Horizontal Bandsaw - Final Thoughts

Currently looking for a horizontal metal cutting bandsaw.

Below is the short-list. Not sure how the formatting below will hold up. Hopefully it's legible.

The understanding is that the majority of the machines themselves are mostly identical.

Couple of questions though:

Is the more powerful motor worth the extra £130-170?

I really like the ideal of using it in vertical mode, but I read negative things. Is anyone happy with using the saw in this mode? Could it ever negate the need for a proper/decent vertical bandsaw?

Is there any reason not to just go for the cheapest available import in the category (Clarke in this case)?

Manufacturer Max Cut Power Price Notes
Warco 5" 550W £470.90 Strong Base
Draper 5" 350W £405.00 Horizontal/Vertical
Sealey 6" 375W £342.92 Horizontal/Vertical
Sealey 6" 375W £395.69
Axminster 6" 560W £429.96 Strong Base
Clarke 6" 370W £301.55 Horizontal/Vertical

Any help would be gratefully received.

No direct experience, but based on previous advice, you should take a look at Femi. Much better build quality than those listed.

Machine Mart regularly have VAT free offers on Clarke stuff. There's on on at the moment, though I think you need a voucher code.
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Bill

The 220XL would be the quality buy as it is clear(?) he wants a larger capacity machine (not a ‘hobby’ type). Would take a chunk out of that £5000 budget, mind.

Right, really looking for a 6" machine if at all possible.

Seen a few videos on the Femis and they do look really nice, but they are considerably more expensive than the imports listed.

The £5k budget is only for lathe/mill. This is supplementary to that.

I'd like to avoid using Machine Mart if at all possible.

Their customer service and return policies are generally terrible.

To answer your second question, I have a horizontal bandsaw that can be used in the vertical position. The only issues I have found with doing this are 1) you will need to make a larger rest around the sawblade to support what you are cutting, 2) access to the blade is a little awkward as you have to lean across the remainder of the machine (this might be easier on a machine with a swivel head as you can turn it to 45 degrees making access easier), and 3) all the bits of swarf fall into some inaccessible parts of the machine needing a vacuum cleaner with a small nozzle to get them out. Other than that it seems to cut quite well in that position.

Hi,

I settled on the Axminster a year ago as it popped up on ebay hardly used.

I agree with Perko.

I often use it vertically, however you do need to make a larger rest as the one supplied is pitiful, there is a fair bit of room around the rest in the horizontal position, so you can leave a larger rest attached.

Setting up can be a challenge, but what I have discovered is it is mostly down to careful setting with a quality blade,

Richard

Thanks chaps, that's helpful.

Richard makes a good point about the rest.
In addition to his comments, all the adverts make it look as though you can switch from H to V in an instant. On some e.g. Warco, you can't because the rest gets in the way, so you have to remove and fit it each time and it's crude. I got round this by making an odd-shaped rest to allow it to stay on in the H position. It worked, but not perfect because size is limited, just where you want it.

From what Richard says, it looks like the Axminster is better in this respect and would be OK.

I bought the Warco because it was cheaper and I couldn't see the difference - until I put it together.

I eventually sold it and bought a Femi, which is more expensive but much better built. The rest has to be fitted each time, but it is easier.

The throat distance is also important - particularly if you want to saw sheet.

Edited By Clive India on 10/06/2019 10:16:37

My vintage Warco 6 x 4 machine came with a 240mm x 260mm sheet steel table for use in the vertical mode which is quick to mount and remove. It would be easy to make one for a similar machine which didn't have one.

My experience generally supports the comments by Perko 7 and Richard -. However, I don't find the swarf a problem in practice; I am cutting without lubricant and clean up with vac or brush.

The other day I made a 400mm straight cut in 3mm steel sheet without difficulty. Curved cuts are limited by the fixed width of the blade on my machine and, of course, there is always the limitation of the arm which restricts the throat by comparison with a conventional vertical bandsaw.

Sorry. I rather consider materials preparation machines/tools as an acccessory to my turning and milling exploits (just as I would do, for saw, angle grinder, plasma cutter and work-holding - if setting up a welding shop).

For 150mm +, I think I would look for a reciprocating mechanical saw, not a bandsaw.

I rarely buy from machine mart - quality is too low (or design is limited/compromised) - and usually then only consumables.

Their 20% discounted sale days do not fool me into thinking the items are VAT-free, ‘cos they ain’t. Machine mart are far more deceptive than Boris (his ‘millions/week to the EU&rsquo. I’m surprised that they have not been reported to the advertising standards mob, for their untruthful advertising practices, before now.

What's the max thickness you plan to use most?

A Femi 780XL can go up to 4" dia, on my Nebes TM101 I have cut up to 4.5" dia solid steel, and the motor is a 1000W - much better then the ones listed above.

He wants 152.4mm (see previous posts) which is clearly available - at a price, or at a quality. A third bigger than that Nebes TM101. He would need the model TM176 (we don’t actually know if his 152.4mm is in one dimension or two, but assume it is only in one direction as some of those ones listed in the OP won’t cut 150mm deep).  The axminster will only cut 125mm round, so what does he really want/need?

Edited By not done it yet on 10/06/2019 11:32:36

The projects I pick up are non-specific and vary widely. I recently had to cut through some fairly thick walled 5" pipe to make a in-ground bike lock for a motorbike. In the next few weeks I'll be cutting a bunch of box section to build a substantial welding table. After that, who knows.

4" would almost certainly work for the majority of the projects I work on, but cutting 4 pieces of box section at once would also be nice for time saving/repeatability purposes.

The ability to cut large round sections might come in handy too, although providing the lengths are short, a proper horizontal (Startrite type) bandsaw is likely to be better.

Happy to listen to any suggestions you guys might have. That's why I asked.

I have a Clarke 6X4 1/2, bought a couple of years ago. This goes along nicely with a mini mill and mini lathe. In that time I replaced the supplied blade with M42 blades in 14/12 and 6tpi for a much better cut. I accept the down sides of a saw like this and have replaced the motor after jamming a blade when I wasn't present. But am still quite happy with what it can do with a little care. The alternative is to get a proper industrial saw, heavily built, overpowered and ability oi be accurately set up at a much higher cost and floor area. the question I ask is how much is it going to be used, mine can sit for a week while I mill/turn the pieces I have cut in ten minutes. If you are a fabricator then you will cut more unless it is sheet steel and unless you have a bigger lathe how much bigger do you need. Even if you had a ten inch swing lathe and full size mill the material size to cut will depend on what you are making.

So I am happy with an import which will do what I want while I stand and watch it for a few minutes a week.

It sounds like a great deal of Clarke owners are actually happy with the saw, despite its well documented flaws.

Okay, I'm convinced:

It is done!

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated.