another band saw review needed

K

kingfisher studio

Joined
Feb 21, 2005
Messages
58
Has any body used the off brand that sears sells? I think its called "companion" or some such.
It was set up right beside the delta and they were identical.
I've seen alot of you guys talk about the cheap HF porta band.
Am I better off driving the hour to get that one?
Strictly for hobby use at this point
Thanks for any input
Pat
 
Depends on whether you want to cut metal or not. I've got the delta benchtop saw and its not suitable for anything but wood and handle material. Its a direct drive machine also, so there's no cheap way to slow it down even if you could get enough blade support to cut metals.
I haven't tried any of the companion brand stuff, so I can't tell you how they compare. I would have to say that the delta isn't made any heavier than it absolutely has to be, so if the companion is much cheaper, its either not very good or the delta is overpriced ;)
I don't want to make the delta out as a peice of junk, I think its a great little saw for most wood projects. It can be picky on how the blade guides are tuned up and you won't do much re-sawing with it, but for its intended uses its a great machine.

The HF vertical horizontal saw is designed to cut metal. It can be used on wood and handle material but is mostly a straight cutter, meant mainly to be used as a cut off saw in the horizontal position. The delta saw can cut very intricate patterns with some practice, so you've got to decide which you want more.

I havent' looked at the portaband model but I think you'll find its another slow running machine designed for metals. They're something you'd see set up at a construction site to cut pipes/conduit, rebar etc.
 
Hi Pat,

When one import saw looks exactly like the one next to it, but they are different brands, then chances are very likely that they are both made in the same factory. This holds very true to the little mills and saws sold by Grizzly, Homier, and Harbor Freight. Typically, HF beats the rest hands-down for price, and Grizzly - although higher in price - gets you stunning customer service. I have an old HF horizontal bandsaw. I've beat the snot out of it for over 19 years, and just a week ago the motor gave up the ghost. With a decent blade, these little saws are simply... excellent. Dang, I never thought I would say that about an import machine, but the service record of my little buddy speaks for itself.

The bottom line is that you can't beat $169.00 for a saw that will serve you for years.
 
thanks guys
I guess it should have been apparent that there would be different requirements for wood and metal.
The blade designs I have in mind right now are somewhat complicated(i never seem to do things the easy way)
Should I just do the straight cuts and grind in some of the more difficult areas or try to do most of the cutting with the saw.
How is it typically done?
Pat
 
The width of the blade used for cutting metal generally doesn't do well at tight curves. So for profiling blades you'd make straight cuts and finish the profile on a grinder, thats not too difficult really.
Then if you have the metal cutting saw, like the harbor freight, you'd use the same method to cut out handle material. Its not that big of a deal, just a little more wear on belts.

With my wood cutting bandsaw, I can cut the scale out almost identical to the tang. I actually drill the scale material for pins, slap it down on the tang with a couple pins to keep it lined up, and cut right around the tang using it as a pattern. Can generally be within 1/16" all around which is about as close as you want to go in case there is any burning that will need to be ground out. Trouble with the delta, is that it leaves me stuck cutting blades out with a hacksaw.
So you've got to decide whether you want to be able to cut scales out close to the pattern, or whether you want to be able to cut out your blades on it. Or you could just buy both which is what I figure I'll be doing before too long :D
 
I have a very small work area and the HF portaband suits my situation. I got it mainly for cutting blade blanks. With a bi-metal bladeand and a home-made work table it is great. The price was right....$59.95

New-Saw.jpg


Mike
 
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