What's new
What's new

Bandsaws: Dake JH10 or Ellis 2000?

IWUP

Aluminum
Joined
Feb 1, 2017
Considering either one of these and looking for a push towards one or the other
I'm a newer one man band shop currently working part time night and weekends. Plan on doing it full time within 5 years or less.
Not sure I'd be doing miter cuts a lot but like the idea of the capability the Ellis has. I do a fair amount of stainless work so the coolant system of the Dake interests me.
I found a used Dake, the hydraulic system needs refresh and coolant pump needs to be replaced, the rest is there and in good condition.
The Ellis would be new. I can probably get the Dake at half the price of the new Ellis.
Thanks for any insight.
 
I own a 1800 Ellis. Yep, no coolant, but it's done me fine for 20 years. And yes, I cut stainless. You can easily cut angles up to 60º on the new models if I'm not mistaken. It has a REAL back fence that is on BOTH sides of the blade, a quick action vise (upgrade) that is great and it's made in Verona, Wisconsin, not China.
 
There are several shops in our area that use the Ellis saws. I don't have experience with the 2000 model. The ones I've used are the 1600 and 1800 models. Most are 10 to 20 years old and working hard every day without problems. I personally use a Startrite 175 that was purchased from one of the shops when they upgraded to an Ellis 1800.

Just a caveat that the Ellis factory is only a few miles down the road from me. I do buy their blades, but other than that have no affiliation.
 
i have an ellis 1600. The big advantage i have found on the ellis is that the head pivots and keeps the fence in 1 spot, you dont have to swing the material to cut angles. im not sure about the dake saw but i hate having a fixed head and having to swing the fence to cut angles.
 
And if you ask Ray Behner very very nicely, he might let you in on his demon saw vise clamp ''thingy''. ;)

As always, Sami is right! Sure I will. They do work quite well on an Ellis because of the full back fence. But prolly OK on others as well. Why do you need a #2000? And I do apologize for calling that particular Dake a Chinese made saw. Here's my Ellis with some mods to it and the clamp Sami mentioned. Click on pic for more.

clamp1.jpg Photo by rbehner | Photobucket
 
As always, Sami is right! Sure I will. They do work quite well on an Ellis because of the full back fence. But prolly OK on others as well. Why do you need a #2000? And I do apologize for calling that particular Dake a Chinese made saw.

I don't necessarily need the 2000 but was looking for a larger saw, I already have a couple MKE portable bandsaws and a Makita LC1230 metal saw
The Dake is a US saw, looks to be very well built when I looked at it yesterday but does needs some peripheral fixes, nothing significant, I can probably get it for $2200, the Ellis new with shipping is around $5k. Functionality overrides pricing though for me in this case.
 
I’d recommend the Ellis. I have an 1800 and it stands up to tons of abuse. Blade selection is important. I stock 4-8 VR, 6-10 VR and 8-12 VR blades. I’ve found that taking the time to condition the blades pays off in drastically longer blade life.
The 2000 is A LOT of saw. I would recommend taking a look at the 1800 unless you NEED the ability to cut 60 degree angles. Otherwise the overall capacity of the 1800 is pretty comparable to the 2000. Last bit of advice I will give is to think about an air blower to cool the blade and help clear chips. A 110V solenoid hooked up to your shop air and a bit of copper tubing works wonders.
 
i have an ellis 1600. The big advantage i have found on the ellis is that the head pivots and keeps the fence in 1 spot, you dont have to swing the material to cut angles. im not sure about the dake saw but i hate having a fixed head and having to swing the fence to cut angles.

That's a definite upside to the Ellis saws. It's a real PITA to cut 12' or 20' lengths at angles with my Startrite saw. There isn't that much room around the saw and trying to swing a full stick at a 45* angle means moving some of the stock and even a couple machines around. Since the Startrite only cuts to 45* I had to make a couple fixtures when I needed to cut a number of 60* angles. I'd love to have an Ellis in the shop, but since I paid next to nothing for the Startrite for peanuts it'll do just fine
 








 
Back
Top