Gundog48 Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I've been toying with the idea of getting a metal vertical bandsaw for a while as I'm tired of doing all my cutting with an angle grinder. I'd use it mainly for cutting sheet and stock up to 1/4" thick. Most bandsaws are either woodworking ones or horizontal cutoff saws, but I started thinking, what is the real difference between a woodworking bandsaw and a metal cutting bandsaw? The main difference would obviously be the speed which would need to be adjusted down, and I believe good bandsaws are belt-driven in case of jams. There's also the power of the motor which must come into play to prevent stalling. Am I missing something here or are vertical metal bandsaws the same as vertical woodworking bandsaws with a more powerful motor, a belt drive and a slower speed? As most metal bandsaws I see are very expensive industrial units, would converting a woodworking bandsaw be a viable option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 You are pretty much right on the money with your assement. The other items are, the better metal vertical bandsaws have some sort of feed unit. Either the table will feed into the blade or the part will. Also their are vertical bandsaw called friction saws which uses a band saw bland and cuts at a very rate of speed and heats the metal up to a dull red as it cuts. These machines are usually used on sheet metal. I have seen saws that have been converted from wood to be used on metal by changing the belt pulleys. I have also seen meat cutting bandsaws done the same way too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I remember seeing something in Andrew Weyger's book where he modified a wood bandsaw to cut metal by regearing it to run slow. Haven't tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsmith Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 I recently purchased a used 5x5 milwaukee portaband saw, best buy of the year, put the noisy spark throwing ditry angle grinder down and the bandsaw is always on the bench top never gets put away. I built a stand to use it vertical with a table and it gets more versitile. I would reccomend this over a cheap 4x6 harbor freight type cutt off band saw. Many of the small steel bandsaws have a vertical option with a flimsy table but do work ok. My woodworking bandsaw will cut alluminum brass etc just great and has a slower belt speed option for this, but for steel you would really have to gear it down low and the tourque would be rough on the ruber tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 Hot saw dust embedded in rubber tyres could be a problem I think. Though I did use my father's wood band saw to cut up some 2" square aluminium once and it survived. I used an anti pin wax as I recall. I have an old Elliot horizontal metal bandsaw which does hinge up and convert to vertical with a table. I am surprised there is that much difference in cost or availability between a wood or a metal version definitely think your time would be better spent looking for the thing you want rather than modifying something not designed for the job. The Milwaukee porta saw sounds good. Will have to look out for one of those. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Alan, those Millwaukee jobs are fantastic but I only saw them in 110v, but I suppose a transformer would sort that out and the price was'nt too hefty either. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Thank you Ian, I will definitely keep my eye open for one. I am inundated with electricity here! You must not have noticed that the forge is wired for 415v three phase and both 240v and 110v single phase. We have to use 110 volt tools on construction sites when installing, usually interpreted and extended by the main contractor's health and safety team to include all building sites. Construction sites being defined by having yellow machines at work. So I buy all my angle grinders and portable power tools in 110v so that they can be used on site if necessary, and I guess it may be slightly safer in the forge... Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Portable band saws are considered a must have among professional metal workers in the US. Here I can often find good deals on used horizontal metal cutting band saws. Metal cutting saws are generally built to be much more rigid to withstand the higher pressures and torque involved. A good saw in the shop is an investment not an expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 I have seen portable band saws before but did not notice what make they were. I had thought they would have limited use for me. For someone cutting tube and light section I could see a positive advantage. My father's first band saw was a three wheeler which gave a better throat but the little wheels were a curse on the blade life. I had thought there would be a similar problem with a small hand held band saw. If Milwaukee make one that is reassuring, my larger diamond drill is by Milwaukee and that has not put a foot wrong in twenty five years. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsmith Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 I used to think a portaband was a silly idea, till I used one, now it has literally improved my quality of life by not having to listen to the angle grinder or abrasive cut off saw, the milwaukee I have uses a worm drive like thier curcular saw and is a torque monster I regulary cut everything from 14ga to 1/2" thickness with good results, by the time the blade breaks it is dull anyway, and I I think 3 blades cost $10-$15. Woodsmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosox Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 You also need a coolant should you want a wood cutting band saw change into metal cutting saw. You may change the guides, blade, tension, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel OF Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Can you cut curves with one of these portable band saws or would you need something like a nibbler? Gundog, have you ever been to Machine Mart in Maidstone? I've never been but am curious about it. On their website they seem to do a mix of the cheap and nasty as well as respected brands. http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/2107fk-120mm-portable-bandsaw-230v?da=1&TC=SRC-portable+band+saw (Sorry to slightly divert the thread but what sort of thickness can a nibbler handle?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 As far as I could see Milwaukee only sell the battery powered saw now so the mains powered version might appear on eBay. Does any body know how good the rechargeable version Milwaukee is? I have a lot of Makita kit and it has been great. I do not know what their saw is like...no reason to think it would be bad, but based on my diamond drill rig I get the feeling Milwaukee is slightly upmarket. Maybe not quite to Hilti but close. Having said that my Hilti diamond drill is the only one that died on me. The oil seal failed on it and as it is now an obsolete model, no parts...£2,000 pounds worth of shiny red aluminium. Nibbler capacity obviously depends on the size of the machine. My great nibbler beast will do 3mm (1/8") mild steel in a straight line or 2.5mm (3/32") in a tight curve I think, (maybe even 5mm and 3mm) and a bit less in stainless It is the one tool I have not used, so think carefully before you buy. I thought I would be making lots of fire hoods in sheet and have only made a couple in my entire career. The nibbler has just sat in the drawer for 40 years. It did have a brief moment of fame in the eighties when I lent it to Tony Robinson to cut out the stainless sheets for the overthrow of his magnificent Great Hall of Winchester gates...he did manage to burn out the motor though! Apart from the fact that they produce the most lethal spiky waste, second only to the splinter making carbide burrs....you are probably better off buying in profiles from a plasma, water jet or laser company who can sell the cut profiles for less than you can buy the sheet due to the quantity they get through. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I have Metabo niblers and for sheet up to 1.6mm they are awsome they will probable cut thicker but I have never tried! I use either the gillotine or the pullmax for that, Alan, I have had some sucsess getting special oil seals made up by the hydraulic supply people, worth a try. I hkow you are a bit off the beaten track but maybe you could post the sample to a suplier in an industrial area- Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 My local seal and bearing place managed to find one of the correct size but it was not quite the same spec, this was three or four years ago and the spec. detail is lost from my memory bank. So I got it and then discovered the machine uses an exotic oil in the gearbox that Hilti want £80 for a litre or so. I need about 30cl and I could not find a local supply/equivalent so I have left it un reassembled for now. If I get a use coming up for it I will bite the bullet and buy the oil from Hilti and put it back together. I see them every now and then on ebay for 200-300 but you never know if they don't have the same problem. I keep getting flyers from a couple of hydraulic companies so I will give them a call when I revisit the machine and see if they can match the spec. good thinking, thank you. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Alan, my personal experience of Hilti goes as follows- you but their expencive stuff because you want it to last" a lifetime" they then screw their customers by changing "systems" regularly thereby making the previous stuff obsolete- I bought the side by side silicone gun(idiot me) the only place where i think I got a fair deal from Hilti was in Dubai(it may have to do with lots of competition and low duties) other than that I always feel they want to tie your left wrist to your right ankle and put sand in the vaseline. So if you want good stuff and don't mind being "f.. er, exploited " buy Hilti. Good products backed by awfull buisness practice. Sorry for the rant! But I will go out of my way not to buy from them Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Not just me then? I am two out of three down with them, the diamond drill rig and the first lot of HIT resin anchors turned out to be toxic so when they brought out the new chemicals the new packaging would not work in my £75 pound applicator, so I had to buy another....I thought I just happened to buy in at the end of the production life. Both times the kit I bought was ceased a month after I bought it, the salesmen saw me coming I guess. If I had been a heavy all day user I would of had my monies worth before they ran out of spare part support. Unfortunately I bought into Hilti's robustness for longevity rather then hard full time use. Having said that I have made use of their same day site delivery service a couple of times now and it has been a life saver. I have found ebay the best place to buy in-date Hit resin from companies who bought too much for a project. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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