Thread: Experience with H&F BP355 bandsaw?

I have an old H & F BS16 A. It performs very well for my purposes. My only complaint is that the parts for the blade guide holders are all made out of that brittle alloy material. If I tighten them up too tight (which is not very tight anyway) they snap. I have taken to keeping spares on hand in case I get carried away as the nearest H & F shop is 150 kms away. I can order by phone and they post it but the machine is out of action for a few days.

My advice is to check the guide holders as these control the whole accuracy of the saw.

John

I have the BP355 and, like you, only use it infrequently.

I have no complaints so far. It resawed some 200mm camphor logs with ease and I seemed to get it set up reasonably accurately considering this is the first bandsaw I have ever interacted with.

I'm afraid I cannot make comparisons to any other machines for the above reason.

Hi Colin,

I have the Sherwood TBB-14. It looks identical to the Hafco machine you are considering.

New HAFCO WOODMASTER Woodworking Bandsaw BP-355 1500W for sale: $720 AUD - Hare & Forbes MachineryHouse -Bandsaw

My Sherwood is great, especially with a premium blade. I've used it for re-sawing and producing veneers. Works very well.

One limitation I have encountered (and this may be due to my limited experience) is that with narrower blades (1/4") I can't seem to get the upper rear bearing close to the rear of the blade to support it. Using half inch, 3/4" and one inch blades are no problem.

If you were planning to cut intricate work with lots of curves using narrow blades, this lack of adjustment is something to investigate.


Paul

Hi Colin,
I recently purchased the BP-355 and have not regretted my decision one bit. It does everything I have thrown at it from resawing cyprus pine 220 mm deep with a 3/4 blade to very tight radii on cyprus pine and radiata pine 100 mm deep band saw boxes with a 1/4 blade. Also saws accurate veneers.

For hardwood, I have not tried red gum yet, but 150mm Vic Ash is no problem. I have made some nice 1/16" veneers from the Vic Ash.

After doing the forum thing, I went to Hare and Forbes in Melbourne determined to buy the Basato 4. I couldn't see one on the floor, but was able to take a close look at its smaller brother the Basato 3. I must say I was disappointed at the build quality - it appeared to me to be a bit, well 'tinny'. Further it did not have a miter guide included, meaning extra cost to buy one separetly. If this was an indication of the standard of the bigger brother I was going to have to do my homework all over again.
Whist at the show room, I took a look around and was so impressed with the BP-355 that I ordered one immediately. There were none in stock but the current order of 7 were due in a fortnight. 5 off the 7 were already reserved. I thought if they were selling that well, they can't be all that bad. Within a week the sales guy called me to say mine had arrived. I was up there in a shot and putting the thing together that evening.

What do I like about it?
1. The fence locks at the back and is very rigid.
2. The fence and miter guide are the best of the standard supplied in the 14" saws I looked at.
3. The motor is 2 Hp. The highest HP avail in 14" saws.
4. It runs on 10amp single phase.
5. It is quiet and runs smoothly and vibration free.
6. All the controls and adjustments are fine for a machine of this price.
7. Table angle adjustment very easy and accurate.
8. Blade detentioner easy to use means that I always detention after use.
9. Blade changes are easy. Readjusting the blade guides are is a bit fiddly but after doing it a couple of times ceases to be an issue.
10. It cuts accurately and consistently.

What I don't like;
1. The tension indicator worthless. It is not accurate. No biggie, you quickly get the feel for the correct tension.
2. I replaced the 5/8' as supplied blade with a HS one from McDiven Saws. McDiven Saws P/L specializes in all types of bandsaws The as supplied blade was OK, but this was a great move and I highly recommend making the change early rather than later. Price from McDiven was also VERY GOOD.

This is my first band saw so I have nothing to compare to, but I am so very pleased with my BP-355 it is unlikely I will be buying another for comparison for a long time to come.

Hope this helps, happy researching. Cheers Geoff.

Hi and thanks for the responses

Geoff, I also looked at the Basato 4 at H&F the other weekend. I know at least a couple of forumites have them and like them, but I did feel that the support framing for the wheels and blade guides and the drive belt adjustment was more robust on the Hafco. Also the Hafco has bearing blade guides versus blocks.

I'll be having another look at them at the TWWW show this weekend, if H&F has one there.

cheers, Colin

i am very happy with my bp355

she goes through the hardest of woods without any fuss



and i agree with Geoff123 with everything he said ...espc tht tension guide thing

no need to strain the blades unnecessarily imo

Thanks again to the forumites who passed on their comments.

I bit the bullet and bought a new BP355 last Saturday (getting the 10% WWW show discount) and spent a couple of hours getting it into place and bolted together (on my own, up several steps, using several different trolleys). It just fits in my workshop space with inches to spare over the top. See the pic attached.

It came together well, and runs and cuts very nicely. I have not worked it hard yet - just some recently-cut silky oak. It does seem to need the dusty connected - the dust would build up pretty quickly in the bottom wheel cabinet without it.

Having a decent fence and mitre gauge is also going to be great - to date I have been clamping a piece of angle steel to the table on the old one.

Next task will be to find a home for the old one, if no. 1 son doesn't want it.

cheers, Colin

Good decision Colin. I am sure you wont be disappointed. Mine is running well to. You may have to move it a little so you can get long planks thru without knocking the bottles from their shelves on the wall.
Cheers Geoff.

Hi Colin, now you have had a play with your BP355, you may want to set it up so you can confidently cut parallel and at right angles. I experimented with this a couple of days ago and am very pleased with the result.

It seems to me that the saw will let you know if the guides are set up ok by the noise, or rather the lack of noise that the ball bearings make. I have adjusted mine so that they are near but not touching the blade when the saw is running unloaded, ie not cutting.

I checked and adjusted the table for right angles to the blade with a square, then again with a square checked the fence for right angles to the table and found I needed to shim it a little by letting go the 4 hex head screws under the fence and shimming with cardboard. (Didn't have any metal shim to do it properly)
The saw came with a 1/2" blade, I have since purchased a 1/4" and a 3/4 blade. I didn't bother about drift because I use the 1/4 blade freehand and I wasn't expecting drift from a blade as deep as the 3/4". But this wasn't the case. I was not able to rip parallel to the fence.
So here is the procedure to cut parallel. I had seen it described in Lonnie Bird's book, and was aware of the need from my days as an apprentice.
Its really very simple.
Just grab a piece of timber, (pine / mdf) thickness doesn't matter about 2' long and 3" wide. Then:
1. Mark a line parallel to the long edge.
2. Rip the board freehand about half its length following the line you marked.
3. Stop cutting, stop the saw, but make sure you don’t shift the board.
4. Draw a pencil line on the table along the edge of the board.
5. Turn your fence over. Let the 4 hex head screws holding the fence to the clamping mechanism off a little, but keep the contact firm.
6. Place the fence on the table and align it with your pencil line.
7. Carefully remove the fence and retighten the hex head bolts.

That's it. Voila parallel cuts using the fence.

I also adjusted the miter indexing the get true 90 deg and 45 deg cuts by trial and error.

Just love this saw. Cheers Geoff.
..
.

I got one last November. It is a good unit and does everything as expected. I have cut the full 10'' depth of dry spotted gum (old wharf beam) on it with no problems. A huge inprovement on my first saw. Geoff has pointed out all the technical bits well so I cant add much more than to say I think it is a good buy and value for money.
Regards
John