Thread: 14" Bandsaw - $1k budget

If you intend cutting thick bits of wood like 150mm or more then it needs a bit of grunt. 2hp or more is desireable for heavy work. My first bandsaw was only 3/4hp and after uping that to 1hp it still used to bog down cutting up turning blanks. My current saw is 2hp(H&F BP 355) and cuts anything I can shove through it.
Decisions on what bandsaw come down to:
What do I want to cut -------------- thicker wood needs power and depth of cut.
Have I space in the shed
What can I spend.
Last bit of advise is go and see the models on your short list before making your mind up as you cant spot build quality from a picture.
Have fun with the hunt.
Regards
John

Why not go to your other local supplier Woodfast as they have a great range of bandsaws

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

Why not go to your other local supplier Woodfast as they have a great range of bandsaws

Thanks Jim. (Not the Jim Carroll that is my brother in law .

I will check them out. How does the quality compare to the other brands?

Originally Posted by orraloon

If you intend cutting thick bits of wood like 150mm or more then it needs a bit of grunt. 2hp or more is desireable for heavy work. My first bandsaw was only 3/4hp and after uping that to 1hp it still used to bog down cutting up turning blanks. My current saw is 2hp(H&F BP 355) and cuts anything I can shove through it.
Decisions on what bandsaw come down to:
What do I want to cut -------------- thicker wood needs power and depth of cut.
Have I space in the shed
What can I spend.
Last bit of advise is go and see the models on your short list before making your mind up as you cant spot build quality from a picture.
Have fun with the hunt.
Regards
John

I want to cut up to 8" resaw for projects.
I have a largish shed so space is not an issue.

Thanks for the advice. All grist to the mill.

John

Originally Posted by Yanis

Thanks Jim. (Not the Jim Carroll that is my brother in law .

I will check them out. How does the quality compare to the other brands?

THe quality and features beat some of the others hands down.

No sorry I know all my brother in laws and none live in SA

Interesting, I was watching the Woodworking Online podcast last night from a few years ago and they were doing a session on band saws. He went through all of the options to look out for and the Woodfast ticks all of the boxes. I think I might pop round and have a gander. That might be the go.

Anybody had experience of these guys http://www.generaltools.com.au/

A friend pointed me in their direction Saturday Night. I cannot see any machinery prices there though.

John

Originally Posted by Yanis

Anybody had experience of these guys http://www.generaltools.com.au/

A friend pointed me in their direction Saturday Night. I cannot see any machinery prices there though.

John

General Tools in Adelaide are resellers of Hare & Forbes (machineryhouse.com.au). Good reputation for some items. The Hafco BP-355 might suit you - just under 14 inch with a 2 HP motor.

I'd also recommend following Jim Caroll's advice and look into Woodfast machinery, which is an Adelaide based company. http://www.woodfast.com.au/index.php?p=1_4

Last suggestion - don't write off a machine because it's online price on the distributor's web page is too high for your tastes. You'll only get the best price after you've made contact with the sales person and waved some folding cash under their nose.....

Regards,

Roy

Thanks Roy. Appreciate the tips. I am going to look at the Woodfast, their 14" does look good.

John

So, I have been doing some more research and also talked to the financial controller and decided to go up a notch.

The two options as of right now are the Hafco BP 430 at $1,815 (plus delivery to our local supplier possibly about the $100 mark) and the Woodfast MBS 400 which looks like a marginally lighter duty machine but with pretty similar specifications. They both have a cutting capacity of about the 12" mark and are 16" with 2HP motors. The adjustments on the Hafco look to be somewhat better.

Anybody with experience of these that can offer any advice?

you will appreciate a bigger motor and wheel. the bigger the wheel the bigger. The capacity and the bigger the motor the easier the cut..all this with the proviso that you set the saw up properly and don,t use too wide a blade or try for too many teeth on the blade. more teeth does not mean a faster or cleaner cut.


The blades that come with a new saw are hardl worth the metal they are made from. geta good qualityw blade from an Australian supplier.

Originally Posted by artme

y.... geta good qualityw blade from an Australian supplier.

Any recommendations?

Yanis,

For blades, try Queenstown Saw Works at Athol Park, S.A.
or Henry Bros in NSW
Both have excellent blades.

Cheers
Keith

I didn't read the entire thread so excuse redundant statements.

I am always wishing my bandsaw had more capacity, primarily resaw capacity, but also throat capacity. I would go bigger than 14" (which is what I have) if I had it to do over again.

Also, I really wish I had a self-aligning fence. I wouldn't skimp on that.

I suppose a more powerful motor wouldn't hurt, but if you start feeding hard stuff through a bandsaw too fast the blade starts wandering around, so I sometimes like being forced to feed slowly.

I would also buy something that could accommodate a big beastly blade. If one of your options will only accommodate a 3/4" blade for some reason but another will accommodate a 1" blade... I'd get the one that was capable of the 1" blade.

Hope that helps.

Luke