Best Porta Band and Why

D

Diamond G Knives

Well-Known Member
Looking at buying a porta Band to replace the Milwaukee that was kyped from me. Only problem is I got the Milwaukee on sale, and dont have the $495 for a new one. Been looking at Dewalts, anyone have a prefrence on a porta band, and why do you like it?

Also looking for a pedestal drill press. Any suggestions?

Thanks and God Bless
Mike
 
When I first went to Portabands, I purchased a Milwaukee....it lasted about 6 months. (the idler wheel support was poorly designed, and the carrier started cutting into the top wheel, and the bearings went bad) Supposedly it had a 5 year warranty on it, but when I took it in, I was told that Milwaukee required it to be sent back to the factory. It was sent off, and two weeks later I got an email notification that they could repair the saw, but that it would not be warranty work, because the problem was a design flaw! They wanted to charge me $200, plus shipping to repair the saw. NOT! After about a dozen phone calls back and forth, with Milwaukee refusing to repair the saw under warranty, I basically told them to go jump in a lake, and now will not buy Milwaukee tools.

After looking around and speaking to others, I went with a variable speed Dewalt saw. That was nearly 4 years ago, and the dewalt puts the Milwaukee saw to shame. I've not had a moment's trouble with it, and compared to the Milwaukee, it's like comparing a VW to a Cadillac. The Dewalt saw is much quieter, smoother cutting, and the built in work light, and variable speed are touches that make it stand out over other saws. The Dewalt saw was also much easier to mount on stand (the stand was much easier to build for the Dewalt compared to the Milwaukee too).
 
Ed
Do you know what model # you have on the Dewalt?
I was looking at one from Lowes, but it seemed to have a pretty narrow throat. Looked online but dont see a lot of variations.

What Im really intrested are how you guys mount these, Ive always had mine in the vise which is a pain! (if anyone has pictures Id love to see them!!)
Also is the frame heavy enough to convert the work table to make it larger?

Thanks and God Bless
Mike
 
The model I have is: D28770

The biggest drawback to these type of saws is the throat....even the ones that are "deep throats" are still fairly limited for depth of cut.

Here are some pics of my setup....

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DewaltBandsaw2.jpg


DewaltBandsaw3.jpg


DewaltBandsaw4.jpg
 
I have used no other saws for comparison... but I own the same DeWalt as Ed, and I have absolutely no complaints other than the throat depth. One benefit of this saw is how easy it is to mount vertically.
Erin
 
I have the same Dewalt as Ed, Very happy with it! I just used plumbing strap to mount mine to the wall, tied down the trigger switch and put a harbor freight foot switch on it. Sturdy, simple and effective!
Clint
 
What blades are you guys using to get the best milage? I was using the "House Brand" from Fastenal and having good luck. They seemed to last as well as the Starret or lenox blades and were about $5 per blade cheaper.

Found a factory reconditioned with full warrenty for $239.00 or new for $339.00 this sound about right?

Thanks again!
God Bless
Mike
Mike
 
My preferred blades are 18 or 24 tpi cobalt blades. I have a source where I can purchase them in lots of 10 or 100.....$45 for 10 or $325 for 100. Look around the net...you'll get a much better blade at a much better price than paying the crazy prices at Home Depot or other local stores.
 
This is mine. It is a Dewalt model #D28770. I got it for a little over $200.00 from a site on the net. Tool King LLC. You just have to be patient and watch for sales and know what it actually retails for and you can get good deals.

Here are pics of how I mounted mine! I removed the handle and made a bracket to take its place. The table is invaluable for cutting and it approx

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De Walt with Swag Off Road mount. A welder friend has had one for years with no problems and hard use.
 
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Here is my setup, Dewalt with the Swag offroad mount and foot switch. Both are new, Got the saw on e-Bay roughly 235.00 to my door,The Swag mount with the foot switch was 125.00 to my door. I like this mount because I can remove the red hand knob and use the saw in the regular mode.
Scott
 

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I got a milwaukee 6230N model. It works pretty darn well i'd say! I got it new for 100$ off craigslist somehow though ^_^
 
Picked up a used "As new" Dewalt off ebay for $128.00 shipped. Looks good and has a 14 day return guarentee!

Thanks for all the response and pictures, sure helps this Old Brain figure out what your talking about!

Thanks and God Bless
Mike
 
scott mack said:
Here is my setup, Dewalt with the Swag offroad mount and foot switch. Both are new, Got the saw on e-Bay roughly 235.00 to my door,The Swag mount with the foot switch was 125.00 to my door. I like this mount because I can remove the red hand knob and use the saw in the regular mode.
Scott
Click to expand...

good lead on this. I bought one and it arrived today. I like it.
 
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