General ‘beefs’ up its band saw

General International’s new 22" band saw, model 90-380 M1, features a one-piece steel frame, cast-iron wheels and a full 16" depth of cut, making it ideal for both general-purpose industrial shop use and resawing, according to company spokesman Norman Frampton.

“We feel that this is one of the beefiest 22" band saws on the market. The frame is bigger and stiffer to reduce vibration and can easily handle more blade tension, and for the same reasons the wheels are also a lot more massive than on any other saw we have ever produced,” says Frampton.

The band saw is a good fit for any professional shop, while the extra safety features also make it ideal for use in educational settings, Frampton says.

“It has the versatility to meet a wide range of shops needs; has an excellent resaw capacity, a very durable heavy-duty design and, if the foot brake is not enough, it has an off-cut push stick for added safety.”

Weighing in at a sturdy 825 lbs., the band saw is equipped with a 5-hp, 220-volt, single-phase TEFC motor. General also offers a 7.5-hp, 3-phase motor with its M2 and M3 models.

The M1 has a 30" x 22-3/4" cast-iron table that tilts 45 degrees to the right, guided by a one-piece cast-iron trunnion. The blade guide system consists of upper and lower Bakelite blocks and a seven-bearing assembly that provides 10 points of contact for precision cutting applications, according to General.

The M1 also features a rack-and-pinion hand-wheel-controlled telescoping upper guide and guard system, two 4" dust ports and a foot brake that slows down the blade and disconnects power to the motor.

The band saw also has the new Excalibur rip fence system with a removable 6" auxiliary fence for resawing, on-board storage mounts for both the rip fence and the supplied cast-iron miter gauge, a magnetic safety switch with lockout to prevent accidental or unintentional startup, and a feed device that keeps fingers safely away from the blade when working with short cutoffs.

The 22" band saw, model 90-380 M1 sells for about $3,750.

Contact: General International. Tel: 888-949-1161. www.general.ca

This article originally appeared in the June 2011 issue.