Bandsaw or hacksaw, that is the question

[eugene13]

I've had a Japan Electric Tool (JET) H/V band saw since 2002, the only parts I've had to replace was the bearing on the take-up wheel and the blade guides bearings which are the same as skateboard wheel bearings. Lots of bang for your buck.

 

[benmychree]

I have all 3 style saws in the shop. A Startrite horizontal/vertical bandsaw, a converted Rockwell vertical bandsaw, and a Racine power hacksaw. By far the most used is the Startrite horizontal/vertical, although it's never been used in the vertical position. The next most used one is the Racine 14" power hacksaw, and the least used is the Rockwell vertical.

The Startrite is the HW175 model (7"x11"). It does 85%+ of all the sawing. It can be used either wet or dry. I use it dry with an Ellis 10-14 bimetal blade. It's an excellent machine, and was well worth the money. The 3/4"x 98" blades usually run between $30.00 and $42.00 depending on the blade material and tooth configuration. Depending on hours of use they generally last 2-3 years.

The Racine power hacksaw is the next most used. It's generally put into service when the Startrite is busy. This is a 14" wet saw with 2 blade speeds. Either 100 strokes per minute, or 140 strokes per minute. We used this style saw exclusively in the shop where I worked, and to be truthful I bought it not only because I knew it would dependable, but also for slightly nostalgic reasons. I have a variety of blades for this saw ranging from 3tpi to 14 tpi. It's a dependable workhorse that will probably last another 50 years (mine was built in 1966) with minimal maintenance.

The only downside to this style saw is that the blades are becoming increasingly more expensive. I used to buy them for $1.00 a piece or less when they fell out of favor in professional shops. The last few times I purchased blades I paid a little over $3.00 per blade. However more recently I see the asking price for the higher quality (Starrett, Blu Mol, etc.) in the $20.00 range. I couldn't understand why there was such a drastic increase in price until I looked in the MSC online catalog. They are asking $22.00 to $28.00 for 14" Starrett blades. I think all the other online and eBay vendors are copying their prices. I do like the saw and to keep it running I have stocked up on blades. I now have in the neighborhood of 60 blades in the cabinet, and keep my eyes open should more appear at a price I'm willing to pay.

These are excellent, well built, and accurate saws. They can generally be bought for about the same price as a HF bandsaw, however it will take some vigilant searching to find blades at a reasonable price. If you're thinking of going this route keep in mind the larger the saw the more expensive the blades. I have seen vendors asking nearly $100.00 per blade for the 24" size.

Another style saw worth looking into is a Cold Saw. There are now several models on the market that closely resemble the standard abrasive chop saw. The main difference is that the blade speed is usually in the 1,800 rpm range rather than the 5,000 rpm range. Blade tooth configurations are usually from 50 to 100 teeth depending on the material to be cut. The price of the saws range from around $200.00 to well over $1,000.00. The blades range in price from $50.00 to well over $200.00 again depending on the size and configuration.

I am currently converting an older B&D chop saw for use on aluminum stock. I picked up the saw nearly 20 years ago for almost nothing. It's sat in the corner until recently. I purchased a speed controller to lower the blade speed to 2,000 rpm, bought a 100 tooth aluminum blade, and am currently making a table to accommodate long stock.

Racine 14" power hacksaw:
View attachment 302857
Startrite Horizontal/Vertical Bandsaw:

View attachment 302858
Rockwell Vertical Bandsaw:
View attachment 302860

My Peerless 6 X 6 power hacksaw used soluble oil for coolant, but it was always going bad and rusting the chips into a solid mass; I finally cleaned it out (it was quite nasty in the coolant reservoir) and replaced the coolant with a mixture 50/50 of cutting oil and kerosene. This is what was recomended for the Marvel saw that I had in my shop downtown; with the addition of kerosene the work and blade are MUCH cooler during and after the cut, and if the oil stream is mostly directed on the blade, there is little mess.

 

[projectnut]

My Peerless 6 X 6 power hacksaw used soluble oil for coolant, but it was always going bad and rusting the chips into a solid mass; I finally cleaned it out (it was quite nasty in the coolant reservoir) and replaced the coolant with a mixture 50/50 of cutting oil and kerosene. This is what was recomended for the Marvel saw that I had in my shop downtown; with the addition of kerosene the work and blade are MUCH cooler during and after the cut, and if the oil stream is mostly directed on the blade, there is little mess.

I know exactly what you mean when you say "rusting the chips into a solid mass". My Racine had similar coolant, and a similar mess when I got it. I chipped and scraped the mass out of the reservoir for nearly a week. I finally disassembled the entire machine and took it to a do it yourself car wash. The combination hot, high pressure, soapy water made short work of the remaining crud.

I have a gallon of Trim SC520 coolant, but so far the work it's done hasn't required it. For now I just use a spray bottle with a little Cool Mist. I temporarily blocked off the drain to the reservoir, and just wipe the remnants out of the tray.

 

[C-Bag]

I guess I never expected any kind of saw to be so accurate as to not need machining if precision was what I needed. The problem with saws is if you could look into each respondents projects you'd see it depends on what you do. Big heavy long stuff, big horizontal. Never been around a functioning powered hacksaw so no opinion. Medium like tubing, shafting etc is what I was mostly doing with the HF 4x6. Then I started doing oddball and small stuff and the 4x6 was a pain.

I'm way to ADD and lazy to hacksaw anything that can be done with a machine so one of the first shop tools I got was a HF 4x6 HV saw in the early 80's. It as been a total workhorse and the only thing I've replaced is the roller guides. But I realized I was using it more and more vertical so went and found me an old 14" HF vertical wood bandsaw and converted it to cut metal and it's become my most used tool in the shop. Especially since I made an air powered sled for it so I don't have to stand there and push. I've cut chunks of 4" steel shaft, huge chunks of cast iron etc. Set up the sled to clamp the work, set the air pressure and let er go.

 

[Tinker2]

I'm with C-Bag. A 14" vertical wood bandsaw converted to cut metal. I would like to have a vintage power hacksaw as well...

 

[mickri]

C Bag
How did you convert your wood band saw to cut metal?

 

[C-Bag]

C Bag
How did you convert your wood band saw to cut metal?

Found an old HF 14" on CL for $50. Did a double reduction to take the blade speed from 3,000fpm to 120fpm. Put a metal blade and nice blade guides. All in was $350.

 

[davidcarmichael]

I need a power saw, OK I want a power saw, hand hacksawing through various thicknesses of steel and aluminum isn't a whole lot of fun. Latest adventure in sawing was 4 cuts in 1" thick x 3" wide mild steel for AXA tool holders. Each cut took probably 20 minutes as I went slow to keep the cuts straight and perpendicular and took breaks to avoid having a heart attack.

I have been looking at bandsaws and hacksaws on the various want ads and they are available in about the same price range. I actually see quite a few of the harbor freight 4x6 bandsaws, "hardly used" for $100 to $150. But I also see a lot of negative reviews of the saw online. Add to that my penchant for old iron and it makes the hacksaw option even more viable.

When I weigh out the pros and cons, the hacksaws actually have a fighting chance with the biggest pro being the cheapness and availability of blades. 12" hacksaw blades are dirt cheap and can be picked up anywhere and quite a bit of them are made in the USA. I know the bandsaw would be faster when I am not putting the blade back on that is.

So what are your opinions? Any cons I am overlooking in the hacksaws?

I just bought an HF 12 X 7 band saw after using an old HF 5 X 7 for many years and I cannot emphasize the difference enough. The larger band saw is wonderful and well worth the extra cash (especially if you use a coupon that still covers Central Machinery, contact me if you need one). It is so fast and so easy, clean and straight that there is no comparison. I replaced the blade (of course) with a 14/10 TPI bi-metal blade and the results are stunning, fast, clean, with coolant or without. Fantastic.

 

[Buffalo21]

I have a 14” Rockwell metal cutting bandsaw, a 4” x 6” Keeler power hacksaw, a 7” x 14” Wilton/Jet horizontal/vertical bandsaw, a 9” Wilton wet cut saw, a 14” Milwaukee dry cut saw and a LS 160 Hem saw, drop bandsaw. Most of the cutting I do, is done with the Hems or Milwaukee saws, bigger stuff get the Wilton/Jet saw. The power hacksaw to me is much like a shaper, fascinating to watch, but slower than death.

 

[WCraig]

For those of us that are space-challenged in our workshops, what is the consensus on portable bandsaw units? I'm mostly dealing with smaller stock so it seems like a good option to me. OTOH, they are not inexpensive. Do they work well? Do they last? Do blades break often? Can you get good blades for reasonable money? Etc.

Craig