Hammer N4400

Colin Eden-Eadon is rather taken with this bandsaw

There's an old saying, actually it's my saying: a good bandsaw is worth its weight in gold. For me it is one of the most important machines in any workshop; it's versatile and pretty safe to use. It is certainly the first machine I would buy and anyone can have one no matter what size your shed is.

The Hammer N4400 is a new kid on the block. It is a good size, with a depth of cut of 300mm (12in), which should be good for most people's needs. Also, the width of cut is good at 420mm (over 16in), so it has all the right attributes.

Solid

On opening the doors, which are micro-switched and linked, two very solid-looking large cast-iron wheels are the working engine of this bandsaw. Slightly curious is the yellow colour of the rubber on the wheels - different! Guides are obviously very important and these are good quality and adjust easily. A sign of a decent bandsaw is the quality of the guides below the table - the N4400 has the same top and bottom, another good portent. My only criticism is that the locking knobs are small and plastic and a little suspect.This is the same below on the thrust guide, too. These might under heavy use suffer a bit. The rise and fall of the guard is rack and pinion with a metal guiding band. I do prefer this type as it is easier to control and adjust. All the tracking and tensioning wheels are where you would expect, and work well. Inside it all looks solidly put together as well. One detail I liked was the tensioning indicator, which is inside the casing, but viewed through a window on the top door that is good and clear, so easy to see through.

Fence

The mounting bar is a decent diameter round steel bar and is attached off-centre so that the bolts don't interfere when you are replacing a blade. A little Allen key-shaped bar fits in the table slot to keep it stable and is just pulled out for blade changing - quite a neat solution. In the past I have had to fiddle around underneath the table undoing plates.

The bracket is cast and substantial and locks well onto the bar. The main table is grey cast iron as all machine tables should be. As with most bandsaws, the table is capable of tilting. Again this works on a rack and pinion, which makes for easier adjusting.

Plus

One of the real pluses with this bandsaw is the extension tables, available as optional extras. These can be bolted to aluminium bars on the side and back of the table.

I can't think of how many times I have been ripping on a bandsaw by myself and wishing there was an extension table on the back. Found on every circular saw in the land,

now Hammer has come up with one. It also has a support leg - why had

no one thought of this before? Because it is mounted on a bar it can be moved to wherever you need it and the extension pieces can be used on the side as well, enlarging the width.

This makes this saw particularly user-friendly for the single craftsman. These tables are transferable to other Hammer machines in the range, which is worth bearing in mind.

In use

I like to do a fine veneer-type rip cut when testing a bandsaw. If you were cutting drawer fronts or laminates you would spend a lot of time adjusting the drift and aligning the fence. I always think if it can cope with this, with little setting up, then it can handle pretty much everything else. The blade I used for this test was not very big at 10mm, so I was very interested to see how it would handle it. The fence slides easily on the round bar, which is why I prefer this type of mounting. It locks solidly and is easy to align. I have to say I was impressed; the cut piece of ash was straight and parallel and a nice thin veneer. You can't wish for more from a bandsaw.

The verdict

This is a very capable bandsaw that would be perfect for a restoration workshop or one-man band and ideal for the home setup. It performs well and is a nicely set-up machine with lots of aspects to it that you would expect to find on a much more expensive saw. It is solidly built with some neat unique extras such as the extension tables, and the price at £849.53 inc. VAT is extremely attractive and competitive. It has to be a serious contender in my book. It's definitely worth a drive to Milton Keynes in order to check it out.