# Birmingham Kb-45 From Qmt



## zmotorsports (Dec 24, 2015)

Well the other half of my order from Matt showed up yesterday.  There was some slight delay due to the crate being lost in Fontana, CA but after Matt on the phone with them they were able to locate it and got it here in one day, amazing.  Big shout out to Matt once more, his customer service is hands down second to none.

I did quite a bit of research for a replacement vertical bandsaw prior to calling Matt.  I had looked locally for an older DoAll or equivelant, but again I live in a machinery desert and nothing around here even close.  That or people just aren't parting with them.

I had my eye on a Jet that was to the high side of my budget but appeared to be pretty close to what I was looking for, I wanted a larger industrial grade machine with a minimum of 14" throat.  My last one was a 14" and worked well but a little too light duty for me.

After calling Matt and inquiring about the Jet, he convinced me that he had a better option available.  This KB-45 has an 18" throat and weighs around 800 pounds.  It is a beast of a machine but very nicely equipped.  It also comes with a built in blade welder, cutter, grinder and annealing setup on the side as well as a nice quality light.

My Birmingham KB-45 as it sat in my shop crated.






Uncrated but still on pallet.





Set in place and leveled up.





Plug wired and powered up.  Light works.





Two new bandsaws placed next to each other.










After running it a little and checking it over carefully, my first impression is this is a nice high quality bandsaw.  I will report back after getting some time on the machine.  I will also do a video review as this machine is unbelievably quiet and smooth, something that cannot be conveyed over a forum.

Big thanks to Matt @ QMT.  If anyone is considering stepping up to a nice vertical bandsaw give Matt a call or shoot him an email as he sells more than just lathes and mills.

Mike.


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## Firestopper (Dec 24, 2015)

The addition of the two new saws will make thing easier Mike as you well know. Do they share the same blade width? My Ellis 1800 uses a 1" wide blade so I buy coils of blade stock and cut/weld my own for both saws. I also have some 1/2" coil stock for the vertical saw for minor contour sawing. Both of the saws I run dry to keep the mess down  but do use a stick of paraffin on occasion. Keep us posted on further reviews!


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## zmotorsports (Dec 24, 2015)

firestopper said:


> The addition of the two new saws will make thing easier Mike as you well know. Do they share the same blade width? My Ellis 1800 uses a 1" wide blade so I buy coils of blade stock and cut/weld my own for both saws. I also have some 1/2" coil stock for the vertical saw for minor contour sawing. Both of the saws I run dry to keep the mess down  but do use a stick of paraffin on occasion. Keep us posted on further reviews!



Thanks Paco.  These are both a huge step up from my previous two saws and I am excited to get some time on them. 

As for blades they are different but I will eventually end up buying bulk once I find a blade I like.  I ordered a couple different Lennox and Starrett blades to do some comparisons.  The Baileigh horizontal is using a 3/4" and I am going to use a 1/2" on the vertical as it will be better for contour cutting.  Both in a 10-10 variable tooth pattern.  I used 3/8" on my last vertical saw and it worked well but with the rigidity of this machine the 1/2" should work great.

Mike.


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## tmarks11 (Dec 24, 2015)

nice, I have been wanting a vertical bandsaw for quite a while.  Not rally sure I like the painted surface though... seems to me that it will quickly scratch and you would be better off with the more typical bare cast iron.


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## zmotorsports (Dec 24, 2015)

tmarks11 said:


> nice, I have been wanting a vertical bandsaw for quite a while.  Not rally sure I like the painted surface though... seems to me that it will quickly scratch and you would be better off with the more typical bare cast iron.



It is amazing how much you will find you use it.  I got so used to having one in my shop I didn't realize how much until I sold my previous two saws about three weeks ago and have been without until now.  Stupid little projects or tasks come up all the time and the bandsaws make short work of them.

I highly recommend one.

Mike.


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## David VanNorman (Dec 25, 2015)

Darn nice saw . I don't think I could operate without a vertical saw.

Dave


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## zmotorsports (Dec 25, 2015)

David VanNorman said:


> Darn nice saw . I don't think I could operate without a vertical saw.
> 
> Dave



Thanks, and I agree.

Mike.


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## tmarks11 (Dec 25, 2015)

zmotorsports said:


> It is amazing how much you will find you use it.


There have been a number of times when I have cut stuff on the mill that I could have easily cut on a bandsaw in a fraction of the time.  While I was setting it up I was wishing I had a vertical bandsaw.


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