Bandsaw help - PHOTOS ADDED

[505Fire]

Do you guys think with decent blades this bandsaw would be capable of use for cutting out blade blanks for knives or friction cutting titanium for handles? It is a wood cutting bandsaw. I think I can get it for $50 would it be worth it?

[bladsmth]

It will work fine for cutting handle materials, but is not made to cut metal...even with a metal blade. I think it will be too slow for friction cutting titanium.

[jonekatt]

you would need to buy somthing like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/110792518250...ht_2976wt_1185 and convert it, you will need to be in the 90 to 150 fpm (feet per minute) range to cut metal, that saw at the speed it runs now will simply burn up blades right and left, also raising the table up to the guide bearings will help to reduce blade wander

the motor in my link is bigger then you will need I'm sure if you look you can find a smaller cheaper version

[bladsmth]

Spending several hundred dollars on a gear reduction motor and then having to try and completely modify the cast metal housing to mount the motor and fit it to the drive belt would negate the reason to buy a $50 saw. For that amount you could buy a HF or similar metal cutting band saw plus a Lenox Bi-metal blade and run it right out of the box.

[Jason Fry]

All true, not going to work for metal. That said, $50 bucks for a wood bandsaw isn't a bad price, assuming everything works.

[jonekatt]

Actually modifying the saw is not so hard, a buddy and I did one about 15 years ago, mount the saw to a 24 " square piece of counter-top material 1" thick, we used duraflake, pull the motor off, get a pulley the same size to fit your new motor, mount the motor on a platform that is mounted to the counter top material so it lines up with the motor hole and bam your in bussiness best part the saw it self has not been harmed and can be put back together and resold, this whole mod can be completed using nothing but wood and lag bolts in less than 2 hours

The cheapest vertical metal cutting band saw that I have been able to find so far is around $800, tools from harbor freight are a joke, I bought a belt sander from them, put it together, chuckled for a few minutes, put it back in the box and took it back, the vertical/horizontal saw they sell gets bad reviews, also I looked at one and it is cheap junk

Delta is a good saw, if you modify it, chances are you will be using it for the next 20 years, I have been a carpenter for 30 years and buying cheap tools has never worked out for me ;0)

[jll346]

You need a wood bandsaw so buy it!!! Get yourself a portaband for metal and you will be good to go.

[Bill Hoffman]

+1 for the porta-band.

[Brian Ayres]

Buy a Portaband saw and a Swag Offroad stand.

http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Port...les-_c_35.html

Or, buy a used metal bandsaw from CL. I just bought a 4"x6" for $125.

I have the Swag stand and like it very much.

[Mudbug007]

This is what I use. I've been using it for over a year now cutting out blanks from various steels. Everything from CPM 154 to 1075 and a bunch of galvanized and mild steel plus G10 and Micarta. On your way home from buying it at Harbor Freight, stop by Home Depot and buy a set of 3 Milwaukee blades to fit it. Go slow and they'll last a long time.

Variable Speed Portable Band Saw

[jonekatt]

Buy a Portaband saw and a Swag Offroad stand.

The swag table is a great idea takes up a lot less room then a vertical band saw, real estate is at a premium in my shop, I am packed into a 20x20 area

construction tools are dirt cheap here in Michigan, because we all went out of business 5 years ago LOL, better hit CL for a Milwaukee porta-band ;0)

[bladsmth]

I took the saw arm off a HF 7X4 metal cutting band saw and discarded the base. I mounted it diagonally on the end corner of the work bench as a vertical unit. The motor was mounted about 12" behind it. It took two "L" brackets and a brace made from 1X1/4" mild steel to do the conversion. Only takes up about a foot of bench space. I mounted a tool type power switch ( pull on/push off) below the saw, where it was easy to reach.

[jonekatt]

I mounted it diagonally on the end corner of the work bench

Thats an interesting idea I, know were there is a craftsman sitting that I probably can get for a song and a dance...how about a couple of pics

[505Fire]

Wow great! Thanks for all the great info guys. I think I will try to find a porta band.

[bladsmth]

Here are the photos. Pardon the mess, I didn't pretty it up for these beauty shots.

The band saw was unbolted from the stand. I used two angle brackets to mount it to the bench, and a bar of steel as a brace to keep it from bending backward when I lean into it when sawing ( seen below the table in the side photo). I set it at 45° on the corner of the bench to get the best clearance from the other tools. I put a power switch on the bench below the saw. That's it.

The photos should be self explanatory, but feel free to ask if there is anything that isn't anything clear.
Not shown is the actual cutting table. I have a thick block of G-10 that sits on the table and gets the cutting closer to the upper rollers. It screws on from below. The slot faces backward, so I have to remove it to change the blade, but that is better than having the slit in front of the blade.

The small flashlight looking thing above the upper rollers is a laser I added. It projects a line where the steel will be cut. I almost never use it unless someone is watching. It does look cool, though.

[Mr. Night]

another vote for a portaband and a swag offroad stand. def more than 50 bucks, but well worth it

[ctec9]

I have one of these, as for metal, the blade is to small, and the power just is not there.
handle material and wood is OK, but for 50.00 I would take it today.....
A porta band saw is much better for steel.

[quint]

With the deltas try and get an older one if you can. Since they went over seas for there saws the quality is not what it use to be.

[Fishinbo]

I believe so. A porta band can get the job done. Converting wood cutting band saw into metal cutting seem not to work.

[Patrickknives]

I did not have much luck with the portaband, I have had this HF bandsaw for about 5 years with no problems, I removed from the base keeping the switch and mounted to a bench base from HF. You can use a 10 TPI for cutting wood and especially micarta or G10. Crap no lazer, I need one of those!!!

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