Need a small or bench top band saw.

[wachuko]

I'm tired of cutting machining blanks with a hacksaw. I prefer a bench top band saw, since I don't have much space available for a floor model bandsaw. Most material I cut is less than 2" steel or 3" aluminum. Would the vertical cutting ability of a floor model band saw be useful? Any recommendations less than $500?

Sharing with the OP in case this works for him...

After reading this thread and looking to converting what I have to work both horizontally and vertically... I went looking for something similar already made... I ended up buying a WEN 3975T 4-7/8-inch x 5-inch Metal-Cutting Benchtop Band Saw - came out to less than 300.00. It was more than what a 4x6 from Harbor Freight would have cost, but I just do not have the space right now to accommodate that one...


When I started looking at the portable that I have, that one is not the one that a lot of folks transform into vertical and horizontal... looks to be a cheaper, earlier model... so no provision to place it vertically with a plate to act as a table... I would need to drill, tap make a shim, etc. To make it work in the vertical position. Not something I want to deal with right away...








For the next projects that I want to tackle, I just need a horizontal bandsaw. And with this new one, I can later make a table for it to use it in a vertical setup. Something like this guy did:

 

[Winegrower]

While I have a 9”x16” Kalamazoo horizontal saw, I really want a vertical DoAll too. But, I just don’t have the room for that. Instead, I have a Butterfly die filer that has a very clever blade holder that can take a cut off hacksaw blade or a jigsaw blade. At times, this is even better than a vertical bandsaw…for example, I had to cut out some squarish interior portions of a number of 1/2” polycarbonate plates. I just plunged an end mill to make the corners then could slip the plates over the blade and cut out the inside, then go back and mill the edges to exact dimensions. Couldn’t use a bandsaw for that, and it made far fewer chips than milling around the entire cutout. And sawing is much faster than milling, anyway.

 

[C-Bag]

While I have a 9”x16” Kalamazoo horizontal saw, I really want a vertical DoAll too. But, I just don’t have the room for that. Instead, I have a Butterfly die filer that has a very clever blade holder that can take a cut off hacksaw blade or a jigsaw blade. At times, this is even better than a vertical bandsaw…for example, I had to cut out some squarish interior portions of a number of 1/2” polycarbonate plates. I just plunged an end mill to make the corners then could slip the plates over the blade and cut out the inside, then go back and mill the edges to exact dimensions. Couldn’t use a bandsaw for that, and it made far fewer chips than milling around the entire cutout. And sawing is much faster than milling, anyway.

I pine for a big ol DoAll saw too. But my bodged 14” has proven a more realistic fit. For my stuff I needed a jigsaw too so I made mount for my handheld jigsaw. And for detail work a die grinder suits me better than a die filer, so I made a mount for my die grinder. The beauty of these things is they are not needed everyday so can be quickly set up and stored away.

 

[wachuko]

While I have a 9”x16” Kalamazoo horizontal saw, I really want a vertical DoAll too. But, I just don’t have the room for that. Instead, I have a Butterfly die filer that has a very clever blade holder that can take a cut off hacksaw blade or a jigsaw blade. At times, this is even better than a vertical bandsaw…for example, I had to cut out some squarish interior portions of a number of 1/2” polycarbonate plates. I just plunged an end mill to make the corners then could slip the plates over the blade and cut out the inside, then go back and mill the edges to exact dimensions. Couldn’t use a bandsaw for that, and it made far fewer chips than milling around the entire cutout. And sawing is much faster than milling, anyway.

Those die filer are so cool... I want to make one. Next month I will be ordering the kit from MLA... to stash away with the rest of the kits that I have waiting to be done...

FILING MACHINE (MLA-18)

I am telling you... when I retire, I will only be coming out the workshop to have wine with the wife... so looking forward to working on all these projects...

But I digress.... Sorry, back to normal programming...

 

[MrWhoopee]

I consider the HF 4x6 to be one of the 5 Essentials in a home metal-working shop. I bought mine before I had a lathe or mill. I ended up inheriting a second one from a friend who had to liquidate. Not needing two, I converted the second to dedicated vertical. I put it on a floor stand, but it could just as easily be a bench mount.

A Vertical Bandsaw for a Small Shop (and Budget)

Among the many things that have been troubling me lately are the limited space in my shop and the minimal throat depth on my HF 4x6 in vertical mode (~2in.) Contributing to the first item is a second 4x6 that I inherited from a friend. It occurred to me that it had the potential for a much...

www.hobby-machinist.com

 

[Aaron_W]

I pine for a big ol DoAll saw too. But my bodged 14” has proven a more realistic fit. For my stuff I needed a jigsaw too so I made mount for my handheld jigsaw. And for detail work a die grinder suits me better than a die filer, so I made a mount for my die grinder. The beauty of these things is they are not needed everyday so can be quickly set up and stored away.

I like that mounted die grinder, definitely going to steal that idea even though a die filer is already on the project list (and the kit sitting in the to do pile).

Those die filer are so cool... I want to make one. Next month I will be ordering the kit from MLA... to stash away with the rest of the kits that I have waiting to be done...

FILING MACHINE (MLA-18)

View attachment 384867

I am telling you... when I retire, I will only be coming out the workshop to have wine with the wife... so looking forward to working on all these projects...

But I digress.... Sorry, back to normal programming...

Yeah that is what many of us thought. There is much truth to the "I don't know how I ever had time to work, because after retiring I still don't have time for all the stuff I want to do."

 

[woodchucker]

I like that mounted die grinder, definitely going to steal that idea even though a die filer is already on the project list (and the kit sitting in the to do pile).



Yeah that is what many of us thought. There is much truth to the "I don't know how I ever had time to work, because after retiring I still don't have time for all the stuff I want to do."

Ain't that the truth.

About to go for a walk with the dog, this is a week of above normal temps, then going to go Christmas shopping for the wife while she is out with friends...

I seem to fill the day with useless stuff... Or not fill the day.

 

[C-Bag]

"I don't know how I ever had time to work, because after retiring I still don't have time for all the stuff I want to do."

While this is so true, the thing that galled me was when I was home with my kids until they went to school I saw how I had no time when I worked. So I had to hire guys for several times what my job was paying me to do what I didn’t have time to do.

When I was home with them I repainted the inside of the house. Cleared the jungle that was the yards. Repaired the washer and dryer when they broke. Rebuilt the trans on my dads van. Tiled the floors in the 2 bathrooms and was actually able to keep the cars maintained. All that stopped when I went back to work.

What gets in my way now timewise is my home biz. Even though I’ve never advertised it just keeps on growing all on its own. Like my wife points out, a good problem.

 

[Winegrower]

There is a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon that shows the two of them going through a summer day…playing at the creek, roaming the neighborhood, in the treehouse, etc. The last panel shows them lying on the grass looking up at the sky…Calvin says “the days are just packed”. This is what I tell people now when they ask how it’s going.

 

[wachuko]

We have all the Calvin and Hobbes books!!! Here is one from the book by the same name