Which metal cuting band saw to buy?

G

Grizzly Bear

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, I'm trying to pick your brains again. I am running into some trouble finding a vertical only metal band saw. There are a lot of horizontal/vertical band saws out there that are modestly priced, but the vertical only band saws that I have seen are much more expensive. I want a band saw that has a wide solid table so that precise cuts can be made. I don't want a flimsy sheet metal table.

What do you guys use and what is your advice as to where to buy one and how much I should expect to spend?

Thanks,

Grizzly Bear
 
I want to get a nice one as well but right now I just use a grizzly cheap one and it works okay I will be watching to see what everyone recommends :D Bill has one that has the blade welder on it and I think I would want one like it so you can repair blades or build your own
 
Get the HF 4 x 6 if you have the room it runs a 64 1/2" blade or, Get a 44 1/8" and a swag off road table for it.

Most important is to buy USA made Morse, Starrett Bi-metal blades for it.
 
Don't waste money on a blade welder. They can be silver soldered with great success and very easy to do. There is a great video on YouTube by Tom Griffen. Look under "Tom's Techniques" for the step by step tutorial.
 
You didn't say what your budget is. I got this saw late last year because I hated using a Porta-Band. I've been very happy with it so far. I've probably cut out 30+ blades in various steels plus bolsters, pins, titanium liners, clips and backspacers and a good amount of carbon fiber...all on one high-quality Lenox blade. The saw uses a gear reduction and pulleys to give a wide range of speeds and with a pull of the knob can instantly be run at 3300fpm for wood cutting if needed. Price is around $1500.

Bob

Untitled by Bob, on Flickr

Untitled by Bob, on Flickr

Untitled by Bob, on Flickr

Untitled by Bob, on Flickr
 
Thanks for the advise, funny you should say that because I have a friend who is a young man that is homeschooled and he doesn't have money for his shop. Most of what he has is given to him by friends and he resharpens blades and solders them back together :D I wondered how strong that would be but it works! I am going to give that video a watch! Thank You

Cabinetmaker said:
Don't waste money on a blade welder. They can be silver soldered with great success and very easy to do. There is a great video on YouTube by Tom Griffen. Look under "Tom's Techniques" for the step by step tutorial.
Click to expand...
 
Griz, are you opposed to customizing a HF saw? For the price, they're hard to beat. I've got a couple videos on Youtube of one I've been playing with for a while. Mine is now permanently vertical and variable speed. For knife making, don't discount the "sheet metal" table so fast. I had thought the same thing and intended to make a new one, but in actual use I haven't really felt limited by the HF table. The newer HF saws include an angle brace under the table that stiffens it a lot. Even so, it would be pretty easy to make a custom table for it.
 
Bob, the Jet band saw is the one I added to my "wish list" just a few hours before you put yours' on the thread. I use to do a lot of wood work as a second job and I am use to a sturdy wood cutting saw. The problem is the vertical only metal band saws are so expensive. I am going to have to do some soul searching on this one.

I just dropped a fortune on a TW90 grinder yesterday. I will just see how things go. In the mean time I am going to check out the opinions given by the rest of the knife dogs so I can make an informed decision. Working with metal is completely new to me.

Thanks

Grizzly Bear
 
I used a HF 4 x 6 for about 15 years. Only reason I sold it was I needed to down size, As has been mentioned, Use it vertically. I sat on mine and worked away! Its really all you need for cutting bar stock and sharping profiles.
 
I'd highly recommend finding a vintage cast iron saw and fitting a 30:1 gearbox on it if it isn't already designed for metal. I believe delta made one for wood and metal. More work but if they're engineered heavy they can take heavy work. I've only bought 1 morse blade and it's still going strong after a hell of a lot of titanium and D2.
 
14" Delta/Rockwell is the old standard for home shops. I converted a wood cutting model with a speed reducing gear box as HarveyBlades suggested above. Works great! They can be found on Craigs List on a regular basis. I own a wood cutting model as well that is at my camp. They can be found for $400 to $1000 depending on condition. Good quality old machines are the way to go, in my opinion.
 
Yep Laurence, that's exactly how I use mine, by sitting on it. It gets you right in there on the action so to speak. Two problems I did have with the original table that the hole where the blade passes through was just to big to do small items like bolsters and such, it was down right dangerous. I fixed it by using a 1/2" plate of aluminum the same size as the table with just the kerf of a .025 blade cut in it and then bolted from below to the table, wow, 100% difference in safety and operation. You'd be amazed at what you can cut when you don't have the thought of your little fingers getting sucked down into that blade.
Also, and maybe you can help me with this Laurence, I just can't seem to get the blade exactly square with the machine, it cuts a bit to the left, not a real problem because 99% of what I cut is either an angle or a radius, just wondering if yours is the same?
And lastly, you just can't beat the price on those things, even if it only lasts you four or five years, or way ahead of the game, plus they are small for those small shops like mine -240 sq.ft.


Wayne
 
I went a little crazy with my H/F bandsaw.



It is permanently vertical, has a permanent seat, an oiler system for smoother cutting, a solid aluminum table and a foot switch. The H/F band saw is great (if you spend the time to adjust it properly).
 
This question seems to come up often. I still dont regret my swag table and a foot switch. I just use it for blanksphoto 1.jpg
 
I also have a swag table and Milwaukee portaband with a foot switch. Never had a moments trouble with it and love the setup. Takes up very little space!
 
Wayne Bensinger said:
Yep Laurence, that's exactly how I use mine, by sitting on it. It gets you right in there on the action so to speak. Two problems I did have with the original table that the hole where the blade passes through was just to big to do small items like bolsters and such, it was down right dangerous. I fixed it by using a 1/2" plate of aluminum the same size as the table with just the kerf of a .025 blade cut in it and then bolted from below to the table, wow, 100% difference in safety and operation. You'd be amazed at what you can cut when you don't have the thought of your little fingers getting sucked down into that blade.
Also, and maybe you can help me with this Laurence, I just can't seem to get the blade exactly square with the machine, it cuts a bit to the left, not a real problem because 99% of what I cut is either an angle or a radius, just wondering if yours is the same?
And lastly, you just can't beat the price on those things, even if it only lasts you four or five years, or way ahead of the game, plus they are small for those small shops like mine -240 sq.ft.


Wayne
Click to expand...

Wayne, Mine also cut a tad to the left and I think its cause they were meant to be leaned over to cut.:les:
 
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