I'm looking at a saw similar to what you have BP355 - and while I don't live in the area near the Hafco Sydney spare parts place I could probably drop by one Saturday (who doesn't need an excuse ) and pick up the part and whack it in a regular letter to get to you cheaper.

Go Big or go home!

Larger old machines are going to be industrial quality and are usually far cheaper than the hobbyist alternative. They are better built and have the capacity that the cheaper homeowner machines can never have.
You may have to swap a motor out to get single phase but you won't have to upgrade!
Well, unless you decide you need 2 bandsaws!

Have fun,
Alli

I think if i went big, I wouldn't be allowed to go home !

i guess time will tell how useful this question was, as I now own a 2nd hand Sherwood TBB-14

Nice, that is a reasonably specified machine, better cutting height than my HAFCO unit.

Should get you into the swing of things.

Mick.

Originally Posted by poundy

i guess time will tell how useful this question was, as I now own a 2nd hand Sherwood TBB-14

Congratulation!! Let me know if you have any Questions.

Originally Posted by safari

Congratulation!! Let me know if you have any Questions.

ok, first question - what should I build with it first?

First up, a mobile base, followed by some kind of dust extraction.


Mick.



Mobile_Base_002_web.jpg Dust_Extraction_Bandsaw_web.jpg

Originally Posted by Optimark

First up, a mobile base, followed by some kind of dust extraction.
Mick.

Darn. Wasn't supposed to be that easy !!
OK, 1 is done as it comes on a mobile base. 2 is kinda OK since it comes with a standard 100mm port (that will need improving, I have no doubt). What's next?