Finally had a chance to get my new 7x12 Enco Turnpro band saw ready and use it. First thing I did was change the oil as so many have recommended when talking about the 4x6 units. Very good idea and I glad I found that recommendation. The gearbox had plenty of metal shavings in it. I assume this comes from the fact that the gearbox cover was put on with self tapping screws. The self tapping screws left some pretty terrible threads if you could even call them that. It would have been much nicer if they took the time to tap them properly. Anyway, the fit and finish of the saw is pretty good. No major complaints. The movable jaw lifts a bit when clamping but I can probably adjust some of it out. The adjustable hydraulic feed works very good. Had to modify the stop right away to cut short stuff. No big deal. Cheap motor but runs fine. Unit is very heavy about 350lbs. It's not something you throw in the back of the truck. The coolant pump and tank were very nice. The pump is cast iron and a pedestal design. There's a strainer to keep fine debris out of the tank. The tank has a baffle to further filter debris. The saw is easiest to put material in and tighten the vise from the back and all controls are in the front. For this type of saw you can't expect anything else though. I filled it with some Trim coolant and fired it up. It cut very straight right out of the box and I've made no adjustments. I made probably 150 cuts and the blade worked great. I've heard it said that the blade that comes with the saw is junk and you need a new one right away. I'll run this one for a while as it is performing good. I bought this saw over a chop saw and a dry cut saw since it is horizontal/vertical and I often deal with small parts that would be hard to clamp in the chops type saws. Overall I'm very happy. I paid $650usd and got free shipping. It came in 5 days.
- posted
19 years ago