Thread: 14" Bandsaw, What to buy.

Having owned and used my 14" Sherwood from Timbecon for about a year, I have become more critical of it.

Good things:
1. Relatively powerful motor at 1.5HP
2. Four speeds
3. $500 odd with extra blades
4. With the correct, sharp blade, cuts 150mm Jarrah with ease, and a slow feed rate.

Bad things
1. Fence is useless
2. Table not flat
3. Blade guides are not adjustable to fit all blades. I had to drill and tap a new hole for the upper thrust bearing retention screw.
4. This is the biggy. Due, presumably to an in-accurate casting, the blade, or the upper guide slides post, is well off the vertical in the lateral plane. Hence if the thrust bearing is the requisite 0.4mm behind the blade cutting 15mm stock, it will be 12mm behind the blade cutting 150mm stock and the side rollers need changing too.
5. The blade tension knob is situated flush against the upper wheel casing, hence only allowing 1/2 a turn at once. This is easily recified by extending the rod above the casing, still bad design tho.

I can live with this, but if I had another chance I would have looked at better quaility machines. Bit late now, tho.

Originally Posted by Ticky

Bodgy,
Thanks for the input. It will probably take me until July to muster the cash anyway, & I quite enjoy the playoff between companies even if I have already decided What to get. They all want your cash & some good deals can be had. I also think the freight would be a killer.

I am hoping to get a few more points of view, although time is on my side.

ticky

A Screwdriver is not a screwdrive unless there is Vodka and orange juice behind it.