# Put together a portaband chop saw.



## twooldvolvos (Jul 13, 2021)

I have been looking for a convenient saw to cut stock down to size for turning on my lathe.  My shop is in my basement and limited by space.  Also I need to limit the amount of sparks I make due to fire concerns.  I ran across this portable band saw at my local used tool store.  It was missing the rubber tires for the drive wheels and the idler wheel was locked up (washer had been put in backwards).  The thing that sealed the deal was that the prior owner had fabricated this hinge.




So having the most important parts, I set about making a wooden stand for my new purchase.  This is what I came up with.




I wanted to be able to cut 90 and 45 degree cuts so I make a cutting guide to accommodate both.  Here is the 90 degree setup.




And here is the 45 degree fence setup.





I realize that I have limited the size of material that can be cut with my design but I will address that problem when it comes.  I am very happy with the performance so far.  It creates no sparks and not too much of a mess.  It cuts through the steel with relative ease and leaves a clean square finish.  I purchase the saw and bracket for $125.  The rubber tires cost about $20.  The rest I built out of scrap.

One thing to point out is that my fixture does not allow using the bandsaw in a table format.  In other words if I attached a table to the saw when it is in its vertical position, the blade would be running away from the table.  So for now this is dedicated as a chop saw.


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## Nogoingback (Jul 13, 2021)

Interesting that someone would go to the trouble of fabricating the hinged support and then
get rid of the saw.  His loss, your gain.  Nice job.


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## twooldvolvos (Jul 15, 2021)

Nogoingback said:


> Interesting that someone would go to the trouble of fabricating the hinged support and then
> get rid of the saw.  His loss, your gain.  Nice job.


Yep.  I agree.  The hinge is the hardest part of the project.


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