Dan V.
Active member
Can you tell me about this saw? Looks "like" a lot of other similar saws out there but the Trajan is mo expensive. Reasons for that?
4x6 Horizontal Bandsaw Options
- Thread starter soloz2
- Start date
Can you tell me about this saw? Looks "like" a lot of other similar saws out there but the Trajan is mo expensive. Reasons for that?
WagonHo!
Well-known member
I don’t know about the others but this one cuts true angles with no oily mess. I upgraded the blade which was pretty good. My nephew builds gates and fences and he won’t go back to cold cut saw mess or grinders nor will I. It’s light fast and accurate. They went up quite a bit since I got it call them maybe they’ll make a package deal with free blades.
apereira123456
New member
What is considered a good price for a Johnson bandsaw? There is one for sale near me that looks nice.
Downwindtracker 2
Well-known member
Every Johnson I used, worked well and cut true. Big though.
apereira123456
New member
racecougar
Well-known member
Agreed. The few examples that I've heard of burning up a motor occurred when the blade got hung up and the operator wasn't around the machine to correct the issue. I keep myself within 30' of the saw any time it's running as a rule, and I have never had an issue.
As others have said, my recommendation is to pick up a gently used HF saw for cheap off Craigslist or FB marketplace and just build a better/taller stand for it. It is a handy little piece of equipment to have on hand.
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foghorn1966
Well-known member
If you find a good used saw and are still worried about burning up the motor. change out the switch or add a manual motor starter switch with provisions for an overload.
I was looking at some options for adding overload protection. Bottom line is I'll always be in the garage when cutting, but I may not always have line of sight based on the setup of my garage. The stairs are in the middle and creates a C shape.
It seems most of the folks that have reported issues with fire had a HF unit so I will look at something a bit better. I also reached out to Wen and Grizzly. Grizzly as expected responded promptly and gave the codes they follow for specification, but have not paid to have the saw UL listed. Wen took about a week to respond and said the saw was ETL certified. I wonder if other manufactures just aren't adding certifications into the spec sheet now. It seems odd to me.
That makes Jet, General International, Wen, and Grizzly would likely be alright. Jet has the largest capability at 5" high as opposed to 4-4.5" for the rest. They are also the most expensive. It's hard to justify the $600-700 range when a Grizzly or Jet 4x6" mitering with downfeed control is $800-900.
I'm still looking for used saws and haven't found anything local. Can't cross state borders due to work regulations. (Well I could, but don't really want to pay to get COVID tested 3x afterwards if I could avoid it)
It seems most of the folks that have reported issues with fire had a HF unit so I will look at something a bit better. I also reached out to Wen and Grizzly. Grizzly as expected responded promptly and gave the codes they follow for specification, but have not paid to have the saw UL listed. Wen took about a week to respond and said the saw was ETL certified. I wonder if other manufactures just aren't adding certifications into the spec sheet now. It seems odd to me.
That makes Jet, General International, Wen, and Grizzly would likely be alright. Jet has the largest capability at 5" high as opposed to 4-4.5" for the rest. They are also the most expensive. It's hard to justify the $600-700 range when a Grizzly or Jet 4x6" mitering with downfeed control is $800-900.
I'm still looking for used saws and haven't found anything local. Can't cross state borders due to work regulations. (Well I could, but don't really want to pay to get COVID tested 3x afterwards if I could avoid it)
detritusmaximus
Member
Yep, I have one very similar, if not the same. I like the fact it cuts slow and the blades are nice and thick with little deflection. I think I paid $125 for it.
whateg01
Well-known member
I've owned several 4*6 saws from hf to Dayton to a couple other brands. I've had them set up for different jobs so I didn't have to change one back and forth. They come up cheap on cl and fb frequently. For the price of new I could buy a couple used. I always figured unless I was spending real money on a jet or something i was going to have to put a little effort into it anyway. The thing to watch for on used is the condition of the worm gear. If it's in need of replacement you'll spend half the cost of a saw on it. I have a couple 7*12 saws now and they do well, but I do sometimes think of picking up another small see for some jobs.
I would suggest if you are going to make 45 degree cuts on the regular, make a fixture that clamps to the fixed jaw of the vise so you don't have to loosen it and then square it up again after. It makes it go much faster. I always had 45, 30, and 22.5 fixtures for my 4*6.
I've never experienced a need for overload protection. I have read of other people burning up motors but in the event a blade bound up on any of the saws I've owned, the blade popped off long before the motor would burn up.
Many manufacturers of all kinds of stuff are skipping getting their stuff certified. It costs a lot of money to have it certified. I see a lot of ***-compliant nowadays.
I would suggest if you are going to make 45 degree cuts on the regular, make a fixture that clamps to the fixed jaw of the vise so you don't have to loosen it and then square it up again after. It makes it go much faster. I always had 45, 30, and 22.5 fixtures for my 4*6.
I've never experienced a need for overload protection. I have read of other people burning up motors but in the event a blade bound up on any of the saws I've owned, the blade popped off long before the motor would burn up.
Many manufacturers of all kinds of stuff are skipping getting their stuff certified. It costs a lot of money to have it certified. I see a lot of ***-compliant nowadays.
Anyone see a 4x6 saw quite like this one? Looks like a Wellsaw
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/305963680956863/
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/305963680956863/
I've been thinking a bit more about mitering and while I haven't ruled out the 4x6 handsaws, I am considering a mitering version. I figure if I add a hydraulic downfeed adjustment to a jet I'll be in the same price range as one of the mitering versions.
I so came across the Hem Saw by Femi 782XL. It is a smaller, bench top model, but miters and is made in Italy. I'm intrigued by this as it's actually cheaper than the Jet 4x6. There's a few models similar and I might take a closer look at a few of them. I'm not sure if I'd miss the capacity moving to a smaller saw, or if losing the ability to walk away while cutting and doing something else would be a deal breaker for me or not. Has anyone compared one of the smaller bench top models like the 782xl to the more traditional 4x6 style?
I so came across the Hem Saw by Femi 782XL. It is a smaller, bench top model, but miters and is made in Italy. I'm intrigued by this as it's actually cheaper than the Jet 4x6. There's a few models similar and I might take a closer look at a few of them. I'm not sure if I'd miss the capacity moving to a smaller saw, or if losing the ability to walk away while cutting and doing something else would be a deal breaker for me or not. Has anyone compared one of the smaller bench top models like the 782xl to the more traditional 4x6 style?
BD1
Well-known member
I guess you missed my post #15.
I posted about that saw from trick tools.
I know there's a discussion about it on Weldingweb
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I’ve got the Wen version that is similar to this. I’ve liked mine and it has done everything I have asked of it. Biggest thing I’ve cut with it was 4” sch 80 pipe. Took a little while but it cut it. Maybe not as fast as the floor models but I really like the portability and also how the head swings for miters and not the vise.
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Well, thanks for all the help. It was a tough decision, but I decided to go with the Femi 782XL. Not exactly what I originally had in mind, but I think it will work for my needs and has the deed bonus of being small enough it can sit on the shelf under my welding table or in a cabinet across the shop when not in use.
WagonHo!
Well-known member
Good buy Solo and with the tilt table you’re golden! I tell you for it’s size it can’t be beat plus accurate as the 4 x 6. Did you purchase the table separate or included, Femi product?
Firebrick43
Well-known member
I have an asian knock off of the femi, wish i would of ponied up the extra cash for the real thing. Cant ever keep the slip clutch in adjustment.
It is the official Femi table. They also make a miter gauge for use with it. I didn't get the miter gauge as I'll see if I can use one I already have. Just haven't gotten that far yet.
I ordered the Trick Tools deluxe kit which included 2 extra blades and the table. Overall savings was only about $20 less than buying the table, saw and blades separately, but it was still a savings.