Buying a Bandsaw – contact at Felder ?
All,
I have read many very informative threads here and elsewhere about sub-$2000 bandsaws … and my final contenders are the Laguna LT 3000, Minimax E16 and Hammer N4400. I just want a solid machine with around 12″ (10″ would be ok also) resaw height, decent power that will last me … (I am an amateur). Of course I’d be happy to hear any opinions about these models or alternatives in my range. Also considering a used/demo machine.
I have not been able to get a quote from Felder on the Hammer N4400 though. They published their catalog with prices but several attempts to obtain a quote including shipping from one of their reps were unsuccessful. Can anyone here recommend a person I should deal with ? I am on the east cost (NJ) if that makes any difference.
Thanks a lot and Happy Chrismashannukakwanzaa !
Patrick
Replies
Felder's US headquarters are in Delaware, which should help with the shipping cost. I've found that calling during the work day is a good idea with them.
My so called junk Ricon 18 inch works! OK, so I broke a casting that holds the double ball bearings.
Yes it was MY fault. I forgot to tighten the blade and turned the saw on! Wammo Maybe a trade name?
I had the saw for about two years and told them what happened.. I was sent a new casting. I said I would pay for it. They said not necessary.
I did have one ball bearing freeze up for the blade guides. For now, I live with it.. Ashamed to call back... Just me.. I'd guess the ball bearings could be a bit better.
Other than that it has served me more then well!
But then again I cannot afford better. My junk tools work for me if I learn to live with any shortcomings. Not many I have found.
Yes, that's a tough call, can you justify spending more on a nicer tool. Oftentimes, I would agree. Whenever I use my LN block plane or my one special Japanese chisel they make me smile. That's the purpose of woodworking for me :o)But, I also get by with a Harbor Freight Tile Saw and a cheap Ryobi benchtop saw ... (due to extensive use of a Festool circular saw) Actually, I cut tons (literally, about 20 of them) of 1" travertine pavers with the harbor Freight saw, and the help of a good diamond blade. Others have said a Rigid with a riser block will do just fine for most uses. But will it be as enjoyable ?
Ridgid bandsaw here.icon BANDSAW..
I usually use Lenox blades.. I find that a good or bad blade (if otherwise made well) depends on how well the blade is weld and was made flat and no different from the other parts of the blade..
Even a little hump in the weld joint can ruin any cut forever.. I would bet even for a better saw than I have!
I just got a quote from a friendly rep at Felder. So does anyone have an opinion of the relative merits of these saws ? The Hammer still comes out a bit higher ...
Edited 12/18/2008 5:25 pm ET by Pezzi
Pezzi!
Great to hear others speaking well of Harbor Freight!
Jim
>decent power
I have a small Laguna with the Baldore 2hp motor running on 220v. I have used it mainly to resaw bubinga and cutting over 10 inch depth with their big old resaw blade the motor showed no signs of strain. Quiet, smooth, hardly got warm on planks seven feet long.
I am a very happy camper here. Have had the saw about two years.
roc
Hi Patrick
My understanding is that Felder make Hammer.
I have had the Hammer 4400 for the past 4 months. This followed a 14" Ridgid (with a riser kit and a motor upgraded to 1 1/2 hp). They are like chalk and cheese. The Hammer is effortless at resawing hard Australian eucalypts (there is nothing harder). The build quality is superb. The latest model (which I have) is 4 hp (single phase, but requires a 20 amp circuit). This is a machine to last.
Regards from Perth
Derek
<<is 4 hp (single phase, but requires a 20 amp circuit)>>I am having trouble trying to imagine a 4HP motor running off a 20A circuit. Oh well..Cheers,Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
OK Peter. 240 with 20 Amp.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Ahh..Now I can sleep tonight ;-)Cheers,Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
Thanks for the feedback. Tough call, really, the Hammer, Minimax E16 or Laguna LT3000. With the Laguna you can set the lower guides directly below the table, and it has a tension quick release and those guides ... but I have an issue with the Chinese provenance. I think that especially in current times, we ought to be supporting American and European manufacturers. The Hammer is made in the same factory in Austria as the Felder machines, and it has the strongest motor, and the E16 also has a great reputation. What turns me off the Laguna is the customer service reputation. Oh well ...
<<What turns me off the Laguna is the customer service reputation>>And that is quite the reputation indeed. It would make me VERY wary about buying their product, no matter where it was made. My $0.02Cheers,Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
I believe the Laguna bandsaws are built in Italy not China.
The 16HD and bigger are built in Italy, but I spoke with a Laguna rep - he said the LT 16 3000 is built in China. (I guess the smaller models all are)
The Hammer and Felder bandsaws are made by ACM in Italy.
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .
"Life is not a success only journey." Dr. Phil
Well, I made up my mind and ordered a MiniMax E16 today - they made an offer that was hard to refuse. I have to say that dealing with the gentlemen from Felder and MiniMax was (is) a great pleasure. The Laguna salesperson was friendly but very sales-y if that's a word. I was very tempted to go for a MM16 but even with a very attractive discount it's too much for my budget as an amateur woodworker. I doubt I'll exceed the capabilities of the E16 anytime soon - it's my own skills I have to work on !After comparing the candidate in every detail and reading feedback on the two European machines either would have made a great choice. Thank you all for your feedback and help - I'll be back on this forum !Patrick
I am thinking about the E16 as well. What convinced you? Would you mind sharing the price quoted? I know they have flyer with it discounted $200 to $1595 then freight would have to be added.
Hi Tom,yes I was quoted the 1,595 from the catalogue plus shipping - 220ish to my location with liftgate. Felder quoted 350ish for shipping for some reason unbeknown to me (maybe their warehouse is farther away or shipping rates less favorable).I dealt with Brad Tucker (866)573-8052 - he is very helpful and actually one of "us" (a woodworker / carpenter).Good luck and let me know how it goes.Patrick
good choice. I bought a felder table saw and jointer planer a year ago at the same time I bought an MM20 bandsaw from mini max. The customer service from mini max has been excellent. Felder's is the worst I've seen from any company I've ever dealt with.
Kris
Pezzi,
I bought a panel saw from MiniMax(Brad Tucker) and have nothing but praise for their equipment, sales staff and service. I too have had similar experiences as related in this thread with the Laguna and Felder sales people. I still think the Felder equipment is over priced and their service isn't as good as MiniMax. What ever you do, don't put money down on a machine from Felder and then change your mind ,as you won't get your deposit back. I lost $1,500.00 doing this and got no sympathy from them.They even had the arrogance to think that I would eventually come back and purchase from them at a later date, spouting that their equipment was of superior quality and that I would eventually recognize this. I've been told it's kind of a normal European mindset, especially those of Germanic nationality. A-- Holes! Unbelievable!
Brownman, I am sorry you had a bad experience with Felder ...I am not sure this mindset applies to all Germans - I am a German, born and raised there, lived there for 30 years. (OK, you can take your foot out of your mouth now :o) )And Felder is an Austrian company. Austria is not all "Germanic" (whatever that really means) ... it has a very rich multi-cultural heritage.Per wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_tribesThe Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European Language-speaking people, originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic languages which diversified out of Common Germanic in the course of the Pre-Roman Iron Age. The descendants of these peoples became the ethnic groups of North Western Europe: the Danish, Swedish, Norwegians, Icelanders, Germans, Dutch, Austrians, Flemish, Luxembourgers, and the English. Also, in South Africa, the direct descendants of Dutch, German and Flemish settlers are called the Afrikaners and Boers. They speak Afrikaans, a sister language of Dutch.Chances are there is some Germanic in you, too.Anyway ........I received my bandsaw yesterday - it's a work of art ! I think a few parts might be missing (bolts for the mobility kit, leveling feet) and I am confident Brad will help me take care of it.I tried my step up transformer - to to avail. Apparently the start-up current is way more than the 20A transformer. Blew the fuse. Time to rewire the shop. More to follow.
Pez,
Thanks for the history lesson. Nothing personal intended. Glad you like your MiniMax bandsaw. I recently upgraded my bandsaw. I came across a deal I found at the Rockler woodworking store. I managed to get a deal on a 21" 3 hp jet bandsaw for $1400.00. It was to good to pass up. It runs great and I've got it all cherried out with an out feed table, mobile base,etc. I made the mobile base from angle iron and it came out really nice. You can see pictures of it by doing a search on this site under "bandsaw mobility revisted". I bought a 1/2" resaw blade for it from Highland Woodworking, the one that was rated No. one by Fine Woodworking and it cuts amazingly smooth. I'm keeping the 1" blade that came with the saw as I sometimes need a rough cut for some of the rustic woodworking I do.
Happy band sawing,
Danny
Dave,that sounds like one sweet deal ! I'll look for your mobile base idea. Minimax included two blades - I chose a 3/4" 3tpi for resawing and a 1/4" fine pitch for tighter curves. I only had one opportunity to try it out - it's frigid over here in my unheaded garage - I resawed a 7 or so inch wide piece of cherry and the 3/4" blade went through it like butter. Amazing ! No force needed at all ! The cut was perfectly straight but exhibited a regular pattern of fine undulations - harmonic vibration methinks, so now I have to learn how to actually use the saw, chose the correct blade tension etc. I'll start by all the basic alignment tests and take it from there ...I'll be back with a ton more questions. Still waiting for my iturra designs catalog which I ordered about 10 days ago ...Cheers,Patrick
Surprises, surprises. The MM16 is 4.8 HP but the manual suggests that a twenty amp circuit should do just fine. I already have it wired for 30 amps.
Edited 1/3/2009 2:15 am ET by Tinkerer3
Would they be meaning 20A/240V? I suspect that the law might have a problem with a manual like that if it is indeed 120V
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
Edited 1/3/2009 9:13 am by PeterDurand
Was there something said about 120 volt? Sorry.
nope but since you mention it I need to install asub-panel and get 240V in my garage. In the meantime I might be able to use my 2000W step up transformer. It should just do since 2.5hp = 2kW, but I wonder if the start-up current will exceed the transformer's capacity.
I am going to leave this to the electricians. Cheers,Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
why are you not looking at grizzly http://www.grizzly.com ?
I just got the 3 hp extreme last week. very nice unit and it comes with a resaw fence.
lists today for $1395 plus shipping, slightly up from last year
Well, I hear Grizzly makes some very nice machines and have very decent customer support. I am sure that the model you mention would perform similarly, maybe better in some respects and worse in others. Here is why I chose a MiniMax over a Grizzly:- the Grizzly's are made in Taiwan. The MiniMax is made in Italy, a few hours by car from where I used to live. Buy local. - Fit and finish. I admit I have never seen the two machines side by side. I hear that the MiniMax wins this one easily.- I don't like the shade of green Grizzly uses. I really don't.- Somehow I think a MiniMax will bring a smile to my face and a Grizzly will seem more like a compromise. I can't even begin to explain why. That's easily worth the $200 or so more I ended up paying. I measure my output in the joy it brings me. But that's all highly subjective. We are lucky to have many good alternatives available.
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