Band Saw

carbonsteel928

carbonsteel928

Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Messages
696
After killing another Harbor Freight bandsaw, I'm again looking for a better saw. Ideally an AMERICAN MADE bandsaw would be best but it must have a moderate footprint. The small 44 7/8 portable band saws are great but I would not be opposed to something like the larger 4x6 from HF. Thank you guys for any input.

-Mike
 
What part fails on that saw ?

I had a couple that would throw blades, but I think if I would have adjusted properly they might have worked.


The portabands have worked better for me.


I'm not sure you can get any of them made in USA anymore, Milwaukee was pretty strong in that but not now.

They have changed the content rules, you can use "assembled in USA" on the label of something that was made in china with stickers or some extranous stuff added.
 
If I lived anywhere near Dallas, I'd already be over looking at this saw, although I don't know if it's still there.
https://dallas.craigslist.org/sdf/tls/4353663295.html

Don't know if that's deal-spotting. My point at any rate is: you appear to live near a lot of people. I'd take advantage of that and comb CL for an opportunity at a great deal for an industrial quality bandsaw, such as potentially the one above.
 
roll in saw is USA made but pricy and bigger then i think you are looking for. it has been a godsend for me tho since i cut up alot of 2x3 foot sheet and the table is 18x30 inch
 
I only have experience with one "floor unit" band saw. It was made by Ellis and was one hell of a machine. I believe they are still made in the US, but are stupid expensive. http://www.ellissaw.com/

As for porta bands, none of them are made in the US anymore if I'm not mistaken. Milwaukee's use to be, but the one I bought last year is made overseas. I will say this, I've used Milwaukee porta band's off and on for nearly 20 years. Their tools are definitely "contractor grade". Their porta band's familiarity to me was mainly why I went with them despite where they are now made. Most of the ones I've used in the past were obviously the US made versions, but the one I have now (which isn't) seems to have the same build quality. I've been using it for nearly a year now with no hiccups. I use it to cut all of my steel as well as cut handle material. Paired with the swag table it's a really nice set up for knife makers IMO. I believe Mr. Wheeler more or less endorsed porta bands over floor models for knife maker purposes (correct me if I'm wrong Nick). I know some guys need more saw than that and luckily there are lots of options out there if you do. Good luck either way!
 
I do use my benchtop portaband a lot still for this and that. It just has a limited capacity for long/wide cuts, due to the saw's throat. It was a whole heck of a lot better than nothing though, when I got it! I'm just saying, if you've never used an industrial vertical metal cutting bandsaw like a DoAll or Grob, it is a whole different experience and one that you may long for when nibbling away on a portaband...

I guess that blades are cheaper on a portaband, anyway.
 
Thanks guys for the suggestions. I've used a few different portaband style saws and though they work well. The issue has become finding an american made saw. Looking at the large industrial style saws has me wondering if I really need to hang onto a 20" VS Disc Sander... if that goes it is sure to free up some space and extra cash.

Trying to buy American may seem a bit off but after seeing plant after plant close down and move to China, it sure makes one think.
 
I'm absolutely for supporting the American workforce and do... When I can. Just like I support the hardware store in my town of 2300 vs WalMart or one of the big box stores... When I can.

Unfortunately, they are making this harder and harder for us to do.

I hear Toby Keith singing, "Made in America" where he says his dad wouldn't buy anything he couldn't fix with, "WD-40 and a Craftsman wrench..." and it makes my gut sink to know that a Craftsman wrench is very unlikely to be made in America anymore.

I bought my DeWalt portaband thinking it was made in the good 'ol USA... but it wasn't. :(


All that said... ;) For the average guy's budget, it's really hard to go wrong (IMHO) with one of the quality brands like DeWalt or Milwaukee. The blades are cheap, and IME will cut pretty damn well... even with the more abrasion resistant materials.

No doubt, I agree with Salem 100% about a quality, vertical saw. On my list of dream tools is a 30-36" vertical DoAll. Unfortunately, the guys selling them (especially around here) are extremely proud of them. There's one on CL about 45 minutes from me, and he wants $5,500 for it.

That one Salem linked to at $250 is a steal... even if it needs a whole lot of TLC! (which it probably does).

The main drawback to the portabands is the very limited throat capacity. Fortunately for knife work, it's rarely an issue. It's when I'm cutting out bigger pieces for side-line projects that the throat clearance proves to be a real PITA.

I've had a Jet 4X6 for 18 years, which is, as far as I can tell, the exact same one HF sells with a different paint job. It has a lot more clearance than the portabands, but MINE has never been very cooperative. The blade will jump off randomly (it doesn't need to have a lot of side load applied to the blade) even when it's as tight as I can get it--- and I like, lift weights and stuff. ;) LOL. And it sure has hell won't cut straight/square in the horizontal mode. Also, the blades are a lot more expensive than the ones for the portaband.

I have a Jet 7X12 that I use for all my horizontal cutting, and it has been a very good saw.

Last week I picked up a Delta 14" vertical wood bandsaw (which was made in the USA! :)).


With the Portaband, the 7X12, and the 14" Delta... I'm pretty well covered. ;)



But I still want a big vertical saw. ;) :D
 
NickWheeler said:
I hear Toby Keith singing, "Made in America" where he says his dad wouldn't buy anything he couldn't fix with, "WD-40 and a Craftsman wrench..." and it makes my gut sink to know that a Craftsman wrench is very unlikely to be made in America anymore.
Click to expand...

Haha I think that same thing too when I hear that song. It first started playing around the time that Sears was switching mainline tool production to China.

When I was working in aerospace I had the expensive stuff, but Craftsman was a great option for those who just wanted decent tools that didn't cost a fortune.


You guys covered the saw stuff really well already. Luckily upright metal cutters are pretty easy to get for cheap, at least around these parts. Also, old US made bandsaws aren't something that break often. You just need to keep them lubed and install new tires once in a while.
 
My friends got a Grob 20" vertical metal saw for $300 a coupel years back... could have bought it out from under them, but didn't out of consideration. Still kind of wish I had!:eek: All a saw like that often needs to fix it up, is a VFD control to negate need for the gearbox/pulleys (often what is wrong with them) or a new motor, and then a VFD.

Those deals are out there if you keep an eye out long enough.

Nick, did you see this one? A 24" Grob for $1200 in Auburn. Bet it's gone though.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/tls/4389092434.html

I'm sorry for what I've just done to you.:p And for the thread drift...
But seriously, that's a nice saw and I'd be going to get it now if I had the money/wasn't paying on a mill.
 
I used (and still occasionally use) a Grob at my old work, that was purchased by my old boss before I was born. It has had a couple of tire changes, but that's about it. They are terrific machines if you find the right one.
 
We all want to buy American made stuff but loyalty is a two way street. American companies need to be more loyal to American workers than to Chinese workers. That said, money is tight. We need to make the dollars we have go as far as possible and so many of our shops will contain one or more pieces of equipment from Harbor Freight. My horizontal/vertical HF bandsaw did throw blades fairly regularly until I got it adjusted properly. Good set up and good blades are key. Mine has been working very well for me. I don't know why the HF bandsaws keep giving up the ghost for the OP but two things come to mind. First, if this seems to be a recurring theme why not buy the warranty at time of purchase so they will replace the machine if it dies? Second, As with all machines go easy. Don't force it to work harder than it's supposed to. That will shorten the life of any machine. I don't know if that was the case with the OP but it's something to keep in mind. Good luck with your next bandsaw. Let us know which one you get.
 
i4Marc said:
We all want to buy American made stuff but loyalty is a two way street. American companies need to be more loyal to American workers than to Chinese workers. That said, money is tight. We need to make the dollars we have go as far as possible and so many of our shops will contain one or more pieces of equipment from Harbor Freight. My horizontal/vertical HF bandsaw did throw blades fairly regularly until I got it adjusted properly. Good set up and good blades are key. Mine has been working very well for me. I don't know why the HF bandsaws keep giving up the ghost for the OP but two things come to mind. First, if this seems to be a recurring theme why not buy the warranty at time of purchase so they will replace the machine if it dies? Second, As with all machines go easy. Don't force it to work harder than it's supposed to. That will shorten the life of any machine. I don't know if that was the case with the OP but it's something to keep in mind. Good luck with your next bandsaw. Let us know which one you get.
Click to expand...

Marc, my HF bandsaw had the motor go out and I did/do have a warranty on it. But that is hardly the issue as I got every penny's worth out of it before it went; it easily cut over 200 blades before it died. As for loyalty, most companies are only loyal to Dollar so hopefully the more people refuse to buy Chinese made products the more these companies will take notice. Unless given no other choice, I have decided NOT to buy Chinese.

Thank you all for your suggestions and Nick, that thread was amazing. The gentleman who restored that beauty is a gifted craftsman.

After looking at all my choices, if I cannot find a good project to rebuild, WellSaw 57 will be number one candidate.
 
it is really hard to get any tools made in the US any more. even more sad is that most the time i have to buy used US tools since they cost so much but im working on getting my shop nearly 100% USA tools.

Nick let me know how you like your delta as my crapsman saw is a PITA. im thinking about looking for another roll in saw to convert to wood working speeds
 
I think Nick and Salem have the right of it. If you want American made, you want VINTAGE tools. Don't expect to find much on a retail sales floor made in America. We got out of that business long ago, and it isn't likely to come back in our lifetimes.
 
Yeah you can often get those old vertical bandsaws for a song compared to the asking price. I got mine (1979 Jet VBS 900) for about a quarter the asking price from a used machinery dealer. They don't have a lot of resale value to anything but hobbyists. They're missing all the necessary safety features required in many commercial environment, and have limited application otherwise, since most places don't do one off's and such anymore.


FWIW though, I will add, that there's a limit to the "bigger is better mantra", while I typically agree. I've often wished I could reclaim some of the footprint of my saw, and I've never needed the full 36" throat. ;)
 
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