I've bought a new bandsaw (now with photos).

[AJB Temple]

Interesting on the fuse ratings. Pretty sure we had to wire my brother's into 16 amp for some reason. This was in a farm barn, and if the extractor was running (basically a big fan unit that dumped everything into the manure area at the back of the barn) then the bandsaw was hard to start - it sort of chugged like a car engine that is struggling to get going. My uncle Nev used it mainly and he used to pull the blade down from the back to get it going, until the wiring was changed. Most stuff there was on three phase. It's ages ago and I don't remember it well.

 

[Doug]

Interesting on the fuse ratings. Pretty sure we had to wire my brother's into 16 amp for some reason. This was in a farm barn, and if the extractor was running (basically a big fan unit that dumped everything into the manure area at the back of the barn) then the bandsaw was hard to start - it sort of chugged like a car engine that is struggling to get going. My uncle Nev used it mainly and he used to pull the blade down from the back to get it going, until the wiring was changed. Most stuff there was on three phase. It's ages ago and I don't remember it well.

That sounds like it could have been voltage drop, my mate had a big compressor in an out building with insufficient sized cable running a long distance from the house supply, it really used to chug to get going, he upgraded the cable & the problem was sorted.

 

[Woodster]

When the sparks did my workshop electrics I asked him to install a C type breaker in the consumer unit but he forget. After having the circuit trip a few times I made sure it was replaced the next time we had some electrics done and it’s been fine since.

 

[Woodbloke]

My other suggestion is investing in a Tuffsaws 3 TPI X 1/2" blade. They are great for all the things I do. I bought two as a trial and I'm still trying to wear out the first one.
Mike.

Or try an Axminster Diamond Ground of the same size. I’ve never worn one of those out either and have only had to change them when I’ve had some particularly important veneer to slice up - Rob

 

[Mike G]

This is how I did the DX on mine. I'm very pleased with it.

[youtubessl]sAEr8oZfJYA[/youtubessl]

Thanks Steve. I'll refer back to that in due course when I set up a system in my workshop.

 

[Mike G]

...... Is it your own plan from scratch?

No, no. It's by George Whisstock, a local designer and boatbuilder.

I was up in the Lake District at the weekend and was reminded that while timber boats are a labour of love they are imho worth it.

I read a slogan once which said something like "it's very hard to build an ugly wooden boat".

 

[Mike G]

..... My other suggestion is investing in a Tuffsaws 3 TPI X 1/2" blade.

Yep, that's my plan. My last one was better with a 10mm blade. The Tuffsaws M2 (I think) blades are all but indestructible but at the cost of a thicker kerf. The non A2 blades are great, but there are others, including Axminster blades, which are just as good.

What sort of boat are you considering? I hope it's going to be big!....

I've since linked to it......Only 19 feet, I'm afraid. It needs to live on a trailer, so length and weight are limiting factors.

 

[Mike Jordan]

Speaking from more than thirty years experience of paying mooring fees, trailing out has lots going for it.
Mike.

 

[Lurker]

.......Great buy, Mike :eusa-dance:

Thanks Roger. I've only been looking for about 9 months.....

Now I've got to work out how to sell things on Ebay and move the old one on.

Try Facebook market place.
No fees, nothing lost if it doesn't shift via that route.

 

[Woodbloke]

Try Facebook market place.
No fees, nothing lost if it doesn't shift via that route.

Yep, Faffbook market place is excellent. I’ve just sold a complete (10) set of Japanese Chisels for my cash asking price. No hassle, buyer collected from Verwood, cash twenty’s on the barrel - Rob

 

[Mike G]

I'm not on Facebook.

 

[AJB Temple]

Only just spotted the boat picture Mike. Give is an idea of scale please LAW, beam, draught.

Looks like a practical and easy to sail boat. I prefer sloop designs for wooden boats myself, but they tend to be much less suitable for trailers. Starting to get jealous already.

 

[Mike G]

I'll build it as a sloop or a cutter. No mizzen. The designer reckons a cutter is better for less exerienced sailors as it's easier to handle 2 smaller sails rather than one big one, but like you, I prefer the look of a sloop.
5.7m LOA, 5.31m LWL
Beam 2.07m
Draught 0.4 and 1.2m (board up and down)
Importantly, it only weighs just over 700kg, so easy to trailer, launch, and recover alone. Have a look at the study plans on the page I linked to. I will be changing the internal layout a bit (omitting the head, adding a saloon.....OK, a seat), and the designer is going to move the centreboard off-centre so that the cabin sole is clear. It has an outboard in a well.

 

[Mike G]

It's in. I had to take the table and doors off to lighten the load to help in getting it 30 or 40 metres across the lawn to the workshop. This beast of a trolley meant it was just a question of pushing and pulling it straight across the lawn:



The wheel arrangement means it is steerable:



Straight in, straight up, no hassle:



The old one is in the background, where my friend's lathe will sit for a while when I've finished servicing it for him/ her.

Adjustment is an absolute doddle. Everything is big and solid, and there are gauges and viewports. You can see the blade on the tyre without opening the door:



You can see the tension indicator (my old machine didn't have any such thing):



The only issue I have is that it rocks a bit on the wheeled base it came with. I need to look at that, but it should be just a question of a shim here and there:



It looks immaculate, it's powerful and quiet, there is nothing worn, it's simple to adjust, and it cuts easily, quickly, straight and square. I'm rather pleased. The only job I've got to do is to make a replacement table insert:

 

[Lurker]

I'm not on Facebook.

Nowt stopping you joining.
Easy to ignore the carp
You can easily create & maintain anonymity
No requirement to friend anyone

I did make the mistake of using my real name when I opened the account years ago, but you could call yourself anything you like.

 

[sunnybob]

Well done that man :eusa-clap: :eusa-clap: :eusa-clap: :eusa-clap:
Thats a remarkably small table for a saw that big. That would have helped a lot in the weight department.

I havent seen a trolley like that since the late 60's, you do realise that would be a desirable asset for any industrial museum? :eusa-whistle:

 

[Malc2098]

Nice.

 

[NickM]

Looks a cracker. Not quite a ship saw, but a cracker nonetheless!

 

[Mike G]

No, indeed. That monster ship-saw of Leo's wouldn't fit into my workshop. The boat I have in mind is made with laminated frames, so there is likely to be lots and lots of ripping involved, but no continuously-varying bevels cut on the saw.

 

[AndyP]

Nice new toy Mike.
I’m Looking forward to the ship build.

 

[Mike G]

......I’m Looking forward to the ship build.

Here's the order of play:

-finish bike shed
-brick and flint wall
-dining suite of table & 10 chairs
-oak framed sunroom
-bedroom doors
-boat

Sometime in that lot there will be a hip operation and the recovery period, so I reckon I'll be lucky to start the boat in a year or more from now.

 

[sunnybob]

I'm most upset, I had planned to post a picture of a large ships bandsaw, sitting at the roadside, that has been there for 10 years to my knowledge.
I crossed the border yesterday to the north for the first time in 18 months to take the pic.
Its gone
I suspect trevanion. :lol:

 

[AndyP]

......I’m Looking forward to the ship build.

Here's the order of play:

-finish bike shed
-brick and flint wall
-dining suite of table & 10 chairs
-oak framed sunroom
-bedroom doors
-boat

Sometime in that lot there will be a hip operation and the recovery period, so I reckon I'll be lucky to start the boat in a year or more from now.

Only took Andy Murray 6 months before he was playing (doubles) after his op, so I hope you are not getting your excuses in early .
Seriously, I hope the ops go well.

 

[NickM]

I'm most upset, I had planned to post a picture of a large ships bandsaw, sitting at the roadside, that has been there for 10 years to my knowledge.
I crossed the border yesterday to the north for the first time in 18 months to take the pic.
Its gone
I suspect trevanion. :lol:

Here’s a nice one I took in Sorrento through the open door of a shipwright’s workshop.

 

[Mike G]

.......Here’s a nice one I took in Sorrento through the open door of a shipwright’s workshop....

Nah, couldn't be a shipwright: there's dust extraction!!

 

[AJB Temple]

Well done Mike. I feel a bit guilty as we were in Suffolk all day, following your suggested itinerary (I've done a hell of a lot of driving them around), but if I had known I would have added a muscle stop. We saw a lot of boats and Adelburgh is totally charming and far better than the Kent and Sussex seaside towns, that usually look quite rough and with rubbish architecture. Boat: I can see where the design you linked to has some local attributes and probably very suitable for the shallows. We do need to have a further chat about the design though! But plenty of time before you start the build.

 

[Trevanion]

I'm most upset, I had planned to post a picture of a large ships bandsaw, sitting at the roadside, that has been there for 10 years to my knowledge.
I crossed the border yesterday to the north for the first time in 18 months to take the pic.
Its gone
I suspect trevanion. :lol:

 

[TrimTheKing]

Very nice Mike, very similar to mine but not identical. SunnyBob is correct though that table is very small, I would suggest either not original or the manufacturer cut costs by putting a smaller one on because mine goes all the way into the throat almost right up to the frame, essentially the same length as the fence guide rails.

 

[Mike G]

......We do need to have a further chat about the design though! ......

I'm always up for that.

 

[Mike G]

........SunnyBob is correct though that table is very small, I would suggest either not original or the manufacturer cut costs by putting a smaller one on.........

I reckon the latter. It is a heavy, well made table, but no bigger than the one on my old smaller machine. It is at a much nicer level, though, maybe 6 inches lower. It is beautifully controllable, too, staying firmly where it is put, and I was able to get it bang on 90 degrees to the blade in seconds......a really trying exercise with my old one.

 

[sunnybob]

I'm most upset, I had planned to post a picture of a large ships bandsaw, sitting at the roadside, that has been there for 10 years to my knowledge.
I crossed the border yesterday to the north for the first time in 18 months to take the pic.
Its gone
I suspect trevanion. :lol:

Here’s a nice one I took in Sorrento through the open door of a shipwright’s workshop.

Nah, thats not a circular bandsaw, just a (ahem) deep throat one. :lol:
A circular bandsaw has a rotating chassis, so that you can start a cut straight, but then while the plank and table stays horizontal the the wheels and blade can be tilted as the cut progresses.
I'm really annoyed that one has disappeared. I took a photo of it many years ago, but of course cant find it now among the thousands of images.
heres a google one https://www.totalboat.com/2018/05/25/sh ... at-builds/

 

[NickM]

Fair enough, you’re right; but it’s a nice one nonetheless!

 

[Doug]

The only issue I have is that it rocks a bit on the wheeled base it came with. I need to look at that, but it should be just a question of a shim here and there:

I really dislike those mobile bases with wheels that stick out such a trip hazard.

It looks immaculate, it's powerful and quiet, there is nothing worn, it's simple to adjust, and it cuts easily, quickly, straight and square. I'm rather pleased. The only job I've got to do is to make a replacement table insert:

I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with it Mike, funnily enough I made a new table insert yesterday with a mate, I’m trying an idea I saw on Instagram which I thought had merit particularly when making deep cuts, the plate has inbuilt guides which means the blade is supported directly under the cut.

This is it



Machined from aluminium I’m trying out some sort of nylon wear strips off an access platform for the guides first off but I’m thinking of making some from Lignum Vitae to see if they’d be better.

 

[Philly]

Hi Mike
Slightly late to the post, congrats on the new bandsaw! I've got the Axy 4300, been running it for years without issue, lovely saw. I cut a lot of firewood up as well as the usual woodwork stuff, it's a lifesaver.
One thing I would say if you are planning to cut lots of long stock is to make an outfeed table or stand to help balance things as it's a struggle at the beginning and end of cuts.
Oh, and make a note of the bandsaw length for when it comes time to get replacements. Nothing worse than ordering a slightly too short blade which won't quite fit, although I'd never do anything like that...... :lol:
Cheers
Philly

 

[sunnybob]

Agreed on the blade length.
My axminster 350N will not run with the blade length stated on the data plate
They admitted to "a printing error" :lol: :lol:

Make a pencil line on the inside of the blade, lay it on the floor, and make a corresponding line on the floor.
Roll the blade across the floor till your mark comes around. make another corresponding mark on the floor, then measure between the two marks.
Thats your blade length.
BUT........ be aware that when you order that blade, there might well be a 2 or 3 mm variation because if your exact length falls at the tip of a tooth, the cut will have to in the next gullet (or the previous one). The bigger the tooth spacing, the bigger the variation.
So you need a blade length that works with the saw's adjustment in the centre of its travel.

 

[AJB Temple]

Looking at the saw Mike, and pictures of Axminster and Jet models (Mine is Jet) I suspect there should be a pressed steel plate where the arms project at the back of the table. Would be easy to get one made up. No need for cast iron there and would usefully extend the table working area.

 

[Alasdair]

When I first started my working life as an apprentice, we had a large cast iron bandsaw (wheels were about 30" diameter) which was part of a line pulley system. I came back to the workshop one day to find my old dad and his friend (the local publican) cutting frozen whole salmon into steaks on the bandsaw having it mobile would have helped with the subsequent clean up that i got given as the apprentice. Even after that i am still not a fan of machines like this on mobile bases but can see benefit of it.

Nice bandsaw though Mike, something that i may be looking out for next year.

 

[kirkpoore1]

Nice looking saw, Mike.

One feature that I like that usually gets neglected is the table height off of the ground. My small saw (14") has a 46" table height on it's mobile base, and to me that's way too high. My big saw (30") has a 36" table height, and I find it much easier to use. Of course, the table is gigantic compared to the small saw and that helps too.

Doug, your insert looks great. I hope it works well, particularly when tilted.

Kirk

 

[Doug]

Doug, your insert looks great. I hope it works well, particularly when tilted.

Kirk

Thanks Kirk, it appears so far to work well I picked up a new 5mm milling bit yesterday ready to make a few more adjustable guide blocks, so I’ll keep experimenting.
The insert would be no good for angled work as there’s very little adjustment to tilt the table in it, I purely made this with straight cuts in mind which are 99% of what I do, fortunately I have a second bandsaw to accommodate any work that involves adjusting the bed etc.

 

[Phil]

Good buy Mike, also good price.

If you need help building the boat let me know