Bandsaw advice please

[jacko9]

I have a 20"  Powermatic model 81 made in the USA (about 30 years ago) and it is a very nice band saw.  It takes blades as small as 1/8" up to 3/4" and slices through even the hardest of woods like butter.  I usually keep a 3/16" blade in the machine for everyday work but swap it out for the 1/2" Highland Woodworker Wood Slicer blade for re-sawing.

Jack

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Kev -

I am seriously looking at a new bandsaw purchase too. Here in the US the choices for a higher end hobbyist seem to be MiniMax (which I've heard is made by Centauro), Hammer/Felder, Laguna and Agazanni.

I've reluctantly eliminated Laguna from consideration because of the support horror stories floating around. It's unfortunate because they have some nice features.

MiniMax and Agazanni look very solid too, with dealers with fine reputations, however maybe a bit over the top for my needs.

The Hammer N4400 has a lot going for it. It seems sized and priced well for a hobbyist looking for a quality tool to fit into a moderately sized space. The also have a showroom in Delaware that is within driving distance for me.

I think that most of the Italian made bandsaws will work well...personally I have a Laguna and I have had nothing but the best experience from them...of course, I live close to their HQ and know the owner and a few of their sales folks very well.  I would not hesitate to recommend them or their machines and they have stood by their products -- I had a casting break that supports the upper wheel and they gave me a new part free of charge on a saw that was 9 years old at the time -- to me, that is customer service...this machine is well outside the warranty period and they could have easily said that it was not covered.  Granted, this problem is a rarity and a defect from the manufacturer, but the fact that they replaced with no issues speaks to what they will do on service. 

Most of the ACM line of bandsaws will work great, regardless of the brand stuck on them -- Felder's ACM line, Laguna and a host of others come from the same factory and they are all well engineered, accurately made machines built to last.  Felder has the newer version of the 24 inch machine that they make in Austria and of course Aggazanni makes a nice saw too...I know Jesse at Eagle Tools and have crawled around those machines too -- all are close in price and really it comes down to what type of guides you like (ceramic or euro-style) and what kind of motor you want (Baldor vs. Euro).  Other features like table tilt can come into play (some machines only tilt 20 degrees, others 45 degrees); DC out of the crate (some have two ports, others have one and you can modify your saw to accept two).

Scot

 

[andvari]

I think that most of the Italian made bandsaws will work well...personally I have a Laguna and I have had nothing but the best experience from them...of course, I live close to their HQ and know the owner and a few of their sales folks very well. 

Yes, unfortunately I live on the other side of the US, which makes building a relationship considerably more difficult.