In the UK, Startrite's bandsaws have long
been seen as something of a benchmark: the
old UK-built models seem to go on forever,
and are still to be found in workshops up and
down the country. Startrite's bandsaws are now
made in Italy, but they enjoy the same build
quality, and the 401E is absolutely rock solid.
At 390mm, the Startrite's throat capacity is
the smallest on test, but its depth of cut is a
huge 400mm, which is a serious consideration
if you fi nd yourself resawing stock frequently.
Although the Startrite is limited to a maximum
blade width of just 30mm, this should be
enough for the majority of work that the saw's
likely to encounter; the narrowest blade the
Startrite can run is 6mm.
Blade tension is manually set, there being no
quick-change lever. This means it takes a little
longer, but the tension guide mechanism is of
industrial quality: the cast iron band wheel is
mounted on a massive slide, and the tension
held with an exceptionally heavy-duty spring.
The amount of tension applied is expressed in
pounds per square inch which, according to
Startrite's top technical bod, Phil Meyers, is the
proper way of doing things. There is still an
element of tweaking needed to fi ne tune the
setting for different materials and blade sizes,
but this set-up certainly takes the guesswork
out of tensioning the blade.
1] Tilting the table.
2] Hinged panels guard the blade. They allow easy access for blade changing.
3] The height adjustment is solidly constructed and silky smooth.
4] The fence runs smoothly along this rail. There are graduations etched along it, but no tape scale.
The guides and height post assembly are
equally solid, the 30mm diameter height post
being notched for the rack-and-pinion type
adjustment; the large three-spoked adjuster at
the rear gives the saw easy adjustment and a
very smooth action.
The cast iron table is split to the front for
blade changing, with the guarding for the
blade hinged for easy access; the running bar
for the fence remains in position.
The 401's 128mm-deep aluminium extrusion
fence offers good support for deeper ripping
cuts, while the large cast shoe ensures that
it runs true.
The table height is the lowest
of all the saws on test at only
860mm. When you're
working thinner stock, this
might feel a little low. I
certainly felt the need to
stoop slightly to see
under the guides when
making these cuts, but
on deeper resaw rips the
height is ideal as your feet
are fi rmly planted.
Typical price: £1468.75
Made in Italy
Motor: 2hp (approx. 1500W)
Speed: 900mpm
Blade Capacity: 6-30mm
Height under guides: 400mm
Throat capacity: 390mm
Table Height: 860mm
Weight: 158kg
Rating: 4/5
The table tilts on a cast rack-and-pinion
trunion, with twin-cogged brackets keeping the
table solid. Interestingly, owing to another
Eurolaw, the Startrite has a pin through the
trunion to limit the tilt to 20°. If you need to
get the full tilt range, however, the pin can
easily be withdrawn with pliers.
The table has a single T-slot to the right of
the blade, but it measures 15 x 4mm, so the
standard accessories aren't compatible.
At 900mpm, the Startrite operates at the
same speed as the Jet, and it runs very
smoothly, too. The cutting performance is
equally impressive: the 2hp motor
wasn't troubled by deep cuts,
and now that the Startrites
have deep, solid fences that
lock, veneer cutting and
deep-stock ripping are
painless. So, while the
Startrite's throat size
may limit some
operations, its extra
depth-of-cut capacity
makes it a very attractive
proposition.
