What speed/blade for cutting metal with a bandsaw.

I

Ian Fifelski

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Oct 4, 2017
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I recently got a Rockwell model 10 bandsaw for a dollar at the auction I work at. It does not have a variable speed motor but I am wondering if i can get to metal cutting speeds by just changing the pulley sizes?

What sfpm am I looking for to cut knife steel? My motor is 1725 rpm, what pulley sizes would I need?

What blades should I be looking at? The size is 71 3/4.

I am new to the bandsaw world so any tips for cutting steel, knife handle hardwoods, etc. would be great!

Thanks
 
Yeah slower the better for cutting steel. Rule of thumb is 2-3 teeth in the material at all times. So if you where cutting 1” thick stock you would need 2-3 teeth per inch. Also coolent helps when cutting steel. Just looked up that saw. That’s a baby saw, I would not even mess with it. Maybe use it for cutting wood or kydex. But I would not try and convert it to cut steel.
 
if it is a wood cutting saw, i wonder if the motor will have enough torque if it is geared down from 3000 feet per minute, to 80-120 feet per minute?
 
It’s possible, but wood cutting band saws are made differently than metal cutting ones.

Metal cutting saws are generally much heavier built, have higher blade tension and have lots more bearing surfaces to support the saw during the cut.

Not saying it WON’T work, but it might break the machine faster.
 
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