# Aussie Budget Bandsaw



## japa62 (May 9, 2012)

Evening,

Was planning on some staining today but it has been raining all day. So did some more research on my next addition to the shed. Have no experience with a band saw except those over sized hacksaws for metalwork.

Was hoping to spend only around A$300 but have pushed that out to upto A$450-500 (inc GST+delivery) after the research 

Research included most threads on bandsaw's here and watched the excellent youtube video by Alex Snodgrass.

Goal is to purchase an entry saw initially to assist in the making of jigs, some <=250mm re-sawing and later on, some small toys and boxes. Currently only can get in the shed once or twice a fortnight hence the budget price but working my experience forward to when I can spend more time in 5-6 years.

Have looked at -
Ryobi ebw4023l A$269 (Bunnings, already discounted this one quickly)
Hafco BP-250# A$315.00 inc gst&delivery
Carba-Tec 10" BAS-250B A$319.00 inc GST only
or
Hafco BP-305# A$469.00 inc gst&delivery

Hoping to hear your advise -
Are there any others available locally in Queensland that I have missed in this range?
Which of the above is suitable for a entry unit?
What initial 'must have' extras do I need? I presume a small selection of blades at least.

Thank you


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## Matador58 (Jan 28, 2012)

Hi Japa62 ,

You could try these GregoryMachinerycom.au and their address is 807 Boundary road
Richland Brisbane . Their phone number is (07) 33755100 . They have been around for 
years . I hope that helps .

Cheers Graham


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## pretender74 (May 27, 2011)

Your Carba-Tech looks and specs just like my Craftsman 12",which for my small shop is more than great. I don't guess Sears has invaded Australia have they. Mine was only around $159.00 here in Florida. Gary


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

Withe the metric sizes it is hard to compare with what I use. It looks like the HAFCO will cut about 12" thick piece of wood (305mm). If that is the case then I would go with that one. But since I can't figure out the horse power I can't really say for sure. If you want to resaw wood then you really need a powerful saw. I would saw that a 1 hp would be the minimum. A 3/4 just doesn't have the power to do it. Besides the saw you need a good blade. With blades you get what you pay for.


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

mgmine said:


> Withe the metric sizes it is hard to compare with what I use. It looks like the HAFCO will cut about 12" thick piece of wood (305mm). If that is the case then I would go with that one. But since I can't figure out the horse power I can't really say for sure. If you want to resaw wood then you really need a powerful saw. I would saw that a 1 hp would be the minimum. A 3/4 just doesn't have the power to do it. Besides the saw you need a good blade. With blades you get what you pay for.


12" deep not thick. 12" is the throat. For that BS, the thickness it can cut is just under 7".

Hopefully you have 240 volts.

Find some reviews on that one.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

If the wood you are cutting is not terribly thick, I would consider a scrollsaw. I find I use mine a lot more often then I do my bandsaw. It can cut a nice straight cut, along a marked line - you do have to pay attention tho. Mine is a variable speed.


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## markristow (May 30, 2011)

Hi Guys

I purchased a bandsaw with the same intentions a year ago. They call it a 12 in, but that is the size if the wheels. The maximum cutting depth is only 150mm (6in) It has a 370kw (0.5hp) motor. I thought this would be sufficient. The problems is every time you want to resaw a piece of wood it if it is bigger than 150mm you have to cut it in half and resaw twice. Very frustrating if you are making table tops etc. The other problem is the motor is too small so when you resaw a piece of stock 120mm high, it really struggles and gets hot and the process is very slow! With all this frustration I would suggest increase your budget and buy a bigger saw, the bigger the motor the better. If like me you use a lot of recycled wood, the option of being able to resaw big pieces fast and easily will make great savings in the end. It just leaves you with more options. As for the blade, I leave a 12mm (0.5 in) blade in mine permanently, this is nice and strudy for resawing and I am surprised how small a radius I manage to cut easily.

Mark


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## japa62 (May 9, 2012)

*made the purchase*

Thankyou guys, big help. 

Made my choice. Went for the Hafco BP-305. My choice after more research was a POWERMATIC, 14 inch but could not justify the extra $'s, yet. The cutting depth is 6 57/64 inch or 175mm. Power is 750W, 1hp. 240v in the land down under, a natural. 

Only concern was re-sawing bigger pieces but will use other methods there when needed.

Now to research more about the blades, attachments, the tricks and more on jigs. And some practice.

Looking forward to my first bandsaw box before the end of the year.

Ta

James


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## routerworks (Feb 20, 2012)

James in case you may want to try making one of these. It cost me about $100 Cd to make my 16" bandsaw. See this site for more info and good luck. Homemade bandsaw (version 2)
Fred


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## bosox (Jun 12, 2012)

Good on you *James*! Good luck on your first band saw box. Be sure to make it before the end of the year or else Santa will do it for you. Just joking. This site may help you with your research about blades, attachments, tricks ,etc. – BandSawBlog | News, reviews and articles about band saw blades and partsBandSawBlog. I’ve been on that when I did my research on band saws too!


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## japa62 (May 9, 2012)

Nice links, ta. Unluckily, my wife walked in when I was checking out this cool work and said 'No'. Then walked out. Need more experience on smaller jobs first, apparently.


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## bosox (Jun 12, 2012)

A small start isn’t bad at all. If she sees that you like what you’re doing, she’ll buy into it! By the way, the site I gave you updates weekly on their posts. A lot of new information every week for you to follow. Hope it helps.


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## Fabitfast (Jun 14, 2012)

Bosox’s right! I have been in that situation too. My wife used to nag at me every time I started to do some woodwork. One time, I told her that I ‘d been doing this long before we got married. Time passed, she now understands my hobby. Sometimes we read blogs together about woodworking tools like band saws, table saws, and etc. Oh by the way, thanks for the blog link you posted.


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