Hi Andy, I’m a subscriber who used your video to determine the Axminster bandsaw purchase, so, as in the case with another comment, let Axminster know that you are influencing other woodworkers. The video was great and contained all the information I needed to set my machine up. Thanks for taking the time to produce the video. I like the pace, the clear explanation and confirmation when something is right. I will pick up on your other videos as I carry on with the machine. Many thanks and please, please keep at it. Wayne
Hi Andy, after spending a year in my garage in packaging, I’ve now transferred the Axminster bandsaw (the same as yours) and used your guide to set it up. Thanks for the instruction, so much clearer than the Axminster produced video as you described all the elements which are difficult but you found the solutions for. I’ve subscribed now and look forward to seeing other videos you’ve produced. So, a big thanks Andy. Wayne
Hi Wayne, It’s great to meet you and welcome to the channel. Some tools just work and after taking the time (and learning) to set up that bandsaw it has never put a foot wrong. Accurate cuts everytime, no drift. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I have. Take care. Andy
Nice one Andy... Anyone new to bandsaws couldn't do better then watch your setup procedure. When I set my BASA 4 scheppach up i wish i had watch it... btw, after catching my hip about 4 times the overhang fence rail got cut off (cant't see the point of it anyway) not missed it ever. Looks a nice saw. Cheers Paul... btw ...just added this to TH-cam Wednesday on Woodworking UK for you...
Thanks for the feedback and the post on Facebook. I have learnt so much from feedback in this video - I will probably come back to it in the future having lived with it for a while. Especially when I add the Mitre square and true that up. Yes I keep looking at that rail and I know at some point that is going to hurt. I may have to rethink the layout of the workshop as well as it currently obscures the Kapex. All good problems to have. Cheers Andy
Andy, a great video, i have bought exactly the same bandsaw from Axminster, its hopefully being delivered tomorrow. You can tell Axminster that it was your influence that made me buy it. Great video on setting it up. Keep up the good work, always brilliant content. Regards Andy
Thanks for the feedback Andy, Takes a bit of fetling, but when you have it set up fantastic cuts. I have no regrets on this purchase. Let me know how you get on. Cheers Andy
Hi Andy When I set up a bandsaw I align the Mitre slot with the blade first, as there is only the course adjustment on the 4 mounting bolts where any misalignment can be altered, this ensures the cuts with the mitre gauge are good, I then go on to align the fence ect the same way as you showed in the video. I always enjoy your videos keep up the good work Kind regards Kelvin.
Thanks Kelvin, I am saving for the investment in the Incra mitre, so will then have a look at the alignment of that. But yes what you say makes sense, I have seen a technique that lines up the fence to the mitre slot and the fence to the blade. That makes sense to me. Thanks for sharing Andy
I hope your saw works out for you. About six months ago, I purchased the least expensive one in the Axminster Craft range but returned it. There was a lot of wobble in the table which was impossible to correct. The table on your saw looks to be much more firmly attached. You were sensible to adjust the lower blade bearing before attaching the table. I followed the instructions and mounted the table first. Then, when it came to adjusting the lower bearing, the instructions recommended removing the table. Reminded me of the bomb diffusing instructions. "Cut the red wire after first cutting the blue wire."
Yes the table is very stable - haven’t played with the small one , so not sure if that is a common problem. It would be good to hear from other people. You can access the blade adjustments without the table coming off - in fact in the next video I change the blade as part of the real world test - and leave the table on. Like the bomb analog 😀 Cheers Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter The table on your bandsaw pivots about two mounts, whereas on the cheaper one, which I purchased, it just has one central mount and it wobbled about this central mount. I returned and Axminster refunded my money. They told me that all the cheaper ones displayed this problem although it was excessive in the one that I returned.
That’s good information to share, looks like I landed on my feet - I did think about the cheaper model - but wanted that deeper cut capacity. Cheers Andy
Thanks for the great video - as usual. I had similar problems aligning the fence, but perhaps a little worse. I tried everything you did plus had to adjust the front rail the fence runs along so that there is about a 4mm gap on the left side between the rail the table. It seems the base the bolts screw on to are just enough out of alignment in manufacturing that they really need to add some slots somewhere to allow better adjustment. All in all it cuts what I need, but there is always the niggle that it's not quite perfect when the rail is not fully up against the table.
Hi, Yes I guess when is good enough - good enough. However I managed to get mine pretty much bang on. So it's disappointing to see the tolerance in manufacturing issue. Cheers Andy
Congrats on the new acquisition Andy. I have a 14” bandsaw that had a similar fence setup as yours. Twenty five years after purchase I finally had enough with that fence and into the rubbish where it found a new home. I got too tired of running into the rail which would catch me just right in soft tissue making for a painful experience. Looking at getting a new one that attaches with strong magnets to the tabletop instead.
So far the fence seems OK - but I hear you on the rail, it does stick out a bit. It’s only a matter of time..... Haven’t seen the magnetic one - pity you can’t get something like the Incra fence. Andy
So perfectly timed video just had my one delivered to day just put stand together, but i am going to have it on wheels all braked for rigidity. they will not get here for two days. Nice to see it can be setup before table fitted i will do that in morning as i do not want to put the table on till saw on its stand, as it will be to heavy to move on to stand. For me this was a very considered purchase and the way i have afforded it was, to pay by PayPal 4 monthly payments interest free a lot of viewers may not be aware of this , just thought I would say !
Hi Chris, I can confirm it is one heavy beast - I agree with the idea of the castors for mobility. I will do the same at some point. It is a considerable purchase - but adds so much to your workflow that you will still be using it way after the ‘purchase’ pain has gone. In terms of castors - are you going to build a frame - or make use of those holes that the rubber feet into ? Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter Hi Andy i will have board on base and also use one of the holes in 4 hole casters through metal leg for extra strength. I did want the threaded bolt type castor, but can only see 30mm stems for sale, with board thickness that not long enough. i did think of going for the 30mm type and dropping in board on top, but it would be losing rigidity, and also having to deconstruct frame to achieve
Very informative Andy. I’m considering getting a bandsaw. Started looking at the Axminster AC1400B, but now thinking about the Rutlands model where the blade guide has 3 roller bearings and is supplied with the mitre gauge and an LED worklight.
compared to the other blades axminster do.. how fast does that premium m42 blade cut woods in general? is it bit slower? and have you tried cutting any aluminum with it yet?
Hi, I don’t find the blade any slower - but then again I tend to take my time on cuts. No, I haven’t cut Aliminum - but I did get a mild steel cutting blade for the bandsaw and cut up some scaffold tubes for a table I was making. It worked very well but the blade dulled very quickly, probably due to the incorrect speed. Based on that experience I don’t think it would have any problems with Aluminium - given the right blade. Cheers Andy
well i got a 4-6 tpi 19mm made and fit it to my bandsaw and its so much slower than a normal blade.. and yes the teeth are facing the correct direction. so i dont know what to think tbh@@TheWoodgrafter
Andy: I am starting my own channel and wanted know if you could tell me what A/V equipment you use. Could you please share that with me? Thank you. Eric
Hi Eric, The set-up has matured and grown over time - so pretty complex now. I use a two-camera set up, 4K video cameras. Then I use a remote mic. The cameras are - Panasonic VX range - I purchased two older generation ones to keep the price down, (as many of the new features where of no use to me). The important thing was 4K quality. I used video cameras instead of DSLR as I wanted long recording times. - The Mic is the Comica CVM-WM100 32 - a remote mic, I chose this as you can easily buy replacement mic's - they tend to get damaged in use. Both cameras are mounted to a frame on the workshop roof so I can move them around for different shots. I use the following camera mount to attach them to the frame. - Manfrotto Single Arm 2 Section with Camera Bracket I also have a cheap LED back light to bring out details on various scenes - LED Video panel Light - these are pretty cheap small ones that sit on the camera top I also have LED lights across the workshop, so a lot of light, will be adding more of these soon - you can never have enough light. You will also notice that the walls are cladded, this is partly to look nice - but more about keeping echoes down in the shop. It has taken me a lot of time to build up this kit - and I am always tuning it - for example, I am thinking about taking the mic to a two-channel system as sometimes I lose audio. Then have to compromise during editing, or revert to voice over. - For voice over I use the Blue Yeti mic. I then use Final Cut pro on a 5K MAC for editing. So, this is a lot of investment - I wouldn’t jump in with this kit, I would start very small perhaps with a DLSR and a camera top mic. Then build up when you know what you want to achieve. Let me know if you want more information - you can always ping me at andrew@thewoodgrafter.com if you want a deeper discussion, happy to do a skype call if it helps. Cheers Andy
I have a problem as the blade insist on tracking right at the front of the lower wheel and the lower ceramic guides. I have adjusted the top wheel tracking but the problem remains. Today the lower blade actually came off the lower wheel! Has anyone else had this problem and found a solution?
Hi Steve, That doesn’t sound right, I found it centred well on the lower wheel when aligned on the top. Some simple questions, Have you tensioned the blade before tracking. What is the alignment on the top wheel when it is out on the bottom wheel. I take it that the bottom wheel is fully on the spindle. I think there is an adjustment on the bottom wheel, will check for you. Cheers Andy
I am have a hard time setting my ones blade guides when top pulley was correct. the blade was almost front of bottom pulley on right of machine there is a shaft of bottom pulley with 4 adjustment studs and locking nuts. these studs where not in contact with the shaft for bottom pulley , what a hassle correcting it at one time the bottom pulley was rubbing drive belt pulley to its rear it was out of true in all ways. very bad quality control axminster!!! but no point sending it back as i have fixed now best part of a day wasted though, Also top pulley would not go down enough to change blades turns out very tight mechanism had to persuade with rubber mallet its been a nightmare here's hoping things proceed better tomorrow when the wheels hopefully turn up and then i can get on with it
Wow, that sounds like a nightmare - why not get back on the phone to Axminster - that is not what you pay for. I would have asked them to ship out another one and replace it. Hope it works out. Andy
Can you use a video still showing what the video is about instead of the same image? Reading through all the thumbnails is somewhat exhausting and there are more and more coming, right?
Things are going from bad to worse with mine. Now i found top pulley bearing not driven on shaft enough so it rubs against height assembly Taken your advice to contact axminster ! Phoned answer phone says closed because covid 19!! only web sales, sent emails to 3 different addresses , 1 bounced 1 ignored and today got a auto response saying 72 hours before attention + holidays guess what Its a holiday today VE day The country has been off for bl###y weeks Sorry had to rant
Hi Chris, Not sounding good, I left a message in the web site chat bot and they got back to me. Slower than normal - but they did get back. I would keep on at them - it doesn’t sound right - I had a brief problem with the height guide catching on the wheel - but it went away when I had tracked the blade properly. Fingers crossed for you. Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter Hi it is definitely not blade rubbing it the wheel it self, there is a much bigger gap on one side and touching on other side pulley width 31mm. gap 37mm the circlip on shaft to retain bearing has no groove visible for it to locate in that means bearing has not been pushed on far enough.This probably done with heated bearing and chilled shaft so i am not messing with that. As i am a retired blacksmith it was tempting a take hammer to it but there is to much mechanism at back of bearing to damage so left well alone
![โรงเรียนห้ามรัก โดนจับได้ตาย...!! [เอิร์นไดเม่]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4u02Sbr556Q/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi Andy, I’m a subscriber who used your video to determine the Axminster bandsaw purchase, so, as in the case with another comment, let Axminster know that you are influencing other woodworkers. The video was great and contained all the information I needed to set my machine up. Thanks for taking the time to produce the video. I like the pace, the clear explanation and confirmation when something is right. I will pick up on your other videos as I carry on with the machine. Many thanks and please, please keep at it. Wayne
Hi Andy, after spending a year in my garage in packaging, I’ve now transferred the Axminster bandsaw (the same as yours) and used your guide to set it up. Thanks for the instruction, so much clearer than the Axminster produced video as you described all the elements which are difficult but you found the solutions for. I’ve subscribed now and look forward to seeing other videos you’ve produced. So, a big thanks Andy. Wayne
Hi Wayne,
It’s great to meet you and welcome to the channel.
Some tools just work and after taking the time (and learning) to set up that bandsaw it has never put a foot wrong.
Accurate cuts everytime, no drift.
Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I have.
Take care.
Andy
Nice one Andy... Anyone new to bandsaws couldn't do better then watch your setup procedure. When I set my BASA 4 scheppach up i wish i had watch it... btw, after catching my hip about 4 times the overhang fence rail got cut off (cant't see the point of it anyway) not missed it ever. Looks a nice saw. Cheers Paul... btw ...just added this to TH-cam Wednesday on Woodworking UK for you...
Thanks for the feedback and the post on Facebook.
I have learnt so much from feedback in this video - I will probably come back to it in the future having lived with it for a while. Especially when I add the Mitre square and true that up.
Yes I keep looking at that rail and I know at some point that is going to hurt.
I may have to rethink the layout of the workshop as well as it currently obscures the Kapex.
All good problems to have.
Cheers
Andy
Andy, a great video, i have bought exactly the same bandsaw from Axminster, its hopefully being delivered tomorrow. You can tell Axminster that it was your influence that made me buy it. Great video on setting it up. Keep up the good work, always brilliant content. Regards Andy
Thanks for the feedback Andy,
Takes a bit of fetling, but when you have it set up fantastic cuts. I have no regrets on this purchase.
Let me know how you get on.
Cheers
Andy
Hi Andy When I set up a bandsaw I align the Mitre slot with the blade first, as there is only the course adjustment on the 4 mounting bolts where any misalignment can be altered, this ensures the cuts with the mitre gauge are good, I then go on to align the fence ect the same way as you showed in the video. I always enjoy your videos keep up the good work Kind regards Kelvin.
Thanks Kelvin,
I am saving for the investment in the Incra mitre, so will then have a look at the alignment of that.
But yes what you say makes sense, I have seen a technique that lines up the fence to the mitre slot and the fence to the blade.
That makes sense to me.
Thanks for sharing
Andy
I hope your saw works out for you. About six months ago, I purchased the least expensive one in the Axminster Craft range but returned it. There was a lot of wobble in the table which was impossible to correct. The table on your saw looks to be much more firmly attached.
You were sensible to adjust the lower blade bearing before attaching the table. I followed the instructions and mounted the table first. Then, when it came to adjusting the lower bearing, the instructions recommended removing the table. Reminded me of the bomb diffusing instructions. "Cut the red wire after first cutting the blue wire."
Yes the table is very stable - haven’t played with the small one , so not sure if that is a common problem. It would be good to hear from other people.
You can access the blade adjustments without the table coming off - in fact in the next video I change the blade as part of the real world test - and leave the table on.
Like the bomb analog 😀
Cheers
Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter The table on your bandsaw pivots about two mounts, whereas on the cheaper one, which I purchased, it just has one central mount and it wobbled about this central mount. I returned and Axminster refunded my money. They told me that all the cheaper ones displayed this problem although it was excessive in the one that I returned.
That’s good information to share, looks like I landed on my feet - I did think about the cheaper model - but wanted that deeper cut capacity.
Cheers
Andy
Thanks for the great video - as usual. I had similar problems aligning the fence, but perhaps a little worse. I tried everything you did plus had to adjust the front rail the fence runs along so that there is about a 4mm gap on the left side between the rail the table. It seems the base the bolts screw on to are just enough out of alignment in manufacturing that they really need to add some slots somewhere to allow better adjustment. All in all it cuts what I need, but there is always the niggle that it's not quite perfect when the rail is not fully up against the table.
Hi,
Yes I guess when is good enough - good enough. However I managed to get mine pretty much bang on. So it's disappointing to see the tolerance in manufacturing issue.
Cheers
Andy
Use a spring clamp when changing the blade it goes better. Nice little machine.
Hi Gary,
Thank you for the tip.
Cheers
Andy
Hi, so the bandsaw is up and running. Looking good.
Congrats on the new acquisition Andy. I have a 14” bandsaw that had a similar fence setup as yours. Twenty five years after purchase I finally had enough with that fence and into the rubbish where it found a new home. I got too tired of running into the rail which would catch me just right in soft tissue making for a painful experience. Looking at getting a new one that attaches with strong magnets to the tabletop instead.
So far the fence seems OK - but I hear you on the rail, it does stick out a bit. It’s only a matter of time.....
Haven’t seen the magnetic one - pity you can’t get something like the Incra fence.
Andy
So perfectly timed video just had my one delivered to day just put stand together, but i am going to have it on wheels all braked for rigidity. they will not get here for two days. Nice to see it can be setup before table fitted i will do that in morning as i do not want to put the table on till saw on its stand, as it will be to heavy to move on to stand.
For me this was a very considered purchase and the way i have afforded it was, to pay by PayPal 4 monthly payments interest free a lot of viewers may not be aware of this , just thought I would say !
Hi Chris,
I can confirm it is one heavy beast - I agree with the idea of the castors for mobility. I will do the same at some point.
It is a considerable purchase - but adds so much to your workflow that you will still be using it way after the ‘purchase’ pain has gone.
In terms of castors - are you going to build a frame - or make use of those holes that the rubber feet into ?
Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter Hi Andy i will have board on base and also use one of the holes in 4 hole casters through metal leg for extra strength.
I did want the threaded bolt type castor, but can only see 30mm stems for sale, with board thickness that not long enough. i did think of going for the 30mm type and dropping in board on top, but it would be losing rigidity, and also having to deconstruct frame to achieve
Very informative Andy. I’m considering getting a bandsaw. Started looking at the Axminster AC1400B, but now thinking about the Rutlands model where the blade guide has 3 roller bearings and is supplied with the mitre gauge and an LED worklight.
Hi,
I think you could be right, the bearings would be a good call, the supplied mitre guides tend to be a bit hit and miss.
Enjoy
Andy
compared to the other blades axminster do.. how fast does that premium m42 blade cut woods in general? is it bit slower? and have you tried cutting any aluminum with it yet?
Hi, I don’t find the blade any slower - but then again I tend to take my time on cuts.
No, I haven’t cut Aliminum - but I did get a mild steel cutting blade for the bandsaw and cut up some scaffold tubes for a table I was making.
It worked very well but the blade dulled very quickly, probably due to the incorrect speed. Based on that experience I don’t think it would have any problems with Aluminium - given the right blade.
Cheers
Andy
well i got a 4-6 tpi 19mm made and fit it to my bandsaw and its so much slower than a normal blade.. and yes the teeth are facing the correct direction. so i dont know what to think tbh@@TheWoodgrafter
these bandsaws with the fresh cut gt blades are stupidly fast when cutting deep cuts and very accurate too
Thank you for the comment,
I actually think this is a quality machine, and when set up cuts very accurately.
Cheers
Andy
how accurate have you managed to get yours? i can get 0.10mm max deviation perfectly square.. is it possible to get better?@@TheWoodgrafter
Andy:
I am starting my own channel and wanted know if you could tell me what A/V equipment you use. Could you please share that with me? Thank you.
Eric
Hi Eric,
The set-up has matured and grown over time - so pretty complex now.
I use a two-camera set up, 4K video cameras. Then I use a remote mic.
The cameras are
- Panasonic VX range - I purchased two older generation ones to keep the price down, (as many of the new features where of no use to me). The important thing was 4K quality. I used video cameras instead of DSLR as I wanted long recording times.
- The Mic is the Comica CVM-WM100 32 - a remote mic, I chose this as you can easily buy replacement mic's - they tend to get damaged in use.
Both cameras are mounted to a frame on the workshop roof so I can move them around for different shots. I use the following camera mount to attach them to the frame.
- Manfrotto Single Arm 2 Section with Camera Bracket
I also have a cheap LED back light to bring out details on various scenes
- LED Video panel Light - these are pretty cheap small ones that sit on the camera top
I also have LED lights across the workshop, so a lot of light, will be adding more of these soon - you can never have enough light.
You will also notice that the walls are cladded, this is partly to look nice - but more about keeping echoes down in the shop.
It has taken me a lot of time to build up this kit - and I am always tuning it - for example, I am thinking about taking the mic to a two-channel system as sometimes I lose audio. Then have to compromise during editing, or revert to voice over.
- For voice over I use the Blue Yeti mic.
I then use Final Cut pro on a 5K MAC for editing.
So, this is a lot of investment - I wouldn’t jump in with this kit, I would start very small perhaps with a DLSR and a camera top mic. Then build up when you know what you want to achieve.
Let me know if you want more information - you can always ping me at andrew@thewoodgrafter.com if you want a deeper discussion, happy to do a skype call if it helps.
Cheers
Andy
Oh and good luck with the channel - I have subscribed, it will be good to see how you get on.
@@TheWoodgrafter Thank you SO much for that information. Cheers!!
I have a problem as the blade insist on tracking right at the front of the lower wheel and the lower ceramic guides. I have adjusted the top wheel tracking but the problem remains. Today the lower blade actually came off the lower wheel! Has anyone else had this problem and found a solution?
Hi Steve,
That doesn’t sound right, I found it centred well on the lower wheel when aligned on the top.
Some simple questions,
Have you tensioned the blade before tracking.
What is the alignment on the top wheel when it is out on the bottom wheel.
I take it that the bottom wheel is fully on the spindle.
I think there is an adjustment on the bottom wheel, will check for you.
Cheers
Andy
I am have a hard time setting my ones blade guides when top pulley was correct.
the blade was almost front of bottom pulley on right of machine there is a shaft of bottom pulley with 4 adjustment studs and locking nuts. these studs where not in contact with the shaft for bottom pulley , what a hassle correcting it at one time the bottom pulley was rubbing drive belt pulley to its rear it was out of true in all ways. very bad quality control axminster!!! but no point sending it back as i have fixed now best part of a day wasted though, Also top pulley would not go down enough to change blades turns out very tight mechanism had to persuade with rubber mallet
its been a nightmare here's hoping things proceed better tomorrow when the wheels hopefully turn up and then i can get on with it
Wow, that sounds like a nightmare - why not get back on the phone to Axminster - that is not what you pay for.
I would have asked them to ship out another one and replace it.
Hope it works out.
Andy
what about part 3 ?
i’m waiting
LOL,
Sorry for the delay it will be out tomorrow night at the usual time.
Cheers
Andy
The Woodgrafter
thank you, i just before ordering this saw and i’m waiting to watch how it works and what do you think about it overall
Can you use a video still showing what the video is about instead of the same image? Reading through all the thumbnails is somewhat exhausting and there are more and more coming, right?
Hi,
Thanks for the feedback - let me look into it.
And yes more coming.
Cheers
Andy
Things are going from bad to worse with mine. Now i found top pulley bearing not driven on shaft enough so it rubs against height assembly Taken your advice to contact axminster ! Phoned answer phone says closed because covid 19!! only web sales, sent emails to 3 different addresses , 1 bounced 1 ignored and today got a auto response saying 72 hours before attention + holidays guess what Its a holiday today VE day The country has been off for bl###y weeks Sorry had to rant
Hi Chris,
Not sounding good, I left a message in the web site chat bot and they got back to me. Slower than normal - but they did get back.
I would keep on at them - it doesn’t sound right - I had a brief problem with the height guide catching on the wheel - but it went away when I had tracked the blade properly.
Fingers crossed for you.
Andy
@@TheWoodgrafter Hi it is definitely not blade rubbing it the wheel it self, there is a much bigger gap on one side and touching on other side pulley width 31mm. gap 37mm the circlip on shaft to retain bearing has no groove visible for it to locate in that means bearing has not been pushed on far enough.This probably done with heated bearing and chilled shaft so i am not messing with that.
As i am a retired blacksmith it was tempting a take hammer to it but there is to much mechanism at back of bearing to damage so left well alone