Band saw vs: Plasma cutter

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golfer1

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Nov 24, 2016
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I've got a porta band saw and thought it would be great when I bought it, but there are so many limitations. Looking at a band saw, it appears they are about the same price as a plasma cutter. I'm wondering if one would be more useful than the other. What say you guys in the know.
Thanks much and best wishes.:cool:
 
I don't understand how a portable limits you. I have one, or I can go to work and use a big beautiful DoAll bandsaw, or go to work and use the laser. I also have a plasma cutter at home. I cut maybe a third of my knives on the portaband and the rest on the laser. I don't cut any with the plasma because it's inconvenient for me with my compressor in a different building although with templates it would do an event job. I rarely use the big bandsaw at work.

What can't you do in your portaband?
 
As an example, I can not cut a knife out of a 4"x24" piece of steel. Two days ago I was trying to cut some paring knives out of a 1.25 x 48" piece. I had overlapped the blade ends to save steel and could not make the lengthwise cut with the porta band.
 
I still don't follow. I do what I think you're saying all the time? If the throat of the saw is too narrow you just come at it from the other direction.

You won't save any steel with a plasma cutter, but it will let you do things like that with more freedom and without cutting off the length first. If you do a search JT made a video of plasma cutting in a thread exactly like this.

But saving steel hits a point of diminishing returns. If you spend a grand on a tool that allows you a little better material utilization, it will take hundreds of knives to pay off. Now if it's also faster, it won't take so long.

Portaband does everything I need a bandsaw to do. But I wouldn't give my plasma cutter up for anything even if I don't use it for knives, they are phenomenally handy tools.

In my space conscious (read tiny) workshop I have no desire for a big bandsaw.
 
I think I get what you're saying with the overlapped tips. Sometimes it helps to flip your stock over so that what was on the top, is on the bottom. You may have to retrace your pattern on the other side, but this should help find more clearance, if one end of your stock is running into the back of the bandsaw throat.

The other thing that normally helps with cutting blanks on a porta band is to always cut your stock to the shortest length you can get away with before you start cutting the contours and what not.

I cut anything from small folder parts to large chef knives and choppers on my porta-band, and have never had a problem. You just have to get creative with positions and relief cuts sometimes.
 
I will say that I started a thread because of issues I was having with my port-a-band and JT's example of cutting with a plasma got me to pull the the trigger on a plasma, and I'm glad I did. You can cut a pattern with a plasma much closer to your template line than you can with a bandsaw-of whatever kind-but certainly a port-a-band. Count me among the plasma fans!
 
Kuraki; watching JT's video is the main reason I ask the question. You are right, there is a point of no return, but, I'm to old to spend my time constantly figuring out how I am going to make a cut because the cotton pickin porta band wont work, LOL. I generally like to lay out to save material, comes from woodworking business. I had the porta band anyway and will use it when I can.
I just wonder what I would be missing if I got a plasma cutter instead of a band saw.
Andrew, thanks for weighing in. In the one example with the 4x24 piece of steel, I can't think of any way the porta band is going to make that cut.
Fish: I think your thread is what got me thinking about this.
Kuraki: you have a lot of really nice toys, what all do you use the plasma cutter for?
 
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Metal fab is my trade and I live on a small farm. The plasma was to support that stuff more than anything. Oxygen torches are nice for some things but what a plasma can do it can do better and faster than a torch.
 
golfer, Do you have a picture of the 4x24 blank you are wanting to cut?
 
Fish30114 said:
I will say that I started a thread because of issues I was having with my port-a-band and JT's example of cutting with a plasma got me to pull the the trigger on a plasma, and I'm glad I did. You can cut a pattern with a plasma much closer to your template line than you can with a bandsaw-of whatever kind-but certainly a port-a-band. Count me among the plasma fans!
Click to expand...


I'm happy that your happy and welcome to the dark side. I got drafted to the dark side immediately after Salem handed me his light sabre.
 
I have a large metal cutting bandsaw and a powerful torch. I use both, but diffrently. If im making a few cuts, or its late and I want to profile out one last knife, i use the bandsaw. The torch requires set up, and saftey wear and all that jazz, but its fast, accurate, and doesnt take much longer to cut 5 knives than to cut 1.
 
If it were one or the other, I would go plasma. I make far more stuff than just knives. But plasma is way more versatile.
 
Why is there yet another thread on this?

Not trying to be mean but do some research or do a search, there is enough information on this.

If you are just cutting steel than you can use either, the vast majority of makers use the porta-band for a reason, it works and is fast and simple.

Folder makers, especially the flipper makers cut a lot of titanium, you need the plasma with the nitrogen and a good compressor either way. That is not the same price as a porta, its far from it.

If after you have read JT page and somehow still confused which you want to do, I suggest you buy both and try it, making another thread on this will not help you at this point.
 
Pittknife: if you read my thread you would know that I already have a porta band and was weighing the differences between a plasma cutter vs: a largeer bandsaw. They are about the same cost. I already have a large air compressor.
I did search and read several plasma cutter threads, thank you. None weighed the pros/cons of band saw vs plasma cutter.
I was hoping to obtain others thought as to which might be better. I really don't want to buy both at this time.
Andrew: I will attempt to put up a photo of what I was hoping to cut and why I could not make the porta band work. Give a little time as I have never tried to post a photo here.
 
To me it's kind of like the single-forge design conundrum: it has to be efficient, large enough, controllable for HT, get hot enough to weld well, have some flux resistance, have a floor to put small general items on, not have hot spots, not have a floor with a puddle of flux... what one needs is at least 3 forges, optimally.
So, I have a portaband, a 20" vertical wood/metal, a 7x12" horizontal saw, a plasma cutter, a chopsaw, an oxy-ace torch. They all get used frequently, with O/A only being broken out for fab work from the scrap pile.
Personally, just for cutting profiles, my top choice is the 20" vertical saw. That big table is a world apart from the little p-band. I use the plaz most for batching 15n20 into billet strips from saw blades. The abrasive chopsaw is also great for billet work, anytime you don't want to have anneal something to save your band blades.
 
Salem: although you didn't exactly say it, one can never have too many tools. I have lots of woodworking tools, some that cross over to knife work and appreciate what you have to share about the plasma cutter. Would you be saying your band saw may be more useful for knife related work than your P cutter?
Thanks for sharing.
 
JTknives said:
I'm happy that your happy and welcome to the dark side. I got drafted to the dark side immediately after Salem handed me his light sabre.
Click to expand...

Yeah JT, I appreciate it, I'm just getting going with it, but 2 days ago, I cut up several of my farriers rasps I had into blanks pretty damn effectively--and quick!!
 
^^^ I have a Chicago Electric 40A myself, because I was given it new... but if I had to buy one, it would be a Hypertherm or Esab. Hyper though is what i've used a lot of, and they are a well made and effective unit. JT got one as I recall and likes it...
 
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