I need to cut curves in mild steel up to 16 mm. I don't have a plasma cutter or a big enough compressor. Just bought a welder etc, so not flush at the moment to buy them. And I imagine a half decent plasma cutter that would cut up to 16mm clean cut, would be out of my budget at the best of times.
Someone mentioned to me that you can get a narrow(ish) scroll type blade made for a metal bandsaw, to use in the upright position. Has anyone any experience of doing this? What thickness could I get up to and how tight a curve could I cut? I guess the narrower the blade, the tighter the curve, but narrow could mean more easily snapped I suppose? If true what would be the narrowest I can risk. I don't have specs for the saw as I got it s/h and restored 'n serviced it. Solid unit, Taiwanese, early 90's I think, bog standard issue really.
Horizontal, it has easily cut through 16mm bar, no probs but that's with the full weight of the arm, the force of the spring and with coolant running. Not sure if you can run the coolant upright.....looks like it might run into the motor. I don't have the table so will have to make one. Not sure how big I can go on that. A fence would be nice.
Someone mentioned to me that you can get a narrow(ish) scroll type blade made for a metal bandsaw, to use in the upright position. Has anyone any experience of doing this? What thickness could I get up to and how tight a curve could I cut? I guess the narrower the blade, the tighter the curve, but narrow could mean more easily snapped I suppose? If true what would be the narrowest I can risk. I don't have specs for the saw as I got it s/h and restored 'n serviced it. Solid unit, Taiwanese, early 90's I think, bog standard issue really.
Horizontal, it has easily cut through 16mm bar, no probs but that's with the full weight of the arm, the force of the spring and with coolant running. Not sure if you can run the coolant upright.....looks like it might run into the motor. I don't have the table so will have to make one. Not sure how big I can go on that. A fence would be nice.