A simple stand for the Harbor Freight portable bandsaw.

NJStricker

Well-Known Member
Love or hate Harbor Freight, a lot of us that are hobby makers turn to them for inexpensive tools when operating a shop on a tight budget, especially if you are just starting out.

I've tried a variety of ways of cutting out knife blanks from bar stock. Angle grinder, drilling holes, etc. I finally decided that cutting out blanks was probably the slowest step in the knife making process for me, and decided to get a small bandsaw capable of cutting steel that would fit in my shop, which is basically part of my back yard shed. While I can buy more expensive bandsaws and ones that would probably last me longer, like many I had only so much money to play with and had other supplies to get also. So, I picked up a portable bandsaw from Harbor Freight, sold under their Central Machinery brand. It's variable speed (you can crank it down low enough to cut steel), you can find better quality bimetal blades for it, and if you watch for sales and coupons you can get it for WAY under $100.

This bandsaw is meant to be held by hand for cutting through tubing, etc. HF has a video on its website of one in use. But for cutting out knife blanks I need it to sit vertically.

So, here is a simple stand I made up with some scrap pieces of 3/4 inch plywood and a 2x4:

DSCN1128.jpg


I can clamp this stand to my Workmate, to the workbench in my shed, or even mount it with lag screws to the studs in a wall--so it gives you several options.

The stand isn't anything fancy--a bottom and back made of the plywood that is fastened with Gorilla glue and screws, and a 2x4 post that serves as an attachment point for the bandsaw itself.

DSCN1129.jpg


This particular bandsaw has a handle that you can remove by taking out 2 allen-head bolts. I removed the handle and use these bolts (I'm only using 1 currently) as the mounting point between the bandsaw and the upright post. I have a strip of mild steel acting as the mounting bracket.

DSCN1131.jpg


I added a couple of cleats at the bottom by gluing some thin wood strips at the base of the saw. These are glued to the wood base of the stand, and are positioned so that the bottom of the saw does not shift.

DSCN1132.jpg


The saw can be removed off the stand simply by taking out the handle bolts from the mounting bracket, replacing the handle, and it's all ready to go for its original intent or if you have to change out blades, etc. If you run the bandsaw in the upright position with the housing cover over the wheels/blade, you'll need to take it off occasionally to clean out any debris since the saw was not designed to run vertically.

But, for me it is working so far. The blade that comes with the saw is a bit coarse at 14TPI and isn't the best, but I did manage to cut out 4 blanks before I chipped a couple of teeth. I'll soon be switching the blade out to a 24TPI bimetal blade. Knowing that this isn't the higher dollar work horse that the Milwaukee or DeWalt is, I take my time feeding the steel through and don't try to hog it. On tiny pieces I don't cut all the way though, that way they don't drop down and interfere with the lower wheel. I still need to fabricate a bigger table for this, but for small stuff it's working OK so far.

These were all cut from 1/8 inch 1080 bar stock. From top to bottom is a boot knife, 2 small Kepharts, and a bird & trout. From here I'll take a file to clean up the profile, drill pin holes in the handles, then start grinding.

DSCN1135.jpg


Thanks for looking!
 
Looks great.
Thanks for posting the photos; we have had many on here ask about various methods to mount with stuff commonly laying around.
 
That would have helped me when I got started about 15 years ago, I burnt out a Harbor Fright Little drill press putting holes all around through 440C.

I call em Harbor fright because you never really know what you're getting in the box till it's open? lol.
It usually involves at least one trip to the hardware store to get screws and bolts etc, that are missing or are the wrong size!

I bought one of their 64 1/2" metal cutting band saws after a year or two and then got it straighten out with a good Bi-metal blade and it has served me well ever since!

Nice little set up you have there!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/
 
Thanks for posting that! I have the same saw. I took a sawed off section of landscaping timber and tightened it up in my workmate and then zip tied the saw to it. Works good until I have to change blades. I think I'm gonna make one like yours!
 
Wow, you are my new best friend. Just bought that exact saw and planned to figure out a stand this coming weekend.
 
Thanks for posting that! I have the same saw. I took a sawed off section of landscaping timber and tightened it up in my workmate and then zip tied the saw to it. Works good until I have to change blades. I think I'm gonna make one like yours!

You still have to take the saw down off the stand to change the blade. But, it's as simple as removing the handle bolts. Also, this method doesn't make any permanent modifications to the saw itself like I've seen on other posts around the web.
 
Wow, you are my new best friend. Just bought that exact saw and planned to figure out a stand this coming weekend.

Go for it! One thing I might change on mine is the height of the plywood in the back. I make mostly hunters/EDC's like the ones in the photo above. If you make long knives there is a chance that the height of the plywood on the left of the saw could interfere with your barstock. Not a big deal, just make sure that plywood doesn't sit up any higher than your table and you're good to go.

One little thing I forgot to mention, in case you didn't notice in the pics. With the thicker plywood I was able to drill a small hole to put the allen wrench that comes with the saw for the handle. It's there all the time, I don't have to run around my shop looking for the right size if I ever need to take it down.
 
I would love to know how well it cuts an arc or curve, I have their metal cuting bandsaw that is horizontal or vertical, I locked it in at vertical, made an improved work table on it, and I use Olson blades on it, it does OK for cutting straight lines - real slow, the ones that can really cut curves and whatever you want cost HUGE dollars, the kind that I don't get to see! Really curious if this baby will cut a curve, the blades should be a little cheaper too, Thanks Rex
BTW don't appologize for using Harbor Freight, most all of us use them for something or another, we just know what to expect! Nothing wrong with going cheap when you have to and most of us do!
 
Short answer--no, it does not cut curves well. I've tried, and if you try to force a curve then it binds up the blade.

You have to remember, it is what it is: A $79 bandsaw (less with coupon). It won't cut fast, and it won't cut tight curves. It's no where near a substitute for a higher priced bandsaw. But for those that have been hacking knives out of bar stock with a drill press or an angle grinder, this is a small step up if your budget is tight.

If you can see the blanks I cut out in my OP you will see the mostly straight cuts. That's as I cut it with the bandsaw. I then clamp the blanks in a vice and a few minutes with a couple of good files and my curves are cut in. I had an extra 10 minutes before I had to leave for work this morning, and I finished the profile on the blade at the bottom of the last pic in that time.

Bimetal, 24TPI blades from Starret or Lennox were about $24 per 3 on Amazon for this size. Once I load up the newer/better blades I plan to keep track of how many blanks I can cut out. I'm guessing in the long run it might be the same or maybe even slightly cheaper than cutoff wheels and grinder discs.
 
I don't own one of these little portables, and it's been over 15 years since I used one. The one time I did use one of these portables was when a plumber on the job let me borrow his old Porter Cable, and I did not pay attention to design of the saw.

The mention of the ability to cut curves is what caught my attention.
I believe the "standard" blades for these saws have a 1/2" width.

The ratio of the kerf to the blade width is what determines how tight of a radius we can cut. A wider set on the teeth allows cutting tighter, and a narrower blade width does the same. Doubtful that many of us own a blade setting machine, so we're stuck with the set as provided by the manufacturer. So, to cut tighter radiuses we use a narrower blade.
With the typical set of a woodworking blade, a 1/2" wide blade will allow us to cut a radius somewhere around two and one-half inches. That's like sticking your workpiece up against a 5" contact wheel (or sanding drum) and observing how tight the curve is.
Most metal-cutting blades I have used tend to have a smaller set, so the minimum radius would be larger still.

Can someone tell me the wheel design on these saws?
Do they have flat wheels with a flange, or do they have tires with a crown? If it's a crowned wheel, then possibly the saw could accommodate a narrower blade, depending on the arc of the crown and material construction of the tire.

A flanged wheel is designed for a specific blade width; using a narrower blade than for what the wheel is designed would ruin the set of the blade (and chew up the wheel). The HF horizontal saw has flanged wheels, and this is why those blades are always 1/2".

A crowned wheel almost always has a tire, and the crown is usually on the tire itself. Crown designs aren't always visible, but placing a straightedge perpendicular to the wheel will tell you right quick. If the straightedge can "rock" ever so slightly over the tire, you know you've got a crown.
The benefits of crowned wheels are that they provide simple tracking and accommodate various blade widths. The downside is decreased blade life and tire wear.
Most likely these little saws have crowned wheels, as I cannot see the manufacturer designing a complicated tracking system into them.

Like I said, I don't know if these little portables will accommodate a narrower blade or not, but it's certainly worth checking.
I've used the expensive contour saws mentioned, along with the various blade widths they accommodate.
When I order blades, I tell the supplier how tight I want to cut, and they recommend the blade width. (For blade strength, use as wide a blade as what the planned radius will allow.)
I can cut a radius tighter than a nickel using 3/16" wide blades. For comparison, that's tighter than grinding in the radius with a 1" small-diameter drum/contact wheel.
The 1/8" blades cut smaller than a dime.

Even if we couldn't use the much narrower blades, simply going to the next size narrower blade (from the 1/2" down to a 3/8") will allow us to cut a radius almost twice as small.
But the saw has to accommodate it. Not just the wheel, but the blade guides need to have enough adjustability built into them to accommodate different widths of blades.
I know these little saws are "cheapies", and the basic design itself is intended for straight cuts. That's why they come with 1/2" blades (for increased blade strength.) Basically, they're a plumber or electrician's best friend because it sure beats using a hacksaw to cut pipe and conduit.


Anybody who owns one of these looked into this?
Because I have no real experience with this type of saw, maybe it's just wishful thinking. But I'm curious.
I'll take cutting over shaping (filing/grinding) any day, so a narrower blade on one of these might be an option for those of us not equipped with a contour saw.


Rob
 
That''s what I figured, I have the 64 1/2 band saw from them and it serves me well, the Olson blades last a long time on it, and since I bought the waranty, right before I had it 2 years I took it back and they gave me a new one, paid for another warrranty and will probably do the same thing! There is always a little something wrong with them, so it's not really wrong, plus when the guy pulled it off the truck he slung it about 10 feet into a pile and never asked one question about what was wrong with it! Most of my cuts are straight anyway, but it would be nice to have one of the big nice band saws that really can cut steal like butter!!! Maybe one day, if I hit the lottery....guess I better start playing it....
Thanks Bro`, Rex
 
Rob,

I don't know how the wheels are designed, but I know that the blade guides are not adjustable. You can probably do a 5 inch curve, but from what I've observed so far it slows the cutting down compared to a straight cut.

Nathan
 
Rob,
I get around cutting arcs when the need arises, by cutting straight lines to the desired arc, I cut several of these lines close together then come back at an angle to get that material out of the way, it is so wasteful, but it's the best I can do if I can't forge the arc I need, then it's easy to clean up on the grinder. I don't have the portable, i have the 64 1/2 inch model that is vertical or horizontal, for 150 or so it does the trick and has a decent sized table that I replaced with a better one that I made, i really need to make another thicker than the one I made, my biggest problem with this mine is the blade pops off every 2 or 3 seconds, and I've adjusted the tracking every which way I could figure out, ending up getting frustrated because I wasn't working on a knife. For the money, it works, I just hate the fact we can't get somethig like this American made! Rex
 
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