The infamous Rigid band saw mod

[pitstain]

Wondering if I can get this setup, I have found theads and sent a PM to John, but god knows I am anything but patient......

Any info would be much appreciated.

Thankyou,

Ian.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I have used that saw, it is badd ass!

[parsonsj]

Oh yes. It does work well.

I am going to make the saw stand legs a bit more rigid (to coin a phrase). But I've got 3 years of cutting on it so far, from 1" thick aluminum to 22g steel, and it still works great.

jp

[pitstain]

Great to hear the positive feedback, is there any way to buy the mod package? the previously referred to website is no longer in existance....:(

Thank you,

Ian

[Damn True]

I have no idea what this is about, but I'm in the market for a bandsaw.

Make with the 411 JP.

[parsonsj]

OK, short version:

Paul Ruggles (nee DSE) and John Ulaszek (mostly photographing the sequence and cheering Paul on) designed and built a jack-shaft setup that modified a Rigid 14" wood bandsaw to cut metal. I managed to talk Paul out of his original prototype and have been using it for years now.

Paul and John (and no, George and Ringo didn't help :) ) made another couple of kits with some improvements for production use. John cleaned up his photograph sequence and may have produced a complete part listing (all parts and material were sourced from McMaster-Carr) and fabrication sequence. I think he posted all that on his now-defunct website.

jp

[astroracer]

There is another option if you don't want to build a jack shaft. This is what I did and it works very well. You will need to find a saw with the gearbox (I lucked out) but I've seen these swas at auction go for cheap...
https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4259
Mark

[pitstain]

Thanks for the info guys, I found a jet hor/ver bandsaw for a tick over $300 so I may just go with that.

[astroracer]

The H/V saws are good, I use mine all the time for cutting off long tube and plate. They are limited when it comes to off-hand cutting in the Vertical mode though. Both in stock size and table size. It all depends on what your main use will be. I used my H/V for years to hand guide small parts but the BadAst Project forced me to get something bigger so I could make and use fixtures for offhand cutting. If you plan to do limited off-hand work the H/V saw will work well for you.
Mark

[wendell]

JP,
What's the IPM and TPI on your hotrodded Rigid?

[derekf]

Mark, when you talk about off-hand cutting, you're meaning where you've got the saw in the vertical position and you're trying to cut along a line by hand-feeding? I'm starting bandsaw shopping and most of what I'm finding are the horizontal/vertical ones.

[parsonsj]

What's the IPM and TPI on your hotrodded Rigid?Wendell, I'm not sure what the acronyms mean (remember, I didn't design this, I just use it).

IIRC, the original speed "value" (not sure what the units are) was around 1500. That value is around 40 now. I think I've got Paul's original drawings around here somewhere. I'll try and dig them up.

jp

[Damn True]

Inches per minute and Teeth per inch I think.

Metal cutting bandsaws with any kind of throat depth are really pricey. I'm interested in anything that is going to get me a functional tool for less money.

[parsonsj]

That's why memory is so unreliable!

The saw runs between 124 and 85 FPM (adjustable via split pulley... multiply by 12 for inches per minute. :)

My current blade (which I've been using for almost the whole life of the saw) is 16 TPI.

jp

[astroracer]

Mark, when you talk about off-hand cutting, you're meaning where you've got the saw in the vertical position and you're trying to cut along a line by hand-feeding? I'm starting bandsaw shopping and most of what I'm finding are the horizontal/vertical ones.

Yes... The H/V saws have a very small table that can be attached in place of the saw platen when in the vert. position. It gets real tiresome R & R'ing these things.
Johns saw and the related threads are what inspired me to go the wood cutting route... I even bought pillow blocks to start the conversion process. I was lucky enough to have my saw fall in my lap from Ebay. I didn't even know it was a gearbox saw until I picked it up... If you look through my thread you will see I have less then 200 bucks into this thing and it cuts like a champ! It takes about a minute to change speeds and it will cut anything I throw at it...
Mark

[wendell]

Sorry about the lingo. Thanks for the numbers. I've got a great horizontal saw and have been thinking about working up a vintage Delta 14" vert. I need another project like syphilis.

[parsonsj]

Wendell, np.

Last night, I cut apart a MIG-welded SS X-pipe with my saw. I cut through the 1/4" thick weld, removed the inlet tubes, then cut all the components square.

It's ready for custom fit of the X-pipe.

Time spent: 30 minutes. No abrasive dust, no loud noises, no safety concerns. It really does work well.

jp

[gc427]

I am interested in modifying my Ridgid bandsaw to cut metal with.

Could someone post pics of the modifications and what is involved in doing this?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[80proZ]

Can't you just purchase a metal cutting blade???

[CROMAN69Z28]

im interested in this now. i need a decent bandsaw without the high price tag. anymore info is appreciated.

[BADVELLE]

Can't you just purchase a metal cutting blade???

You can, however this modification has to do with the speed of the cut, this is why the saw is needing to be modified.

[80proZ]

You can, however this modification has to do with the speed of the cut, this is why the saw is needing to be modified.

How about speed control on the motor?Whats the mod being done to the saw.I thought i read something about a jackshaft being added to it???

[parsonsj]

The jackshaft is to slow the blade down. To cut metal well, the tooth speed needs to be in the range mentioned earlier in this thread. The idea is to take the existing motor and convert it to a higher torque, lower speed device via a series of pulleys and belts.

Speed control on the motor by lowering voltage will cut torque by a like amount. You'd have to cut the speed by a factor of 10 or so, making the saw a 0.2 HP saw. That ain't gonna cut it. (pun intended) :)

jp

[Rubes]

You could go the $$$ route and use a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) and have full torque at all speeds.
I'm doing one on my lathe. Probably a little overkill for a band saw though...LOL

[David Pozzi]

Sears used to sell a jackshaft assy for one of their saws that could be adapted. I used to use a saw that had one but don't have the info now.

If you have the link to John's old web page please post it here.
You can go to the "Wayback Machine" internet archive and enter the URL and the old website should show up! :)
David

[David Pozzi]

OK, here is John's page in the wayback archive: http://web.archive.org/web/20070702112921/http://www.x1nova.com/Tools.html
There is a .pdf file there that has parts, instructions, and photos of the conversion.

The photos on the web page do not load, probably weren't archived, but the .pdf has it all.

Here is a thread talking about the mod: https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3657
David

[gc427]

Thanks!