Wood/ Metal Cutting Band Saw

I'm looking for a metal cutting vertical saw myself. I see a couple on Craigs List that are either too far away or they stupid money for them. All the decent metal/wood saws near me seem to go in the blink of an eye.

Wood saws are a dime a dozen but I have enough projects I can't get too
 
Anybody using one of the newer Jet Wood Metal band saws? Looked at the 8201VS but I don't know much about the speed control they use. It's not a reeves drive or a VFD so I am clueless.
 
image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg This one works for me , DoAll band filer converted , nice saw now..
 
Ron Bontz said:
Yes, yet another dumb question. I am in need of a metal cutting band saw to cut various non ferrous and ferrous metals, but having a very small shop my 18" wood band saw or something else would have to go. So now I am thinking a wood/ metal cutting band saw. I have looked at three so far. Jet 18" 6 speed ( pulley system with 3 speeds for metal ), Grizzly pseudo 18" with a VFD variable speed, and a Shop Fox VFD 18" as well. None of these is actually 18" deep with the fence on, by the way.
I have also looked at a Craftex which looks like a Shop Fox. ( Probably the same factory )
So I am looking for folks that have had experience with any of these combo machines. Thank you.
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A metal cutting band saw must run slower than a wood cutting one. A variable speed will work using a 1/2" wide blade should work with fine teeth.
 
I have two, the 4x6 horizontal metal on a two drawer filling cabinet with a angle iron base and castors. The other is a 16inch jd wallace that is 100 years or so old . The motor on the jd wallace was really sketchy. I replaced it with a "2hp" treadmill dc motor. I only have a wood blade for it but the variable speed (pulse width modulated) motor could / does certainly go slow enough to cut metal. The retrofit was fairly complicated because it uses cogs/gears instead of pulleys. (If anyone is interested its on homemadetools but still need to ad the ending)

A modern saw would just need a spacer to fit the pulley to the smaller dc motors shaft ( note some shafts are threaded into the flywheel section.) Then just a mounting bracket for the motor and treadmill controller (the controller from the treadmill could be reused or a small aftermarket controller could be used)
 
steel cutting speed should be about 100 to 200 fpm (feet per minute) wood will do nicely at about 3000 fpm. if you can slow down the blade speed to that parameter then your wood cutting bandsaw will cut metal. I have a Rockwell metal wood cutting bandsaw that has a 2 speed gearbox (plus a 3 step pulley) never change the pulley just the gearbox. there is also a delta metal wood bandsaw that has a gear plus a variable pitch pulley setup. this will change the fpm from 50 to 5000. still under repair so I don't know how it works yet. the speed change works well but I don't have a blade on it yet ( tires for it are very expensive $180 each. s0 much for a "free"bandsaw. bill
 
Delta wood saw, using a Jet jack shaft for drive speed conversion, saw drive pulley 10.5". Be sure to use a GOOD quality blade makes all the difference in the world

Jet pn#

3SP-14 Three speed kit

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I have a wood cutting band saw that I swapped it's motor with a 1/2hp drill, variable speed controller and chain drive. With a Diemaker blade that saw has not stopped or complained at any thing I've desired to cut. POWER, Slow speeds great results.
 
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