Bandsaw opinions

I'm looking for a small to medium size bandsaw to cut steel with. All the smaller saws I have looked at are single speed setup for cutting wood. Has anyone purchased a decent saw or made any conversions to slow down a smaller bandsaw for cutting steel? I would like to hear any experiences anyone has had with bandsaws. I'm trying to find one withouut mortgaging the house to purchase it...lol!

 

I've heard the harbor freight ones work well. I dont have one though. You could set up a Porta-band with a little table, not much throat, but they work well.

 

There was a thread on this same subject like about a week ago

 

im still on the lookout for a lower cost bandsaw with the low speed and proper hp to cut steel. i think used, quality piece is the way to go.

in the mean time, i picked up a plasma cutter

-scott noteboom

 

If it will cut wood ,them it will cut aluminum with a skip tooth blade and some wax. Steel is much slower in RPM , somewhere in my junk ,I have a chart but it seems to me 125 RPM is a happy medium .Most recommendations are figured in Feet Per Minute by the industry though . The low dollar saws made for wood don't have much for blade guides and won't last long doing curves and intricate shapes .

 

We use an 18" Craftsman metal cutting vertical bandsaw. It's rated at 2 hp max and has plenty of power to cut the 1/8" - 3/16" sheetmetal that we usually cut. It works ok on 1/4" but it takes awhile longer. My only complaint is that the blades don't last long and they really don't like to cut stainless. It looks just like a Jet vertical saw. It cost about $800 but from what I've seen that's not out of line for a low-end decently-powered metal cutting saw.

Hank

 

My 18" Craftsman band saw has a reduction gearcase that really slows the blade down and it works excellent for almost everything. I have cut up to 1/2" mild steel (it takes a while) and the blades I buy last a pretty long time. I paid $1500 for it and it's worth every penny. The blades (133") cost me about $30 each. Note: don't cut sheet metal with a co**** blade, I destroyed a brand new 10 tpi blade when I got in a hurry to make one cut in some 16 ga sheet metal.......ruined that baby in nothin' flat.

 

We bought a Jet,which is a little better quality than a harbor brand & have used it alot f/10yrs.The only thing you need to do is cleanout the gearbox if you buy a new one ciz the y don't clean the shavings out @ the factory & then we filled it w/syn gear lube.

 

the harbor freight, which I have is ok, only when you buy it on sale. if you pay full price , it could be better

 

Guys that use or convert wood cutting saws to cut steel need to be very careful. I know someone that burned their house down because the sparks from the metal smoldered in the sawdust for several hours. They were lucky they got out alive, but lost everything.

 

I bought one of the metal saws from Homier tools when they came through. Works really good plus a made a table for it.

 

i have a wood cutting ban saw from harber freight it ****s!for metal or wood the belts slip, the blade wonders, it is china ****

 

The regular Harbor Freight 4" x 6" horizontal band saw works well if you make a larger table for it.

The table in the pic is aluminum, but steel would be better.
Aluminum has more friction, but it's not all that bad.

I cut up to 1/4" in vertical mode.

A standard 1/2" wide bandsaw blade is used.

As was mentioned, use Beeswax - from a beekeeper and not the supermarket - on the blade when cutting aluminum.
Supermarket Beeswax seems to be diluted and doesn't really do the job.

I use 10 TPI blades for aluminum and 14 TPI blades for steel.

Blades that have done well for me:
Ridgid.
Delta.
Craftsman.
In about that order.

Don't even bother using HF blades.
A waste of money.

Fwiw, I've owned the saw in the pics for about 20 years and it was used by a small manufacturing outfit when I got it.

Pics show:
The saw with homemade stand.
Wheels at all corners beat heck out of the two wheel flimsy sheet metal wonders that come with the saw.
You can improve the sheet metal stand by adding a couple of diagonal flat strap or small angle braces front and rear.

2nd pic shows the small 'table' supplied with the saw.

3rd pic shows the table I made . . . a little larger would be better.

And fwiw, I cut the 1/8" steel boxing plates for my 31's 32 frame out on this saw.
Went pretty fast all things considered.

A dedicated vertical saw would be nice, but this little saw will do it if you use your imagination.
One tool does two things is nice in a small shop - which mine is.

Then again, if I stumbled onto a killer deal for a vertical, I could find the room.

I'm pretty sure I could get the Bridgeport mill in there if my pal ever decides to get rid of it.
It comes with a nice coat of dust....

 

I did a bandsaw "tech" article within the last two years.

Showed some simple tools and discussed some tricks.

Several others joined in with their good ideas.

The article was done about December 2004 if I remember right.

There have been some other good bandsaw discussions as well.

Do some searching.

 

I found a war surplus DoAll rebuild kit and will restore an old saw.Art Deco and not expensive. The kits are really complete.

 

Thanks for the pictures...I was wondering what kind of table i could make for mine....you solved my dilemma - looks like the perfect design.

My saw was a $140 dollars at harbor freight.... I tried to cut 4 inch pipe with pretty thick walls. I set it up and walked off while it was cutting. I came back to a motor with black melted plastic oozing out the side of the motor( it siezed). I went and bought a well made motor with a little higher rating and a fan in it and it's a champ now. So you can buy the cheap harbor freight saw...but you will spend another $120 on a better motor.... same deal on my pressure blaster.....worked ok...traded out a cambell hausefield air/oil filter and it works like a deam..... when you look at their stuff...figure what is the most expensive part on it.....thats what you will have to replace to make it work right.

 

Here's my tale. I watched Ebay for weeks, maybe months, then found a really nice 92"(?) Delta, metal cutting band saw for $300 within driving distance (150 miles i think). I did the same with a floor stripping machine. Watched patiently until one was within striking distance. FWIW

 

BUMP. Hey what tooth count do you guys usually use for all around metal cutting? I need to order a new bi-metal blade. 10-14? 14-18? Usually cutting 1/8"-3/8" stock.

 

Years ago I read on here about using a treadmill variable speed motor to slow down a wood saw. I tried it and it worked great. I never used beeswax though ,I use the wax rings that you use when you install your ****ter. They are cheap and easy to find.

 

I bought a 40s era delta 14" band saw and converted it to run slower for metal. Only paid $200 for it.

 

My recommendation would be to watch and find a real metal cutting bandsaw. I had a delta 14" wood saw which I slowed down by a jack shaft and pulleys. It worked ok then I found a bargain on a powematic 14" metal cutting bandsaw. It is totally different in the quality of the cut, the life of the blades and just ease in cutting.

 

I know, old thread but, if you plan on keeping a saw for the long haul and think you will do a lot of metal cutting, I'd say invest in a saw with a blade welder, not cheap but sure is handy if you don't have a (quality blade) supplier nearby.

 

I've got a 20" Rockwell metal cutting vertical saw and a 10/14 blade stays on it all the time unless I have some thick aluminum to cut. The 14/18 blades are too fine IMO unless you're cutting thin stuff most all the time. I've found on my horizontal saws that run 1" blades that the quickest way to knock teeth out of a bimetal blade is to run a too fine blade. It will pack the tooth gullets in thicker stock and pop a tooth or two off the blade as the swarf jams in the cut rather than being carried clear. Once one or two teeth are gone, its just a matter of time until that toothless gap starts growing and the blade is shot.

Also have one of those little 4x6 horizontal saws that I bought at an auction for $5. Had to spend a couple hours on it to fix a few things, but with a 10/14 bimetal blade it works great for cutting thin tubing and other similar stuff that will wreck a blade on a bigger saw. I think one of the main reasons so many people curse those little saws is because they've never tried putting a decent bimetal blade on them. Instead, they just look for the cheapest blade on the planet and then ***** when the saw won't cut.

 

I bought one of the older HF band saws (the "green" one, made in Taiwan, not the "red" one from mainland China) about 15-years ago and have never had a problem with it. I use it quite a bit, especially the last 10-years or so, since I retired. I do not use the HF bands, however. Had a lot better luck with the ones I've bought from The Tractor Store.

 

A Milwaukee portoband and a Swag Off Road stand and a Harbor Freight on off foot pedal
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