Your opinion on metal cutting bandsaws

[Noods]

Hi all..

What’s your views and opinions on metal cutting bandsaws of the horizontal kind please ?

Considering purchasing one in main to reduce noise more than anything else as cutting discs etc are normally very loud especially over long periods ..

Quality of bandsaw blade and cooling of blade i believe to be of importance from what i’ve read..

Many thanks ..

 

[dieselsamurai]

One of my best purchases i have a big old Qualters and smith that I converted to 1ph and I use it all the time , my workshop is at the bottom of my garden so I have to be careful after certain hours but I could go down there now and cut some lengths of steel and theres no noise outside with the door shut. Blade quality is important and setting tension right. I run mine with water soluble coolant from a converted small machine mart parts washer as it fits in the base and was cheap as chips from FB

 

[Guzrik]

Bernard here but they are sold under many names.
Got mine used and it has a hydraulic cilinder to control desending speed.
By disconnecting that I can use it as a vertical as wel. Got it for the exact same reason; no noise, no nasty dust, and it cuts everything up to 120mm(?) bar with ease; chrmo, box, tube, aluminium, plastics and wood.
Once put the top part on my mill and cut chromo rod into 8 pizza pieces on the dividing table. And it doesn't require much room as well I can slide it under the workbench.
I have a spraycan cover filled with coolant and a strong magnet, and use a tiny brush to give the saw a lick every ten seconds or so, works fine.

 

[Erie Fred]

Hi all..

What’s your views and opinions on metal cutting bandsaws of the horizontal kind please ?

Considering purchasing one in main to reduce noise more than anything else as cutting discs etc are normally very loud especially over long periods ..

Quality of bandsaw blade and cooling of blade i believe to be of importance from what i’ve read..

Many thanks ..

What are you intending to cut ?

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Hi all..

What’s your views and opinions on metal cutting bandsaws of the horizontal kind please ?

Considering purchasing one in main to reduce noise more than anything else as cutting discs etc are normally very loud especially over long periods ..

Quality of bandsaw blade and cooling of blade i believe to be of importance from what i’ve read..

Many thanks ..

Probably the best single purchase I made, mine is an early model of the now ubiquitous 4×6 far-eastern import horizontal bandsaw, and despite being around 30 years old shows no signs of quitting.

Blade quality, correct blade selection (appropriate number of teeth) and correct tensioning are the key factors in good performance.

I keep a selection of different TPI blades from Tuffsaws in my workshop, and elected to buy standard carbon steel blades in a wider range of tooth counts over one or two sizes of the more durable Bi-Metal type for the same money.

I run a workshop which uses a vertical bandsaw for cutting profiles in a more limited range of plate thicknesses and have fitted a Vari-Tooth Bi-Metal blade there, again from Tuffsaws.

If I routinely cut similar sizes of materials day-in day-out on my horozontal, Bi-Metal would have been more cost effective, but because I'm constantly changing what I cut (from 1mm wall tube to 125mm bar) being able to change to the right blade prolongs the blade life much better.



In routine or continuous use (say as the breakdown saw for a machine shop, or a CNC bandsaw cutting parts for production scale fabrication work) then both cooling and control of feed pressure becomes important to maintaining appropriate blade life, and a hydraulic feed which is truly vertical (rather than the saw describing an arc) or a roll-in type vertical bandsaw can be preferable.

In more occasional use (which if you've been using cut off disks up to now, probably describes your situation) then correct blade selection will generally be sufficient to give good blade life even without any coolant, work generally comes off my saw still cold if I have the right number of teeth in the work.



The only caveat I have is that for cutting rolled sections and tube with very thick web/wall, a powered hacksaw can work out better.

Similarly if you're only cutting small tube or thin rolled section, but making ver large numbers of cuts in rapid succession a cold saw with a suitable blade can be much more effective.

Both are edge cases and generally I would expect a bandsaw to be the best fit for most people as an all round machine.

 

[Turbo]

I have one of the generic 6x4 bandsaws, its cut many metres of steel over the past 30 years & is still going. Once fettled & set up properly they can be quite accurate.

For around £30 you can add a adjustable motorbike steering damper to control the drop speed, makes cutting more accurate & gives the blades an easier life. For blades, I use the 10-14 M42 blades from Tuff saws.

The downside of that saw was it's a faff to set up for cutting mitres. I bought a Sealey SM65 bandsaw, on that the whole bow pivots & using the angle scale it only takes seconds to set up for mitres.

 

[Noods]

One of my best purchases i have a big old Qualters and smith that I converted to 1ph and I use it all the time , my workshop is at the bottom of my garden so I have to be careful after certain hours but I could go down there now and cut some lengths of steel and theres no noise outside with the door shut. Blade quality is important and setting tension right. I run mine with water soluble coolant from a converted small machine mart parts washer as it fits in the base and was cheap as chips from FB

Great… When you say tension is important do you mean it’s vital to be tight tension wise so it doesn’t buckle on the stock with the weight of the machine pressing down on it? i have the same issue here too with the odd neighbour complaining to the Council about noise which gets up my nose because it’s probably the same neighbour who plays drum and bass loudly in his garden for 12 hours most weekends, but that’s ok obviously…

 

[Noods]

Bernard here but they are sold under many names.
Got mine used and it has a hydraulic cilinder to control desending speed.
By disconnecting that I can use it as a vertical as wel. Got it for the exact same reason; no noise, no nasty dust, and it cuts everything up to 120mm(?) bar with ease; chrmo, box, tube, aluminium, plastics and wood.
Once put the top part on my mill and cut chromo rod into 8 pizza pieces on the dividing table. And it doesn't require much room as well I can slide it under the workbench.
I have a spraycan cover filled with coolant and a strong magnet, and use a tiny brush to give the saw a lick every ten seconds or so, works fine.

What coolant do you use?

 

[Turbo]

You need to run the M42 blades tighter than the carbon steel ones, I tighten them whilst twanging the blade on the longest free run & stop when the noise goes from a dull thud to a ringing noise.

 

[Noods]

Probably the best single purchase I made, mine is an early model of the now ubiquitous 4×6 far-eastern import horizontal bandsaw, and despite being around 30 years old shows no signs of quitting.

Blade quality, correct blade selection (appropriate number of teeth) and correct tensioning are the key factors in good performance.

I keep a selection of different TPI blades from Tuffsaws in my workshop, and elected to buy standard carbon steel blades in a wider range of tooth counts over one or two sizes of the more durable Bi-Metal type for the same money.

I run a workshop which uses a vertical bandsaw for cutting profiles in a more limited range of plate thicknesses and have fitted a Vari-Tooth Bi-Metal blade there, again from Tuffsaws.

If I routinely cut similar sizes of materials day-in day-out on my horozontal, Bi-Metal would have been more cost effective, but because I'm constantly changing what I cut (from 1mm wall tube to 125mm bar) being able to change to the right blade prolongs the blade life much better.



In routine or continuous use (say as the breakdown saw for a machine shop, or a CNC bandsaw cutting parts for production scale fabrication work) then both cooling and control of feed pressure becomes important to maintaining appropriate blade life, and a hydraulic feed which is truly vertical (rather than the saw describing an arc) or a roll-in type vertical bandsaw can be preferable.

In more occasional use (which if you've been using cut off disks up to now, probably describes your situation) then correct blade selection will generally be sufficient to give good blade life even without any coolant, work generally comes off my saw still cold if I have the right number of teeth in the work.



The only caveat I have is that for cutting rolled sections and tube with very thick web/wall, a powered hacksaw can work out better.

Similarly if you're only cutting small tube or thin rolled section, but making ver large numbers of cuts in rapid succession a cold saw with a suitable blade can be much more effective.

Both are edge cases and generally I would expect a bandsaw to be the best fit for most people as an all round machine.

Thinking of something down these lines, decent ( with a good blade or two ) but not silly money..

 

[ATGNI]

Thinking of something down these lines, decent ( with a good blade or two ) but not silly money..
View attachment 405233

One of my friends uses one of those from Chester tools and it works very well.

 

[dobbslc]

How're you doing @Noods?
Here's mine
It needed some fettling to get working and it had been abused but it cuts well now, it is almost silent and you can start it and walk away and do something else as it has an automatic stop on it.
Oh it only cost me £17.50 on eBay so you can get them cheap if you look about.

 

[8ob]

Mixed feelings here, on the bigger cuts I found the nodding donkey to be more accurate.

Bob

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Mixed feelings here, on the bigger cuts I found the nodding donkey to be more accurate.

Bob

I would tend to agree... or rather above a certain size you start to have to pay serious money for a seriously meaty bandsaw to maintain accuracy.

I know of several people who keep a big old donkey saw around for the occasions they have to cut really big sections, because they can't justify the money for a comparable bandsaw for how often it would be used.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Great… When you say tension is important do you mean it’s vital to be tight tension wise so it doesn’t buckle on the stock with the weight of the machine pressing down on it?

Yes, there's a knob & spring or pneumatic cylinder acting on one of the band wheels to tension the blade.

That needs to be not just tight enough to hold the blade on, but to make it good and stiff so it won't unduly flex...

Without being so tight that it pulls the band too close to its maximum tensile strength meaning any binding or clogging in the cut will cause it to snap.

You need to run the M42 blades tighter than the carbon steel ones, I tighten them whilst twanging the blade on the longest free run & stop when the noise goes from a dull thud to a ringing noise.

Nice tip!

Absent a proper gauge to determine it, this is a great way to do it more or less right with minimal effort.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Thinking of something down these lines, decent ( with a good blade or two ) but not silly money..
View attachment 405233

That's a significantly improved version of what I have, it's not perfect but for the money I would expect you to be happy with it.

Blades at that size are fairly cheap, so in your shoes I'd look at the guide on Tuffsaws website pick a 2-3 TPI's which cover the range you work with regularly, and buy a duplicate pair of each.

That way when one gets blunt, you can send it off for resharpening without missing out on use. I believe Tuffsaws will resharpen their own blades, and I have had good experiences with Ernest Bennet and Atkinson Walker (now Sheffield Industrial Saws) when I was still in the timber industry*.


*We closed our saw-doctors shop and outsourced so the staff could move over to the main toolroom, to meet additional demand on an additional 3 lines of planing and profiling machines. Between EB and AW the quality never missed a beat, just as good as our in house work, and almost as fast.

 

[JOEPRO]

It may not be any good for OP but a note that Lidl UK should be getting in their 1100w bandsaws again later thjs week. £120. I'll be getting one as it suits my level of use

 

[fizzy]

That's a significantly improved version of what I have, it's not perfect but for the money I would expect you to be happy with it.

Blades at that size are fairly cheap, so in your shoes I'd look at the guide on Tuffsaws website pick a 2-3 TPI's which cover the range you work with regularly, and buy a duplicate pair of each.

That way when one gets blunt, you can send it off for resharpening without missing out on use. I believe Tuffsaws will resharpen their own blades, and I have had good experiences with Ernest Bennet and Atkinson Walker (now Sheffield Industrial Saws) when I was still in the timber industry*.


*We closed our saw-doctors shop and outsourced so the staff could move over to the main toolroom, to meet additional demand on an additional 3 lines of planing and profiling machines. Between EB and AW the quality never missed a beat, just as good as our in house work, and almost as fast.

Surely 2-3 tpi is for wood?
You need a finer blade for cutting steel.
I have one of the bigger Axminster bandsaws - also sold by Machine Mart and many others. It is brilliant. Very quiet running. Bought mine used for £300 - looks a bit tatty but does the job well. It has powered coolant but often I just use a squirty bottle instead using soluble cutting oil mixed with water.

 

[dobbslc]

I think he means pick 2-3 different tpi's.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

It may not be any good for OP but a note that Lidl UK should be getting in their 1100w bandsaws again later thjs week. £120. I'll be getting one as it suits my level of use

Got a link? I've looked at their website but can't find them in "Coming up" or "Current".