# Portable bandsaws worth it or not



## Brento (May 29, 2021)

I am thinking of picking this up to cut my stock as i dont have anything but a hacksaw. Is it worth getting these or should i work out issues with using an abrasive saw. My problem with an abrasive saw is i still cant cut aluminum.


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## RandyWilson (May 29, 2021)

I have both a portable and a 4x6 horizontal. Both harbor freight. Both work great once the blade was changed. And in reality the original blade was okay new, they just didn't last long.  The portable saw was first, because abrasive wasn't getting it. A lot of noise and dust and time a-wasted with abrasive.  The portable works great except I can't cut straight vertically with it. It's a very very right-handed device. I don't get along with right handed devices.  So I finally broke down and committed the floor space to a horizontal. The portable still gets used when portable desired, but the 4x6 is now the go-to saw.


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## RandyWilson (May 29, 2021)

And I just realized your link is to a cordless saw. I didn't know Ryobi made that. I have nearly every other Ryobi 18V device. Crap. There goes my birthday money.


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## ShagDog (May 29, 2021)

I'm considering a corded portables. I tried one recently, and cut some 2" diameter steel with no issues, and what I thought was relatively fast. It was a corded HF Bauer. Sure beat my hand hacksaw. It is a great solution if you are limited on space like I am. The only reason I haven't purchased one yet, is that although I am limited on space, I could make room outside under a deck for an old power hacksaw.


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## Jonas302 (May 29, 2021)

They work great do you need to be cordless ? I would buy a corded model they have much bigger cut capacity and don't go obsolete when the battery dies Here is the one I have https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200780083_200780083

How strait do you need to be? they make bench top models and there are stand kits to convert some of the saws to a bench saw

You can get a non ferrous blade for you chop saw or buy a dry cut saw https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...iPQVXDZSIcE3SIIuslrfxLo2ORHfsu1hoCfUcQAvD_BwE

A 4 by 6 bandsaw is always nice


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## Eddyde (May 29, 2021)

This may be your answer:








						Lenox 1972932 $107.60 Circular Saw Blade, 14"x.150"x1", 5300rpm | Zoro.com
					

Order Lenox Circular Saw Blade, 14"x.150"x1", 5300rpm, 1972932 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.




					www.zoro.com
				



I cuts all types of metal at the higher rpms of your abrasive chop saw.


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

RandyWilson said:


> And I just realized your link is to a cordless saw. I didn't know Ryobi made that. I have nearly every other Ryobi 18V device. Crap. There goes my birthday money.


Yea my dad has Ryobi and i will prob go into the line as well as it is cheaper but has come a long way from being the cheap power-tool if that makes sense?


Eddyde said:


> This may be your answer:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have thought of maybe doing that. However i am thinking of maybe trying to get away from the saw i think to maybe better myself in other ways and i am thinking maybe a bandsaw or something along the line could be better.


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

Jonas302 said:


> They work great do you need to be cordless ? I would buy a corded model they have much bigger cut capacity and don't go obsolete when the battery dies Here is the one I have https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200780083_200780083
> 
> How strait do you need to be? they make bench top models and there are stand kits to convert some of the saws to a bench saw
> 
> ...


I prob dont need to be cordless but the amount of stuff i am cutting i think a battery would be ok. Especially if i have a few already and will be buying into the line.  Can i see the table that goes with that?  I am sure they can be for multiple saws.


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## Jonas302 (May 29, 2021)

My little table is a quicky shop made one it bolts in where the blade guide goes with some countersunk screws worked really good though you can find them for sale also   
notice the coolant drip too


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

I see very good to know!


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## homebrewed (May 29, 2021)

I have an HF portable and a 4x6 bandsaw.  I started out with just the portable and it worked well, although pretty noisy (ear protectors took care of that).  After getting the 4x6 I still use it for some things.  Portable, ya know?


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## Buffalo21 (May 29, 2021)

I have 2 of the larger and 1 of the smaller Milwaukee portaband saws, while very handy, they are far from precision, way too much blade flex. I bought a bench clamp for one, it was such junk, I gave it away, the guy I gaveto, used it once and threw it away.


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## projectnut (May 29, 2021)

Of the 4 types of saws that have been discussed in this thread (floor model horizontal bandsaw, power hacksaw, abrasive saw, and portable bandsaw I have 3.  They are the floor model horizontal bandsaw, power hacksaw, and abrasive saw.   The floor model horizontal bandsaw is used by far the most.  I would say 90% of the stock that needs to be sawed is done on this saw.  It cuts straight, is relatively quick, and doesn't need to be watched or attended to.  It has multiple speeds and can cut anything you throw at it within it's cutting range.

The second most used saw is the power hacksaw.  It is also relatively quick although slower than the bandsaw, cuts straight, and doesn't need to be attended.  I bought this saw as a backup for times when the bandsaw is busy.

The least used saw by far is the abrasive saw.  I only use it on the rare occasion that the other saws are busy, the material is in such bad shape I might ruin a blade on the other saws, or the material is small dimension aluminum which it cuts well with a blade similar to the one linked.  For other materials it's messy, noisy, doesn't cut nearly as straight as the others, and requires a full time operator.  It can't be setup and left to run on it's own like the bandsaw or power hacksaw.  Should you consider blades similar to the ones in the link be aware a different blade is needed for ferrous and non ferrous materials.  They each start in the $100.00 range and go up from there.  Top of the line blades are in the $300.00 to $400.00 range.

I don't have a portable bandsaw because so far all the cutting has been done in the shop and I think the floor model bandsaw is far superior for the things I cut.  Should I need to do some cutting in the field I wouldn't hesitate to purchase one.  I' used them at work (Milwaukee brand) and was satisfied with their performance.

The only downside of the floor model bandsaw is the cost of blades.  Bandsaw blades cost around $45.00, but last 2 to 3 years.  Power hacksaw blades are generally around $10.00 to $15.00 depending on the brand and TPI.  My only concern if I was buying one today would be the availability of blades.  I currently have over 50 in stock so it's not a problem for me for the foreseeable future.


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## SSage (May 29, 2021)

Yeah, a porta-band is a must have for me. But I would buy something with better quality. Your better off getting a used commercial level tool  instead of a throw away. My Milwaukee corded porta-band is probably over 20 years old now. Those battery powered units aren't as durable. I do have a battery powered sawzall for quick cuts away from the shop. I find the sawzall more useful in the battery version. I also like getting the tools repaired and ordering parts, I've kept a number of tools alive because they had manufacture support years after the sale.

I've tried lots of battery powered tools running large commercial construction jobs and the best value with durability has been the Makita 18 volt models. They have good quality batteries, I have some over 10 years old I still use often. Ryobi not so much, we used that stuff on a construction job once a few years ago, just once. Rigid from Home depot was a little better, but the batteries didn't last, had some drill failures way early. Had lots of Bosch for a while, had too many early failures, dead batteries bit me more than once. They failed without warning, but those were mostly 24 volt drills.

My last Makita 18 volt hammer drill is still working great after four years, original batteries still going fine. Dewalt has been okay, but the batteries are not as good as Makita in my experience. Pick one good quality brand and stick with it so you have the interchangable batteries.


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

Is a power hacksaw a little bit more feasible then a bandsaw for a smaller shop? Due to blades being cheaper. Can you buy new now?


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

How is the harbor freight horizontal band saw? Was there modifications needed to make it a good machine?


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## projectnut (May 29, 2021)

As far as I know the only "new" power hacksaws available are made in India.  They are industrial models and expensive.  If you're considering a power hacksaw I would recommend Racine brand.  They are commercial/industrial saws and come in many different sizes.  Mine is a 66W2.  The model is indicative of the size and configuration.  The 66 means it can cut stock 6"x 6".  The W indicates it is a wet saw meaning it can be used either with or without coolant.  The 2 designates it has 2 speeds.  In this case the speeds are 100 strokes per minute and 140 strokes per minute.

These saws have some nice features such as selectable down feed pressure, lift on the return stroke, coolant capability, adjustable angle vise, and automatic shutoff at the end of a cut, among other things.  They are heavy in that the dry cut models weigh in at 550 lbs.  The 2 speed wet cut weighs in at 770 lbs., and the 4 speed wet cut weighs in at 825 lbs.

They are durable.  We had a 66W4 (wet cut 4 speed model) at the shop I worked in.  It ran 8-10 hours a day for the entire 20 years I worked there with the only maintenance being needed is a good cleaning, replacing the coolant, and replacing the blades.  Mine came out of an industrial shop that upgraded to a horizontal bandsaw.  It was filthy when I got it, but only needed a good cleaning, new oil, and a new blade.  I've had it a little over 5 years.  It doesn't get used on a daily basis, but has performed well whenever I use it.

As an FYI there was recently one advertised on our local Craigslist with an asking price of $250.00 or best offer.

Here's a 1957 brochure with the sizes available:


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## Aaron_W (May 29, 2021)

RandyWilson said:


> And I just realized your link is to a cordless saw. I didn't know Ryobi made that. I have nearly every other Ryobi 18V device. Crap. There goes my birthday money.


Yeah, I think I'm going to add one of these. It will probably pay for itself quickly as I will be able to cut down stock to fit into my truck onsite and save the $4 / cut fee. Only reason I haven't got one before is I would have to start a new battery collection. I've got several Ryobi tools, mostly yard tools but the batteries are the same.



Brento said:


> Is a power hacksaw a little bit more feasible then a bandsaw for a smaller shop? Due to blades being cheaper. Can you buy new now?



Power hacksaw is typically smaller than a similar capacity bandsaw. I have a 4x4" hacksaw and it is only about 2/3 the size of my 4x6 bandsaw. I don't know that I would say blades are cheaper, maybe marginally but probably works out to be similar in the long term. Hacksaw is probably slower but you can set up and let it run so not really an issue unless you are in a rush. Generally easier to swap blades on a hacksaw so you can put a fine tooth blade on for thin stock and a course blade for thicker stock with less hassle than a band saw.

The only new power hacksaws I know of are large industrial types probably not suitable for your needs. It might take some time to find, but you can usually find power hacksaws suitable for a small shop for $50 to $400 with many under $200. Many consider them obsolete so they don't usually ask a high price.



Brento said:


> How is the harbor freight horizontal band saw? Was there modifications needed to make it a good machine?



Mine has worked fine right out of the box. For the $200-ish I paid for it I have no complaints, these are on my list of the top 5 things HF sells.


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## devils4ever (May 29, 2021)

I have a HF portable bandsaw along with the Swag table. It's the only power saw I have for metal and I'd be hurting without. I quickly realized that cutting stock to size with a hacksaw is nuts. I've been cutting some thick stock (up to 2-1/2" thick) lately. It works great with better blades. I would buy a larger horizontal saw if I had the space, but I don't.

This saw is not a lot of money and doesn't require a lot of space. Get one!


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

devils4ever said:


> This saw is not a lot of money and doesn't require a lot of space. Get one!


Are you talking about the portable?


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## devils4ever (May 29, 2021)

Brento said:


> Are you talking about the portable?



Yes, the portable bandsaw with Swag table.


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

Did you get the v1 for the baur or a newer model?


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

homebrewed said:


> I have an HF portable and a 4x6 bandsaw.  I started out with just the portable and it worked well, although pretty noisy (ear protectors took care of that).  After getting the 4x6 I still use it for some things.  Portable, ya know?


What blades do you recommend for the 4x6? Talked my wife into getting one this weekend.


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## devils4ever (May 29, 2021)

I have model Bauer 64194 and use Lenox blades.


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

Threads per inch wise i am curious on its new for me and while i get it id like to get a blade or 2


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## devils4ever (May 29, 2021)

I try to get the least TPI I can since I cut a lot of thick material. I have 10/14 TPI blades.


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## Aaron_W (May 29, 2021)

Brento said:


> Threads per inch wise i am curious on its new for me and while i get it id like to get a blade or 2



10/14 is a good general purpose blade, it is what I have mostly used and it has been fine for tubing down to about 1/16" wall, and has cut 1" steel stock just fine. 

A courser TPI blade would probably cut thick stuff faster, but will not work so well on most tubing. 18 or 24TPI is good if you cut a lot of thin wall tubing.

You want to look for a good bi-metal blade. A lot of people recommend Lenox, but just because it is easy HF does sell some decent bi-metal blades, some are even USA made.


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## Brento (May 29, 2021)

I picked up each tpi at HF while i was there. Got the last saw there!


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## DAM 79 (May 29, 2021)

These portable saw although they are pretty impressive in the ability’s they all have there place the right tool for the right job I do HVCA and some Fab welding work and I’ve cut thru railroad track with my big like nothing but it’s hard to beat a horizontal band saw or a vertical bandsaw depending on what your trying to do


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## JohnH61 (May 29, 2021)

Harbor Freight (or Grizzly) horizontal bandsaw. Does what you need, while you work on something else.


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## Dhal22 (May 30, 2021)

DAM 79 said:


> These portable saw although they are pretty impressive in the ability’s they all have there place the right tool for the right job I do HVCA and some Fab welding work and I’ve cut thru railroad track with my big like nothing but it’s hard to beat a horizontal band saw or a vertical bandsaw depending on what your trying to do



It's funny how some brands do very well with one tool but maybe not another.   As a plumber everything for me is Ridgid.  Except jack hammers and hammer drills (Bosch), or porta band (deep cut Milwaukee), etc.  I have corded Milwaukee's 25 years old,  excellent bandsaws,  just better than anyone else.


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## Bi11Hudson (May 30, 2021)

Any time one can acquire a tool, they should do so. Even if it's some esoteric contraption for "one time" use. Borrowed anything is the start down a slippery slope. There are practical limitations such as funds, availibility, lead time on job. And more theoretical considerations such as suitability. Theoretical because there is always the fallback to a hacksaw or drill. I'm waxing philosophical here because such a question is very personal and difficult to answer remotely.

I have a Milwaukee line powered "Porta-Band" saw that was acquired for professional use. My splicing trailer had an onboard 5KW generator so battery powered tools held little advantage. The band saw still gets used where appropriate. There are other tools to choose from as the situation demands. From the hacksaws to cutoff wheels on a side grinder to a composition blade on a skil saw. Et cetera ad infinitum ad nauseim.

One big advantage to battery powered tools is that they can be converted to run on just about any power source. I have several older "cheapie" battery power tools that had marginal batteries from the git-go but the mechanical design was reasonably sound. I rigged a replacement plug that ran off my tractor battery for use in the deep bush. My interests at the time revolved around a small tractor. It could have easily been a quadra-trac, or a pick-up, an airplane, whatever. More modern tools of 18 volts are a little more difficult to arrange, but still doable. All that is necessary is a dead battery pack and a few feet of "zip" cord, and a couple alligator clips. Worst case, in the shop, is a battery charger. Old style without all those sensing gizmos, just a 13.2 volt DC power supply.

As I've aged (and broken down), many of those jerry rigged tools have been re-integrated into semi-permanent contraptions or passed along (given away) to someone younger with the need. Very little gets thrown away, there's always something that can be "made" from it, done with it.

.


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## homebrewed (May 31, 2021)

Brento said:


> What blades do you recommend for the 4x6? Talked my wife into getting one this weekend.


I replaced the original not-so-great blade with a bi-metal bandsaw blade.  I bought one HF offers and it actually has held up pretty good.  It would be nice to also have a coarser-toothed blade for some jobs, the one I have is on the slow side when it comes to cutting large chunks of metal.


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## Brento (May 31, 2021)

Thats why i ended up picking up like 3 extra blades. I will get the Starrett combination bimetals but just not now. I have plans perséy? for a hydraulic feed down. It is more of watching 2 videos to get an idea but it seems pretty simple. Needle valve, some aluminum blocks, tubing, some threaded rod, and some drill rod and can make one. Oh and a plumber pipe from a store for a sink and i can make one. Just need a my SB running now.


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## homebrewed (May 31, 2021)

Adding hydraulic downfeed probably is my next major bandsaw mod.  I have already extended the chuck jaws and included a jackscrew to enable cutting shorter stock, and a chute to feed swarf into a waste container.

It sounds like you are considering this design for your downfeed mod?  It's one I have looked at.


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## Weldingrod1 (May 31, 2021)

Good bimetal blades are soooo worth the money!!! Night and day difference on material that has any gumption! Cutting 90 ksi coiled tubing, ordinary hardware store blades are "multiple per cut" vs a Starrett bimetal that is still going strong years later...

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk


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## Aaron_W (May 31, 2021)

I see a lot of negative comments about the blade that comes on the saw. I bought bi-metal blades for mine, but thought I'd run the original blade until it needed replacing. Still running the original blade after 2 or 3 years of use, and I do use the saw, have cut lots of steel tubing and a variety of solid steel and aluminum stock with it.


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## Aaron_W (May 31, 2021)

homebrewed said:


> Adding hydraulic downfeed probably is my next major bandsaw mod.  I have already extended the chuck jaws and included a jackscrew to enable cutting shorter stock, and a chute to feed swarf into a waste container.
> 
> It sounds like you are considering this design for your downfeed mod?  It's one I have looked at.



My Kalamazoo 6x10 came with a hydraulic down feed, works much better that the spring arrangement on the HF saws. I should look into adding one to the 4x6 so I don't have to hold up the end until the cut is established.


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## Brento (May 31, 2021)

homebrewed said:


> Adding hydraulic downfeed probably is my next major bandsaw mod.  I have already extended the chuck jaws and included a jackscrew to enable cutting shorter stock, and a chute to feed swarf into a waste container.
> 
> It sounds like you are considering this design for your downfeed mod?  It's one I have looked at.


No my design is from someone on youtube. The youtube creator is Halligan.


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## Eddyde (May 31, 2021)

Brento said:


> Thats why i ended up picking up like 3 extra blades. I will get the Starrett combination bimetals but just not now. I have plans perséy? for a hydraulic feed down. It is more of watching 2 videos to get an idea but it seems pretty simple. Needle valve, some aluminum blocks, tubing, some threaded rod, and some drill rod and can make one. Oh and a plumber pipe from a store for a sink and i can make one. Just need a my SB running now.


I saw design that used a screen door closer, looked like a pretty simple mod.


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## Brento (May 31, 2021)

Would like to see that one.


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## Splat (May 31, 2021)

I have the Bauer portaband from Harbor Freight. I then bought the Swag table and though a little pricey I love the setup and highly recommend it, unless you want to make your own.


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## Brento (May 31, 2021)

Thanks @Splat i ended up buying a 4x6 bandsaw on saturday.


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## Splat (Jun 1, 2021)

Cool. Now make or buy a table for it and you'll love it. The little "table" that came with my 7x12 was a joke so i made my own. Good luck with the saw.


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## Brento (Jun 1, 2021)

Thanks. I am still working out the tweaks on it.


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## Eddyde (Jun 4, 2021)

Brento said:


> Would like to see that one.


I think it was an article in Home Shop Machinist magazine. However a fellow member just posted this:








						Cheap Downfeed Control for HF 4x6 Bandsaw
					

I've seen lots of elegant, well thought out designs for hydraulic downfeed controls for the HF 4x6. This is not one of those. In keeping with my previous stupidly simple designs, this is an attempt to build one as cheaply economically and simply as possible. In this case that meant using parts I...




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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