Scheppach Basato 3 Bandsaw

[Jeff Gorman]

Is anything known about excessive wear of the thrust bearings on this Scheppach Basato 3 Bandsaw please?

I have a colleague who reports:

'The thrust and guide bushes leave a little to be desired. The guide bushes are simple and do the job OK, I suppose, but the similarly designed thrust bearings are a constant headache for me. Neither the upper nor lower bearings ever really ran smoothly when feeding wood through the saw and regularly stopped or "jammed". Both have over heated and locked completely on several occasions, requiring to be removed and taken apart and greased. The bearing faces have also become heavily scarred.

Is this a known fault or have I been unlucky (or abusive!) with my machine? '

He could, of course have the wheels improperly set so that the blade constantly bears on the thrust bearing, but the suggestion that 'Neither the upper nor lower bearings ever really ran smoothly when feeding wood through the saw'. If they never ran smoothly, this could suggest a general fault with the machine.

Jeff G, who is really a hand-tool man.

[Andy Dingley]

The "Scheppach" names puts me right off. I've not used their bandsaws, but the table saws and especially the planer/thicknessers are tinny junk with big pricetags.

[Jeff Hartley]

bearing wear

I've had exactly the same problems as your colleague. No matter how carefully I set up the bearing guides and how tight I make the locking nuts, they come loose and jam the blade, usually halfway through a cut. The rear bearing is particularly bad for seizing causing the blade to squeal like a stuck pig. I've also had serious issues with the variable speed mechanism to the extent I had to strip it out and re-machine the journals so it would slide smoothly and work properly.

I am going to see if there are any aftermarket bladeguides that can be retrofitted to this saw.

If I got to choose again I would buy a different brand, my experiences with the Basato3 lost Sheppach the sale of a Planer/Thicknesser and tablesaw.

Regards, Jeff.

[richard]

perhaps if you sent the guides back to NMA via your dealer, they may be able to send out a set under warranty if they were indeed faulty to start with.

[landiman]

replying to richard, landiman wrote: I have had the same issues with my schepach basato 3. I bought it years ago after reading an editors favourable reviews in a woodwork magazine. All in all the machine would be just ok except for the guides. The table is not true and the guides,well these are without a doubt rubbish. To make an accurate cut in any real thickness of wood you need to stop during the cut and clean and lubricate the bearings to prevent sticking, sparking and squealing. I tried to resolve the issue with the company a few years ago, they gladly offered to sell me new bearings !!! I refused the kind offer not wanting to throw good money after bad. My solution was to insert small ball bearings into the bronze sleeve, it had a positive influence on the seizing but did not help with accuracy of the cuts. I now rarely use the machine and when I do I am willing the day it dies and can be consigned to be recycled into something useful. Having had this experience early in my woodworking life I have since went for the best quality I can afford and it has paid off. Avoid purchases based on advertising, look for real reviews and if you can, see one in action. Is it better to save and buy better or buy second hand quality than new rubbish? I cannot recommend my ball bearing modification, (I am not an engineer) but it did help in my situation.