Recommend a good bad saw

I bought a harbor freight bandsaw a long time ago, and like others, I said it was the best purchase I have ever made. Well thats because any bandsaw is a hell of allot better than using a drill press and a hack saw... or like other stupid things I have done, just grind all the way down like a lazy a hole I am.

But i have also purchased a Dewalt Porta band. Right now, that is the best money I have spent my money on. Prolly not the best money I COULD put my money on, but it was the best so far. I bought one off of ebay for a great price. I just recently bought a bi-metal blade and looking forward to installing that. I havent even bought the table for the dewalt yet, but one day I will. I use it to cut my 1095, guards, leather, and wood. I love it. The HF seemed to have allot of tracking issues. Not sure how I would fix a traction issue on the dewalt, but I havent needed to figure it out yet because it hasnt needed it yet.
 
So a metal can cut wood but it will just be slower, while the wood should not be used to cut metal?
I guess a really aggressive toothed saw would do ok on wood. I know metal gets real hot from cutting so I guess it makes sense, you dont want to melt the interior parts. Are they made of rubber/plastic or something?

Im surprised they dont make any with speed controls so that you can get two in one...
 
Wood saws move too fast (most of em). Metal saws can cut wood at a decent rate if you have the right blade on it with teh right TPI for the thickness you are cutting. Some folks have taken the time to custom fit a piece of micarta for the insert so no melting occurs in that area. The saw that I got for Christmas is 4 speed, but what the motor is lacking in HP and that is another drawback from trying to use a wood saw to cut metal. We shall see if my conversion is worth the effort.

http://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com/docs/Tooth Selection.pdf
Looking at another chart wood cutting TPI looks to be about the same.
 
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Where would you put micarta to prevent melting? And even then something could still get damaged from the high speed on the metal? Maybe I should get a metal cutting one with aggressive teeth and just cut slowly?
All the metal cutting versions seem to be hand held types.
 
The first saw listed in this thread is a horizontal vertical standalone saw. I wouldn't cut metal on a wood saw unless it is a very high-end one and you're friction cutting. It's just not worth the time/effort/expense when I workable solution is available for $80-$150.
 
Here is the HF bandsaw mounted vertical on a HF stand. This really works well and is less than $200 on sale. I use a 14 tpi to cut micarta my wood saw is pretty fast and micarta just burns up the blade. You can cut wood for handles on this as well. Kinda slow to cut alot of wood.

bandsaw006.jpg


bandsaw007.jpg


bandsaw008.jpg


bandsaw010.jpg
 
eyeeatingfish said:
Where would you put micarta to prevent melting? And even then something could still get damaged from the high speed on the metal? Maybe I should get a metal cutting one with aggressive teeth and just cut slowly?
All the metal cutting versions seem to be hand held types.
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The micarta goes in the worktable around the blade to take up the space. I was implying that sort of thing for a saw that can slow down. You have to be careful as to how "aggressive" you get with TPI cause if you get a blade with teeth too coarse for the thickness and you will snap off teeth if you push too hard. 1/8 stock needs at least 18TPI.
 
I got my saw put together and with the 4 speed pulley the slowest setting should be good for steel after I get a metal cutting blade. Who knows, I might not even need to get a bigger motor. But I doubt that will happen.


This is the saw I got.
http://www.wttool.com/product-exec/product_id/14905/nm/14_4_Speed_Woodcutting_Bandsaw_WT_Import_

After putting it together and using it some, I can see that I need to go with a piece of 1/4 plate on top of the stand cause the actual saw unit rocks a hair when you put the piece to the blade.
 
Hmmm, i could get a wood band saw and try to add pulleys to it like I added pulleys to my belt sander.
Which metal cutting band saws could be mounted easily giving you both hands free?

What do knife makers use to cut metal stock to the shape of a knife?
 
eyeeatingfish said:
That one looks decent, not too expensive either at $250. Dont know how you would cut certain stuff like split a block to make handle scales or cut kydex.
So what is the difference between wood cutting and metal cutting, and can you tell just by the look? Can the metal one do everything the wood one can do?
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Not sure if anyone answered this, but by reading this question, this Harbor Freight Saw, also sets up in a vertical position (like a wood saw). So yes you can cut blocks, kydex, etc etc.

I have heard however that the table it comes with is rather wobbly or um "worthless" and needs some modification.

If you end up getting that saw, toss the HF blade and purchase some Lenox Diemaster 2 blades (engineered for contour cutting). They run about $.27 inch x 64 inches (or 64.5 inches?) can't remember, plus a welding charge of around 5-7 bucks a blade? Custom ordered from a local saw supply house or you can get them from

http://www.toolcenter.com/BI-METAL_DIEMASTER.html

Order a blade with more teeth per inch. (especially for cutting thin stuff). General rule is to keep 3 teeth on the steel at all times. Obviously 1/16" would technically require 48 Teeth per inch (which is absurd), but you want atleast 14-24 TPI.

A metal cutting bandsaw's blades speeds are generally 350 FPM and lower whereas a wood saw's speed runs in excess of say 2700+ FPM.

Cutting Steel would be around 80-150 Feet per minute speed. You can cut non ferrous metals at faster speeds with a bi-metal blade.

Don't bother trying to cut STEEL with a wood saw (even with a bi-metal blade). All you'll end up doing is a) cutting the steel by burning through it and heating it up and ruining the blade's teeth or b) nothing at all (if the steel is too thick) and burning up the blade and steel.

Never hesitate to ask what you don't know, it saves $$ from buying a piece of equipment and realizing it doesn't work for what you bought it for ! Been there done that !
 
The first bandsaw listed in this thread does not require any hands and is what most makers use. It's also the saw shown in the pictures above. The handheld saws are usually mounted or clamped in a vise.

Once again I will advise against using a wood saw for metal, even if you slow it down.
 
eyeeatingfish said:
Hmmm, i could get a wood band saw and try to add pulleys to it like I added pulleys to my belt sander.
Which metal cutting band saws could be mounted easily giving you both hands free?

What do knife makers use to cut metal stock to the shape of a knife?
Click to expand...

Again, use a lenox diemaster 2 bi-metal blade (1/4"-3/8" width) on a metal (slow) cutting bandsaw.
 
I bolted a 1/8 metal plate over the HF table which solved two problems, the sheet metal table is worthless and closed the big gap between the blade and the table. Its pretty stable but I would like to add one support to the front of the table.

I would like to hear how gxxers saw works out, did not see speeds listed in the spec, the other issue is will it accept a 1/2" wide metal cutting blade or can you get a narrow metal cutting blade.

I use the 18tpi lennox for 1/8 and above stock and workes really well, I use a cheap 24tpi on thinner stock and works well but doesnt last as long. I have not found 24tpi in bimetal.
 
My saw will take 1/2 wide blades, even 3/4 if you were only doing straight cuts. I looked in the manual and it had the speeds broken down. I forgot em off the top of my head. But I think the slowest speed is like 150fpm. It is really slow for sure.

I am ordering a DM2 blade this week so we shall see.
 
gixxer said:
My saw will take 1/2 wide blades, even 3/4 if you were only doing straight cuts. I looked in the manual and it had the speeds broken down. I forgot em off the top of my head. But I think the slowest speed is like 150fpm. It is really slow for sure.

I am ordering a DM2 blade this week so we shall see.
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Thought I saw the slowest speed being 590 FPM ! Maybe not ! Maybe I had too much beer when I was reading the link :D

Product Specifications


Motor: 3/4 HP, 110V, single phase
Speed(s): 4 (590, 905, 1,436, 2,273 fpm)
Net Weight: 207 lbs.
Capacity: 5-1/2"
Throat: 14"
Table Size: 13-7/8" x 13-5/8"
 
Yea maybe you are right, I need to read the destructions. The motor is 1750rpm, has a 4 wheel pulley on it, then in the middle is a 5 wheel pulley, and the smallest one goes to the actual pulley on the saw. So, it is 4 speed then another 3 (maybe 2) to 1 reduction. It is pretty darn slow though.
 
I wonder if it would be easy to put pulleys on a wood band saw so that you could effectively reduce the speed to a good metal cutting speed?

This harbor freight sounds like a cheap chinese tool, am I wrong? Kind of large too.
It looks like the blade/motor assembly pivots down to cut stuff, could it be locked in a vertical position? Also dont see a table by the blade. I bought a cheap chinese made drill press and I wish I had looked around more for better quality.
 
The saw can be lock vertical. The saw is just about as good as you can buy without spending $700+. If you want to use a wood band saw then you'll want a saw in the high-dollar end as well. I know several makers that have been using the cheap chinese saw for over 10 years, can't beat 15 bucks a year. Some people are using dewalt or milwaukee portable saws instead of the harbor freight ones, they're also made in China, but supposedly very good quality for $200-$250

From what I've observed, the harbor freight saw is most popular metal saw in maker's shops, with the portable saws group trailing a close second. I think that says something.
 
I just cut wood, micarta, A2 and 1095 on my HF metal bandsaw this weeked with no trouble. I have remounted the saw but in reality all you really need is a 10" x 10" piece of wood, micarta, steel, aluminum to make a good table. It can be attached with a few countersunk screws. This is alot easier than trying to slow down a wood saw.
 
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