Replies

1. 
   Lataxe | Nov 23, 2008 03:46pm | #1

   C,

   My bandsaw experience is limited to one Elektra-Bekum of the £350 type and my present machine, a Scheppach Basato of the £1500 size (12 inch resaw capacity).

   I can't recommend the E-B as it seems they make their stuff down to a price. The guides were poor and it will cost you to put on ones that work properly. The castings under the table were white-metal, which fractured and made table-tilting difficult. The table itself was not at all flat. I believe a lot of their stuff is made in the far east but not by the better makers over there.

   I can recommend the Scheppach, which is powerful (3HP in 2HP out)and well-engineered in Germany.

   If you have a Scheppach TS or P/T then you can swap the various fences, mitre-gauges (not for the P/T obviously) and micro-adjusters around between the machines. This is very useful if you want, for instance, to quickly mount a fence on the other side of the blade from the normal side; or if you want to swap a tall fence-face for a short one; or one with T-tracks in it.

   The guides are very good TCT discs and easy to get at/adjust precisely.

   It uses cast iron wheels with very tough vulcanised tires, has a two-speed pulley and all the adjusters work precisely.

   The Scheppach has one foible: dust collection is poor (but it is with most bandsaws, unless you make some sort of shroud or wind-tunnel in it).

   Mine does a lot of resawing of hard stuff such as oak, teak and iroko. With a 1-inch 1.5 tpi hook-tooth blade it eats even a 12 inch plank of teak with no complaint; and accurately. It will leave a perfect 1/16" veneer slice from even a huge plank, if one sets up and saws properly. But it also serves well to cut the tight curves, as blades are quickly swappable & guides adjusted to, say, a 1/4" 6 tpi.

   This week, it are been mostly slicing up large 1..5 - 2" thick, 8 - 12" wide planks of iroko and teak for Adirobdack chairs, then cutting the profiled curvy parts out to 1/16" of the templates edges......

   Lataxe

1. 
   charnwood123 | Nov 30, 2008 12:14am | #5

   Thank you to everyone for your replies

   I think I will look again at the Scheppach Basato It was a saw I had initially considered but decided to look at the Startrite band saws believing they were made in the UK .I have now been told they are made in Italy

   Ideally I would like to purchase  UK  made saw but sadly this may not be possible

    

   regards Charnwood 

2. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Nov 23, 2008 07:11pm | #2

   I had a look under the bonnet (as you guys say) at a Startrite TS a few years back. Not the best machine available but certainly a good.. solid machine reasonabally priced I feel.  I would have considered it for myself if I had access to it here in the U.S. I cannot recommend the SR BS as I have not seen it.

   But... I can recommend comparing the various machines you do have available if possible as the machine will tell you what is your best choice on your budget. Some things are universal I believe.

   Good luck...

   Sarge..

3. 
   mufti | Nov 23, 2008 08:57pm | #3

   It's one thing to have a budget and another to know what other tools you would like if you came in under budget.

   I have an old startrite 14inch ex school workshop. There are things it will not do, but not the things I ask of it, and it cost me £600 some years back. I use metal cutting blades and it zips through oak, iroko, elm and so on, frozen meat and pies no matter how deep.

   There is a good used tool stockist in Nottingham so why not make some enquiries? Also Bedford Saw & Tool Co people are very helpful re advice in my experience. Just know what you want the saw to do before you buy.

4. 
   Joolz | Nov 23, 2008 09:51pm | #4

   I've got a Scheppach Bassato 5.2 which has been great: plenty of power, 12 inch resaw capacity, good guides and a large cast-iron table. I would certainly buy it again. It will cut veneer smooth enough to be used with little or no sanding. Its only weakness is when using 1/4 inch blades (the smallest it will take) the guides don't give as much support as I'd like (they are the hardened wheel sort).