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Thread: Bandsaw for cutting metal

  1. #16
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    I have a FEM Hem Saw 782xl. It’s a very compact and versatile machine. It’s a horizontal Bandsaw that with an available accessory converts in seconds to a vertical Bandsaw. May be a bit small for your need, but it’s light and super accurate.


    https://www.trick-tools.com/Femi_782...SABEgK4xvD_BwE

  2. #17
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    Metal/wood cutting bandsaws the gear reduction goes about 20/1.. A vfd will have no torque to spin a blade at that frequency. The 20 inch metal/wood saws go down to 50 FPM but really 100FPM is probably low enough for your thinner stuff.
    My question is how to lube the blade without messing up the wood later. The oil will keep dripping for days inside the covers and chip brushes.
    Bill D.

  3. #18
    I run a 16” 1942 DoAll for all my wood and metal cutting. My saw has adjustable speed with 50–1600 ft./m. My feed rate is about 1/3 of it’s comparable wood bandsaw as it only has a 1/2 hp motor. I only use this for mainly scrollwork. I’m not in any rush. I have used it for re-sawing lumber. I am limited to a maximum half inch blade. But I do have a welder and I can re-saw 10 inches and my blade can vary between 112–120 inches.

    Most wood bandsaws run between 2600 to 4000 ft./m. And in the 16 inch size 1 to 2 hp.

    For stock chopping, I have a horizontal Startrite that will do 10 inch diameter (or 7x15 Square stock) max.
    Last edited by Matt Mattingley; 10-17-2018 at 12:04 AM.

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dindner View Post
    I have a FEM Hem Saw 782xl. It’s a very compact and versatile machine. It’s a horizontal Bandsaw that with an available accessory converts in seconds to a vertical Bandsaw. May be a bit small for your need, but it’s light and super accurate.

    https://www.trick-tools.com/Femi_782...SABEgK4xvD_BwE
    I was just pointed to those. I think it was mentioned earlier when someone said 'stand' but I was thinking vise type stand, not a stand to convert a porta band to a horizontal bandsaw. Though my sheetmetal never starts larger than 2'x2', it would not accept cutting even those sheets.

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Metal/wood cutting bandsaws the gear reduction goes about 20/1.. A vfd will have no torque to spin a blade at that frequency. The 20 inch metal/wood saws go down to 50 FPM but really 100FPM is probably low enough for your thinner stuff.
    My question is how to lube the blade without messing up the wood later. The oil will keep dripping for days inside the covers and chip brushes.
    Bill D.
    No worries. The 'new' metal saw will never see wood. I already have a Grizzly G0513X2 for cutting wood.

  6. #21
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    Mar 2014
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    I have a JET horizontal vertical 5 x7 or whatever those small saws are I have used for 20 years or so, never an issue with a good blade Starrett or Lenox bimetal. You can be very creative with setting up a cut, and it has a removable table to attach for vertical cuts. The table could be better and you could make one for not a lot of money. That size saw can be had for $300-400 or so.

    Those big DoAlls are wonderful If you have the floor space.

    One like mine, you can chuck up a piece of steel or whatever and walk away and it just gets it done. Sawzall, Port a Band all are great on a construction job, but not for me in the shop.

    For sheet metal I have a portable 120 volt power hand held metal shear.

    I used to build a lot in my home fab shop, my first project after retirement was a 3 Point attach Back Hoe for my John Deere tractor.
    Last edited by Bill George; 10-17-2018 at 8:07 AM.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill George View Post

    I used to build a lot in my home fab shop, my first project after retirement was a 3 Point attach Back Hoe for my John Deere tractor.
    Bill,

    Did you make the bucket too? If so, did you use hardened teeth? I have a subframe mounted backhoe for my Kubota that came with a 16" bucket. Sometimes I wish I had a narrower bucket for trenching, maybe 12" or even 9".

    stump.jpg
    The little backhoe has been SO useful around the farm. But if I were King I'd have a mini-ex.

    JKJ

  8. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    Bill,

    Did you make the bucket too? If so, did you use hardened teeth? I have a subframe mounted backhoe for my Kubota that came with a 16" bucket. Sometimes I wish I had a narrower bucket for trenching, maybe 12" or even 9".

    stump.jpg
    The little backhoe has been SO useful around the farm. But if I were King I'd have a mini-ex.

    JKJ
    I was going to make the bucket and buy the teeth.... But I found a bucket either on eBay or one of the tractor Forums where I purchased a ready made new commercial bucket for less than $300 to my door. Don't remember the brand right now but it was a well known small tractor brand. My son used the tractor and BH over at his place to dig some trenches and I used down at the lake to dig in the sewer line and build a pad for our 42 ft park model. Sold it all to a guy down there 7 years ago and he is still using. No broken welds and it worked. What more could you ask for??
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  9. #24
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    Doall and delta both have vertical bandsaws for metal. Same with jet and wilton. Many horiz bandsaws gave a plate to use them vertically too. 3 phase vert bandsaws with a vfd can also be variable speed, just spec your torque needs out too.
    Glad its my shop I am responsible for - I only have to make me happy.

  10. #25
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    Nov 2003
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    My #2 son is a certified welder and I frequently work with him. He bought a metal cutting Milwaukee circular saw when they first came out and we found that we could cut mild and stainless steel and non ferrous metals up to about 1" thick with it, but the Milwaukee 8" steel cutting blades for it are quite expensive at $60+ each. Then we found that Harbor Freight sells a 7 1/2" metal cutting blade, so we tried them and found that they are quite good and only about 1/3 the price of the Milwaukee or the other brand name steel cutting blades. We also found that you can't free hand cut steel with a saw like you can wood using one of these saws. You need a straight edge guide of some kind to guide the saw in a straight line because binding the blade in the cut destroys the carbide teeth on the blade quickly.

    We then decided to modify a Delta 34-444 Contractor Table Saw to cut metal. A jack shaft and pulleys was added between the motor and the saw to reduce the blade speed by about 50% and a second belt was used between the motor and the jack shaft pulley. A dead man style foot switch was also added to make it easier to quickly shut off the saw if anything goes wrong.

    In use, we have found the following:

    1. Full body protection is needed because of the hot flying chips. Safety Glasses, hearing protection, full face shield, leather apron, leather sleeves, leather gloves, etc. Yes, we use the factory blade guard too.
    2. There is never a problem with the blade kerf closing against the blade and causing kick back, as frequently happens when rip cutting wood on a table saw.
    3. Both the saw fence and miter gauge can be used to guide the cut, just like when cutting wood.
    4. The cutting process is much slower than when cutting wood, but the quality of the cut is worth it.
    5. Up to about 1" thick mild steel can be safely cut on this saw now.
    6. The cuts are clean and accurate, appearing much like the piece was surfaced on a milling machine.
    7. Compound miter cuts can also be done easily, but it's best to clamp the piece to the miter gauge to prevent slipping.

    We have been using this table saw, and the other metal cutting saws, including a Milwaukee dry cutting miter saw to cut steel and non ferrous metals for about 10 years now. The cuts are always accurate and clean, completely unlike the cuts you get when using a torch, plasma cutter, or friction saw and the metal being cut doesn't get very hot like it does when cut with these other methods. I frequently pick up the parts and drops immediately after cutting, using my bare hands. We also use Milwaukee and DeWalt port-a-band saws portable or mounted in SWAG Offroad tables when curved or small cuts are required.

    Charley

  11. #26
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    Seems to me I recently read that Rikon was introducing bandsaws with a DVR motor (and a DVR motor upgrade for older saws) that allow slowing cut speed to range suitable for metal while retaining full power. This might be an affordable option for you. Not sure about cost, but I would expect it to be reasonable compared to a full on industrial metal cutting saw.

  12. #27
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    I have a two speed bandsaw that I got used for $800 if I remember correctly? I also live in Utah, so prices run high.

    Anyway, I've cut steel and aluminum on low speed. It's not ever going to be the nice industrial bandsaw that I used in a college machine shop, but it gets the job done with thin stuff. I imagine 1/4" steel would be a practice in patience.

    I personally like the plasma idea brought up earlier. If I cared much about my metal working shop anymore, I would have already have one. They make ones with a self contained air compressor.

  13. #28
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    I have access to a plasma cutter. When cutting anything over 1/8" the bevel is quite noticeable. Plus it won't work on the thick aluminum.

    I'm thinking the portaband with the chop saw and bandsaw stands are the best options. I need to look into getting a good quality used portaband and check to see if the throat size will be an issue.

  14. #29
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    plasma cutting

    Quote Originally Posted by Anthony Whitesell View Post
    I have access to a plasma cutter. When cutting anything over 1/8" the bevel is quite noticeable. Plus it won't work on the thick aluminum.
    Perhaps you are using the wrong or worn nozzle and/or wrong amperage for the steel thickness. My Hypertherm will slice through 1/2" steel with no noticeable angle/bevel.

    What do you mean "it won't work with thick aluminum"? How thick? Does it not cut at all? Is the amperage right for the thickness? You should be able to cut aluminum or any conductive metal with the proper setup. I've cut aluminum, stainless, mild steel and alloys.

    Are you cutting with dry compressed air? Nitrogen may make a cleaner cut with some metals:
    https://www.hypertherm.com/en-US/lea...n/?region=NART

    About cutting aluminum.
    https://www.thefabricator.com/articl...tting-aluminum

    JKJ

  15. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    Perhaps you are using the wrong or worn nozzle and/or wrong amperage for the steel thickness. My Hypertherm will slice through 1/2" steel with no noticeable angle/bevel.

    What do you mean "it won't work with thick aluminum"? How thick? Does it not cut at all? Is the amperage right for the thickness? You should be able to cut aluminum or any conductive metal with the proper setup. I've cut aluminum, stainless, mild steel and alloys.

    Are you cutting with dry compressed air? Nitrogen may make a cleaner cut with some metals:
    https://www.hypertherm.com/en-US/lea...n/?region=NART

    About cutting aluminum.
    https://www.thefabricator.com/articl...tting-aluminum

    JKJ
    Per the OP, the aluminum is 3/4"-1".

    According to the manual for the Thermal Dymanics cutter I have access to, there will be a bevel from 1/4" to 1/2" (it's maximum capacity) per the table in the manual. Don't know what else to say. I have used it on 1/4" steel when the cut edge wasn't too important. The cut edge was not close to finished quality as a (any type of) saw would be. Works sweet on 1/8" and less though. Hit the speed right and it is a finished edge.

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