Is this a reasonable horizontal band saw solution for a small shop?

[rwdenney]

I can't think of any project I would undertake that would require cutting tubular stock bigger than 4" round or square, or solid stock bigger than 2", and this Grizzly "portable" with an accessory horizontal cutting frame seems to be able to do that. And it can be detached from the frame and used as a portable. Power seems pretty good--the 1HP claim is backed up by the 12.5-amp draw at 120VAC.

Combination Benchtop/Hand-Held Metal-Cutting Bandsaw

<h1>G8692 Portable Bandsaw with Stand</h1> <h2>Just the right size metal-cutting for most small cutoff jobs.</h2> <p>The G8692 Portable Bandsaw converts from a bench-top metal cutoff saw to a hand-held portable metal cutting bandsaw in just seconds! <p>Two blade speeds of 190 and 262 feet per...

www.grizzly.com

Right now, I use a repurposed cheapie miter saw turned into a metal chop saw with an abrasive blade, but it sure makes hot, ugly, and messy cuts.

Yes, I've investigated fixed horizontal metal-cutting bandsaws in my area, and nothing is that cheap. People want more than that even for a used Harbor Freight cheapie, about which reviews are mixed, and which probably is less powerful than this.

I have a vertical bandsaw already that will cut aluminum but it is not designed for steel, and of course does not make a good cut-off tool in any case.

Opinions?

Rick "recognizing that this is a compromise" Denney

 

[markba633csi]

I'm sure it would do just fine for hobby stuff
-M

 

[mickri]

You can find a fair numbers of videos on how a portable bandsaw has been converted to both horizontal and vertical. Looks like Griz has taped into that.

I found my horizontal bandsaw at a farm auction. It had been sitting in the back corner of a shed unused for years. It was dirty, rusty and needed a new belt. Cleaned up nice.

Craftsman 3x6 horizontal bandsaw

Went to a farm auction last Saturday and sitting in an old shed gathering dust and rust for maybe decades was an old Craftsman 3x6 horizontal band saw model 101.22922. $40 dollars and it's mine. Here's a picture from the auction website. Got it home and promptly started tearing it apart...

www.hobby-machinist.com

If you are in no hurry hunt down all of the auction companies in your area and start going to auctions. All kinds of treasures to be found when the old barns and sheds get cleaned out.

 

[JPMacG]

I use a Harbor Freight handheld band saw about that size. It has served me well and I have cut steel round up to 3". The only limitation I have run into is when I tried to cut plate. The throat clearance was insufficient. I do not have the table. Holding it by hand is tiresome but do-able.

If you get it, be sure to use a high quality blade. The blade that came with mine was not.

 

[FOMOGO]

I have one like this (Balleigh), and use it all the time, even though I have much larger ones. It pivots 60deg, but in the opposite plane than the one you show. Bought it used, but almost new. There are similar saws that are cheaper Chinese knockoffs that probably work just fine.

 

[Winegrower]

Read the reviews…it looks like if you treat this as a “bandsaw kit” it could work out.

 

[dbb-the-bruce]

If you have the space, I would recommend getting the (relatively cheap) HF horizontal/vertical. Its about the same price as what you are looking at. Are you really going to use the handheld aspect of the saw? I've never encountered a need for that in my limited experience (prepping stock for machining)

Being able to also do light freehand work in vertical mode is a real plus. (don't bother using the provided table on the H/V saw).

At this point, I'd really like to be able to do unattended stopped vertical cuts in stock that's up to 1" thick - but that's another level of vertical saw. The biggest limitation with the cheap H/V saw is the throat. Reducing a large 24" x 12" sheet of 1/4" AL can be tricky or impossible depending on how much you are trying to cut off. I've had no issue with setting up heavy long cuts and working on something else for the 30 or 40 min it takes to get it done.

Saws are one of those things that sooner or later you are going to want more. Get the biggest / most capable that fits your work and your shop space that you can afford. Plan on trading up later if you stick with the hobby.

 

[slow-poke]

I picked up a new in box (sitting for years) King 5x6 from Kijiji for cheap. There are a lot of easy and worthwhile mods, I did them and use this saw constantly, way more than anticipated. Fantastic addition to my home hobby shop. If you have a bit of space, these can be a Kijiji or Craigslist bargain.

 

[rwdenney]

Yes, I realize this will need to be tuned up to work well, and expect that from Grizzly. My woodworking stuff is similar. I have gotten great service from my 3-HP Grizzly cabinet saw, but it took a LOT of shimming and adjusting to get everything dialed in (and I aligned the miter slots with the blade using a dial indicator to get alignment within .010" across the 10" blade and dead square vertically--pretty good for woodworking. I expect there are people who bought those saws and thought them junk because they did not go through that process. I did read the comments and reviews on this Grizzly saw, but I never seem to have the same problems the reviewers do when I buy similar stuff. I never know what those reviewers are really expecting.

Same deal with the import knockoff of the 14" Delta bandsaw for woodworking. I added a fence and it is also aligned to within a few thousandths. I even stoned the table to fix all those dings and burrs. But it's a wood-cutting bandsaw and is not made for cutting steel. It does fine with aluminum if I go slow.

I'm just trying to get to where I don't have to spend a chunk of time at the grinder to fix the mess left by an abrasive-blade chop saw.

I have already seen the blondihacks video in which Quinn fabbed a table to mount a porta-band in the vertical position for hogging off excess material from small workpieces. I'm comfortable with that kind of project. But a vertical is hard to use for cutting off long pieces, particularly with heavy pieces. I'd like to be able to cut structural sections (including square tubing and flat bar) up to 4" by 3/8" thick, and solid rod for trimming excess from specific pieces likely never larger than 2". I'd like it to be able to cut stainless steel at least.

What do you guys think of Starrett blades? Little Machine Shop sells them in porta-band sizes for $10-11 each. I use one on my Delta-style wood-cutting bandsaw and it has provided very good service, but that's a totally different use case.

(I had already looked at the HF red cheapie, even though it's a solid hundred bucks more expensive. But this seems like it would have more versatility--sometimes I have to do plumbing projects in the house where this would be helpfully portable--and when I saw it I realized I could put it on my bench right where my abrasive chop saw is, and thus it would not take up additional floor space I'm reserving for bigger machines.)

Rick "appreciative" Denney

 

[JPMacG]

I use a Milwaukee 24 tpi blade. I think anything with a Starrett label would be top quality.