band saws

[furyus2]

If i just want straight simple cuts, for large items, I use a chop saw. Smaller, i also use a right angle with a large cut off wheel. Smaller, and a die grinder with a cutoff wheel. I have a sawsall, but once it starts cutting, it can go off the mark fast.
I worked in a dragster fab shop for a while, and I was scared of the bandsaw more than any other equipment. Pushing straight to the cutting blade, seemed like one slip away from a severed hand. Even with the pusher shoe. Plus, I did read it was the most dangerous tool in the shop. Wear lung protection with any cutoff wheel.

 

[pishta]

scroll saw. Great for wood, not so great for metal. It may work but the blades are very fragile and would be pretty slow.

 

[mopar head]

The idea of pushing a piece of sheet metal into a bandsaw blade, against a fence to make a laser straight cut at any blade angle just makes sense to me for what I'm trying to build. If you were trying to build a metal box out of 1/8 plate, what cutting tool would you use?

Well that much cutting, open box =5 pcs , I`d take the time to set up my plasma torch. I always use a straight guide and clamps for plasma cuts then face off with RA grinder if necessary. I thought you were just cutting one piece.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yall are makin this WAY too complicated. Get a decent, affordable benchtop bandsaw. Whether it is a wood or metal cutter doesn't matter. Whether it has variable speed doesn't matter. Change out the blade to whatever you want on it, then get a variable speed foot pedal and call it done. You can even get a foot pedal with a lock on it to keep it at whatever speed you want if you don't like keepin your foot on the pedal.

 

[mopardude318]

Got a truck? oof!
12 Band Saw Montgomery Ward Powr-Kraft

I would think that this would be a pretty good tool for the job..I'm actually thinkin of buying that...wonder if he'll accept payment and hold onto it for me until the fall fling, so i'd only have to make the drive once. lol

 

[ch1ll]

a bench top band saw is just too small, it wont stay put unless you bolt it down. you will be happier with a floor model 14" minimum with a transmission so you can cut at 50 and 80 surface feet per minute for steel and higher speeds for wood and plastics. a 1/2 inch blade also works better. 10" models are like toys and not work horses. go with a name brand, Grob, Doall, Delta ect. buy the biggest saw you have room for. if you use it a lot, buy one with a welder and buy blade in bulk.

I'm a Tool and Die maker, this is one of the few thing I really know what I'm talking about. I got major experience with band saws.

 

[Daves69]

Started work life in a machine shop running a pair of production horizontal DoAll saws. Also along the way I used a 16" vertical DoAll I used almost daily. Good stuff, especially when you have the blade welder. You'll need some space and adequate electric supply.
My home band saw is a Craftsman with floor base 12". It's OK...……Lol, for wood. I've seen speed reducers available a while back but never pulled the trigger on one.

 

[mopar head]

Started work life in a machine shop running a pair of production horizontal DoAll saws. Also along the way I used a 16" vertical DoAll I used almost daily. Good stuff, especially when you have the blade welder. You'll need some space and adequate electric supply.
My home band saw is a Craftsman with floor base 12". It's OK...……Lol, for wood. I've seen speed reducers available a while back but never pulled the trigger on one.

View attachment 1715201261

Yes sir, I was with a contractor in a large plant and they gave us access to their machine shop, mostly DoAll, my goodness what dream machines. I could throw up a sheet of 16ga on the vertical, and rip through that stuff like butter.

My home saw is the same as yours, I got a gearbox and rigged it up and it went too slow imo. Buy the big$ steel cutting blades for it and tried on sheetmetal and it immediately commenced to chunk a tooth or 2 @ the splice, then the more you cut the more they went to a Ka chunk Ka chunk. Got frustrated and slid it against the wall and haven't touched it in years.

 

[Daves69]

........Buy the big$ steel cutting blades for it and tried on sheetmetal and it immediately commenced to chunk a tooth or 2 @ the splice,...…..

Lol, that's when you find yourself trying to "time" the bad teeth and back off cutting a bit so ya' don't screw up more of 'em!

 

[mopar head]

Lol, that's when you find yourself trying to "time" the bad teeth and back off cutting a bit so ya' don't screw up more of 'em!

I tried that, I`m not that good. lol

 

[Tooljunkie]

I lay down a piece of angle iron for a straight edge and use my dewalt angle grinder.
Straight as you want it to be.
I use walter cutoff wheels. Best on the planet. Bar none.
My ancient bandsaw is for square,angle and bar stock
Its repeatable,if i set my mind to it. As far as a jigsaw, i flip it upside down in my bench vise and lock the switch on.
1/8 metal cuts nice and is way easier to manage.
I do a fair amount of fab work, and finding efficient, and cheap ways to cut metal is part of making money.
Plasma-its a toy,and used as a last resort.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Metal cutting circular saws are nice too. Cold saws are very quick.

 

[pishta]

All good, I got $100 in saw money. I can get that same 12" Craftsman with a table for $100 tomorrow. What blades on that did NOT work on metal? 1/4 is probably the thickest I'd tackle. Its got the motor under the table, can't you get different pulleys for different speeds or do you have to gear it down. Electronic Speed control: Does it reduce power?

 

[pishta]

holy ****, those Walters thin zip wheels are monsters! Heck, I already have a few grinders....Maybe a good one with a secondary handle and the said angle iron for a guide.

 

[Daves69]

1/4" X 80" X .020" blades are the normal for my Craftsman wood saw. Although you can adjust from 1/8" - 1/2", the blade side guides suck being just adjustable blocks with set screw lockdowns. There are retrofit full roller guides available on goldbay.

I have a little heavier blade .025" at 10 tpi I made from Starrett bulk that does fairly well on soft metals. I don't even try sheet metal though. This blade has no trouble cutting a grade 8 bolt on a speed reduced DoAll. Make damn sure any rounds you cut can't spin on ya' if ya' value your blades.

Manual downloads for some are available for download, example...….

CRAFTSMAN 113.24350 OWNER'S MANUAL Pdf Download.

 

[pishta]

sold, Im picking a 12" Craftsman up in a hour and already have a 80"x3/8x24tpi Raker blade on order.

 

[pishta]

$100 in Birthday money..easy come easy go! Now I just have to speed reduce it from 3000 fpm to 300 fpm. Will gear it down

 

[pishta]

Yall are makin this WAY too complicated. Get a decent, affordable benchtop bandsaw. Whether it is a wood or metal cutter doesn't matter. Whether it has variable speed doesn't matter. Change out the blade to whatever you want on it, then get a variable speed foot pedal and call it done. You can even get a foot pedal with a lock on it to keep it at whatever speed you want if you don't like keepin your foot on the pedal.

Rusty, you got a link to that foot operated speed control that will work with a capacitor start AC motor? I'm all ears...

 

[mopar head]

holy ****, those Walters thin zip wheels are monsters! Heck, I already have a few grinders....Maybe a good one with a secondary handle and the said angle iron for a guide.

So... Did you try it?

 

[RustyRatRod]

Rusty, you got a link to that foot operated speed control that will work with a capacitor start a/c motor? I'm all ears...

I don't know if this will work for what you have or not. I don't know why it would not. It works on my dremel tool and my 1/2" drive 1940s drill.

Rheostat Electric Foot Pedal Power Control Variable Speed Controller Switch + 789611049430 | eBay

 

[pishta]

I don't know if this will work for what you have or not. I don't know why it would not. It works on my dremel tool and my 1/2" drive 1940s drill.

Rheostat Electric Foot Pedal Power Control Variable Speed Controller Switch + 789611049430 | eBay

No it wont, your small high rpm/low torque brush motors are not cap start induction as most larger motors are. If a capacitor motor drops below 20% of designed RPM (eg 1750 rpm) then the centrifugal clutch kicks out and the capacitor/start windings come back online. I suppose I could defeat the clutch with a cut out switch after it powers up and then reduce the voltage with the rotary speed control, but that still wont work. Unfortunantly its not as easy as running a dimmer in series as the router speed control is. turns out the AC induction motor speed is based on # of poles of motor and line frequency so reducing voltage (dimmer) does not reduce speed. DC is different. I think only a $$$ variable frequency drive will control an AC induction motor electronically, and thats only if its a 3 phase. So mechanical gearing is next. I got an old drill press that I can get some reduction V-belt pulleys out of...and the bottom feed belt operation of this saw lends to an easy planar mount of the 2 extra double pulleys. I think the models that can vary the speeds are either DC driven or have a transmission.

 

[pishta]

So... Did you try it?

no, have not got the disks yet but sounds like a great product.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Well, my apologies. I never claimed to be an electrician. Was only trying to throw some ideas out.

 

[pishta]

Yo, ToolJunkie. Damn 1/16th zip wheels and a 5A 4 1/2 grinder made quick work of that 1/8 stuff! Darn straight cuts too even just following a line. Thanks for the tip! I was a little gun shy as I have used a cut off wheel on a die grinder and had a bad experience with it jamming up and exploding, safety first! Bought the grinder (my 4th) and the zip wheels on a whim at HF with a gift card balance and even their wheels melted through that .125 with ease. Nice thing about cheap grinders, you can buy one for each disc your using (Wire wheel, grinder disc and zip disc) and just grab the one you need. Im going to gear down the band saw 16:1 with 2 4:1 10sp cog cassettes in series and bike chain for a 175 fpm blade speed. Too fast and it will melt the teeth so you got to slow wood saws way down.

 

[mopar head]

4.5" RA grinder with a cut wheel. The trick is to score the line completely and lightly move up and down the line, you`ll be through it in no time.

Dude why are you so hell bent on a bandsaw?
I own a horizontal, a vertical with a reduction gearbox, a portaband saw, a plasma torch, a OA torch. A good 4.5" angle grinder and cutwheel blades is my go to tool for about everything any more. Just clamp the material to edge of a bench and do as said above in my earlier post, if it`s just a straight cut. Just buy a face mask, wear leather gloves and long sleeve shirt.
All the saws I listed have their place but my grinder is my go to tool to get-r-done.
Just trying to help. 32-18 tpi will all cut steel.

So... Did you try it?

Yo, ToolJunkie. Damn 1/16th zip wheels and a 5A 4 1/2 grinder made quick work of that 1/8 stuff! Darn straight cuts too even just following a line. Thanks for the tip! I was a little gun shy as I have used a cut off wheel on a die grinder and had a bad experience with it jamming up and exploding, safety first! Bought the grinder (my 4th) and the zip wheels on a whim at HF with a gift card balance and even their wheels melted through that .125 with ease. Nice thing about cheap grinders, you can buy one for each disc your using (Wire wheel, grinder disc and zip disc) and just grab the one you need. Im going to gear down the band saw 16:1 with 2 4:1 10sp cog cassettes in series and bike chain for a 175 fpm blade speed. Too fast and it will melt the teeth so you got to slow wood saws way down.