Who Uses Coolant for Their Horizontal Bandsaw or Power Hacksaw?

[projectnut]

There have been a few threads lately about power hacksaws and bandsaws. This brought to mind the question of who uses coolant on either type of machine, and why. I have both a power hacksaw and a horizontal bandsaw. Both are coolant capable, but I've never used it on either machine. Both machines cut a variety of stock from Delrin to tool steel, and sizes from 1/4" to 6".

I've never seen the need for coolant/lubricant on either saw. The bandsaw has a brush at the exit end of the stock. It cleans the swarf from the blade just fine. The blade never seems to load up, and generally lasts between 2 and 3 years with almost daily use. I must admit lately it's been used more sporadically. Some days it runs 4 hours or more while other days it sits unused.

The power hacksaw gets used less than the bandsaw, but is still used several times a week. I have a variety of blades for both saws and match the blade with the size of material being cut. I use the rule of thumb, no less than 3 teeth engaged, and no more than 24.

I do have some Trim SC520 coolant/lubricant but have hesitated to use it since the saws seem to perform well, and blade life seems more than acceptable. In my case the main reasons for avoiding coolant are the mess it makes, it's nearly impossible to remove swarf from the tanks should the coolant dry, and the fact that it gets rancid over time. I'd be interested in hearing whether other members use coolant on either type of saw, and why or why not.

 

[FOMOGO]

My larger saw is set up for coolant, but haven't used any to date. As you said, seems to work fine without it so far. I do have some 7" stock that I will be needing to cut at some point, so may try it there. Mike

 

[Ken from ontario]

For my hobby use a few drops of cutting oil seems to work just fine, I also use Walter cutting stick(coolcut) by rubbing it on the outside of the blade ,learned that from Mikey, it seems to help a lot .

 

[Lo-Fi]

I use some cutting oil manually applied on my power hacksaw. Increases blade life and cuts faster. I don't see a huge need for flood coolant on either, but a squeezey bottle of cutting oil handy is beneficial.

 

[markba633csi]

I use a little oil when I cut steel, I think the blade stays sharp longer. Aluminum I cut dry
-Mark

 

[C-Bag]

I have my horizontal bandsaw set on the lowest speed so there has never been a need for coolant no matter what I cut. My blades last years as long as I don’t do something stupid. Coolant in my experience causes a cascade of problems like needing a brush to clear swarf and periodic cleaning of the whole saw along with having to run higher blade tension because of slippage and the wheels getting full of swarf and caked on coolant. Dry I have none of those problems and none of the total mess coolant causes. YMMV.

 

[pineyfolks]

I don't use coolant on mine. If I'm cutting really heavy material I have an air nozzle mounted on a magnet to blow the chips out of the cut. Works fine so far

 

[Suzuki4evr]

I use coolent,but lately I tend to go without and it works well enough. I think another question should be,do you use a bi-metal blade or a standard blade?

 

[Shotgun]

I use coolent,but lately I tend to go without and it works well enough. I think another question should be,do you use a bi-metal blade or a standard blade?

I just switched to bi-metal blades, and I won't be going back. Having the blade break, jump off the wheel, or the teeth wearing down to nubs interrupts the work and is just a PIA. I use the bandsaw to get raw stock somewhere in the ballpark of a reasonable dimension for machining, and I don't consider it to be much fun.

I did have coolant set-up, and while it did cut cleaner, (as stated above) there was a lot more clean-up work. An occasional squirt or two from a bottle does almost as good and is less hassle.

But, now I'm looking at those lube sticks, because I haven't spent enough money this week. :-| How long will one of those last?

 

[Hozzie]

I got a good deal on a Jet 7x12 that while well used, runs great. I use coolant just because I figure it can't hurt and it really doesn't make a big mess like on a mill. I just use TrimSol as that is what I had on hand.