Downgrade a bandsaw?

[Carl Beckett]

and another set

[Carl Beckett]

Video comparing 306 to 305

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueB4zSCr6V4

Just rewatched the beginning of this video and I was definitely too timid on the fence lock, and was not getting it all the way down.

[richard poitras]

Carl, were did you buy the saw from and did it come with the fence and miter gauge? As I see some dealers are selling the fence as an option...

Thanks Richard

[Carl Beckett]

I purchased from ToolCenter.com It came in a few days and was well packaged, no damage. Would have purchased at my local Woodcrafter but they did not have it in stock.

I am not sure the fence can be sold separately, because it is packaged inside the OEM box.

There is no miter gauge with the tool (I have a different one I will use for it).

[Zachary Hoyt]

I sold the fence and mounting bar off my 305 here on the Sawmill Creek classifieds right after I got the saw. I don't know if anyone else would be likely to want to sell their fence but it seems possible. The 305 fence seemed pretty sloppy to me, it would have to be manually set parallel each time it was moved and I didn't intend to use my saw for straight cuts. The fence on my 18" saw is fairly self-aligning and works quite well, and that's the one I use for resawing, cutting blocks, etc.
Zach

[Van Huskey]

Carl, thanks for the overview. Update us when you have more time with the saw if you have a chance.

[Carl Beckett]

Carl, thanks for the overview. Update us when you have more time with the saw if you have a chance.

Be glad to.

Please let me know any specific details that anyone would like checked. As noted, the first impressions are very positive and I am optimistic this will serve my needs well.

[Carl Beckett]

The update is.... finally got a couple extra blades. And the one I wanted to use was defective. A good foot or more has the teeth completely rolled out on one side.

Have written for a replacement and assume another will be sent, but it took a while and now have to wait again...

Will do some work with what I have this weekend, stay tuned on that.

[Carl Beckett]

OK, finally had a chance to run a piece through this saw. The blade is a 3TPI flexback from toolcenter - new out of the box. A piece of white oak I had laying around, about 2" wide, which I jointed 2 sides square to each other then just pushed it through.

Tension was set to.... whatever, I just cranked it up a fair bit so it wasnt deflecting a lot when pushed from the side (the manual says 1/4" side deflection). Some day I will setup and measure the actual tension/strain deflection.

And this time I put a DC hose on it.

This little saw cut great. The was some small drift on one corner that likely can be improved on - about .015 on a .090 thk slice at one corner (you see msmts from 4 corners of the finished slice). And the finish surface is about what 'I' would expect from this blade (I dont always have the right expectations!) - not the greatest but it sliced it off. I think a different blade will aid in finish quality. But in general, I didnt get any better cuts out of my 14" saw all other factors being equal.

My opinion: This is a great little saw and will do 98% of what I was doing on the larger Jet. Saving floor space was a goal - accomplished - and the smaller size I can even imagine carrying off to a job somewhere.

Speed and power are not an issue (going through 2" white oak is more than I need - and remember I have a LT18 with a RK for big stuff).

Things I like:
I like the tension release. Very convenient.
I like the guides. We will see how they hold up over time, but they are sized right for the blades used on this size of machine, and the spring loaded adjustment is quite easy.
I like the size. Power will not be an issue for me (I am a believer that a sharp blade is the key to power requirements)
I like the fence ***
Overall build quality is good. Wheels and bearings are solid with no runout.
Dust collection works fine (I am not as zealot about this as some, so take that with a grain of salt)
Setup and out of box was a breeze. The fence sits right up against the table so not much to go wrong there. The table has a leveling screw to square it to the blade. All wrenches and hardware needed are provided (and a storage place for these on the back of the saw so I dont lose them... ahem)

Nitty stuff:
The fence lever is plastic. It takes a fair bit of force to push it all the way down and I still am shy about it. This may wear in. Or I may take some sandpaper to it judiciously. But it flexes a fair bit when I am pushing on it - and the force is more than ideal to make it a 'smooth satisfying operation'. There are ways I could fiddle with this and improve it, but I wont. Am just going to use it. But I have done some consumer design/interface in my past, and I think this is an area they missed an opportunity. The ONE single most used interface on the entire machine - make it good and put extra effort and money here! It helps the overall experience. (just a philosophical rant... the thing works fine!)

But with the force required for the fence locking mechanism, it means more hassle getting it set where you want, and locked. Even in the video you see the gentleman lift the level and the entire fence flips up/out from the force.

The tensioning mechanism is pretty much the same as all the others. A compression spring with a sliding block/yoke assembly. None of these are the smoothest or very precise designs. This one is no different. it works. As mentioned, I havent taken a strain measurement but once I get the preferred blades I may do this and make some marks for future tensioning reference (or more likely, not, and just use it as is). I am curious how the 'flutter' method will compare to the manual which suggests a side deflection method.

Net Net: I like it. I am happy with the decision to swap out. I can recommend it to those looking for a smaller bandsaw.

[Nick Decker]

Sounds like it's working well, Carl.

In the second photo, I think you'll have better results if you use a push block or featherboard to keep the stock tight against the fence. Then again, maybe trying to saw and shoot video at the same time requires more hands than you have. 8)

[Carl Beckett]

Sounds like it's working well, Carl.

In the second photo, I think you'll have better results if you use a push block or featherboard to keep the stock tight against the fence. Then again, maybe trying to saw and shoot video at the same time requires more hands than you have. 8)

Yes, indeed.