Band saws: wood Vs metal cutting
 

Thinking about buying a floor-standing band saw. I was initially looking at eBay, Gumtree etc., but decided I don't need the grief of a DIY project to get some old crock of a machine running properly before I start using it for DIY jobs.

I'd like the ability to cut both wood and metal, but I can't find a floor-standing machine that runs slow enough for metal. I appreciate that with big wheels to spin the blade, some gearing would be needed to maintain torque at low speeds, but surely it can't be that hard a challenge to make something that works and that is affordable?

There are lots of cheap, hand held, slow band saws for metal, where the speed won't heat the blade to the point of tempering the teeth to soft mush, so why not the bigger machines?

Budget is up to £600 or so, so any suggestions appreciated.

Cheers. Bill.