# Band saws....? Cutting theory



## FlyFishn (Mar 30, 2021)

Ive done a lot of cutting on mild steel over the past couple years with projects and have thought about getting a band saw. Truth be told, all my power tools, aside from a cheap table saw for wood and a floor drill press, are hand tools at the moment. In time I hope to change that. That having been said - using hand power tools to cut a bunch(!!!) of steel is not pleasant. I ripped several hundred inches of 3/16" A36 with a reciprocating saw and Diablo carbide blade last summer. I hope I never have to do that again. Though, it is an example of a potential use for a band saw. 

However, there seems to be a fairly large cut between "wood band saws" and "metal band saws" in that "wood band saws" are upright with a table where you feed the work through the cut and "metal band saws" are a fixed frame with clamped work and the whole band saw assembly gravity (or pneumatic) feeds through the clamped work. 

In thinking of how I want to work with my projects - an upright saw with a table where I move the work through the saw is what I want. But that fits the category of a wood working band saw.

I don't like the idea of clamping the work piece and using a gravity fed saw. I suppose if I was cutting routine dimensional parts with square cuts that is one thing, but that is too limiting. I want to be able to cut angles, and possibly curves. Most tables have a keyway track for a miter gage. Why not make a vice mount that can lock in to that track to keep the piece passing straight through the blade?

Are there any drawbacks for setting up a wood band saw for metal duty? 

I suppose one advantage to a properly set up "metal band saw" is the coolant/lube system. For repetitive dimensional cutting I could see that being about the only way to go, but I think the limits of the ability to work with the work piece during the cut might be a better advantage than needing to manually lube the cut.


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## matthewsx (Mar 30, 2021)

Wood bandsaws operate at a much higher speed than metal ones.


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## DavidR8 (Mar 30, 2021)

I have a combination wood and metal cutting 14” bandsaw. 
It has a series of pulleys and jackshafts to reduce the blade speed when cutting metal. 
Works excellent. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## C-Bag (Mar 30, 2021)

I have both horizontal and vertical bandsaws. Both inexpensive Harbor Freight. I got the horizontal first almost 40yrs ago. And the vertical 14” HF I got 7-8yrs ago. The horizontal can be stood up vertical and I used it like that until I got tired of wrestling with it. Like has been mentioned most often you find vertical bandsaws and they run at 3,000ft a min while I run mine 120ft min. Quit a difference. I don’t need coolant because I run slow. If you run like 300ft min then you will get into needing coolant. My vertical was a home made double reduction and can only run that speed and for me is perfect. It does what the horizontal can’t do like small odd parts because I made an air powered sled for it to feed parts.


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## 682bear (Mar 30, 2021)

You are describing the difference between horizontal and vertical bandsaws... there are vertical (upright) bandsaws for metal also... they are generally more expensive than wood cutting bandsaws.

Metal cutting bandsaws run much slower blade speeds and are generally more rigid. Wood cutting saws can be slowed down with some modifications, but many of them are not really rigid enough for anything but light cuts in metal.

If you attempt cutting metals at the blade speeds that wood cutting saws run, you will find that the blades don't last long at all.

-Bear


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## jwmelvin (Mar 30, 2021)

So, you’re distinguishing vertical band saws from horizontal band saws. 

The vertical band saw is like you have experienced with wood saws; the blade runs over the wheels and is straight between them. So the longest piece that one can cut is equal to the throat of the saw (about the wheel diameter). They are flexible in that one guides the work piece (using a fence or miter gauge if desired) and can cut curves to a degree. Vertical band saws may cut wood or metal; the blades differ and, more significantly, blade speed differs. Some saws are designed for both and use a gearbox to change speed ranges. 

Horizontal band saws are different in that the blade twists between the wheels; by twisting the axis of the wheels, the cutting side of the blade can sit forward of the return side. Now there is no limit to the length of the work piece, as it passes in front of the returning blade. The limit is to the cross section of the work piece, which will depend on the wheel diameter, separation, and amount of twist. Horizontal band saws seem generally configured for metal but I don’t know enough about wood saws to say (maybe a slab mill uses a similar configuration?). Horizontal saws are super useful for cutting bar and tube down from its stock lengths (generally around 12-24 feet). It’s nice that they can run unattended. 

I have had a small horizontal saw for some time and it’s been great. The little ones like mine (4x6 cross-section capacity) generally will allow one to use them like a vertical saw, with the head flipped up and resting on a stop. They come with small tables to facilitate such use but I’ve never installed mine, despite using my saw in the vertical position frequently. The vertical position is a little awkward, as the base of the saw is in your way, etc. 

I recently got a 14” vertical combo saw, which has a gear box and belts to set a few speeds in the wood range and a few in the metal range. I’m very happy about it but I will continue to use my horizontal for cutting bar stock. The horizontal saws are very inexpensive (like $150 ish). Mine is from HF and has done well. Vertical saws are a lot more expensive and heavy. It is possible to convert a wood saw to metal, by reducing the speed. Usually that is done with a gearbox reducer.


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## Dabbler (Mar 31, 2021)

@FlyFishn The only real difference between the wood bandsaw and wood/metal saws is the blade speed.  You want between 100 and 200 SFPM...  I use 80SFPM when cutting semi hardened tool steels like O1 or 40 Rc 4140.

That can be achieved by adding pulleys and/or gears - a lot of work, but it works well.  Another approach is to replace the motor with a hefty 3Phase motor and a VFD.  Nowadays the prices have come down enough to make it viable.  My 18" metal bandsaw has a 1.5HP 3ph motor. vfd, and it has plenty of power for all the work I do.


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## Shootymacshootface (Mar 31, 2021)

As mentioned, there are many routes to go on this. If you do decide to go double duty (wood and metal with the same saw) be sure to clean it out good after cutting wood. You might end up with a nice fire inside your machine.


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## sycle1 (Mar 31, 2021)

I bought a second hand 18' inch Rexon Taiwanese made  vertical band saw, it says that it is a metal band saw, I thought this would be a good thing, but everytime I put a metal blade on it run the blade in nice and easy doing a slow run in.
Then when I do use it on mild steel it just dulls the 14 tpi  bi steel blades real quick, so figure it must be running too fast for steel (maybe the motor has been upgraded from stock) so I tend to use it for wood and everything else but steel.
I use the little sabre band saw for steel I think you guys call em the Harbour Freight saw it seems to cut steel much better.


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## Alcap (Mar 31, 2021)

Maybe this would be an option for you. I don have the floor space for a full size band saw so mounted a HF saw on a wooden stand . It can be removed quickly and throat plate switched back . The switch it locked ON and plugged into a remote ON OFF switch , it also has a thumb wheel speed control which comes in handy  . Pictures are from the building it’s now in the garage


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## WesPete66 (Mar 31, 2021)

I currently have a 4x6 band saw, which can also be used in a vertical position. I've never actually tried using it vertically, but I think if I ever have a need for that I'm going to build a stand for my portaband like in the post above ^^^.

Before I owned my 4x6 saw I had purchased a smaller vertical (wood) band saw that I intended to adapt for metal cutting. After learning what it would need to convert it I resold it and looked for a metal cutting saw..


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## Weldingrod1 (Mar 31, 2021)

I scored a big Jet wood bandsaw. I added a worm gear box and a dc motor to it and set things up so I can move the drive belt between the two motors. I'm absolutely thrilled to have it in my shop!!!

If you pick a blade speed that plays well with stainless then it will cut anything, just slower than if you had the right speed. I used the DC motor so I could do the 2:1 ratio between carbon steel blade speed and SST.

Fyi, "slow" wood speed is kind of fast for Al, but not totally nutty. "Fast" wood speed is ONLY good for wood!

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk


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## Mitch Alsup (Mar 31, 2021)

I have a 14" Grizzly metal/wood bandsaw. I cut steel at 120-150 fpm, I cut aluminum at 250-300 fpm, I cut wood at 1000+fpm blade speeds.

The throat is the major issue with vertical bandsaws. Consequently, I, too, have cut a bunch of metal with a hacksaw that should have been cutable on the bandsaw.

I need the vertical nature of the bandsaw enough that, for me, I would add a horizontal bandsaw rather than trade the vertical for a horizontal.


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## rabler (Mar 31, 2021)

I have a ridiculous number of bandsaws, wood and metal. Probably not much different that what has already been said, but -

Horizontal metal cutting bandsaws tend to lean toward fabrication work, repetitively cutting fairly long pieces of metal to length.  Usually can be set to make angle cuts up to 45 or 60 degrees depending on saw.  Clamp it and hit start and you don't have to hold or feed anything.  Think about having a stock of hot rolled rounds or square tube, often comes in 20' lengths if you get it from a local steel supplier, although obviously if you're buying online and having it shipped you won't be dealing with long lengths, but you will pay a premium for shorter lengths delivered to your door. Bigger models often include coolant which extends blade life in high feed cutting operations.  I would think horizontal bandsaws are a bit safer as you almost never handfeed, but it'll still happily cut through flesh and bone.

Vertical metal bandsaws are good for a wide variety of cutting on odd shape pieces.  Cutting off waste with a bandsaw is one of the quickest ways to remove unused stock. You can cut arcs but not as easily as with wood.  Need to make something circular out of a piece of plate?  Cut close to a line before chucking in the lathe or rotary table.  For many odd shapes, just cut and grind/file.  I made a spanner for my lathe chuck that way.  Cut, file, and drill a hole for a pin.  Often handfed with the aid of appropriate safety devices.  

As others have said, blade speed is much slow for metal.


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## hman (Mar 31, 2021)

OK ... here's a question for all of you.  I now that wood cutting bandsaws have rubber/urethane/whatever tires on the wheels.  The only metal cutting bandsaws are a Jet  and Delta 4x6 models.  They don't have tires.  So, are tires used on metal cutting band saws?  If so, what's the preferred material?


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## FlyFishn (Mar 31, 2021)

Thanks for all the replies. 

The stand for the portaband is an awesome idea. There is a coupon for the HF portaband that brings it down to $90. 

The HF 4x6" 1hp horizontal/vertical saw is $280. For what it is that doesn't seem like too bad of a deal, but for as many HF tools as I have I still hesitate buying some things there. With my intended use being mostly vertical with a table that seems like a cheesy machine but might be worth the price of admission even just to have it as a horizontal machine if it doesn't work out for what I want for vertical stuff. I'd say the saw with the stand ready to go is a better option than making a stand for the portaband. We'll see. I'll keep my options open for a bit and see what I come up with.


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## mikey (Apr 1, 2021)

I don't have the space to fit any more bandsaws into my shop so I just use my Jet 5X6 horizontal/vertical bandsaw for all metal cutting and it works just fine. It excels at cutting stock to length but it also works well in the vertical position. The thing that makes a H/V bandsaw work vertically is a good table. The stock sheet metal table is unstable and dangerous in my opinion but one made from mild steel works really well. 

I use a small sub-table for small pieces and to support the larger main table:




On top of that sits the main table that attaches with two thumbscrews for a tool-less installation that takes a few seconds to do. 




The table is solid all by itself but if I cut something heavy I use a table support that also takes seconds to install:




This works just fine for me and I haven't found the need for a larger or more complicated bandsaw arrangement.


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## hman (Apr 1, 2021)

Another very quick vertical mode table is described at:


			https://rick.sparber.org/FTHV.pdf
		

Rick is a member of HM.


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## Diecutter (Apr 1, 2021)

I'm digging the small wire wheel that cleans the blade teeth.  Does it rotate or is it bolted tight?


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## nnam (Apr 1, 2021)

Diecutter said:


> I'm digging the small wire wheel that cleans the blade teeth.  Does it rotate or is it bolted tight?


It should rotate


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## MrWhoopee (Apr 1, 2021)

The HF 4x6 is definitely worth buying. It's one of the few tools I bought new. Hold out for a sale or 20% coupon though, mine was about $200. Unlike many of the complaints, mine cut square and straight right from the box. I've made several useful mods, including the flip-down table for vertical cutting, which is one of the slickest and most useful mods I've seen.


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## MtnBiker (Apr 1, 2021)

Don't know what your budget is but conceptually, most of the horizontal bandsaws have a vertical mode where you can cut odd shapes and remove stock where milling would be inconvenient. The Ellis range of dry cut metal band saws are excellent price/performance/work envelope. Excellent for home shops. My 1600 is portable (on wheels), and has a vertical mode. Ellis sells a simple vertical table attachment but a home-brew version can be fabbed up very easily as well. The Ellis saws are dual mitering (the saw miters, don't have to move the work around) and super rugged. Made in USA.


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## ahazi (Apr 1, 2021)

I recently bought a Jet 7x10-inch Belt Driven Mitering Band Saw Model HVBS-710S



I did not like the "mobile base" that was not very mobile so I built this base with some storage space:







I also wanted to improve on support for the cut piece to have a cleaner finish so I added this support:







And lastly I replaced the original flimsy table with a 12" x 12" table for vertical sawing. It is made from 0.625" 7075 aluminum plate that is held by the saw vise through a welded support. It is very accurate and solid with zero vibrations. The idea was borrowed from some nice Italian H/V bandsaws. I added support for the table directly against the cast iron body of the saw. See below:
















Thanks to Mark (MKSJ) for encouraging me to add a metal bandsaw to my shop, it is a very useful tool to have, gives a lot of flexibility in using material that is otherwise unusable or requires too much machining. 

I was using the HF portaband bandsaw with a shop fabricated large solid throat plate but there is no comparison. With good blades the HF portaband saw is a great value but it is beyond night and day comparison.

Ariel


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## mikey (Apr 1, 2021)

Diecutter said:


> I'm digging the small wire wheel that cleans the blade teeth.  Does it rotate or is it bolted tight?



It rotates on two sealed bearings.


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## mikey (Apr 1, 2021)

Ariel, aluminum tables catch and snag on the work piece and that can be dangerous. Steel doesn't do that and is safer. Something to consider.


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## ahazi (Apr 1, 2021)

mikey said:


> Ariel, aluminum tables catch and snag on the work piece and that can be dangerous. Steel doesn't do that and is safer. Something to consider.


This is good to know, I will consider it. So far so good. BTW, the italian tables are definitely made of aluminium, see attached PDF.

Does the catch and snag happens even on smooth/polished aluminium? I sometimes use wax on smooth surfaces and it helps.

I wanted to reduce the weight but a 3/8 steel plate might be enough in case I need to change it.

Ariel


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## mikey (Apr 1, 2021)

Any small burr on a work piece will dig in and catch on an aluminum table and will cause you to apply more pressure with your hands to feed the work into the blade; I am not guessing at this. If you slip or if the work suddenly moves forward it can cause your hand to move into the blade. *A steel table will not snag a work piece like this and is much safer to use*. Additionally, you should use a push stick whenever using a table because it takes more force to feed metal into a blade so contact with the blade is a real risk. I have not been injured by my saw yet but my friend had his thumb cut to the bone because he didn't use a push stick - lesson learned.


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## FlyFishn (Apr 1, 2021)

MrWhoopee said:


> The HF 4x6 is definitely worth buying. It's one of the few tools I bought new. Hold out for a sale or 20% coupon though, mine was about $200. Unlike many of the complaints, mine cut square and straight right from the box. I've made several useful mods, including the flip-down table for vertical cutting, which is one of the slickest and most useful mods I've seen.


Do you have any thoughts on the belt pulleys - looks like it has 3 speeds stock. Could you potentially swap pulleys/belts and get faster blade speed - thinking cutting wood also. Larger pulleys, obviously, wouldn't fit in the shroud. It would require more torque to pull the blade through work, potentially (higher gearing, but softer material so maybe they balance out somewhat?).


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## MrWhoopee (Apr 1, 2021)

FlyFishn said:


> Do you have any thoughts on the belt pulleys - looks like it has 3 speeds stock. Could you potentially swap pulleys/belts and get faster blade speed - thinking cutting wood also. Larger pulleys, obviously, wouldn't fit in the shroud. It would require more torque to pull the blade through work, potentially (higher gearing, but softer material so maybe they balance out somewhat?).


You certainly could put a larger pulley on the motor (and larger belt), but I'm not sure it would be worth it unless your intent was to use it principally for wood. It cuts wood fine at the slower speeds, just not as fast.


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## ahazi (Apr 1, 2021)

mikey said:


> Any small burr on a work piece will dig in and catch on an aluminum table and will cause you to apply more pressure with your hands to feed the work into the blade; I am not guessing at this. If you slip or if the work suddenly moves forward it can cause your hand to move into the blade. *A steel table will not snag a work piece like this and is much safer to use*. Additionally, you should use a push stick whenever using a table because it takes more force to feed metal into a blade so contact with the blade is a real risk. I have not been injured by my saw yet but my friend had his thumb cut to the bone because he didn't use a push stick - lesson learned.


Thank you Mikey for bringing this up, you are right, burrs can interfere with smooth movement. I am with you 100% on *safety first*.

If you look at my images you will see that I use a small 2" machinist vise to hold a bolt that I wanted to shorten. The vise bottom is grounded very smooth so it slides very smoothly on the table against the guide bar that is attached with a clamp to the table. This is very safe. Even a push stick can be dangerous for cutting metals. A push stick works fairly well with wood when the movement is quick but it is hard to hold steady with pressure for extended cuts of metal.

I am pretty paranoid about safety and for my woodworking I use Felder CF741P (see below) which is a european combination machine with a sliding table. The material (wood) is attached to the slider with (pneumatic) clamps and your hands are always far from the blade. 




Another note about metal saws - I have a 14" Fein chop saw that is excellent for fast cutting of metal profiles with milling machine like finish quality but...

It is noisy
It throws chips all over
You have to be very careful in moving the blade into the material or it can bind and kick a small part out of the vise, bend the blade and lose few carbide teeth in the process (don't ask me how I know...)
14" carbide blades are about twice the price of 93" bi-metal blade for the above band saw
The band saw is only slower and does not suffer from any of the above and can also cut big solid metals and can be used vertically.

Ariel


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## FlyFishn (Apr 1, 2021)

MrWhoopee said:


> I've made several useful mods, including the flip-down table for vertical cutting, which is one of the slickest and most useful mods I've seen.



Can you post some pictures of the mods you've made and describe them a bit more? The link earlier in this thread to the article about the hinged table intrigues me - but the door hinge used bothers me. I appreciate the authors outside the box thinking and that has me spinning my wheels on ideas now also. 

I looked at Grizzly machines. Their 0622 saw is comparable to the HF - but $100 more and another $125 truck freight to deliver. I'll browse some local used listings, also, and see what pops up. I looked on FB Marketplace the other day and there wasn't much for band saws - wood variety and either cheap or heavy/large industrial, not much in between.


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## MrWhoopee (Apr 2, 2021)

FlyFishn said:


> Can you post some pictures of the mods you've made and describe them a bit more? The link earlier in this thread to the article about the hinged table intrigues me - but the door hinge used bothers me. I appreciate the authors outside the box thinking and that has me spinning my wheels on ideas now also.
> 
> I looked at Grizzly machines. Their 0622 saw is comparable to the HF - but $100 more and another $125 truck freight to deliver. I'll browse some local used listings, also, and see what pops up. I looked on FB Marketplace the other day and there wasn't much for band saws - wood variety and either cheap or heavy/large industrial, not much in between.


I did my flip-down table with the door hinge, works great!  There's a whole thread dedicated to modifications to these saws.








						Show us your 4x6 Bandsaw Modifications!
					

These HF bandsaws are like kits, with a little fine-tuning, and a few modifications, they serve us well for years. This is the place to document some of your favorite modifications.    http://www.mini-lathe.com/bandsaw/bandsaw.htm#mods...




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## FlyFishn (Apr 3, 2021)

I checked out the saw at HF that they had on display today. the first thing that hit me about it is how low it sits. However, with a few of the tidbits that I've found in researching them - like the burr on the worm gear and metal shavings in the gearbox from the factory - I think there is enough ammo to go after that saw purchase with a decent level of confidence. I'm thinking that is the way I'll go. For the price it is certainly a versatile machine that will give me a big edge up on fabrication that I have needed for a good while.

I'll research the modifications some more and see what might be worth doing. I think a better table is on the hook up front, and I want to extend the table in the horizontal position so the cut parts don't fall. I might make some kind of a chip collection system, also, to keep the work area cleaner.

I am hoping by the end of April I can get my order in for materials for my coming projects. Until then I'll watch the pricing on the saws and see if I can catch them for a better price - maybe a memorial day sale? We'll see. So far I have not found any coupons that work for it - and the universal % off coupons no longer work for Central Machinery products (along with a whole slew of other brands they carry). You need an item-specific coupon. So if anyone has a link to one that covers the 4x6 saw that is still valid pass it along. 

FYI for anyone interested - there is an online database for HF coupons. Enjoy! 




__





						Harbor Freight Tools Coupon Database - Free coupons, 25 percent off coupons, 20 percent off coupons, No Purchase Required coupons, toolbox coupons
					





					www.hfqpdb.com


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## jmarkwolf (Apr 4, 2021)

MrWhoopee said:


> The HF 4x6 is definitely worth buying. It's one of the few tools I bought new. Hold out for a sale or 20% coupon though, mine was about $200. Unlike many of the complaints, mine cut square and straight right from the box. I've made several useful mods, including the flip-down table for vertical cutting, which is one of the slickest and most useful mods I've seen.


I bought one of these saws a few years ago at the local HF, knowing it was a bit of a gamble. Turns out it cut measurably straight and square right out of the box. Even with the original blade. Still does, albeit with a new bi-metal blade.


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## MrWhoopee (Apr 4, 2021)

jmarkwolf said:


> Still does, albeit with a new bi-metal blade.


Speaking of bi-metal blades, I've been getting very good service from these at a very good price.









						11.1US $ 19% OFF|1pcs 64-1/2'' X 1/2'' X 14tpi M42 Bi-metal Band Saw Blades Tool For Cutting Metal - Saw Blade - AliExpress
					

Smarter Shopping, Better Living!  Aliexpress.com




					www.aliexpress.com


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## FlyFishn (Apr 4, 2021)

Thanks for the thoughts on blades. 

On that point - are there any really tough, really long lasting blades? Like carbide tip ones that are worth looking in to?

I have read people have been able to Tig weld blades together, while anealing afterwards is required. I imagine one can do the same with O/A welding? 

It might be advantageous to get a roll of blade and weld my own if I can do it reliably. I am not wanting to invest in a band saw blade welder. I am aware a lot of people have had luck with silver soldering blades together as well. I suppose that is another option if welding doesn't work well.


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## ahazi (Apr 4, 2021)

FlyFishn said:


> Thanks for the thoughts on blades.
> 
> On that point - are there any really tough, really long lasting blades? Like carbide tip ones that are worth looking in to?
> 
> ...


Bandsaw blades in this type of application last a very long time (years in many cases) and they are cheap. I don't see a need to become an expert in blades welding just for this saw.

Buy a bi-metal blade (M42) with variable pitch and be done. Lenox blades are excellent and you will find many references to them. Don't even think about carbide for this size saw as they are MUCH more expensive and easily damaged and are very material and cutting speed specific for optimal use.

Ariel


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## FlyFishn (Apr 4, 2021)

Just a thought on blades - 

I know a band saw is a different type of machine (blade only goes one direction) than a reciprocating saw, however I have never had any luck with bimetal blades on reciprocating saws cutting steel. Wood and aluminum they work OK. For example - I switched out to a Diablo carbide tip blade for steel cutting and I never lost the cutting ability on the 1st blade I put on after cutting several hundred inches of 3/16" mild steel. A cheap bimetal blade, in comparison, couldn't get through one long cut (24" run or so) without loosing the teeth where the blade contacted the work. 

The durability of the carbide blades, with respect to band saws, has come up a few times. However, I haven't seen that - in the above example and another blade (I have a 12" combo wood/steel Diablo blade that I use for nail/screw-imbedded wood cutting that is amazing also). What would cause the application of a band saw blade to be less durable with carbide teeth than bimetal over the durability of reciprocating blades with carbide teeth?


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## FlyFishn (Apr 4, 2021)

ahazi said:


> Buy a bi-metal blade (M42) with variable pitch and be done.


Looks like the Lenox Diemaster 2 is the only blade they make that fits this description. They make it in a 1/2"x.025" and they have about a 4 TPI range in the "variability" in the tooth count - 6/10 up to 14/18. 





__





						LENOX Diemaster 2® Bi-Metal Band Saw Blades
					

Engineered for Contour Cutting




					www.lenoxtools.com


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## FlyFishn (Apr 7, 2021)

Does anyone have any thoughts on tooth count? 

Most material (metal) I want to cut ranges from sheet metal to thick bar (I have 3/4" bar in my stock now, not sure that I would get much thicker but possibly depending on what comes down the line on projects), all mild steel. I want to work with some aluminum also. As far as higher strength steels - I don't see getting much in to that at this stage of the game, so I can cross that bridge down the road if I need to. 

The higher the tooth count the finer the cut/finish, but slower the cutting I believe. The rule of thumb I have heard is to size the tooth count to allow 3 teeth engaged in the metal at a time. That won't work for sheet metal unless I had microscopic teeth. I'd say 1/16" or around .060" would be the thinnest I'd try to cut, but that might present too much of a challenge - especially for lower tooth count blades. 

The stock HF saw blade is 14tpi. I don't know if that is a decent gauge or not.


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## Mitch Alsup (Apr 7, 2021)

FlyFishn said:


> Does anyone have any thoughts on tooth count?



Yes, you want 3 teeth on the part being cut at all times.



> Most material (metal) I want to cut ranges from sheet metal to thick bar (I have 3/4" bar in my stock now, not sure that I would get much thicker but possibly depending on what comes down the line on projects), all mild steel. I want to work with some aluminum also. As far as higher strength steels - I don't see getting much in to that at this stage of the game, so I can cross that bridge down the road if I need to.
> 
> The higher the tooth count the finer the cut/finish, but slower the cutting I believe. The rule of thumb I have heard is to size the tooth count to allow 3 teeth engaged in the metal at a time. That won't work for sheet metal unless I had microscopic teeth. I'd say 1/16" or around .060" would be the thinnest I'd try to cut, but that might present too much of a challenge - especially for lower tooth count blades.
> 
> The stock HF saw blade is 14tpi. I don't know if that is a decent gauge or not.



I find the 11/14 blades to work well for the thicknesses I cut.
I cut sheet metal with shears, not saws. Plate is a different mater.


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## MrWhoopee (Apr 7, 2021)

14 TPI is a good compromise, as is 10/14 vari-pitch.


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## ahazi (Apr 8, 2021)

MrWhoopee said:


> 14 TPI is a good compromise, as is 10/14 vari-pitch.


10/14 Lenox is what I use and it works very well so far.

Ariel


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## FlyFishn (Apr 8, 2021)

Thanks for the info. 

Got some blades coming. Some 10-14's and some wood blades just for the heck of it. We'll see how they run.


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