I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.

On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:28:53 -0600, Louis Ohland
wrote:

I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.


Where are you at?

Ive got a 18" Walker Turner and an 18" DoAll that I might sell/swap/

Both have 2 speed gear boxes and variable speed drives for metal up
through wood\

Btw....such saws normaly start off at $1800, used

Whatcha got to trade?

Gunner, Bakersfield, California

On Jan 3, 10:28 am, Louis Ohland wrote:

You might want to look at the Wilton saws. I know Wilton is good with
the quality, and in my last Rutland Tool catalog, they had several
smaller models alongside their larger floor models (I'd personally
love to have a 20" roll-in, but alas, no more $$ in the budget nor
room in the shop). Looking at their website, their smallest saw is a
14", 1HP, 110V, with both metal (39-278 SFM) and wood (3300 SFM)
speeds. I think that you'll find that anything smaller than a 14"
vertical bandsaw is going to be far too flimsy for serious metal
cutting. You can stick it on a mobile base and it'd be plenty
portable, much better, IMO, than heaving one on and off the bench.
Also, Enco and others sell dedicated metalcutting blades for the 14"
saws, unlike the smaller machines, for which you'll need to use
woodworking blades or weld your own. At just under $1000 (Enco:
http://tinyurl.com/yr2bwk), it's probably going to be one of your best
options.

Hope that helps
ww88

Louis Ohland wrote:

I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.

I think you'll need to buy one of the inexpensive 14" wood cutting
bandsaws and repower it with additional belts / gearing to a metal
cutting compatible speed. I think all the "real" vertical metal bandsaws
will be real $$$.

Louis Ohland wrote:
I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able to
cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.

1/2 hp sounds miserable on a bandsaw
lenox makes excellent blades, use the thickest one you can get away with
personally i use carbide toothed blade in mine
mist coolant

On sale! Only $998!!!

woodworker88 wrote:
On Jan 3, 10:28 am, Louis Ohland wrote:

You might want to look at the Wilton saws. I know Wilton is good with
the quality, and in my last Rutland Tool catalog, they had several
smaller models alongside their larger floor models (I'd personally
love to have a 20" roll-in, but alas, no more $$ in the budget nor
room in the shop). Looking at their website, their smallest saw is a
14", 1HP, 110V, with both metal (39-278 SFM) and wood (3300 SFM)
speeds. I think that you'll find that anything smaller than a 14"
vertical bandsaw is going to be far too flimsy for serious metal
cutting. You can stick it on a mobile base and it'd be plenty
portable, much better, IMO, than heaving one on and off the bench.
Also, Enco and others sell dedicated metalcutting blades for the 14"
saws, unlike the smaller machines, for which you'll need to use
woodworking blades or weld your own. At just under $1000 (Enco:
http://tinyurl.com/yr2bwk), it's probably going to be one of your best
options.

Hope that helps
ww88

Wisconsin. And I sold my F-150 back in 2004. Your saw won't fit into my
Ford Focus' trunk.

Gunner wrote:
On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:28:53 -0600, Louis Ohland
wrote:

I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.


Where are you at?

Ive got a 18" Walker Turner and an 18" DoAll that I might sell/swap/

Both have 2 speed gear boxes and variable speed drives for metal up
through wood\

Btw....such saws normaly start off at $1800, used

Whatcha got to trade?

Gunner, Bakersfield, California

Has anyone installed different pulleys to do that?

Pete C. wrote:
Louis Ohland wrote:
I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.

I think you'll need to buy one of the inexpensive 14" wood cutting
bandsaws and repower it with additional belts / gearing to a metal
cutting compatible speed. I think all the "real" vertical metal bandsaws
will be real $$$.

Louis Ohland wrote:

Has anyone installed different pulleys to do that?

I seem to recall reading at least one magazine article on doing just
that, and seeing a few web sites with the same.




Pete C. wrote:
Louis Ohland wrote:
I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.

I think you'll need to buy one of the inexpensive 14" wood cutting
bandsaws and repower it with additional belts / gearing to a metal
cutting compatible speed. I think all the "real" vertical metal bandsaws
will be real $$$.

I got one of these off ebay for $440 a couple years ago.
http://www.rollinsaw.com/band_saws/E...l_band_saw.htm

One lovely saw. If you've got time,start watching for one.

Karl

Pete C. wrote:
Louis Ohland wrote:

Has anyone installed different pulleys to do that?


I seem to recall reading at least one magazine article on doing just
that, and seeing a few web sites with the same.


This subject comes up frequently. There are limits to the power that
a belt/pulley can transmit - the data is in Machinery's Handbook.

Grant

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Wilton 820x series.

Metal (SFPM) ....... 39, 57, 78, 107, 142, 196, 278 SFPM

Louis Ohland wrote:
On sale! Only $998!!!

I use a milwaukee "portaband" held in a vise when I need a small vertical
metal cutting band saw

"Louis Ohland" wrote in message
...
I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able to
cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK if
it works well, cuts square, and lasts.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Looked at the Portaband. I salute the cobble gene in your cells.

William Noble wrote:
I use a milwaukee "portaband" held in a vise when I need a small vertical
metal cutting band saw

Louis Ohland writes:

Has anyone installed different pulleys to do that?

Jet, Powermatic, and Wilton are the same company. I also thought I
saw a spare part for the Jet bandsaw that adds additional pulleys
(making it a wood/metal bandsaw). However I cannot find the info on
this...

Perhaps it was Delta. A few years ago I had a printed product
manual. This was SOOOO much easier to use.


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Bruce Barnett wrote:
Louis Ohland writes:


Has anyone installed different pulleys to do that?


Jet, Powermatic, and Wilton are the same company. I also thought I
saw a spare part for the Jet bandsaw that adds additional pulleys
(making it a wood/metal bandsaw). However I cannot find the info on
this...

Perhaps it was Delta. A few years ago I had a printed product
manual. This was SOOOO much easier to use.



Please don't confuse the modern marketing term "wood/metal" on the Jet or
Grizzly saws with a true metal cutting bandsaw. Those are wood cutting
bandsaws with speeds something like 3000/2100/800, with the 800 sfm speed
being for cutting hardwoods. Some sharp-eyed marketing puke said "Hey!
At 800 cfm you can cut some aluminums - so let's say it also cuts metal!"

But you want one with several speeds in the range 30-300, as well as
750-3000 for wood.

GWE

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Delta has the retro kit.
I have the 14" wood saw and had considered the option - but
I got a nice horizontal saw instead.

Why not put a 3 phase and a box to control it for speed.

The real issue is throat size - how large is a plate to be cut ?
or how long a rod or channel is ? That might be the limiting factor.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
TSRA, Life; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
http://lufkinced.com/


Louis Ohland wrote:
Has anyone installed different pulleys to do that?

Pete C. wrote:
Louis Ohland wrote:
I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.

I think you'll need to buy one of the inexpensive 14" wood cutting
bandsaws and repower it with additional belts / gearing to a metal
cutting compatible speed. I think all the "real" vertical metal bandsaws
will be real $$$.

On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:54:59 -0600, Louis Ohland
wrote:

Wisconsin. And I sold my F-150 back in 2004. Your saw won't fit into my
Ford Focus' trunk.

No..nor fit on the roof.

Bummer

Gunner


Gunner wrote:
On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:28:53 -0600, Louis Ohland
wrote:

I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.


Where are you at?

Ive got a 18" Walker Turner and an 18" DoAll that I might sell/swap/

Both have 2 speed gear boxes and variable speed drives for metal up
through wood\

Btw....such saws normaly start off at $1800, used

Whatcha got to trade?

Gunner, Bakersfield, California

On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:55:56 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote:

Louis Ohland wrote:

I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.

I think you'll need to buy one of the inexpensive 14" wood cutting
bandsaws and repower it with additional belts / gearing to a metal
cutting compatible speed. I think all the "real" vertical metal bandsaws
will be real $$$.

I did that with an old Craftsman and a speed reducer made with chains
and sprockets. The frame wasn't stiff enough for metal cutting loads
so it tossed blades frequently. It worked, but not well. Then the
bearings wore out.

Someone here, GWE maybe, built a bandsaw and reported good results.

I can hear the crumpled beer can sound thinking of the Do-All being
lowered on my roof.

Gunner wrote:
Wisconsin. And I sold my F-150 back in 2004. Your saw won't fit into my
Ford Focus' trunk.

No..nor fit on the roof.

Bummer

Most of the stuff will be either rod, angle, or small (maybe 6") stock.
No engine blocks.

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
The real issue is throat size - how large is a plate to be cut ?
or how long a rod or channel is ? That might be the limiting factor.

Don Foreman wrote:
On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:55:56 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote:


Louis Ohland wrote:

I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140

Motor about 1/2HP?
SFM below 100
Make of sawblade? May use one blade for a specific material.
Changeable speeds?

Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.

I think you'll need to buy one of the inexpensive 14" wood cutting
bandsaws and repower it with additional belts / gearing to a metal
cutting compatible speed. I think all the "real" vertical metal bandsaws
will be real $$$.


I did that with an old Craftsman and a speed reducer made with chains
and sprockets. The frame wasn't stiff enough for metal cutting loads
so it tossed blades frequently. It worked, but not well. Then the
bearings wore out.

Someone here, GWE maybe, built a bandsaw and reported good results.

No, wasn't me .. I got a Walker Turner and fixed it, have used it since.

Grant

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"Louis Ohland" wrote in message
...
Has anyone installed different pulleys to do that?


I have a bandsaw that is belted down with a manufactured stand.
I don't suggest this but include this to show how it works and what I think
are the weak points.

http://metalworking.com/Dropbox/bandsawbelt.txt
http://metalworking.com/Dropbox/bandsawbelt.jpg

The text file is below

These are some photos of an old Grob belt reduction base that is
mounted under my 14" Delta bandsaw to reduce the blade to metal
cutting speed.

The motor has a 2 1/2 in pulley and reduces the speed through two
10"-2 1/2" combination pulleys finally ending in an 8" pulley on
the saw.

The motor mount is not original but is probably of a similar design.

The right side of the photo shows the pulley adjustment mechanism.

It drives the saw at about 120 fpm and is not really adjustable.
I could drop out one 10" pulley and get it to run about 500fpm but
that's about it.

It is driven by a 1/4 hp motor. I can and do stop the blade regularly.

The problem is not the motor, but the last reduction. At that belt
speed (87 fpm) the pulley can only transmit .05 hp or so. If I were
designing this from scratch, I would use a chain drive at this point.

Although, if were designing this from scratch I think I would use a
gear reducer.

Paul K. Dickman

On Jan 4, 10:49*am, Louis Ohland wrote:
I wasn't able to find a decent bench top bandsaw. I need to be able
to cut metal to shape a part. Horizontal / vertical bandsaws seem too
half-assed to cut metal accurately.

Rules of the game: 115v, 20A.
Metals range from aluminum to cast iron to CRS to 4140
...
Price, I'd love 0$, and they'd ship it for free, but $300 to $500 is OK
if it works well, cuts square, and lasts.
...
Most of the stuff will be either rod, angle, or small (maybe 6") stock.
No engine blocks.

SOME of the 4x6 bandsaws are OK. Mine will cut 1/2" thick by 6" wide
steel the hard way, and its adjustable blade guides can be set to cut
square within about 0.005" per inch. It could probably be set more
closely but I use it to cut structural steel outdoors on uneven ground
and the frame twists.

Jim Wilkins

I missed the Staff meeting, but the Memos shoed that Gunner
wrote on Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:48:23
-0800 in rec.crafts.metalworking :
On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:54:59 -0600, Louis Ohland
wrote:

Wisconsin. And I sold my F-150 back in 2004. Your saw won't fit into my
Ford Focus' trunk.

No..nor fit on the roof.

Oh, it will fit on the roof.

Might cause some incidental scratches and dings, but it will fit
on the roof. Not saying the roof will hold it up where people think
it ought to be, but it will fit on the roof.

Bummer

, dude.

tschus
pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
"Quemadmoeum gladuis neminem occidit, occidentis telum est. "
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, circa 45 AD
(A sword is never a killer, it is a tool in the killer's hands.)

On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:46:48 -0600, Louis Ohland
wrote:

I can hear the crumpled beer can sound thinking of the Do-All being
lowered on my roof.

Gunner wrote:
Wisconsin. And I sold my F-150 back in 2004. Your saw won't fit into my
Ford Focus' trunk.

No..nor fit on the roof.

Bummer
Got a laugh this afternoon at one of the local thrift stores, gal had
bought a framed picture about 3 x 5 feet and was trying to fit it into
a Smart Car. When I left, she had it in a garbage bag and was trying
to tie it on top.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

Karl Townsend wrote:
I got one of these off ebay for $440 a couple years ago.
http://www.rollinsaw.com/band_saws/E...l_band_saw.htm

One lovely saw. If you've got time,start watching for one.

Karl



Totally agree! I've had one for umm, 20+ years now it seems. Only trouble ever has been
the "rubber bands" around the blade wheels kept popping in cold weather. Fixed that by
gluing a cut to length serpentine belt onto the wheels... believe it or not, this is very
durable and round enough to not bother the bearings in the saw wheels.
That saw is about the best $75 + about $200 in new bearings I ever spent on tools!
--
Bill