Bandsaw

[JMD68RSSS]

I am fabricating brackets to mount some aftermarket seats and my 1968 Camaro and would like to get a small bandsaw to cut either alum. or iron angle stock. HomeDpot and Craftsmen seem to rate their smaller bandsaws for wood and non-ferrous metal only. What size bandsaws do people use for light metal cutting use.

Thanks for any input. Have a great Christmas.



JEFF

[Travis B]

wood bandsaws operate at too high of RPM for metal.....try like mitller bros or somewhere like that....or maybe a google search for vertical bandsaw steel....... :icon996:

[astroracer]

A 14" "variable speed" would be the berries. You won't find too many "metal rated" saws under that size. The factor is blade feet per second (FPS) and a metal cutting saw needs to run around 100FPS. Most wood saws run at 2700 or faster.
DON'T buy one of the 12" variable speed wood saws! they will not have enough power to cut metal when turned down low.
A run of the mill 14" verticle variable speed saw will cost around a grand.

One option for you would be a Horizontal/vertical machine from Grizzly or Harbor Freight.

A couple hundred dollars would get you a decent machine.
I got my 14" verticle off eBay for $132.00. It was a wood cutting saw but I converted it to metal and had it up and running for less then $200.00.

Mark

[parsonsj]

I'm using this kit. I've got about $650 invested and it works great. I've cut 22g steel all the way to .800 aluminum with it.

jp

[JMD68RSSS]

Thanks for the replies. We just had a Habor Frieght store open in Pittsbugh, so maybe I will check them out.

How do you convert a Woodcutting Bandsaw to metal. I know the speed needs to slow down, but how?

JEFF

[astroracer]

Depends on the saw...
Mr Parsons saw had a couple of pulleys that drove the lower wheel on the original saw. He modified it with a couple of jackshafts and pulleys to slow it down.
The saw I modified had a 17:1 speed reducer on the side so it was simple matter of replacing some pulleys to get it down to a usable speed.
here is a link to the thread where I documented the conversion...
https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4259

[parsonsj]

You also need to replace the blade with a metal cutting blade. McMaster-Carr is the best supplier of all the stuff you need for the conversion: blades, pulleys, etc.

jp

[JMD68RSSS]

Thanks for the input. Astroracer, I checked out your thread, I would love to find something like that.

JEFF

[Jim Nilsen]

I was at my local Farm and Fleet a year ago and they had a dual purpose variable speed 14" saw that had a great table on it and stand for $299 on sale. I almost bought it immediatley because it was better than the $350 model that had less features. I thought someone changes the tags but the sales guy said it is just one of those quirky incentive buys that Delta does once in awhile. So go to your nearest Delta dealer and check them out. It was a 3/4 hp model I believe if my memory is correct.

Goodluck and check them out.

Jim Nilsen

[Fluid Power]

The Wilton model that Astroracer has a picture of is a great saw for the hobbiest. One can buy them from www.use-enco.com for under a grand, it works fantastic. It will run as as slow as 35fpm and the fpm can be cranked up to cut wood with a blade change.

Darren

[Modo Innovations]

I'm using this kit. I've got about $650 invested and it works great. I've cut 22g steel all the way to .800 aluminum with it.

John,
Do you have part numbers for this kit? I'm guessing you got your parts from Mc Master Carr? I would like to do the same thing.

Thanks

[parsonsj]

Shannon,

I'll get in touch with John and Paul (geez, they only only need George and Ringo) and see if I can get the part numbers for you. Look for a PM tomorrow.

jp

[Modo Innovations]

Thanks.

[BADVELLE]

I bought a vert/horizontal JET rig from a local industrial tool store, I LOVE IT! I have been very happy with it, regardless of what I am cutting. It was very reasonable also, I believe around $250. I first tried a model from Harbor Freight, very poor! No matter what adjustments I did, I could not keep the blade from skipping off the pulleys. I have not had one problem with this JET.