Basato 4 - Bandsaw

[simops]

Introduction:
After many months of searching the Woodwork Forums, reading comments about various bandsaws, I ended up buying the Basato 4 a 15" BS by Scheppach (German design) built in China. If I had excess cash that I did not know what to do with I would have bought a high end 18" + Branded saw like a powermatic or Jet or Laguna, etc. But my cash margin was (is) tight and I decided that the B4 was the best value for the money (the recent H & F sale pushed me into commitment).

I decided to post this because I had trouble getting much info on the B4 from existing Users on this Forum. A couple of 'Bandsaw' Forum members discussed their purchase and it was informative.

Purchase and Delivery:
As always painless from H & F Melbourne. The BS comes in a large cardboard box that can be picked-up in a station wagon with back seat down or a 6x4 trailer. It is heavy (about 120Kg) so will need help or some sort of lifting mechanism (I have a forklift so easy).

Unpacking & Assembly:
I laid mine on the ground and cut the box open. All packed well with no damage to any part. The main BS itself is complete but the base (stand) is in pieces. Lay a block of wood behind the BS and lower the BS down backwards. This will make it easier to assemble the base to the underside of the BS then tilt back upright. The instructions are lousy but if you take your time it is quite straight forward. The only parts left over were 4 small "L" brackets but that is normal as they are throw backs from an earlier design and no longer required.

Supplied Blade:
1/2" 4TPI. The weld was clean, ground flat with no distortions and joined between the teeth. A reasonable manufacturer's supplied blade and good enough to tune and practice with.

Setup:
Ok this is where the fun began. There is quite a bit of rhetoric about having co-planer top and bottom wheels and others who say it does not matter. I guess it probably doesn't if it is slight and the tyre width is wide enough. But all things considered I decided that having co-planer wheels (if possible) can't be a bad thing. I used a straight edge and soon realised that the bottom wheel was approx 5mm proud of the top wheel. Now I examined the BS carefully for any adjustment. There is none and no mention of any adjustment in the manual. I removed the top wheel (easilly done by removing a circlip) and found that the axle could be unscrewed. I then shimed the axle out with a washer that was approx 4mm thick (all I had). Now the wheels were as close as co-planer as I could do and good enough as a base line. I placed the saw blade around the wheels and tensioned it up then tracked it close to the crown of the upper wheel. As a result it also rode centrally on the bottom wheel.....nice!

The table was another matter. Placed on the trunion it was miles out of square to the back edge of the blade. Side of the blade could be done easily with the tilt function but to square it to the back of the blade meant I needed to shim the table square. Never-the-less I was impressed by the fact that the table was at least flat all round!

With the table square I then set-up the guides. The BS4 is heavily guarded and this makes it a little awkward to see the guides easily when adjusting...never-the-less it can be done OK. The bottom guides are particularly harder to see. The top guard around the guide fouled the rear thrust washer a little so I had file some metal away for a free movement of the thrust washer.

I expected to make alot of test cuts and tracking adjustments and have to contend with drift elimination or compensation. Surprisingly it worked out of the box with one slight track adjustment ....I'm getting straight rip cuts consistenetly parallel to the mitre slot and fence. No drift to compensate for....... I ripped a piece 500mm long and over that length the width was within 0.2mm....wow even my Table Saw is not that accurate.....can I be so lucky?! I guess a full day of hard work paid off.

My Opinion of the Basato4:

• Although not conventional in looks I like the curved body shape as in my opinion makes for a stronger unit less prone to flex with blade tension.
• The welding is neat and finished well
• Typical of low end saws some bits are flimsy but can be overcome with custom tweaking.
• Typical of low end saws there is little if any advanced adjustment available other than what is required.
• The guides are the washer type and not bearings but seems to work fine.
• Once adjusted well (initially a fiddle) it performs nicely.
• Quick tension release is a nice feature.
• The vertical guide support is moved by a rack and pinion gear and was parrallel to the blade through it whole movement.
• The vertical resaw capacity is just over 200mm, which is nice for a 15" BS.
• The fence is somewhat flimsy but OK
• The BS has retractable wheels built in and makes for easy re-positioning.
• There is a tyre brush on the lower wheel with reasonable dust extraction (but only one port).
• The included blade is quite reasonable and good to practice with.
• The top and bottom wheels are factory balanced and true.

Any Warranty Issues?:
Yes one. The fence locking lever would not lock the fence in place. Took it back to H & F and got a replacement on the spot. Now works OK.

Improvements made:
Yes one. I added a flexible light wired in. Ok probably voided the warranty but a calculated risk. I like the idea of a built-in light. See pic attached. Took some effort to route the wire down the BS internally but got there. Added a junction box and spliced the incoming power to it as the light has its own switch.

Conclusion:
I'm happy with the saw. Works as it should and I have no drift to compensate for. The proof in the pudding will of course now be it's longevity. Will it hold adjustments and handle consistently....time will tell.

[wheelinround]

Simops a good review

As your aware I also have the B4 and am happy with it after 2 years except for the present blade which is causing drift but not always.

Thanks for the work around on the coplaner glad you sorted that out, mine was fine as was the table and fence lock down. I have found however that the plastic endcap on the fence can be a bit of a problem as it sits proud of tube so a file off is in order.

I have plans to route an old vacume cleaner hose to the underside of the back of the table for suction which you will find is required in that area. Carefull when opening the door the lower, dust gathers around the guard on it.

I can just see your set up of dusty hose in the photo whats the bracket?

May I suggest cut a replacement tolerence plate I did so out of stronger perspex bit late tho one broken blade decided to do some damage.

Love the light also

Ray

[Mr Brush]

A couple of things I forgot to mention in PM....

(1) Get yourself some decent blades ASAP. The one supplied is OK, but once you try something better you'lll be amazed at the improvement. My day-to-day blade is the very popular 1/2" 3tpi bi-metal from Henry Bros. When checking the blade length to have some made up I suggest measuring the original using the "mark and roll along the ground" method. Henry Bros asked me to do this when I ordered blades, and I seem to remember that the blade length figure quoted in the Basato 4 manual is out by quite a bit.

(2) The guides are an acquired taste - they work OK, but you may need to dress the faces of the wheels and lubricate the shafts from time to time. Only problem is there are virtually no aftermarket guides (that I can find) to fit the mounts on the Basato 4, so all those trandy ceramic blocks etc. won't fit.

(3) I have found the dust extraction to be pretty hopeless, as is the case with a lot of similar bandsaws. I've got better results by running the dust hose right up under the centre of the table and securing it to the angle adjust track with a cable tie.

Enjoy your new toy !! I might have to try your trick for making the wheels coplanar, although (as I said) this didn't prevent me from adjusting mine for zero drift, Since our Basato 4s were out by the same amount, it makes you wonder if a little Chinese man on the production line left a part out

Cheers

[simops]

Ray / John thanks for your PM'd comments the other day....

Ray the dusty attachment is via a Rockler quick release connector...see pic. Carba-Tec have them in stock. I share same hose with a couple other machines.
Yes I will make a copy of the blade insert (will make a zero clearance one soon).

Ray / John Yes will get a Y junction for the dust hose and route up to the underside of the table....good idea!!

John....I agree the supplied blade is average but good enough to practice on until I can get a decent 1/2" 3TPI blade from Henry Bros......just got to get off my backside and do it.
Any one know if there is a Henry Bros equivalent in VIC???

As to the guides....they did worry me a bit with purchase and are somewhat unique....as long as I can get same replacements then I can live with it. Maybe I'll get some new washers to have on hand??

Cheers

[wheelinround]

TY nice fitting not sure if I have the space for such a big piece.

Simops the back guid is two piece brass the front bit is supposed to turn requires lube of some description, not sure what. I am thinking more along the lines of replacing that with a bearing style plenty room for a shaft and bearing.

[rsser]

Thanks for the review. Good outcome.

[Chris Parks]

I don't know what sort of dust extractor is hooked up to the saw but try cracking the lower door open while cutting and see if it makes a difference. Most of these saws have very poor DE performance until air is allowed to enter the cabinet to supply the DE. No air in = no air out.

[wheelinround]

I don't know what sort of dust extractor is hooked up to the saw but try cracking the lower door open while cutting and see if it makes a difference. Most of these saws have very poor DE performance until air is allowed to enter the cabinet to supply the DE. No air in = no air out.

Micro switch on the door Chris won't allow it.