I am a copy cat

panch0

panch0

Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
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I was going to get the hor/vert bandsaw at Harbor freight, but it was not on sale. I just went home sad. Read up here and decided to get the variable speed portable instead. Anyways I bought the same little work bench as Silver Pilate and tied her down to it. It cut some O1 and 1/2" aluminum with the bi metal blades I got for it. I am a happy camper. Oh yea with the money I saved I bought a grinder/buffing wheel which the buffing wheel will have to go and be replaced with a 3M deburring/finishing medium grit wheel. :D:D:D:D

Just thought I would let you guys know so you could be jealouse and hate me:D

No seriously, I could just imagine how hard and how much money I would have wasted if I didn't have you guys to show me the way of the force. I love you guys. ....turning my face so you can't see my teary eyes.

Thanks guys!
-frank
 
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Frank, congrats on the purchase. Mine is still running strong. I need to buy some better blades, but the bimetals I'm using are holding up fairly well. It's a noisy little son of a gun, isn't it? I just use the sliding clamp to hold the switch and it's golden. I made a larger table out of some weld steel. The other day I used it to cut a 1.5"x1.5"x5" piece of G10 into multiple scales. It worked great. I clamped a piece of angle iron on as a guide, and if you rock the piece up into the blade for the blade to bite in the top edge and then set it back down on the table and push it straight on, it will speed up your cut.

Again, congrats on the setup!

IMG_6507.jpg


--nathan
 
Yup look like that exept I didn't find the bolt clamp you have on the handle at HF. I have it held with 5 tie wraps, but will be checking the local hardware store for something. Thanks for the idea, and don't sue me please.:D
-frank
 
Is this a Harbor Freight portaband you are using? If so, how does it compare to the DeWalt that others have posted about here? I've been contemplating one of these as my next tool acquisition.

Also, do these saws come with a work table of any kind, and how do you mount them and control the speed?

Thanks!
 
Yes it is the variable speed band saw from harbor freight. I have used a Milwalkie before on 4" conduit but not on blade steel. I used it on low speed to cut through some O1 it took about 30 seconds to cut through 1/8 x 1 1/2" piece. Thee speed control is on the trigger, the more you press the faster it goes. The trigger lock is working on mine, so when you get to a speed you like push the lock and cut. I like the way it performed but then again I was using a dremel to cut before I got this one. It does not come with a tool table but as you can see in Silver Pilate's pic above you can easily make one for it. It comes with a very small tool rest only.
-frank
 
My trigger lock is broken, was when I got it, so I use a clamp. How far you push the trigger controls speed. There is a trigger stop dial that controls how for the trigger can be pressed.

As for comparison, the HF portaband is a cheap piece of equipment. It works, and works well. But the DeWalt or others will be a step ahead. Kind of like a Cadillac and a Geo Prism will both get you to the same location, it's just about the style you want to be in to get there.

--nathan
 
Thanks guys, I'll ponder it some more. It looks like the DeWalt is about twice the money as the HF.

Do either of you know if the DeWalt comes with a better table or a more convenient means of adjusting the speed?
 
a new dewalt is MORE than twice the $69.99 for the harbor freight version, at least in my area! i have the HF saw pictured and clamp it in my big bench vise (remove the top handle and clamp there). i like it, but it IS noisy! but it's cheap! =)
 
I have cut out about 20 knives on mine . It's doin fine.
I thought I would be smart and buy a name brand blade instead of the one that came with it. I hit Home Depot and bought a Milwaukee blade. Worst piece of junk I ever tried to cut with. Had a big bump and twist where the join was.
Put the old one back on. It's doin fine.
Take Care
TJ
 
724wd said:
a new dewalt is MORE than twice the $69.99 for the harbor freight version, at least in my area! i have the HF saw pictured and clamp it in my big bench vise (remove the top handle and clamp there). i like it, but it IS noisy! but it's cheap! =)
Click to expand...

Oops, I thought they were like $80-90 plus tax, and I thought the DeWalt was available for around $200 online (probably didn't include shipping.)

If the DeWalt is significantly better quality, and/or has a usable table so that I wouldn't have to try and cobble something together, or was a lot easier to use, the extra $100 would be worth it to me. If they are pretty much the same deal, and one is less than half the cost of the other one, then the HF might be the right choice for me.

Thanks again!
 
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