Robland z320 sliding panel saw

[Stew]

I saw this on Craigslist today for an estate auction and was wondering if anyone could tell me the pros and cons of having a machine like this. A google search came up with sliding panel saw,I have noticed that ishatani uses something similar to this also. Thanks Stew.

[wdwerker]

That size & type slider can be used to straight line rip live edge boards and slabs as well as crosscutting to length accurately.  I've got the Excalibur crosscut sliding table that bolts on to most 10" tablesaws. 61" crosscut capacity was what made me spend the $$$$. It's 2 K for the current version. A true euro type slider is easily 5 k and up, way up in many situations !

[minorhero]

A machine like that will almost certainly be using 3 phase power. Likely 7hp motor or more. You will thus need a rotary phase converter which by itself is a few thousand dollars installed. Also that machine is HUGE. If you have a garage door or double door you should be able to fit it in, but not through a single door. You will not be able to move it yourself. Professional riggers will charge you at least a few hundred to move it. If you need the capacity than it still might be a good deal. If you are a hobbiest you should probably consider other options. You could buy a brand new 3hp SawStop cheaper than you will pay to bring in 3 phase power to run that beast.

[Pwk5017]

Robland is a European manufacturer out of Denmark or the Netherlands, I forget. I've always received the impression they are a step below felder, scmi, and the other euro guys. Certainly not at the Martin or altendorf level. All of this is leading up to my point, and that is I would buy a 70s or 80s Martin or altendorf slider, but I most likely would stay away from the others. We are talking 30-40 years of wear and potential abuse on these machines. Nothing but the absolutely best builds and designs can withstand that kind of use. I'll add that in my research to buy a used felder, they are incredibly complex. This isn't like buying a unisaw where just about nothing but belts and bearings can go wrong. There is a list of crap to worry about on these machines. Top of the list is the sliding table. I have no idea what design robland used on that era of machine(looks like 70s or 80s design), but you need to inspect the carriage ways. I'm assuming it is like similar machines of that era with a series of ball bearings that eventually wear a groove into the carriage way. A small groove is ok. You need to look up when it becomes too much, because that leads to slop. Last thing you want in a slider is slop. Last thing you want in any tool is slop, to be honest.

 

unless this machine is $500 or less, I honestly wouldn't bother with it.