Band saws, what else can they be used for??

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Feb 23, 2010
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I know band saws have many uses but wanted to hear what some of you guys have found yourself using it for..

I got a screaming deal on a used portable dewalt bandsaw $80 to my door!!! and I have many ideas for it, right now I use a grinder for my profile work, will the band saw be like night and day??

also its great for??
 
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A band saw is a tool....and like any tool it can do what the users skill can make it do.

That said, a portable band saw will most likely be good for small work only. You can cut some bars to length, and do some light profiling, but there is not enough throat clearance to do much more. You will often have to mark both sides of the metal with the knife shape and flip the piece over to continue cutting when the blade hits the upright post. This will make more sense when you try cutting on it.
 
Basically I found it can do anything a hacksaw can do, a little faster and a lot cleaner.

Don't push too hard - it seems that if you try to cut faster than the blade will go, you end up dulling the blade.

I'm not entirely clear why one would have to draw the blank on both sides of steel - when I run out of depth I can usually flip end for end (e.g just cut in from the other side).

When you are using it and wishing it had more capability, remember how much better it is than a hacksaw.
 
I recently used mine to cut out a lexan rear window for a race car. So much cleaner cutting than the reciprocating saw. Stacy is correct, 3" clearance on the left hand side causes a lot of flipping.
 
They can also be used for eye injuries when you put too much force on the blade and it breaks. They tend to nip fingertips as well when you least expect it or don't use a push stick... :D

Handy tool, but it does have some limitations as stated above.

Charlie
 
I love mine and use it for... cutting stuff :-) But don't stop there, I'm sure we can come up with a list of $8,000,000 worth of other tools you need as well!!!
 
You can use it to:

1) Release frustration by cutting your mistakes into small pieces so nobody can detect what you did wrong
2) Making lots of noise that convinces your wife you are doing something useful and to leave you alone for a while
3) Turning billets of steel into tiny metal chips that lodge in your hair and eventually fall in your eye
4) Turn the saw into a project of its own as you try to mount it for vertical usage
 
You can use it to:

1) Release frustration by cutting your mistakes into small pieces so nobody can detect what you did wrong
2) Making lots of noise that convinces your wife you are doing something useful and to leave you alone for a while
3) Turning billets of steel into tiny metal chips that lodge in your hair and eventually fall in your eye
4) Turn the saw into a project of its own as you try to mount it for vertical usage

that right there was absolutely hilarious!!!

thanks I needed that..
 
Making titanium shavings for packing your 4th of July noisemakers with. You can also collect the dust of various colored woods and mix with Epoxy to fill gaps with. Very easy to collect the sawdust/shavings from a band saw and they are deposited in a relatively small spot compared to other saws.
 
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