Bander

[ladylake]

I need to get a bander. Any advice on where, what kind and where to get the banding .  Thanks Steve

[Kevin_H.]

Hey steve there is a publication out there called american lumber and pallet. In there is a couple of places to order the tensioner and crimper, As for the steel I buy my at the local construction supply house.  You can find it cheaper on line but by the time you pay to ship a 100 lb coil of steel there isn't much savings, if any.

The website for american lumber and pallet is amlumber.com

You might also try McGregor Packaging at mcpackage.com

We have also bought some from piper's saw shop. piperssawshop.com

Hey one more...generica.net

You might also try some of the local auctions.

[smwwoody]

sometimes you can find good ones on E-bay

Woody

[Jeff]

We have several around the mill. We have never bought a new one as there are usually so many sawmill auctions that there is a steady source for buying good/used.

[sawhead]

We use a windlass style bander it seems to put more tension on the band and we have less trouble with them than the friction style. I  agree with most that you can usally find good banders at auctions , most  mfg plants use them somewhere so just look for an auction.

[oakiemac]

As a side note to this thread, does anyone use plastic banding?
I see both steel and plastic on ebay all the time.

[ElectricAl]

Steve,

Check out Meridian Packaging from Fargo, ND. They are close and shipping will be reasonable.
We get our poly banding and clips from them.
William is our rep.
www.meridianpackaging.com


Oakiemac,

We have been using 1/2" 500# poly for 9 years. Very happy with it's preformance.

We have used metal before and granted it is definitly stronger. But we use poly because it is easier for the customer to cut and dispose of.

We have only had one major poly strap failure, and steel would have failed too. ;D

I was loading a semi in a snowstorm and turned to fast with the wheel loader and had a 700' bunk slide sideways off the forks. >:(

Once in a while someone will drag a fork on top of the strap and one will break, but the other will hold until the bunk is rebanded. ;)


The price of steel banding went shooting up about 2 months ago because of the world steel prices. :

[Ed_K]

 I just got a price sheet from Express Shipping Room Supply.
 Seem to be good prices. www.packagingmax.com email:exshiprm@dreamscape.com hope this helps.

[Percy]

I just puchased used banding equipment(tensioner, crimper, and banding cart,Signode brand) for 150 bucks Canadian(10 bucks US :D). Id much rather have one o them fancy all in one units but, the price was right. My buddy Julius has an all in one unit that doesnt use seals, it just gets the banding to stick to itself via perforating (I think). Works slicker than snott on a door-knob but is very pricey.

Some of the buyers around here wont accept lumber with plastic banding. I thought that stuff was  nasty strong and didnt stain etc. Oh well.

[RMay]

Steve check with http://www.harborfreight.com/  I got my bander from them .

[DansSawmill]

i bought a tensioner and crimper  for plastic and banding too from these guys, think it all was under $150, 900# banding
http://www.papermart.com/
i'm happy with it , low disposal costs
dan

[Jeff]

None of our customers want plastic. Its tensile strength is strong, but it can take anything sliding across it. It will break in a heart beat from a friction cut.  We double band everything with 3/4 stanley banding.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Like Jeff said my wholesalers will not take a bundle of any thing unless it is banded with steel.  I use that streachy plastic stuff to wrap small bunldles for customers.  It works really well and does not marr the wood or stain it.  Four or five wraps and it will stay together and is very cheap and needs no tools.   Some shippers will not send bundles of wood with out steel on them.  So check before you spend your coin.
ARKANSAWYER

[FeltzE]

Granger Carries banders and accessories. You can get prices on line granger.com I belive.

Eric

[smwwoody]

check this one out

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43014&item=3815682233&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

[DansSawmill]

ahh, theres the thing....
 i sell to retail type customers almost exclusivly, they like plastic.
the bundles i put on the truck and take to the wholesaler, he has to break open and grade anyways... so plastic makes sense to me,
but if ya ship to wholesalers, maybe steel is better
dan 8)