cumbriasteve
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Please accept this is not a Clarke is great or cheap is good or any sort of rubbish like that, it's simply a review that may be of help.
I have owned my Clarke bandsaw for 6 months now and knowing many of us wonder about buying items and what they are really like, I thought I would give some feedback, its the one that sells for about £225.
Firstly, it is obvious the castings are not the best in the world, the finish is a little rough.
The stand is a bit tinny and flimsy.
Moving it on the wheel is not the easiest thing in the world
But..I think it's great for the money, I have used it somewhere halfway between hobby and industrial use, nothing has gone wrong and it's totally reliable, it runs smoothly, is relatively quiet and takes up little space, it also has the advantage of being a vertical bandsaw.
if you were moving it about, a stronger handle and bigger wheels would be required, also a bit of bracing for the sheet metal stand, if it stays where it is then its fine.
It does not like cutting fluid, it tends to get on the cast blade guides and then the blade slips, I find however at mid speed the blades cut well and last for ages..even the Clarke one's at £8 each.
I cut flat to 50mm x 5mm round to 16mm square to 14mm and box to 40mm, all done in a very decent time.
It also made a great job of a massive load of wooden decking.
Setting for 45 degrees takes a couple of mins and the cuts are very accurate.
I suppose the answer is, would I buy another one...yes without a doubt!
Hope you found the info useful if you ever consider buying the same.
I have owned my Clarke bandsaw for 6 months now and knowing many of us wonder about buying items and what they are really like, I thought I would give some feedback, its the one that sells for about £225.
Firstly, it is obvious the castings are not the best in the world, the finish is a little rough.
The stand is a bit tinny and flimsy.
Moving it on the wheel is not the easiest thing in the world
But..I think it's great for the money, I have used it somewhere halfway between hobby and industrial use, nothing has gone wrong and it's totally reliable, it runs smoothly, is relatively quiet and takes up little space, it also has the advantage of being a vertical bandsaw.
if you were moving it about, a stronger handle and bigger wheels would be required, also a bit of bracing for the sheet metal stand, if it stays where it is then its fine.
It does not like cutting fluid, it tends to get on the cast blade guides and then the blade slips, I find however at mid speed the blades cut well and last for ages..even the Clarke one's at £8 each.
I cut flat to 50mm x 5mm round to 16mm square to 14mm and box to 40mm, all done in a very decent time.
It also made a great job of a massive load of wooden decking.
Setting for 45 degrees takes a couple of mins and the cuts are very accurate.
I suppose the answer is, would I buy another one...yes without a doubt!
Hope you found the info useful if you ever consider buying the same.