DIYbanter - portable bandsaws

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portable bandsaws

Walter Harley wrote:

Thinking about buying a portable bandsaw, for the primary purpose of cutting
metal stock - I don't own any sort of bandsaw at present.

1. I'm fond of Milwaukee tools, but I wonder if people have input on
strengths or weaknesses of the various other makers?

2. Some have variable speed, some dual speed. For cutting steel, would I be
much better served by a variable speed unit?

Thanks!

I'm not questioning the Cadillac quality and reputation of Milwaukee
tools, but if you think you are only likely to use the tool once a week
or so I'd suggest buying a chinese knockoff from Harbor Freight or
similar, they sometimes have them on sale for about $60. You'd have
about $200 left over to buy other toys with.

If you're going to use it daily in your work, a Milwaukee might be in
order, but only if there's a low chance of its "growing legs" and
walking away from you.

I've had one of those HF ones for a couple of years now and it works
very well for me, sure beats the heck out of an "Armstrong" hacksaw for
anything heavier than a 6 penny nail. I bought some Milwaukee blades in
a few different pitches for it and tossed out the one blade which came
with it, as I was displeased with some cheap crummy chinese hack saw
blades I once bought and assumed their bandsaw blades would be equally poor.

It is challenging to try and follow a straight line with a hand held
bandsaw, but I suspect that a Milwaukee is no different in that regard.
I've thought about making a frame with a hinged saw support and a vise
on it, like ones I've seen offered as accessories for other portable
bandsaws, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

My portable bandsaw is single speed, so I can't comment on dual or
variable speed models. I do have a Harbor Freight router variable speed
controller, and I suppose I could use that to slow down the portable
bandsaw if I ever run into a situation where that seemed necessary.

Happy Holidays,

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

I think these saws are one of the best tools you can have in the shop.

I have had two speed and variable speed saws. You need to have more
than one speed depending on the metal you are cutting.

Good idea about the stand...has anyone made a stand for these portable
bandsaws?

I have seen the one Milwaukee sells....and I have seen the price.

I have on my to-do list to build a stand for a portable bandsaw that
has the same features like a chop saw does.
I would like to see any examples of what others have made.

TMT

On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 14:15:47 -0500, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

It is challenging to try and follow a straight line with a hand held
bandsaw, but I suspect that a Milwaukee is no different in that regard.

I don't have any trouble cutting fairly straight and square with the
Milwaukee, but it may just be a matter of practice.

Mine is the MIlwaukee 6230 "deep cut" model. It is a great tool!

I have used both the Milwaukee and the Portaband (Porter Cable)
professionally, and both are excellent. The only time I have trouble
holding a straight line is when I have knocked part of the set out of the
teeth--time for a new blade. Variable speed is a big help in making the
blades last--if you slow down on the tough jobs the blades last much longer.

I also have one of the cheapo HF saws, which I bought just so I would have a
backup. So far, I have tested it on a couple of cuts, and it seems OK. The
gears are noisy, but I am willing to tolerate that, considering the price.

If you do a lot of welding fabrication, a portable bandsaw is one of the
best investments you can make. It can be carried to the job, and held in
positions which would be impossible for a stationary saw. This is
especially valuable if you discover a mistake after a weld has been made.

I have 3 Porter Cable portaband saws, all 2 speed. One is for hand use, one
is on one of the table/floor stands, (I wouldn't be without it), and one is
used as a vertical bandsaw by affixing a 4"X5" table with a saw split
halfway into it to allow me to tape the trigger and clamp the saw in the
vise to use as a vertical saw, with a foot control switch. The table
attachment is simply held onto the rear saw guide by a tongue of flatbar
welded to the table piece perpindicular to it's underneath, using Vise grips
or a small c-clamp. That's an old millwright trick we used to use in the
field to enhance operations. The following link is for the saw stand for
those not familiar with it.

http://www.portercable.com/index.asp?e=3399&p=3456

I can't provide a pic of the accessory table as it's in storage right now.
Hmm, hold tight....

I just tried something new I thought of to avoid ascii drawing. I did a
super-quick rough sketch of the little saw table attachment using the
windows paint program and posted it on photobucket to give you a visual.
This could come in handy for explaining things.The link is below.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...R/sawtable.bmp

RJ

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
oups.com...
I think these saws are one of the best tools you can have in the shop.

I have had two speed and variable speed saws. You need to have more
than one speed depending on the metal you are cutting.

Good idea about the stand...has anyone made a stand for these portable
bandsaws?

I have seen the one Milwaukee sells....and I have seen the price.

I have on my to-do list to build a stand for a portable bandsaw that
has the same features like a chop saw does.
I would like to see any examples of what others have made.

TMT

Thinking about buying a portable bandsaw, for the primary purpose of cutting
metal stock - I don't own any sort of bandsaw at present.

1. I'm fond of Milwaukee tools, but I wonder if people have input on
strengths or weaknesses of the various other makers?

2. Some have variable speed, some dual speed. For cutting steel, would I be
much better served by a variable speed unit?

Thanks!

The PC wormdrive model is probably the most reliable, but the Milwaukee is very
similar and also has a deeper cut. The deep-cut PC is lightweight and easier to
handle and cheaper, but not as durable. Milwaukee is the most popular these
days.

I dunno about the speeds. I have a variable speed deep-cut PC. Works fine for
me, probably wouldn't hurt too much if I had a 2-speed saw.

GTO(John)

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...
[...] but if you think you are only likely to use the tool once a week or
so I'd suggest buying a chinese knockoff from Harbor Freight or similar,
they sometimes have them on sale for about $60.

Yeah, the savings is substantial. But, I've had bad experiences with cheap
power tools. My first Milwaukee tool was a power drill that I purchased 10
years ago, after the engine in my old drill burnt out, while I was lying on
my back 20' deep into a crawlspace. The Milwaukee has taken a lot of dust
and abuse since then and never a problem. Had a similar situation arise
with a cheap circular saw - got a Milwaukee, and it's never failed me. And
so forth! I think good tools eventually earn their keep. But of course
Milwaukee isn't the only company making good tools.

When a tool dies, it doesn't die in between jobs, it dies while it's doing
something important :-)

I had the portable bandsaw from Horror Fright. I bought it for a
one-time use (cutting the ends off a truck axle housing - to convert
from GM C-clips to an aftermarket full-floating setup) and ended up
using that saw many times over three years. For 60 bucks it was noisy
as all get out but cut what I wanted it to cut.

Of course, that garish orange color will make your buddies laugh every
time you pull it out, but I sure as heck wasn't prepared to cut axle
housings with a hack saw or pneumatic cutoff wheel.