New bandsaw from Record Power - Sabre 300

[akirk]

Record Power sent me an email saying there was an exciting announcement of something new on Wednesday (today)
There is nothing on their website
Yandles have today sent me an advert to pre-order the RP Sabre 300 from £999

The RP website lists the sabre 250 (which I have and is superb) / 350 / 450 - so presumably this slots in as another smaller bandsaw.
The 250 is 10" / 350 is 14" / 450 is 18"
This new one is 12"

bearing in mind that the Sabre 350 is only £1,169.99 (£170 extra) - if you are spending that level of money does that extra £170 make all the difference that you would lose 2" of capacity? I can see that the 450 is a big jump at c. £1,700 but I am not sure that I fully see the market gap for this new one...

NEW for 2024 Record Power SABRE-300 Premium 12" Bandsaw 69000

NEW for 2024 Record Power SABRE-300 Premium 12" Bandsaw Easy-Adjust Sliding Block Blade Guides: The sliding block blade guides can be easily adjusted and provide extensive blade support. Dust Extraction Advancements: Side and rear dust extraction...

www.yandles.co.uk

 

[Malc2098]

I see it has sliding block blade guides, a bit like my Laguna. Maybe it's competing with the laguna 14/12.

 

[Mike]

I received a similar email, but thought it was going to be a new lathe. Almost every email I receive from RP is about turning seminars or equipment, which doesn't interest me at all.

If I had my heart set on a RP bandsaw, after comparing the specifications between the 300 and the 350, I would buy the 350. The motors appear to be the same and the overall dimensions of the 300 are only slightly smaller than the 350.

If I was buying a new bandsaw now, the Laguna 14BX would be near the top of my list. I would like the 18BX, but I would have to move a lot of ceiling-mounted ducting and lights in order to move it around. For now, I am content with my highly modified RP BS350S.

 

[TomTrees]

Wouldn't you think, there's not enough competition to make a fully adjustable machine these days...
Designed to break, just like what you get from any other manufacturer.
How easy would it be to let the motor in or shim out, to suit whichever direction the upper wheel is facing... we don't get to see the important bits in the pictures.
Compared to ACM's saws, which lend themselves very much so, perhaps the most considerate of all bandsaw designs that you can get nowadays, i.e...

 

[Eric the Viking]

I'm still trying to work out if it has guide bearings or hidden hot blocks. The whatever-it-is system hides everything, and is rather bulky. Even though I have a dual height fence, it would mean the upper guides had to run much further away from the top of the workpiece than I'd like.

I'm a bit envious of the nicely machined table however ;-0

 

[TomTrees]

I'm a bit envious of the nicely machined table however ;-0

Seemingly, some folk make use of the horrible slot off to the side.

 

[TomTrees]

There's an honest build of machine in Somerset at the minute for 750.
They don't make'em like they used to.

Wheels not quite as nice as some particular Centauro's, the CO machines 80's sometime to 1995,
(Strictly the first ones which came with telescopic guards, those featuring complete adjustability, and not the CO badged NL before it)
but it's got a mitre slot.
I would hope the motor to be 3HP?, and not smaller.
I think there might be a 2HP one of these, w/motor damaged, started at 200 a few times without being sold, could pop up again.
So I guess it might be under powered a wee bit, plenty of these and other similar sized saws with such a motor size though.
Would run grand on a VFD.

 

[TomTrees]

On further inspection, it seems that there might be some adjustment after all!
I didn't spot those raised mounts for the motor, and merely thought it was bolted straight to the chassis.
That simplifies things, not having to make arrangements for letting the motor in...
though likely to make a nice job of commissioning, I'd guess some kind of discs could be made in order to not have
too much strain on the mounts, what appears to be a flange mounted motor.






Nearly looks like those wheel faces could be trusted too, be interesting to see if they didn't need fettling to take an honest
reading using a beam, though it certainly does look a bit of a squeeze to get a length of timber in there, much the same
as for any wee saw.
Can't really fault the machine too much, as there are plenty of folks wanting small saw,
probably the best design of 300mm wheeled saw I've seen.
Some bits getting closer to an Italian saw, though with everything shrunken.
so much to retract from my previous comments in haste.

 

[akirk]

It is interesting to see that they have radically rethought dust extraction:
CamVac-Compatible Dust Extraction Advancements
Side and rear dust extraction ports provide effective protection from harmful wood dust. The 2.5” (53 mm) diameter side port is compatible with standard CamVac 2.5” hose and the 4” (100 mm) rear port features a CamVac-compatible bayonet fitting which is also compatible with standard 4” hose and fixings.

I love the 250 I have as a bench-top bandsaw - but dust extraction is not ideal, so this is a good development...

 

[AndyP]

Being as Camvac is now owned by Record that makes sense.