Looking for a tabletop bandsaw - will be mostly used for plastics (perspex), nonferrous metals and occasionally wood. Accuracy and quality of cut is more important than raw power.
Spotted this one at Machine Mart
nonferrous metals and
blades for it, so
endurance/wear isn't a
I had a small DeWalt - similar to B&D with a different badge - some years ago, and found that accuracy was questionable. I changed that for a Draper about four or five years ago. That will cut reasonably accurately, but only when the blade is newly changed. I've not used it for any serious cutting in plastics, or metal so I can't offer much comment there. The blade will wander with thicker timbers, and tends to pull off to one side. Realistically, you can't get an accurate cut in timber if it's much more than 15-20mm thick.
Unless the fence arrangement has changed since then, it isn't too clever, and the fence doesn't really sit too well. It clamps onto the edge of the table, which is an aluminium casting, using a thumbscrew arrangement. The lip tends to wear and get marked by the end of the screw IYSWIM, so the setting up of the fence gets a bit tricky. Also when the fence is set up into the throat side of the blade, it fastens on the back edge of table, which ain't too clever.
All things considered, you gets what you pays for, but the small tabletop bandsaws have their limitations. For safety, you also need to be able to fasten them down. I've tried using them 'floating' on a bench, and that gets a bit naughty at times!
(perspex), nonferrous metals and
For accurate cutting of perspex you need a tabletop jigsaw, not a bandsaw.
For accurate work in Perspex you need a bandsaw, not a jigsaw,
Jigsaws use 1/2" of blade continuously, my bandsaw uses 100" of continuous blade. I don't have overheating and re-melting problems.
I'd normally advise strongly against a table bandsaw, because anything with wheels less than 14" diameter is pretty useless. For thin Perspex though, the small ones (even the tricycles) might be usable.
Nope - ask those who cut shop front signs. The bandsaw is fine for the backing panel but for the letters a jigsaw is normally used.
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