Harbor Freight Bandsaw?

Mitchell Knives

Mitchell Knives

Knifemaker
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May 21, 2000
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I need a bandsaw ASAP, and the HF model seems tempting. Does anyone have one of these? They look fairly solid, but have not been able to check one out personally. Are these decent for the money, or should I keep looking?
 
Yes, Yes, Yes. Get the red horizontal one for 179.00. Do not buy your blades there. Go to local hardware store get some good ones. I hit The HF saw blade against a piece of Billet and it just rolled the teeth. The one that came with the saw worked well. I can cut 10 to 12 knives with a single blade. I paid for mine with my first piece of billet. I got 7 knives instead of the 4 I use to get. That was an extra 450.00 per billet.
 
+1 Best 150.00 I ever spent (it was a while back ;)). Buy bi-metal blades from any of the knife suppliers.
 
Works like a charm, built a simple rig to stand it upright and added a larger table made from a piece of aluminum.
 
+1 on buying new blades immediately. Get some bi-metal blades from one of the mail order houses. I cut mostly 416ss on mine because I have an abrasive chop saw for blade steel. The original blade was dull and useless after two weeks of cutting blade steel. The replacement blade lasted a year!!!!!!!
 
i seem to need one every other year or so but then again im usingn the hell out of a bandsaw
it was a great stopgap till i can get a reall USA made saw (got my eye on a 800Lb roller saw )
 
it is great for the price. if you think you'd use it buy it!

get bi-metal blade with 18 teeth per inch. i bought one from HF for $17 and it works well.

be careful when you assemble the table, the first time i bent it. do it with two people.
 
really the working tabel that comes with it is sub grade for any good work
get a 1/4 thick steel place and new longer bolts and build one its 2 holes that you then countersink and one slit to get the saw blade in
not too bad to make (and i hate makign extra tooling for tools )
 
The other problem is that it is real tipsy in the vertical position, At least one maker on here not only built a better plate, but also a seat for the frame, which solves the balance issue and makes working easier.
 
You can back the existing table with micarta or build your own. A wide bike seat on the saw is a simple fix for vertical work, but I don't have much trouble just sitting on the table where the vise is supposed to go.
 
Thanks guys! I'll go pick it up tomorrow. HF has a 20% off coupon on their site if anyone needs it.
 
Don't use the base that it comes with. Just bolt it on a counter top with some angle braces. It makes a great unit.
Stacy
 
It makes it a lot harder to sit on if you have it on the counter :D I've sat on half a dozen of these saws without any problems. Have seen 1x4 braces put in the stock stand to stiffen it up, but they'll hold quite a bit of weight out of the box.
 
AcridSaint said:
It makes it a lot harder to sit on if you have it on the counter :D I've sat on half a dozen of these saws without any problems. Have seen 1x4 braces put in the stock stand to stiffen it up, but they'll hold quite a bit of weight out of the box.
Click to expand...

I'm probably going to mount an old weight bench seat to the stand and see how that works. I might use your suggestion and go with an old bike seat. It's really not that bad without padding anyway.
 
All you need is a piece of Armorflex or other padding, and a couple of zip ties to make a nice seat. The saw can be fixed in the upright position if you want.
 
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