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Anyone running a 20+ year old Amada auto bandsaw?

Garwood

Diamond
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Location
Oregon
A lot of labor is going to standing in front of a manual bandsaw. Moreso, I really hate boring things and like automating stuff. I don't have the budget for new, but would spend a few thousand for something full auto that is reasonably reliable still. I've passed over a few beat down rotten old Doalls in the past, came very close to buying a HEM (it looked really lightweight and cheezy so I just couldn't do it) but recently have seen a lot of 20-40 year old Amada HA250's come up for sale for low prices and they don't look that bad. Of coarse the sellers (shops that own them, not dealers) always say these saws run great- Do they really?

Say I can buy a 20 year old full auto HA250 for $2k that is supposed to be ready to work.

Is there anything inside these saws that I couldn't fix myself? Parts that are proprietary Amada?

What's the most expensive thing that would fail? Gearbox?

Thanks for any advice!
 
The Amada HA250 is an excellent saw. IMO, one of the best. I've worked on a few and only recall figuring out things like a limit switch gone bad or swarf packing up on the feed carriage guides being the trouble.

As with any 20 year old machine, how it has been used, abused, and maintained will be everything in how it might work for you.

Another good saw is Daito. Mechanically as good as the Amada, but their control system was not as reliable. Not as well known as Amada so usually when you see one for sale they are very reasonable. On those I have had to get help from Daito a few times to figure out control problems.
 
Hydmech makes a good saw as well, you'll find lots of older hydmech saws still running. We bought a Hydmech saw last year and it's been the best money I've spent. Set it and forget it, it really ups the productivity of the shop.
 
I have a HA250 thats about 15 years old, and runs great. Only thing I have replaced is the guides, V belt, and chip brush. The part counter doesn't work, but I haven't bothered to fix it. Carbide tipped band in 2+ inch thick tool steel , and this thing eats it up. We cut mostly stainless and tool steel, no sturctural. Some CRS and plastic too.
Picture on my website Progressive Tool @ MFG. INC. Greensboro, NC
 
I have one. Made in 1979. It's like energizer bunny. It just cuts and cuts. I run Lennox QXP blades and they last about forever. Sometimes they even break from fatigue at the weld before they are totally worn out.

The weak points are the racks and pawls for the jaws. They wear. I recut mine. You can buy new ones made from steel. Also the hydraulic lines on mine have pretty much all been replaced. They are JIS fittings like most Japanese stuff.

The coolant pump on mine was iffy so I replaced it with an electric pump. There is a video of that upgrade here:



Just FYI, the clamps can only go down to about 1", so if you want to cut small stock, you need to cut multiple bars or use spacers. Also, the bundle clamps would be really nice to have.

I've been thinking about selling mine. I thought it was worth a little more than $3,500. I paid more than that in worse shape.
 
I read where at some point Amada upgraded the saws, with the newer versions operating much faster.

Can't remember the differences exactly, seems like it was in the indexing time and head speed raising/lowering in AUTO mode....?

Either way, Amadas are the class of the field, and just like most Japanese industrial equipment, they are built well and last a long, long time.

ToolCat
 
The blade speed is much faster on the newer saws. Blade technology has come a long way since my saw was designed in the mid 1970s. I run mine at max RPM all the time. Mine has step pulleys, the newer ones are variable speed.

Also, the newer saws have full extension vise cylinders instead of the rack and pawl like the older saws.
 
Amada bandsaw

Hi I have purchased an Amada ha 250 band saw and it has damaged switches so I’m trying to find wiring diagrams switch types and where they go I have managed to fit a couple of switches to get the saw to cut and lower then raise after the cut but can’t get the auto load to work I have pump and coolant motors working but no rams does anyone have or can get photos of the rear wiring panel please i also don’t have a year for this machine however the m’ôter has a date of 1987 so I would think that’s close many thanks nick
 
Hi I have purchased an Amada ha 250 band saw and it has damaged switches so I’m trying to find wiring diagrams switch types and where they go I have managed to fit a couple of switches to get the saw to cut and lower then raise after the cut but can’t get the auto load to work I have pump and coolant motors working but no rams does anyone have or can get photos of the rear wiring panel please i also don’t have a year for this machine however the m’ôter has a date of 1987 so I would think that’s close many thanks nick

Do you have material in and the vices adjust properly to clamp on the material? I’m not that familiar with your specific saw but I know many auto saws will stop when the vice shuttle goes to clamp but it reaches the end of its stroke because there’s no material in the way so the saw thinks it’s out of material. Just a thought. Also, I imagine you are IN “auto” mode and you can’t jog the the shuttle in “manual” mode??
 
I have a few switches missing and as far as I know I just need to get the right switches and refit into the front panel I’m trying to find if anyone could advise me what switches should be on the panel and how they are wired up I have a bit of wiring with numbered tags on the end
And does anyone have photos of what is wired to what I have a diagram but I’m not sure it’s for my model I think it’s a late 80s HA250
 
Hi Nick,
I also have an Amada HA 250 Band saw and I am trying to obtain the Schematics for Electrical and Hydraulic as I am having problems.
Did you end up sourcing Schematics and if so could you be so kind to forward them to me.
Email: [email protected]
 
Hi Nick,
Would you have the Electrical schematic for your HA 250 that you could send me, I am having a bit of trouble with the electrics.
My Email [email protected]
Location Australia
 
Looking through an Amada bandsaw electrical schematic always reminded me that they must have taken the scraps of paper from the original engineers thought process and taped them together...then made 1000 of them and put them in a binder with a label...says....electrical schematics.
 








 
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