Mad a table for vertical cutting on my 4 x 6 bandsaw

[FOMOGO]

I've been casually been looking for a nice vertical saw for several years now. I have a nice cutting 6x12 just sitting so think I may go this route . This will guarantee that one will show up the next day, Mike

All finished!

 

[Tmate]

For anyone thinking of going the same route as I did with a 4 x 6 vertical conversion, here is some follow-up information.

I've been using the saw pretty steadily for three weeks now, am very pleased with its performance - more so than I ever was with its cut-off work.

The only problem I encountered was some vibration noise in the sheetmetal door over the wheels/blade. Closing the door on a 1" square piece of rubber at the top took care of that.

I have cut foot after foot of 1/4" mild steel without so much as a hiccup. The Lennox blade appears almost indestructible. The belt doesn't slip even under substantial load. The 3/4 hp Baldor motor doesn't slow down either that I can tell. In case of a jam, the motor stalls, rather than the belt slipping. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it only takes a second to hit the foot switch.

The saw with the stand, brackets, base plate, table/support tube, and motor probably weighs upwards of 200 lbs. I also have about 50 lbs. of ballast on the bottom shelf of the stand. The stand sits on adjustable rubber feet. In my opinion this weight is largely responsible for getting the most out of the saw. I can really lean into the material without budging the stand.

I have not tried any curves, except very large radius stuff when there will be a forward exit from the material. The adaptors I made for the guides have been rock solid, and the guide rollers seem to be doing fine, even though they are some 35 years old.

In summary, I couldn't be happier with the end result. Some years ago I had a 14" Powermatic model 143 metal cutting bandsaw. Admittedly, it had a 1/2 hp motor, but this thing cuts as well as it did. Of course, it doesn't have near the capacity.

 

[Orangetruckman]

After reading all this, it gave me an idea since I have two of these saws as well. Making one into the vertical version and hopefully have enough thickness on the base casting to create a 160 mm cast iron backing plate for “free”.
really love the ideas that others have for these saws.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I inherited a 14" Craftsman wood cutting bandsaw. It has been somewhat cannibalized but still mainly intact. I have been considering the possibility of mating the gearbox and blade guides off a 4x6 to it. When I next see one listed nearby for under $100 I''ll probably grab it.

 

[Winegrower]

Just for the record, we all need both vertical and horizontal saws. Having only one, it's frequently the wrong flavor.