Customer Reviews

Hitachi CB75F 15 Amp 14-1/2-Inch Resaw Woodworking Band Saw with Guide Blocks, 115-Volt 1-Phase

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We bought this saw to do some occasional veneer matching when building one-up pieces of furniture. It was often too time consuming to set up our main resaw (A Stenner) for veneer cuts. We had hoped that the reduced setup times would pay back the relatively high price for this saw. The frame of this saw seems strong enough to use a motor that is larger than what it arrived with and it needs it. The saw is under powered to do resaw work on oak, teak or maple. In thinking about it later we decided that when a 3" blade is mounted on these small diameter wheels the sheer power of bending the blade around two tires must take up a large portion of the available horsepower. This is horsepower that is not applied to the cut. Additionally the blades thin kerf tended to bind on all but the dryest of woods. We set the blade wider but then controlling the stock as it was fed was worse and the new set robbed even more power. If the saw had cut better we probably would have found a happy medium but we soon found ourselves going back to the arduous setups on the 20 horsepower Stenner. While the details of the guides, fence, table adjustment mechanisms and dust chute were pure Hitachi quality I cannot recommend this saw for resaw work. It is a pleasure to use for standard pattern work. However that can be said of some bandsaws that cost less than half as much.

Underpowered!!

When the machine arrived, we had high hopes given the impressive 3" wide blade, but due to the lack of power, the machine has seen very little use in the past year. In our shop, the Hitachi has trouble resawing anything wider than about 6 inches and hard woods like maple and white oak just compound the problem. Feed rates need to be kept very low in order to keep the motor from stalling. Most of our resawing is still done on an old 18" Oliver bandsaw which runs rings around this thing. The only impressive thing about the Hitachi is its price. For the money, this tool has been a real dissapointment.

I have had the CF75B for several years and have used it for typical curve cutting and resawing up to its 12" maximum.

Here are my observations:
1) Build quality is excellent (and durability - my saw is pushing 10+ years old).

2) Cut quality is very good if the saw is set up properly.

3) Dust collection is adequate.

4) The 3" wide bandsaw blades are pricey and unnecessary. Better performing (and cheaper) bands can be sourced from any number of 3rd party suppliers..just like any other bandsaw.

5) This is not a "tool free" design because the blade guide adjustments and trunnion adjustment requires you to use a crescent wrench.

6) The saw is under-powered given that the saw is marketed as a resaw bandsaw. It is powered by a 15A, 120V universal motor. Hitachi Support has told me the saw can handle a 3HP motor. Frankly, it should ship *with* a 3HP, 240V motor.

The net-net is that at current retail pricing, there are better choices for the money, if only for the under-sized motor issue. However these saws are often available on the used market at steeply discounted prices, which makes them worthy of consideration for the small pro shop.

I have had my Hitachi bandsaw for about 4 years and have used it extensively to make bookmatched panels in addition to ripping boards in the rough. When properly set up and adjusted, it has performed well but I have found it to be frustratingly slow in its cut rate when resawing 8" to 10" wide walnut or hard maple boards. It does provide adequate tension for the 3 inch blade, being approximately 16000 psi when the adjustment is against the stop (blade manufacturers recommend a minimum of 15000 psi). Note, many bandsaws cannot attain proper tension with a resaw blade of even 1.0 inch width.

The pluses of the saw is that it is well made and easy to setup and adjust (provided that you know what you're doing). The minuses are its price and the fact that it is underpowered (the motor should be a 240 volt unit of at least 3 hp).

I own the B-600A Hitachi band saw which I think is the forunner to the CB75F. It uses the same blades and has the same capacities. The one thing that I had to do was put a 5hp motor on to give a better cut. I use the 3" full stelite blade at all times and get just excellent results. There is not a day goes by that I don't use this saw. There is no better resaw for a small shop.

I build musical instruments and this saw has enabled me to cut book-matched sides, backs and tops from all types of wood. The small kerf .060 has given me 1/3 more usable wood then previous sawing procedures on other band saws. The cut surfaces are smooth and clean up with a minimum of sanding or scraping. This is my all-time favorite machine and is well worth the price especially when compared to the construction and minimalistic blade-size ability of other machines .

I bought my CB75F about three years ago, almost getting sick when I gave my credit card number to the salesman. I was afraid I wouldn't get enough use for the money. Not the case at all! I have ended up using this machine for all kinds of rough lumber cutting, and for operations that might prove unsafe on a table saw.

This is very well designed and manufactured saw. I have not experienced the "chatter" problem the other reviewer has. This could be a matter of quality control. I have used this straight out of the box, even though I firmly believe any bandsaw needs to be tuned before you can take an accurate measure of its worth. The quality of cut I get is very acceptible and would only improve if the saw were tweaked. My biggest dislike is loudness caused by a gear used to reduce the speed of the blade. I love the table size and height, and the rack & pinion fence and blade guard.

I do agree that Hitachi could afford to put a more robust induction motor on the machine. On the other hand, however, I have never stalled the motor and have cut 10" to 12" Mahogany, Walnut and Cherry, and 8"+ Rock Maple and Oak with relative ease. The bigger motor might possibly allow for a faster feed rate, assuming the blade speed posed no problems. By "BIGGER" I don't necessarily mean "BETTER". The motor is of substantial quality. It rips thru 2"-3" hardwood nearly as fast as my Unisaw. I routinely cut wide, thin (3/16") boards, and have noticed that with the aggressive 3tpi bite, feed pressure is everything!

I have also used a Hitachi P12R planer for over 8 years with great results, and no down time. That fact, along with conversations I had with Hitachi tech support beforehand, helped me decide to purchase the CB75F. There are a lot of good bandsaws out there but this one has my vote.

I gave it 4 stars only because I believe the cost justifies a higher HP motor.

I have owned the resaw for six months now. I have used the saw to resaw maple and birch. The saw cuts the 8" plus wood nicely. I knew the motor was underpowered when I bought the saw. My shop is a one man shop, with not many time restraints, so not to big a problem for me. The motor never stalls and the resaw runs smoothly

I obtained this saw from one of my Doctors hobby shop. I got it for $610.00. At this pice it is worth the money. I am a one man shop building custom furniture. It is great for matching pannels. It is underpowered for production. I was a tool and die maker with General Motors in the 60's. I took the saw apart and rebuilt it. There is no vibration and it cuts streight as an arrow. If you find a used one and need a dedicated resaw this one is great for the small shop. It shoud come with a 3hp motor and the price shoud be under $2,000 with all the guide attachments. The quality is top notch, no complaints in that department. I use a 3" carbide skip tooth blade on the saw. I never take it off. Happy Sawing.

Nultiple bearing failures. Guide bearings overheat and turn blue before seizing. Failures occure in the top rear position. 4 failures

in two years. bearing should be rotated 90 degrees as in the 1 inch

guide position. This destroyes the expensive stellite blade.

The motor is too noisy.