Time for a new shop saw... Have no idea which would be best

[Trip]

You just can't beat a good used industrial horizontal bandsaw for general fabricating. 

 

Some good names; Kalamazoo (the best) Wells, Johnson, Ellis. 

 

Some "good" machines have come out of Taiwan with the Dayton tag on them. 

 

I wouldn't take a Grizzly anything for free but that is just the proud American in me. (I know the Taiwan is OK but not the Grizzly, what can I say?)

 

A Marvel Roll in is the ultimate saw, but too big for a farm shop and usually very expensive unless very worn, in which case it will be very expensive (to repair). 

 

 

Nothing wrong with a Power Hacksaw either, just no longer a production tool. 

 

I have a very old Marvel #1, I can't quit it, even though I also have a large modern wet Kalamazoo. 

 

Don't disdain the 4x6 Taiwans too much either. It takes very little work to make them cut true; sometimes as little as 1 washer slipped in somewhere, 

though more than once I have gotten one out of a dumpster and had to recut the wheels to keep them from casting the blade off. 

Is a Ramco RS90P a good bandsaw?

[arftist]

Is a Ramco RS90P a good bandsaw?

Not really. It is a fabricated steel saw. What you want in a bandsaw is cast iron. Even the little tTaiwan 4x6 saws are cast iron. 

American made Dayton

https://www.machinetools.com/en/for-sale/307301-dayton-3z518?btr=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFjaGluZXRvb2xzLmNvbS9lbi9mb3Itc2FsZS9tYWNoaW5lcy90eXBlL2hvcml6b250YWwtYmFuZC1zYXdzLz9pRGlzcGxheUxlbmd0aD0yNSZpRGlzcGxheVN0YXJ0PTI1JmlTb3J0Q29sXzA9MCZzU29ydERpcl8wPWFzYyZtRGF0YVByb3BfMD1tYW51ZmFjdHVyZXJfYW5kX21vZGVs

 

This is a Kalamazoo; 

https://www.machinetools.com/en/for-sale/309842-unknown?btr=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFjaGluZXRvb2xzLmNvbS9lbi9mb3Itc2FsZS9tYWNoaW5lcy90eXBlL2hvcml6b250YWwtYmFuZC1zYXdzLz9pRGlzcGxheUxlbmd0aD0yNSZpRGlzcGxheVN0YXJ0PTE3NSZpU29ydENvbF8wPTAmc1NvcnREaXJfMD1hc2MmbURhdGFQcm9wXzA9bWFudWZhY3R1cmVyX2FuZF9tb2RlbA%3D%3D

 

This site has lots of saws, the only ones I can recommend are the Kalamzoo, since they are still in business, but I have owned or used Wells, Johnson, Marvel , Kalamazoo and Hyd Mech. The Hyd Mech are high teck for a farm. 

[woodsmith]

I use the Milwaukee portaband with 5x5 throat constantly, cant say enough good things about it, very powerfull cuts gaudge material through 1'' solid or 4'' square tube, quiet and clean compared to abrasives, built a benchtop stand with a table makes it even more versatile, easy to repair and get parts, bought used for $150 its paid for itself many times over,  with some talent and a well lit fine scribed line to follow I believe I can cut miters and shapes with great accuracy, (straighter than the blade track on many mounted band cutoffs) it improved my daily quality of life by reducing fatigue compared to putting up with angle grinders and abrasive chop saw, also use a 12" encoe plate shear rated for 1/8" sheet, and 1/2" round,  you could fit both of these in your budget I think, Im very very pleased with mine, the bandsaw is the best purchase Ive made in years.

[knots]

I use the Milwaukee portaband with 5x5 throat constantly, cant say enough good things about it, very powerfull cuts gaudge material through 1'' solid or 4'' square tube, quiet and clean compared to abrasives, built a benchtop stand with a table makes it even more versatile, easy to repair and get parts, bought used for $150 its paid for itself many times over,  with some talent and a well lit fine scribed line to follow I believe I can cut miters and shapes with great accuracy, (straighter than the blade track on many mounted band cutoffs) it improved my daily quality of life by reducing fatigue compared to putting up with angle grinders and abrasive chop saw, also use a 12" encoe plate shear rated for 1/8" sheet, and 1/2" round,  you could fit both of these in your budget I think, Im very very pleased with mine, the bandsaw is the best purchase Ive made in years.

 

How about beveling edges of heavy plate for full penetration welds ?

[knots]

Not really. It is a fabricated steel saw. What you want in a bandsaw is cast iron. Even the little tTaiwan 4x6 saws are cast iron. 

American made Dayton

https://www.machinetools.com/en/for-sale/307301-dayton-3z518?btr=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFjaGluZXRvb2xzLmNvbS9lbi9mb3Itc2FsZS9tYWNoaW5lcy90eXBlL2hvcml6b250YWwtYmFuZC1zYXdzLz9pRGlzcGxheUxlbmd0aD0yNSZpRGlzcGxheVN0YXJ0PTI1JmlTb3J0Q29sXzA9MCZzU29ydERpcl8wPWFzYyZtRGF0YVByb3BfMD1tYW51ZmFjdHVyZXJfYW5kX21vZGVs

 

This is a Kalamazoo; 

https://www.machinetools.com/en/for-sale/309842-unknown?btr=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFjaGluZXRvb2xzLmNvbS9lbi9mb3Itc2FsZS9tYWNoaW5lcy90eXBlL2hvcml6b250YWwtYmFuZC1zYXdzLz9pRGlzcGxheUxlbmd0aD0yNSZpRGlzcGxheVN0YXJ0PTE3NSZpU29ydENvbF8wPTAmc1NvcnREaXJfMD1hc2MmbURhdGFQcm9wXzA9bWFudWZhY3R1cmVyX2FuZF9tb2RlbA%3D%3D

 

This site has lots of saws, the only ones I can recommend are the Kalamzoo, since they are still in business, but I have owned or used Wells, Johnson, Marvel , Kalamazoo and Hyd Mech. The Hyd Mech are high teck for a farm. 

 

My Kalamazoo horizontal band saw frame and base is fabricated,  IMO the quality of a saw depends more on the quality of bearings, worm drive, viice fittings, general quality of machined parts, and the provisions to adjust the saw for accurate cuts than the material the frame is made from.

 

 My first horrizontal saw was a cast iron import saw.  Some critical adjustments could only be made using shims.   That was a real inconvenience.

[arftist]

My Kalamazoo horizontal band saw frame and base is fabricated,  IMO the quality of a saw depends more on the quality of bearings, worm drive, viice fittings, general quality of machined parts, and the provisions to adjust the saw for accurate cuts than the material the frame is made from.

 

 My first horrizontal saw was a cast iron import saw.  Some critical adjustments could only be made using shims.   That was a real inconvenience.

I owned a Ramco, it was junk. I owned a fabricated Kalamazoo, it was the only Kalamazoo I didn't like. Shimming a 4x6 is simple and only needs to be done once. Nothing beats cast iron for rigidity. 

Different strokes for different folks. There are good used industrial horizontal bandsaws available for $500 used, which cost 3-8 thousand new and will last a man for the rest of his life. 

[arftist]

I use the Milwaukee portaband with 5x5 throat constantly, cant say enough good things about it, very powerfull cuts gaudge material through 1'' solid or 4'' square tube, quiet and clean compared to abrasives, built a benchtop stand with a table makes it even more versatile, easy to repair and get parts, bought used for $150 its paid for itself many times over,  with some talent and a well lit fine scribed line to follow I believe I can cut miters and shapes with great accuracy, (straighter than the blade track on many mounted band cutoffs) it improved my daily quality of life by reducing fatigue compared to putting up with angle grinders and abrasive chop saw, also use a 12" encoe plate shear rated for 1/8" sheet, and 1/2" round,  you could fit both of these in your budget I think, Im very very pleased with mine, the bandsaw is the best purchase Ive made in years.

Small jobs. The saws I linked to will cut 10x 10 tube steel, 18" wide I beams, miter six inch pipe, cut plate up to 20" wide, etc. Most stock I ever cut was 64 lengths of 1/2x1/2" square into 30 inch long pickets. I could have cut much more than that, but that was all I needed for the job.