New Bandsaw brings its own challenges!

I decided to upgrade my bandsaw to a larger model and importantly, one with the ability to work upright. The best model for price I could find was the Clarke CBS45MD (4½" X 6") Metal Cutting Bandsaw from Machine Mart UK.

It has a cutting capacity of 105mm (4") round, 100 x 150mm (4" x 6") flat at 90° and a 500W, 230v / 1ph motor with combined ON/OFF & safety No-Volt-Release switch.
The bandsaw has 3 cutting speeds (5/95/165 feet per minute)with spring tension arm control & adjustable vice for cutting angles 90 degrees - 45 degrees and twin wheels for workshop mobility.

I placed the order just before the UK VAT tax went up and the bandsaw delivered a couple of days ago. I must admit to some surprise at the amount of work let to the purchaser. This included attaching wires for the safety cut out on the pulley cover.

My main thoughts so far is that its a lot of metal for the money. However there are a few 'niggles', the most important of which is its stand and the manoeuvrability of the saw, both of which are poor. The metal for the stand is far to thin and does not help with moving the bandsaw around. The weight distribution and low position of the handle make it very difficult to move. My previous smaller bandsaw was stored (still is...)on a home made stand with castor wheels and the working height set to suit my own requirements.

On opening the box the many parts were checked and a 'fittings' bag ticked off. However the number of bolts in it did not match the assembly needs. Not so much of a problem as I am well stocked with fittings of my own, but still not as it should be.

The next trial was in working out a system to place the 60+ kg weight of bandsaw on the flimsy stand. Considering I am disabled this took some sorting out with packing a part lifts. In the end I gave up on that approach and since the saw decided to relocate itself onto the floor sideways on, I managed to bolt the frame on. However there was no way it could be lifted until another pair of hands arrived.

When trying to move the bandsaw on its own system of two rear wheels and a simple handle the bandsaw was difficult for me to move around. Something that is very important since I store the bandsaw away and have to move it each time its needed. So a better solution was needed and I set out to find some castors locally. On return some angle iron was found to make the wheel brackets from and of course it needed cutting.....this is the point where I began to see past the problems and saw the capabilities of the saw for the first time.

After making the brackets and fitting them the wheels proved too small for the anti fatigue rubber flooring in the work shop. So I am now waiting for some 75mm castors to arrive. However, there may well be another problem with stability, even with larger castors, as a trial cut on the small ones showed it could wobble..........

I then decided that I would try the saw out in its vertical position and I was becoming more impressed with its performance, if not the quality of the flimsy stand.

So I have a new and capable saw but need to sort out its storage and manoeuvrability before I can jump for joy as it were. Still if the worse comes to pass I can 'adjust' the previous band saws stand by making it longer, just more work than it should be. The stand is very much its weak link.