Well, it sold already. Sounds like it was more or less what I was looking for. The problem with any of the rest of the things I want for my shop is you either need to pay to have them shipped or have to go get them, that adds a lot of expense.
Well, it sold already. Sounds like it was more or less what I was looking for. The problem with any of the rest of the things I want for my shop is you either need to pay to have them shipped or have to go get them, that adds a lot of expense.
I have a craftsman 15 inch wood bandsaw that I modified with a cobbled up 10:1 speed reducer using a jackshaft and wood bearings. It uses 80 inch blades which I try to get with 32 teeth per inch, but I have recently found that even 24 or 16 tpi will work. I lay down a small amount (i.e. a line) of sulfur oil to maximize blade life which is more important if cutting 4130 steel. The table is nice for freehand cutting, It is now 35 years old. You could consider just slowing up wood bandsaws.
The speed reducer and cutting oil really makes a difference on blade life.
The problem I can see with modifying a wood bandsaw is that with most of them the blade runs parallel to itself on both sides which limits the size of material you can put thru it. Most steel stock comes in 20 foot lengths.
On the metal saws the cutting side of the blade is twisted about 45 degrees over so that the return side of the blade doesn't interfere with putting a long piece of stock in the saw.
Correct, even the horizontal type metal saws have their limits. With a little effort, I have found it's possible to cut stock much larger than the advertised capacity of my "6 x 9" horizontal bandsaw. For example, stopping the cut, repositioning the work in the vise and resuming the cut.Originally Posted by Mike Switzer
I'd certainly enjoy having a horizontal band saw with more capacity but have to be patient until the right deal comes along and it's just not that high a priority. In the meantime, I added coolant and buy the better quality bimetal saw blades and it keeps going.....+17 yrs now with the same saw. If the guys on the 6 x 9 yahoo group keep giving me ideas, I might never need a bigger saw.
If you're just cutting off tube consider a chop saw. Band saw blades don't work so well on tube anywho. Chop saw with abrasive blade is quite cheap compared to a band saw (which you will need eventually anyway).
I thought about it but chop saws make a mess in the shop. Band saws are easy to clean up after.
I have shop cats so I take care to clean up all the metal shavings if i can.
I am slightly confused by the couple people that have said band saws dont work well on tube. I worked industrial maintenance for years & we cut all the structural & handrail tube with a band saw. Worked great, made nice square cuts (or whatever angle you set it at)
I cut tubing with my band saw ALL the time.
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