band saw?

C

court jester

Joined
Apr 22, 2004
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Is a wood cutting band saw appropriate for cutting metal if the blade was replaced with a bi metal blade? I am considering a Ridgid band saw from Home Depot or a vertical/ horzontal metal cutting band saw from a tool store like KBC Tools. The main purpose is to cut metal and it will be for profiling blades. Is there a better suggestion for a band saw (make/ model)? Thank you!
 
You are better off getting the Harbor Fright 4x6 bandsaw. It's cheaper, also. I think they are around $199 still. The wood-cutting bandsaws are simply way too fast for metals, and they have rubber or polyurethane drive wheels that dont hold up to use with metals. Trust me, you'll be much happier with the HF saw. Also, Google up "4x6 bandsaw" and you'll find a lot of cool mods and tuning stuff. :thumbup:
 
it will work
but like Jeff said you'll have to gear it down.
I have one I put in a 3 ph motor and with a VFD and turn tyhe RPM's down that way
if you'er easy with it it works.. this way is good if you have a wood Band saw anyway
but going that low in RPM's this way you loose HP power too.
 
Like Dan said. I also have a 3 ph motor/ gear reduction combo that I aquired for free, and since I already had a variable frequency drive, I was able to use it. It really isn't sturdy enough, but the light use it gets, it may last for me. Go with the metal bandsaw.
 
I bought one of the cheapo portabandsaws from Harbor Freight a couple months ago. I still can't believe the thing works and I'm still using the blade that came with it. Its even missing a number of teeth and last night I used it to cut a big chuck of 5160 that was 3 1/2 X 5/8" thick with no problem. You can even set it up in a vise and use it vertically. Remove the top hand hold and replace it with a piece of steel. Make the steel about 9" long. Use the screws that held the hand hold to mount the piece of bar.
 
If the HF saw I looked at in the store the other day is any indication of their overall quality, I would look into something different. The base of the vice, which is built into the frame was off square. Not just a little bit that you had to measure to notice, but visually out of square. It would either have to be reground, or you would have to shim everything you were cutting.
May not be a huge deal for hacking barstock off in rough lengths to be profiled, or things like that. But if your not wanting to cut peices to weld up, or you need a true edge to reference for something it gets to be a huge hassle. And the table being that bad doesn't give me much confidence in the rest of it either:grumpy:
What do I suggest you buy then? Well I don't know. Haven't found anything yet myself. Its really frustrating that you either have to settle for imported junk, or shell out a couple grand for bigger peice of equipment than you'll ever need just to get decent quality :mad:
 
Matt Shade said:
What do I suggest you buy then? Well I don't know. Haven't found anything yet myself. Its really frustrating that you either have to settle for imported junk, or shell out a couple grand for bigger peice of equipment than you'll ever need just to get decent quality :mad:
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Wilton (Jet) and Delta both make vertical metalcutting bandsaws based on their 14" wood bandsaws. They're not cheap, but are still less than "a couple grand" at $1000 and $1700 respectively, they look like a better fit for knifemakers than going whole-hog on some enormous thing like a Grob/Do-All/etc. The fact that they can still be run full speed for cutting wood is an added bonus.

I've been looking hard at them and will probably have one in a month or two. I'll be sure to post on how I like it.

-Allin
 
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Not very close-up but you can see the old Delta-Rockwell 14" vertcal saw I have. I bought it for $125 and fixed it up new. Made in 1947, it has the gearbox, which runs in a gear oil bath and churns really slow. I run a 3/4" lennox bimetal on it and its cuts like mad. I rebuilt it inside and out, complete with media-blasting, new paint, new bearings, seals, everything. New stand, new motor. There are a lot of these still out there for sale, and if you get one they are a fabulous winter project for small money.

Including the motor, I have about $400 into this saw. All the parts diagrams and parts ar available online, and there's an outfit in Canada that can even tell you when your saw was made by the serial number. :thumbup:
 
fitzo said:
worktable looks a little messy, Higgy......:p
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Dude! You should see it now after the mess I went through wiring that darn anodizer! I aint got the strength to clean it up today. It'll have to wait until tomorrow. :rolleyes:
 
Jeff, every time I see a foto of that shop I think of a NASA satellite assembly area and wonder if you wear a bunnysuit inside. :eek: :p
 
dang it looks like you can even walk around the bench COOL:D wish I could walk around mine:D as a matter of fact, I wish I could find my floor:( it's around here somewhere:rolleyes: :D
 
pretty clean shop! i'd watch that buffer against the wall though, I almost took a double guard 8" dagger through the foot because my baldor grabbed the guard and bounced it off the wall at me!
 
well, im sure enought a newby to the whole knife deal, still workin on a couple kits, but as far as metal fab, ive done that for years. i have a HF 4x6 bandsaw, and i cant tell you how much steel i have cut with that thing. built a few jeeps and umpteen other things with it. the base sucks, so youll wanna build somthing more solid, but it cuts great and quiet once you get a good bimetal blade on it.
 
cwend said:
well, im sure enought a newby to the whole knife deal, still workin on a couple kits, but as far as metal fab, ive done that for years. i have a HF 4x6 bandsaw, and i cant tell you how much steel i have cut with that thing. built a few jeeps and umpteen other things with it. the base sucks, so youll wanna build somthing more solid, but it cuts great and quiet once you get a good bimetal blade on it.
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How old is your HF saw? After doing a good bit of research online, it seems like the saws they sell now are a whole different beast than the ones they made 5-10 years ago (which were very serviceable tools):(




Allin
Thats good info on the 2 vertical saws, pretty far out of my price range for the time being, but I'd still be interested in hearing what you think of one if you buy it :cool:
 
its about 5 years old i guess. still looks like the ones i see in the stores, but who knows
 
Thanks guys for the info one more question, how much horsepower is needed for profiling blades out of 3/16 to 1/4" thick 440c or ATS 34, is 1/3 HP enough? I am trying to decide between 1/2 HP band saw made in China or a 1/3 HP made in Taiwan (the fit and finish is alot nicer on the Taiwan model). There is about $20 difference between the two,Taiwan being the more expensive.
 
Wow. That work shop is so clean. Mine is an embarrassment to that one. Saw dust everywhere in mine. I just can't keep up with its removal this time of year especially.

I've used my Delta 14" band saw for many years on everything from cutting up deer meat to cutting out blades. Controlling the speed helps a lot but so does having a good strong motor. I use a 1hp Baldor on mine. I cut out titanium liners and pocket clips with it all the time.
 
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