looking for advice on drill press and bandsaw

[infinityblacksmithing]

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering what minimums I should be looking for in a bandsaw and a drill press. I probably won't cut anything thicker then 1" on the saw, if that, but want to be able to do free hand cuts with it. Drill would just be used for average use. Thanks for any help.

[rlarkin]

I have the Grizzley G9742. http://www.grizzly.com/products/4-x-6-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw-w-Swivel-Head/G9742
I love it.
I run a 18tpi bi-metal blade and can cut thin sheet to solid stock. Have cut 3" solid bar witht eh 18tpi blade. Just takes a while.

[Mainely,Bob]

Let me ask a few questions to get a better idea of the type of work you plan to do and your experience level.
First,can you explain the type of "freehand cutting" you`d like to do.Would this cutting involve plate or sheet and if so how large a piece?Cutting larger circles or shapes means maybe needing a larger throat and table on a bandsaw and maybe considering going to an upright saw rather than a horizontal cut off type saw with an auxiliary table attached or a portable bandsaw in a fabricated base.If cut off work involving just flat or bar stock is all you plan to do then a Porta-band may be all you need.
As for the drill press,what is the approx height of the tallest work you plan to drill and do you plan to try and drill to the center of larger work?If you ever plan to drill into the top of a tall piece then a floor model would be handier than a bench model.Likewise if you foresee needing to drill to the center of larger circular pieces then either a larger drill or a drill where you can extend the head(radial drill) may be needed.Do you plan to drill a lot of holes at an angle?If so you may need at least a tilting table to make things easier.

If your skill level is such that you feel comfortable either modifying machines by fabbing added supports or jigs then you can get by with simpler machines.If you are comfortable repairing old iron then you could save yourself alot of money by going that route.
If you`ve been at this awhile and plan to go full time in the near future then it may pay to buy quality tools now rather than go with cheap imports that would serve a person working 1 or 2 days a month for only a couple hours a day.
Is your primary focus going to be ornamental iron work or bladesmithing?

The more you can narrow your focus and give us detailed info the better we can help narrow the field for equipment that will better fit you and save you money.

[infinityblacksmithing]

For the band saw I plan to get a vertical one. For freehand cuts I probably would not do anything thicker than 3/8. Mostly just for leafs and things like that, no large shapes. Aside from that just to cut stock.
For the drill, just basic drilling. Probably nothing more then a few inches deep. If I need to drill big awkward pieces I have access to a metal shop I used to work at that I could use there radial arm drill.

I'm really wondering what kind of power or options I should look for on both. I usually am in the shop 5 days a week. So they would probably need to last. I just want to make sure they will be powerful enough to do the job. The other option would be to just get some cheap used ones for now and upgrade down the road. I found one of each for sale online. Each $45. Both barely used. There mastercraft brand so I doubt they would last for that long, but very cheap. The drill press is 8", I don't know yet if it has adjustable speed on anything like that. The bandsaw in 7 1/2 ", again still waiting on a response of its other specs. I just want to make sure i don't get something thats only strong enough for wood, that just wouldn't do the job on metal.
No bladesmithing yet, aside from ornamental pieces just made from mild steel. But down the road I do plan on getting into some bladesmithing. Just ornamental for now.
Thanks

[unkle spike]

I have a Harbor Freight 4 1/2" bandsaw that I have had for 6 years with no problems. You either love them or hate them, take time to adjust the tracking wheels and the top blade pulley angle and they run pretty good. Also buy GOOD blades for them, I buy the olson brand at Tractor Supply. I just bought one of these saws off craigslist for $50, the owner said the blade came off all the time, I adjusted it and it runs like a champ.

Attached is a pic of the table I made for freehand cutting, it clamps in the vice, and uses one of the existing screws to attach it.

[Francis Trez Cole]

I use a Jet Drill press It is great. My band saw is a harbor freight and I got it for free it works real good. I am adding a coolent bath this month.

[Mainely,Bob]

Sounds like you know your way around equipment and have worked in a metal shop.I`m guessing some modifications like Spike`s table aren`t beyond your skills so an import horizontal bandsaw may be a good fit for you.Look for one where you can easily control the speed the saw drops and you will not have to hand hold it while waiting for the cut to finish.
I`ve had excellent luck using older cast iron woodworking bandsaws with quality bi-metal blades for larger work.I just fit a jackshaft to reduce the blade speed.3 phase machines can also be used with a VFD converter to control speed.
Craig`s List is a good place to start but sounds like you`ve already got a line on some gear to get you started for less than $100.If the power isn`t there on the imported machines then just replace the motor or take a lighter cut.
Don`t know where you live but if you were anywhere near mid coast Maine I could give you enough to get you started but you`d have to agree to take a tablesaw too(I`m overrun with table saws).

[Sam Thompson]

Although you only want to cut 1''material, it's always useful to have the capacity to cut bundles of rod. Within reason I'd always go for the largest capacity that I can afford. Another solution would be to get a smaller, more controllable bandsaw for fine work and use a donkey saw for larger stuff (these are available at almost giveaway prices in the UK). A coolant system and a damping system to stop the blade falling too fast are vital; you don't need to lose many teeth before the blade starts to cut round corners. If you need to cut box section then a varitooth blade is useful.

[drgas]

Jeff, I like your vertical accessory table design for the HF 4" saw. I have that same saw and it works fine.

[John Larson]

On a drill press try to get one that has a very, very slow capability with high torque so that you have the capability to drive very large drill bits and run taps.

On a bandsaw the throat depth is prwetty iumportant, in addition to slow speeds for cutting heavy stuff. I find I use my horizontal bandsaw only when the stock length is too long for cutting in the vertical bandsaw. In my ideal shop there would be no horizontal bandsaw and the vertical bandsaw would have huge wheels so that the throat depth is huge. My 26" bandsaw is really too small. All bandsaws are inaccurate, but I have methods for improved accuracy on the vertical that cannot be used on the horizontal.

I no longer exoect a square cut outta any bandsaw. Secondary procedures to get desired accuracy are needed. In woodworking a tablesaw gives accuracy. There is nothing in metalworking that is equivalent. Coldsaws are accurate but kinda like chop saws ion terms of capacity.

[Mainely,Bob]

John,

Have you tried readjusting the guides or maybe upgrading the guides on your saw?
Using a new and appropriate type blade at the correct speed on a tuned bandsaw I have had no problem with accurate cuts that only need filing to smooth them.
There`s no difference in accuracy between the woodworking and metalworking bandsaws I`ve used either at home or at work.

[Avadon]

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering what minimums I should be looking for in a bandsaw and a drill press. I probably won't cut anything thicker then 1" on the saw, if that, but want to be able to do free hand cuts with it. Drill would just be used for average use. Thanks for any help.

Even for 1" and under you want to get a good vertical bandsaw that has a very strong arm. I got a MSC #: 09514613 an excellent little saw. It has a 14" from blade to arm clearance and I thiink it's height under guides is 7.5". I wouldn't go much smaller then this, as you'll probably regret it. Cutting steel, even smaller bits of steel 1/4-1" requires a good strong arm and good blades. Some of the lighter metal/wood cutting saws are really under equipped for more serious medium industrial use. They are more geared to the hobbiest.

Check out this page My link

I literally use this saw every day, sometimes for several hours so I can attest that if you put a good starret blade on it you can do everything from production work to artwork on it. You can't go wrong. Grizzly also has a good comparable saw but I didn't get the grizzly because it was 220V and I didn't want to have to run yet another 220v line for my bandsaw.

This is my saw when it was brand new.


and here with the fence, and the custom mobile base.


You can bolt it down or make yourself a custom mobile base. Take a look at my myspace in my signature and you can see a bunch of pics of this saw. I would definitely put it at or near the top of your list when searching around.

Notice those grooves in the table. I got myself a nice heavy miter fence that slides through them and I do all of my cutting of parts this way when fabricating custom tools for customers. A bandsaw, when the throat guides are calibrated correctly should cut very straight and true. So true that you shouldn't have to do much sanding to clean up or square an end. It should be very close to square. If I need something really sharp I will clean it up to 90dgs on my KMG Belt Grinder. But for the most part a standard cut with a fine blade produces a cut ready to be welded or worked with. Again the difference between this saw (a medium duty metalworking bandsaw) and something from harbor freight or other catalog that is wood/metal is night and day. You will probably overload, abuse the ways, or just slowly wear down the saw if you start to make a habit of cutting over 1/4" on such a saw. Those wood metal saws are great for wood and fine for sheet metal. But cutting through 3/8's angle iron or cutting 1" sq stock is going to make both you and the saw rather unhappy after a while.

I did make some add-on's to my saw. I fabricated a custom swivel tray to my bandsaw to hold my cutting lubricants and as I said I also bought a nice heavy miter guage fence from Amazon. I'm using a starret blade from MSC. I can look it up if your curious. The only downside of a vertical saw (as mentioned earlier) is that when i'm cutting up very long pieces, greater then 14", I have to wack them first with the angle grinder cut-off wheel. Then I can clean them up on the bandsaw. It's really not that big of a deal though. Often times i'll just lay the long piece on the bandsaw.. and cut it diagnolly. Then when I have that piece on the saw I will clean up the diagnol cut. It makes more sense when you see it in person. But yah.. hardly a big deal. Ideally i'd love to have a horizonal saw or a chopsaw as well. But if your only picking one, i'd first start with the vertical saw. Excellent tool for cutting out shapes, blades, etc. Almost mandatory if your getting serious about metalwork.

Before this saw I had a KBC metal cutting bandsaw. Also a decent little saw and very similar. I loved this little saw and I sold it for near what I paid for it.


Cheers,
AV

[Pat Roy]

I use a floor mount Craftsman(Sears)drill press that I found used. I have been using a chop saw to cut metal but is a messy operation. I think I will replace it with a portable/handheld band saw. I believe they are called "Porta-Bands". I will be hinting for that come Father's day. Anyone use one of these and have comments either way? Please jump in.

[Mainely,Bob]

Porta-bands are a very useful tool in that they are big enough to do a surprising amount of work and yet small enough to take to the work if you can`t bring it into the shop.
They are a pretty much standard tool in alot of boatyards and the maintenance shops of most factories.
Just about anyone with moderate fab skills can whip up a base for one and have themselves a small upright bandsaw.Milwaukee even makes a base that turns them into the equivalent of a cut off saw.
I would look for a model with a deep throat as they are not unwieldly and the extra depth of cut is more handy than you`d think.I`d also stay with the proven brand names like Milwaukee,Porter Cable,etc.Those folks have been making the industrial model of these saws for a long time and they know what it takes to build a balanced,powerful and long lasting saw.Others have tried and failed to copy the leaders and put out a saw at a cheaper price point.IME (20+ years worth of it) they don`t measure up or last near as long.

Once you own one of these you`ll wonder how you ever got along without it.A Sawzall is a poor substitute and only surpasses a Porta-band by being capable of plunge cutting or working in the blind.

[Travis Covington]

Lowes carries the Milwaukee Portaband with the deep throat last I looked they were around $300.00. They are the same as we use everyday at the plant. I use one at home with a homemade table as an upright.
Travis

[John Larson]

Mainely Bob, I believe you are correct about my current horizontals needing better guides. What kind of bandsaw do you recommend? I've owned five horizontal bandsaws, but never a Johnson and some guys say the Johnson guides are the best.

[infinityblacksmithing]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I have a really good picture in my head of what I should be looking for in a bandsaw. I ended up getting a drill press today. Just a cheap bench model for now. Once I have a more of a permanent shop, when I finally get a mortgage, I'll look into a bigger model. Same for the bandsaw. I think I'll look for a portaband for now, or maybe just get a cheap used bandsaw to get me by for now.