Hafco BP-355 vs Sherwood 14in Plus Bandsaw

[MariusKuys]

I am interested in the following 2 bandsaws and really hope that someone could offer an opinion on which would be the better buy:

* Hafco BP-355 currently on sale for $1419 W4224 - BP-355 Wood Band Saw | Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse (https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/w4224) (with freight and a base $1759)
* Sherwood 14in Plus Bandsaw at $1699 https://www.timbecon.com.au/sherwood-14in-plus-bandsaw (with freight and a base $2062)

I am a weekend warrior and want ro resaw timber at a small scale. I currently own a Sherwood 10in Contractor's Table Saw and I am reasonably pleased with the quality, I'm just not sure whether I should give the Hafco a go?

Has anyone worked with both and do you have a strong preference for one over the other? Anyone have experience with either of the two?

[BobL]

The Sherwood has a great cut height, and 5 year warranty
The Hafco weighs more which is better on a small saw, and purportedly takes a 1" wide blade, versus 3/4" for the Timbecon
Otherwise they look pretty similar.

[aldav]

For serious re-sawing you really need a saw that will take a 1" carbide tipped blade and has (min.) 300mm depth of cut. Neither of those saws will do that. The BP-355 will only take a 16mm blade as far as I can see and both saws weigh about the same 110Kg compared to 121Kg. Maybe you'd be better off looking for something bigger second hand if the $ are a problem.

IMO in the Sherwood range this is the type of thing you want, unless you're prepared to go crazy with the $ - https://www.timbecon.com.au/sherwood-14in-heavy-duty-bandsaw

[MariusKuys]

Thanks for the feedback. @aldav - how would this compare to the Sherwood heavy duty? Laguna 14/12 Bandsaw CE Model* | Carbatec (https://www.carbatec.com.au/laguna-14-twelve-1-3-4hp-14in-bandsaw)

My initial thoughts were to spend a little less as a hobbyist but I am reconsidering the Laguna 14 12....

[aldav]

Thanks for the feedback. @aldav - how would this compare to the Sherwood heavy duty? Laguna 14/12 Bandsaw CE Model* | Carbatec (https://www.carbatec.com.au/laguna-14-twelve-1-3-4hp-14in-bandsaw)

My initial thoughts were to spend a little less as a hobbyist but I am reconsidering the Laguna 14 12....

That's another saw that only accepts a max. 3/4" (19mm) blade. Although you can get quality 3/4" carbide tipped blades, when I last looked they were A LOT more expensive than the 1" equivalent from Henry Bros. I guess if you never expect to damage a blade - usually managed when cutting logs or second hand timber - that might not worry you too much. The 19mm Resaw King blades do cut very nicely but I don't think the cut is that much better than the 1" blades supplied by Henry Bros. I'm not too sure that the Laguna would do a better job than the Sherwood 14in Plus saw you originally linked to. There have been some good reports on some of the Rikon saws on here recently. Maybe some of the owners of these various models would care to chime in? My saw is an older 18" Carbatec so I may be a little behind the times. :wink:

[alexburto]

I realise this is an older thread, but what did you end up getting and how is it?

cheers
Burto

[MariusKuys]

I bought a 2nd hand Jet in the end, thus can’t offer much advice in terms of the original comparison. Ironically can’t offer much info about the Jet either as I have not used it due to work commitments.