Popular Post HandyDan Posted October 16, 2016 Popular Post Report Posted October 16, 2016 (edited) I recently acquired a slightly used Craftsman BAS350 14" band saw. It is the same saw as the Rikon 10-321 band saw. It is equipped with a one horse power motor and a very nicely machined cast iron table with a rip capacity opening of 8.5". I got a 5/8" 3TPI blade and ran some firewood pieces through it to make turning blanks and was very pleased with the performance. It has a 2" dust port below the blade and a 4" port at the bottom of the lower wheel. I connected a dust collector to the 4" port with great results and see no need to hook up the two inch port. With the 4" port hooked up air was being sucked into the 2" port effectively sucking any dust the 2" port might have yielded. I really liked the idea of blowing the dust out into the back yard. No muss no fuss. The red knob on top of the saw is the blade adjustment knob. It is easily removed which is a nice feature. Once the tension is released the knob can be removed and laid in plain sight on the table as a reminder that the blade needs tensioned before using. It has roller blade guides which are bearings mounted to adjustable pins. One of the bearings was making noise so I oiled it. I got the number off of it to see about getting some spares and found they are inline skate wheel bearings which makes them readily available. In fact, I had bought a set of cheap skates to use the wheels to make a lathe steady and had five extra wheels I could get the bearings out of. I did and sure enough they were the same. All in all, I am happy with the saw. Edited November 24, 2017 by Ron Dudelston tags added Grandpadave52, Stick486, Cal and 2 others 5 Quote
Grandpadave52 Posted October 16, 2016 Report Posted October 16, 2016 Nice review Dan. Thanks for taking time to do so...You may have to alter your dust collection discharge method in a month or two or put on your insulated overalls! HandyDan and Miataguy 2 Quote
Stick486 Posted October 16, 2016 Report Posted October 16, 2016 nicely writ... and better find... way to go Dan... HandyDan and Miataguy 2 Quote
HandyDan Posted October 16, 2016 Author Report Posted October 16, 2016 I am trying to get all I want cut now before it gets cold. Cut 24 more string top blanks today. 75 degrees out there today. Love it. I Still have a band saw in the basement too. Miataguy and Grandpadave52 2 Quote
Grandpadave52 Posted October 16, 2016 Report Posted October 16, 2016 4 minutes ago, HandyDan said: I am trying to get all I want cut now before it gets cold. Cut 24 more string top blanks today. 75 degrees out there today. Love it. I Still have a band saw in the basement too. Yeah, but running the exhaust piping for that all the way out to the garage then out the door to the yard seems like a lot of extra work not to mention the pipe... Deals like you got on that Craftsman never happen over here. That saw looks like it still smells new. Quote
Al B Posted October 16, 2016 Report Posted October 16, 2016 Definitely a good saw for the price. If you find you need a fence, i recommend the Rikon fence. It fits this saw perfectly, and is priced lower than the Craftsman version. I use my shop vac connected to the 2" port. It keeps most of the dust from flying around but it's not totally effective.I tried taping off the lower 4" connector, but it made little difference. I'm beginning to hear a little noise when cutting with it. Guessing it might be one of the guide bearings, probably the ones behind the blade. I've had good luck using a 3/16" blade for tight curves, though the smallest blade recommended by Craftsman is 1/4". Miataguy 1 Quote
Stick486 Posted October 16, 2016 Report Posted October 16, 2016 up size the exhaust size and the DC will work a lot better.... use snap-lock in 6 or 8''... Miataguy 1 Quote
HandyDan Posted October 17, 2016 Author Report Posted October 17, 2016 6 hours ago, It Was Al B said: Definitely a good saw for the price. If you find you need a fence, i recommend the Rikon fence. It fits this saw perfectly, and is priced lower than the Craftsman version. I use my shop vac connected to the 2" port. It keeps most of the dust from flying around but it's not totally effective.I tried taping off the lower 4" connector, but it made little difference. I'm beginning to hear a little noise when cutting with it. Guessing it might be one of the guide bearings, probably the ones behind the blade. I've had good luck using a 3/16" blade for tight curves, though the smallest blade recommended by Craftsman is 1/4". Made my own fence for it Al. See these two threads. Stick486 1 Quote
Marv Rall Posted November 29, 2016 Report Posted November 29, 2016 I have the Ricon version of this saw. At the urging of the rep that sold it I purchased the Carter blade back support. This lets me backoff all guides except the below table back bearing. With a [ sharp ] 3/16 4 tpi blade I find that this arrangement will do most anything I ask of it. Did I mention that I really like the Carter blade support-------works for me. Cal, Miataguy and HandyDan 3 Quote
Miataguy Posted January 11, 2017 Report Posted January 11, 2017 On 11/29/2016 at 0:23 PM, Marv Rall said: I have the Ricon version of this saw. At the urging of the rep that sold it I purchased the Carter blade back support. This lets me backoff all guides except the below table back bearing. With a [ sharp ] 3/16 4 tpi blade I find that this arrangement will do most anything I ask of it. Did I mention that I really like the Carter blade support-------works for me. I am looking at adding this support to my Jet 14 inch band saw, I ahve heard very good things about it. Looking at adding another band saw to the shop, Thanks to the OP for the Review! Quote
Rocket Posted August 25 Report Posted August 25 Hi all , I am trying to find out how much the Sherwood EABS350 bandsaw was when new cheers. Quote
Fred W. Hargis Jr Posted August 25 Report Posted August 25 (edited) Welcome to the forum! Would that saw (Sherwood) be the same as Dan's Craftsman? Edited August 25 by Fred W. Hargis Jr Quote
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