Bandsaw outside?

[Brian Sommers]

I want to get a bandsaw but the only place I can put it is outside.

Is this throwing my money away? Will it rot to rust quickly? Or do I need to hose it down with WD40 every day when I'm done.

Or should I just stay inside and resaw by hand? - That's a terrifying thought. I'll do whatever it takes though to do woodworking.

[Alan Schwabacher]

You can do what you need to do, but it's definitely more work to keep an outdoor bandsaw in good shape. It might entail a tarp you strap over it each day as you finish work. Building some sort of enclosure can make it easier to protect. The floor space required by a bandsaw is less than for other stationary machines.

I once built a woodstrip canoe outdoors, and it feels like I spent as much time covering it with plastic or waiting for the rain to stop as I did working on it.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Where I live, our average annual moisture is 13". 3 inches less, we'd be a desert. I wouldn't consider keeping a bandsaw outside here or in Ohio. I worked for a period of time in Ohio. I spent part of my childhood in neighboring Indiana, and nearby Illinois. IMO it would be a constant unwinnable war. The benefits of owning a bandsaw would not begin to warrant the work necessary to keep it free from rust, if possible.

[Brian Sommers]

I'm in South Carolina now, I need to update my profile.

I think I'm going to invest in a wooden bow saw and do it by hand or buy it already S4S

[Erik Loza]

Back in my MM days, we had a customer who put one of our bandsaws in some outside environment, like maybe under a covered porch. Never personally saw it but he apparently cemented the base into place. I think it lasted maybe 5 years. Once in contact with "the ground", the whole chassis started to rust from the inside out.

Unrelated and for the OP, not a huge fan of WD40 for rust protection. It works fine for cleaning and light lube but seems to attract (or at least not repel) water. There are other treatments like Boeshield and good 'ol paste wax that will do a better job. If you think about it, a good many of us have equipment that is technically "outdoors". Meaning, in non-climate controlled shops. In fact, I would say the vast majority of my pro shops here in TX. Just a steel building or whatever. They will get cosmetic rust but still mechanically work fine. I was just in a shop last week that had an MM16 from around 2006 that was like this. Not pretty but still 100% functional. Just my 2-cents as always,

Erik

[Brian Sommers]

well, let me ask you all this:

Is there some way I could put a small one on a wheeled cart of some sort that I could pull in the house at night?

maybe something like: https://www.amazon.com/WEN-3959-2-5-...=fsclp_pl_dp_1

[Jim Becker]

well, let me ask you all this:

Is there some way I could put a small one on a wheeled cart of some sort that I could pull in the house at night?

Absolutely you can do that...mobility is often a key factor for many woodworkers and while most use that "within" the confines of their shop space, there are also a lot of folks who use space external to their shops while actually working, such as a driveway or patio. So you could pick up something like the nice 10"-12" Rikon bench top band saw or similar and put it on a mobile stand. The only downside relative to re-saw work will be limited height and the need to cut slower due to power restrictions. Using the correct blade will help with that. The issue with "outside" is primarily about weather. If you only use the tool outside while you are actually working...which is unlikely to be in bad weather...there should be no difference than there would be with working in a formal shop.

[Brian Sommers]

Thanks, that might be my solution I'm looking for. I'm aiming to be a hybrid but if I can eliminate the tough jobs my hand (ripping, resawing) then I know I'll give myself a huge boost.

[Frank Pratt]

Thanks, that might be my solution I'm looking for. I'm aiming to be a hybrid but if I can eliminate the tough jobs my hand (ripping, resawing) then I know I'll give myself a huge boost.

I agree with your direction. Leave the grunt work to the machines.

[Doug Dawson]

I want to get a bandsaw but the only place I can put it is outside.

Is this throwing my money away? Will it rot to rust quickly? Or do I need to hose it down with WD40 every day when I'm done.

Or should I just stay inside and resaw by hand? - That's a terrifying thought. I'll do whatever it takes though to do woodworking.

What, you don't have a bedroom? Do you live in a _closet_? At one point I was living in an apartment, and I had a stationary band saw in there. Get serious or go home. ;^)

[Brian Sommers]

Oh I have a bedroom but it houses my computer and I'm afraid the dust and everything else would clog it up and it would end up being a hot mess. I could hook up a dust extractor to it but still I'm afraid it would be terrible dirty.

[glenn bradley]

I'm sure there are a lot of Wood Mizers and like machines that do not get parked in controlled environments every night. A tarp or a "pop up" with walls may be a storage idea when not in use(?). Given that, you would want it mobile anyway so a mobile base that isolates it would be in your favor.

[andy bessette]

Can't imagine doing much woodworking without a decent (not Wen) bandsaw. I'd definitely look towards a solution where you could store it indoors.

[Paul F Mills]

I live in the Upstate of SC and my dad lives in the middle part of the state. We get rust on our tools when stored in the garage because the humidity is so high. I cannot imagine storing something outside.

[Doug Dawson]

Oh I have a bedroom but it houses my computer and I'm afraid the dust and everything else would clog it up and it would end up being a hot mess. I could hook up a dust extractor to it but still I'm afraid it would be terrible dirty.

Resawing by hand is going to generate more fine dust in the air than a decent band saw hooked up to a decent dust collector. Get a decent dust collector. And get an air filtration box (like the ubiquitous Jet AFS1000.) Just put a cover over the computer. No, you can't store machined cast iron outside (unless you live in the desert. Maybe. Maybe the Atacama.)