Great advice. I bought a second hand aldi bandsaw and it was definitely a piece of expletive. It took me nearly a year of using it to work out the bottom wheel was out of alignment. I also wound up replacing the pressed steel table with mdf. A surprisingly suitable upgrade. After all that I wouldn't be without it for making cbgs
It's good you emphasise the safety aspect, yes power tools are viscous beasts especially table saws, with kick back etc they can get you, not just with the blade. The great thing about band saws is that the cut is always vertical, so you can take chunks out of things. With table saws the lower part will always be further away than the top part of the cut. If you are doing many long straight cuts with larges pieces of wood then a table saw is probably the way to go. If you want curves and much more detailed work then a bandsaw would be better. Nice to have both, but space?
I've no idea what Makita bandsaws are like, my only experience with Makita workshop tools is with my thicknesser. That was a little lighter made than the Axminster planer it replaced, plastic side panels instead of steel were a bit of a disappointment, but the whole machine is more refined and feels a little more precisely engineered. Based on that, I'd certainly take a look at a Makita bandsaw, but I think I'd expect to have to pay more than a Record for the same size and power. Crucial points to look at are the table (got to be cast iron), how robust the the fence is, motor power rating and the blade guides.
It looks like a bit of a weird design, as there's no clear full-bore passage, but it does seem to extract sawdust reasonably well. I open the wheel cover doors fairly often to check the blade alignment, drive belt, bearings and to clean out the accumulated sawdust.
Great advice. I bought a second hand aldi bandsaw and it was definitely a piece of expletive. It took me nearly a year of using it to work out the bottom wheel was out of alignment. I also wound up replacing the pressed steel table with mdf. A surprisingly suitable upgrade. After all that I wouldn't be without it for making cbgs
It's good you emphasise the safety aspect, yes power tools are viscous beasts especially table saws, with kick back etc they can get you, not just with the blade. The great thing about band saws is that the cut is always vertical, so you can take chunks out of things. With table saws the lower part will always be further away than the top part of the cut. If you are doing many long straight cuts with larges pieces of wood then a table saw is probably the way to go. If you want curves and much more detailed work then a bandsaw would be better. Nice to have both, but space?
How would this compare too the Makita Bandaw for the same price range you think?
I've no idea what Makita bandsaws are like, my only experience with Makita workshop tools is with my thicknesser. That was a little lighter made than the Axminster planer it replaced, plastic side panels instead of steel were a bit of a disappointment, but the whole machine is more refined and feels a little more precisely engineered. Based on that, I'd certainly take a look at a Makita bandsaw, but I think I'd expect to have to pay more than a Record for the same size and power. Crucial points to look at are the table (got to be cast iron), how robust the the fence is, motor power rating and the blade guides.
Great advice noce job.
Does yours have a stupid metal plate covering the dust extraction outlet?
It looks like a bit of a weird design, as there's no clear full-bore passage, but it does seem to extract sawdust reasonably well. I open the wheel cover doors fairly often to check the blade alignment, drive belt, bearings and to clean out the accumulated sawdust.
Blade snapping wakes you up doesn't it. 😂