A new toy

Von Gruff

Von Gruff

KNIFE MAKER
I had been thinking of a better way of cutting out my blades rather than the cutting disc n the angle grinder and by better I mean cleaner with much less grinder and steel dust needing breathing masks etc when working it. A few of the guys on the knife forums are using portabands fixed in a home made frame and I had a look at them today but they seemed a bit light so bought a conventional bandsaw that is able to be used upright the way we need for cutting out blades and with the removal of the work rest (just 3 screws) it returns the conventional set-up. Great value from top-mac (our harbour freight) for US$345. A simple assembly although nimble fingers would help for a couple of the small bolts placements
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That is exactly the saw I have. I love that saw! It has been a fantastic addition to the shop. One suggestion: removing the clamping jig makes it much more comfortable to sit on and work. It's easy enough to put back on if you ever need to use the saw in the horizontal position.
 
I noticed that John but for the little test this afternoon it seemed ok as it was but no doubt as I spend time at it there will be a comfort level I may prefer..
 
Those are nice saws, really makes things easier compared to using the grinder. You will enjoy that one!
I put a small, removable rubber pad on mine for sitting on days when I am cutting out multiples.
 
I guess I'm the oddball here because I bought one and hated it. Admittedly it was from Harbor Freight and they're not known for high quality.

I had nothing but problems with it. Even after lots of tweaking and adjusting it just wouldn't run right.

I was so frustrated I damn near rolled it out into traffic.

Hopefully yours is better quality and works for you.

I should note though, it's still better than using a grinder.
 
My first cheap bandsaw lasted 19 years. Luckily I caught a Jet on end of year sale and jumped. I have not had half the blade trouble with the Jet but that first one I thought was great.
 
Maybe I got lucky. My Harbor Freight saw has been a trouble free workhorse. Caveat: When I first bought it the start clutch on the motor didn’t want to work right. I had to spin the drive pulley by hand to get the blade going. But the clutch loosened up quickly and it began working fine before I had time to order a new one.

This saw has paid for itself many times over at this point.
 
I'm sure a lot of us have them Gruff. They do a OK job. I have had mine for around 10 years now. I have had to redo a few things. The knob on top for changing the blade came apart. The spline has plastic cast around it. While changing a blade it would not tighten up right. I started looking at it and found that the plastic was split along the spline. Then the motor went out on it. Now it has a Dayton 3/4hp motor on it. (1726 rpm) All in all I cant complain. It should do a good gob for you. Enjoy!!
 

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I have both a 4"X6" bandsaw and a portaband that's setup with table and support. I use both, but mostly the portaband for cutting out profiles. It works just fine and is a bit more handy since I've got a foot pedal control for start/stop. The 4X6" still gets lots of use and would hate to be without it.
 
Having had both, I’d say if you are happy with the portaband there’s no reason to change. There is a huge benefit to the portaband which is space. You can put it away when you aren’t using it.

The advantage of the HF saw is the larger cut window to cut wider material. It’s also really nice to sit down when cutting a lot of blanks at one time. The saw is also pretty quiet.

To buy a portaband that is quiet you will spend as much or more than the horizontal bandsaw. If you already have a portaband, add a SWAG table and never look back.
 
My Porta band has been awesome since I started using it instead of an angle grinder and it is a Bauer which is harbor freight. I have it in a DIY housing held by wire ties...It would be even better in a SWAG. IF it died tomorrow I would be in line to get a new one.
 
BossDog said:
I have one of those HF band saws and we use it routinely in the shop. I also have a good portaband saw mounted to a SWAG table. I'd trade two of the porta band set ups for one of the HF saws.
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Boss, do you mean you would trade for the one Gruff has?
 
diverdale said:
are these types better than a portaband with a table?
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I looked at the portabands and the difference in abiity compared to the price made it a no brainer for me. There was mostly the china made portabands with no Milwaukee or Dewalt so seemed less robust than I wanted.
 
Von Gruff said:
I looked at the portabands and the difference in abiity compared to the price made it a no brainer for me. There was mostly the china made portabands with no Milwaukee or Dewalt so seemed less robust than I wanted.
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The way you sit on that saw reminds me of a shaving horse...its kind of cool.
 
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