About 4 years ago I needed a bandsaw to be able to cut out a lot of rocking horse heads. The choice here was limited and I got a Record
12" (English made - European pattern) and Mark Duginskie's book. I set it up as best as I could - the frame got in the way of getting the wheels coplanr etc. I broke a lot of blades and contacted the local agents. They acknowledged that did have problems with that model and gave me a 14" saw. It was a lot better but still difficult to get wheels coplanar and blade alignment, bearings got noisy very quickly. Last month I found a second hand Tw clone saw and took it home. Stripped it, cleaned and resprayed, fitted new bearings and ended up with a saw that tracked the blade perfectly, was quiet and could cut accurately. Downside was the amount of pewter castings and general finish, but it was far better than the Record. Better cut quality and a lot quieter. Today I took the Record 14" in for resale. There was a an old Rockwell/Delta there. So much cast iron as to make it diffucult to move. A deal was done and I now have another band saw to refurbish. When done the Tw clone will go on sale and overall I will about financially even but quality wise way ahead. The only problems are that it came with a a 1Hp - GE - Induction repulsion motor which weighs a ton and does not fit the stand - can only fit 2 mounting bolts - so some changes need to be made there and the left blade guard is non existant. Thought about making a wood stand on wheels with storage. At the moment all parts are soaking in paraffin and the restoration will continue. Cheers- posted
18 years ago