Benchtop bandsaws?

Any experience with benchtop bandsaws?
Looking for something to rough cut neck blanks but don't have the space or money for a full size machine.
There are a few for under £200 which I hope will suit my needs as a beginner hobby builder, anyone used one?

Cheers

I started off with a Burgess band saw..this model is benchtop..has a large work area, and is the three wheel type which gives you a longer blade length , so the blade should last a little longer..there is one here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/1124...=9046798&device=c&campaignid=797602469&crdt=0 It's ok for the hobbiest not what i'd call a pro machine but it's good value..They come up quite often on eBay..and I had two of these before I upgraded to bigger ones.

Over the years I've had two of those Burgess bandsaws. Neither cost me anything. I bought them used and pretty much got back what I paid for them.
They are fine providing you don't expect to make deep cuts. 2" medium density hardwood might be pushing their limit. I suspect that blade selection will be very important. To be honest I never cut much more than 1" with them, using thin gauge blades. There are bigger benchtop models that will cut deeper. Something like the highly thought of Inca bandsaws, although they usually cost more than the Burgess.

Make sure the saw has bearings as blade guides. Ryobi and others makes small saws with nylon guides that won't cut straight for long.
This Sears saw is <$200 in the U.S. and works nicely for 3" neck stock. Maybe re-branded in the U.K.?

Thanks for the replies. The Burgess one seems fairly priced so I'll probably send a message see if there's a deal to be had. The neck blanks I have at the moment are Cherry and Mahogany around 450mm, I'll look into blades and find a suitable option.

Again, your replies are appreciated cheers.

Think twice about buying a small machine. I bought a Sheppach hbs20 (or something), around £100 from Screwfix. I soon realised it was very limited and underpowered for my needs( instrument building). I was forever breaking blades, I think because of the small diameter wheels stressing the blades. I sold the machine within 12 months and bought this, http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-hobby-series-hbs250n-bandsaw-508204. It's much better in everyway, and I've never broke a blade yet. It was a bit cheaper when I bought it, around £250 but money well spent. I didn't use the cabinet, as it just sits on my bench. Check out the specs, and if you don't want to spend that much, then look on ebay for a similar spec machine. Good luck.

Not sure what the market is like in the UK but in N.A. there are lots of vintage bandsaws that are in the 14" range, good value, easy to repair and bring to good standard with good guide bearings. Usually if you're patient, you can find a good deal on one of the used stuff websites like craigslist or kijiji here in Canada.

mikeyb2 said:

Think twice about buying a small machine. I bought a Sheppach hbs20 (or something), around £100 from Screwfix. I soon realised it was very limited and underpowered for my needs( instrument building). I was forever breaking blades, I think because of the small diameter wheels stressing the blades. I sold the machine within 12 months and bought this, http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-hobby-series-hbs250n-bandsaw-508204. It's much better in everyway, and I've never broke a blade yet. It was a bit cheaper when I bought it, around £250 but money well spent. I didn't use the cabinet, as it just sits on my bench. Check out the specs, and if you don't want to spend that much, then look on ebay for a similar spec machine. Good luck.

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I was actually looking at those machines at screwfix and machine mart online earlier, very nearly bought one so very glad I didn't now!
That Axminster model is exactly the type of thing I'll go for once I have more space, will be moving shortly and at least one room will be purely for ukulele making.
For now I just want something to aid cutting neck blanks, I bought some wood for bodies already thicknessed to 2mm so I don't need to resaw my own tops/backs/sides just yet.

I'm not sure I'd pay that much for the Axminster, especially when you can get a machine that will cut 6" for less than half the price (a used machine). I bought the cheapest 14" model that was available at the time (from axminster) and it's proved to be a very decent machine. Then again I very rarely do deep resawing. Then there are the Delta or Delta clones that come up on auction site. Not quite as popular as they once were but they are very capable machines.
This is all about what your requirements are or what you think they will be in the future. If you want to cut 2" or thicker material then I'd probably give the Burgess a miss. If 1" is OK I would think about buying one in used but good mechanical condition. You can always sell it at a later date without losing too much. I'm a little surprised that they are going for around £70. When I last looked (a few years ago) they were nearer £40 to £50. There are other models that are either identical or closely based on the 3 wheel Burgess - Record, Clarke, Black & Decker and probably a few other badges.

We have 3. Our latest prchase which went into the make room was an Axminster Hobbyists for cutting out necks, smallpieces and nuts and saddles. It's perfect forthis but do not buy your blades from them they truely suck! I have a large 18" Warco for resawing only and a Kity for other geeral production work both sited in the machine room. The Kity and Axminster are on wheeled cabinets - as are all the small machines. I got this useful idea from Chuck and if you have a really tight space to work in is a great solution for creating the illusion of space .

I own a medium sized, medium duty, Craftsman bandsaw on a stand and love this tool It is big and powerful. But the problem is: It is little too big for fine work and too small for serious resawing. In the perfect world, I think I would ditch the medium duty band saw and own two. A small hobby type band saw for the fine cuts and a big honking saw for resawing wook. Basically I have a compromise and you know what that means: Does neither job well.