I am in the market for a used vertical band saw. I like the price of the used Craftsman and Deltas etc, but dislike the cheesy construction. I am thinking of at least a two speed (wood and metal) and a 16 inch throat. Ideally, I'd like to buy an older US made unit but I'm open to suggestions. Currently I have only 110V in the shop, but I'm planning for 220V. Any thoughts or advise for a band saw newbie?
Bandsaw advise
- Thread starter GT6cops
- Start date
woody 73
Well-known member
I can recommend some very nice bandsaws for woodworking, but I don't know about your needs at this time:
For example do you want to do a lot of resawing in order to make book ends or make fine veneer?
Do you think maybe you might just want to work on metal more then wood?
If you don't want any resaw capacity then maybe you just want to cut some delicate curves for woodworking projects?
How much money do you want to spend for a good used bandsaw?
If you could give me a little more information about what you like working on I can get a better idea for a good bandsaw.
For example do you want to do a lot of resawing in order to make book ends or make fine veneer?
Do you think maybe you might just want to work on metal more then wood?
If you don't want any resaw capacity then maybe you just want to cut some delicate curves for woodworking projects?
How much money do you want to spend for a good used bandsaw?
If you could give me a little more information about what you like working on I can get a better idea for a good bandsaw.
Packard V8
Well-known member
The 14" Delta is sort of the minimum standard for wood bandsaws. You should be able to find one for $250 or less on craigslist.
There are some woodcutting bandsaws which have a two-speed gearbox to slow down the blade for metal. JMHO, but don't bother. It is difficult-to-impossible to hand feed metal into a bandsaw. That's why real metal saws clamp the workpiece and move the blade into it. Get a metal cutting bandsaw for cutting metal and keep the wood saw sawing wood.
jack vines
There are some woodcutting bandsaws which have a two-speed gearbox to slow down the blade for metal. JMHO, but don't bother. It is difficult-to-impossible to hand feed metal into a bandsaw. That's why real metal saws clamp the workpiece and move the blade into it. Get a metal cutting bandsaw for cutting metal and keep the wood saw sawing wood.
jack vines
woody 73
Well-known member
Jack is right on the money on this one you would be better off with two individual saws;one for wood and one for metal. The 14inch is the minimum standard and indeed you can find them for under $200.00 dollars on CL.
Going back to what I said if you could provide some more details we can come up with a good bandsaw; I can only guess you want to work 50/50 on both wood and metal. If you do not plan on resawing then you can look for any machine with 1-hp or less. Bandsaw motors range in size from 1/5 hp to 10hp on the largest industrial saws. most 12in to 14-in consumer-grade bandsawscome with a 1/2hp motor.
woody
Going back to what I said if you could provide some more details we can come up with a good bandsaw; I can only guess you want to work 50/50 on both wood and metal. If you do not plan on resawing then you can look for any machine with 1-hp or less. Bandsaw motors range in size from 1/5 hp to 10hp on the largest industrial saws. most 12in to 14-in consumer-grade bandsawscome with a 1/2hp motor.
woody
MichaelUser
Active member
There is only one choice "DoAll" they are very pricey and finding a used one is far and few between. Then buy something for wood. Craigslist.org is our friend!
Vertical bandsaws are used ever day of the week to cut steel and aluminum in machine shops all over the world. A horizontal bandsaw is the tool of choice for structural shapes and large round stock. I have a Powermatic 14" dual speed saw that I use for small plate and sheet metal almost every day, it also works well on small rounds. the most important thing with a bandsaw is the proper blade for what you're cutting. AP mechanic had a thread here about rebuilding a Do-All bandsaw that would be a good guide for you.
woody 73
Well-known member
The Doall is a fantastic saw and so is the powermatic but if you read the op he is looking for a very cheap saw (My guess) and those two saws are out of his price range.
Plus I think (I could be wrong) but I think the Doall uses three-phase and he only has 110 single phase power in his shop.
Plus I think (I could be wrong) but I think the Doall uses three-phase and he only has 110 single phase power in his shop.
nicholasbailey1993
Well-known member
If you can find a good do-all that would be best. I know that they're 3 phase, but it isn't hard at all to swap that out for a single phase motor. We found a 1953 do-all saw with a 36" throat that came out of a factory. The thing weighs a ton and takes up a lot of space, but it was well worth the 800 dollars (the same guy wanted $1500-$2000 for a smaller one).
woody 73
Well-known member
That is very good to know; I will keep that information in the back of my dried up & very old brain vault!
Funny but we have not heard back from the op I would have thought by now they would have gotten back to us.
OccupantRJ
Well-known member
I wish you had told me that before I started the thread in the link below.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83880
This was done almost entirely with my thumbs. Material is 1/2" A-36. The jaw saves quite a bit of "thumb work" but strong thumbs are still very much a part of complex vertical contour work.
Ok, all I’m back online and it seems I’ve got some catching up to do. The basic line is that I’m seeking a general tool that I can do both metal and wood, but I don’t make my living in either so an A+ tool is not required. On the metal side, I anticipate topping out at maybe 3/8 inch in thickness and with most cuts being in thinner material. On the wood side, my requirements are a bit less clear, but will probably occupy about half of my saw time. I have done a bit of simple furniture and have gotten reasonably good with a table saw, but I’m interested in seeing if I can expand my abilities and try some curves. On the cost side per Woody 73, I’d like to keep it in the $400 range, but I’m willing to kick the ante up to the $600+ range if the opportunity arises for a good saw. I am running with the idea that speed adjustment will be a good idea, but it may be out of my price range unless it’s a simple fast/slow. It seems to me that I may be asking too much for one saw to do everything as the general trend in the responses to my question seems to be …… Buy two saws, as getting one to do both is either impossible or expensive (the DoAll option). Thanks for all the info, I am learning and I’ll check out the DoAll re-build thread.
Powermatic made the 143?, a small metal-wood saw. Walker Turner also made a metal-wood saw. Both are about half the size of a DoAll ML and about 1/3rd to 1/4 the weight.
I've never run a Powermatic 143, but have run an older Walker Turner and found it had satisfactory performance in 3/8" steel.
However, neither has a blade welder as most DoAlls have. Without a blade welder you'll be unable to make internal contours as I did with the work jaw above.
I've never run a Powermatic 143, but have run an older Walker Turner and found it had satisfactory performance in 3/8" steel.
However, neither has a blade welder as most DoAlls have. Without a blade welder you'll be unable to make internal contours as I did with the work jaw above.
MichaelUser
Active member
I look at tools in many different ways:
1. Can this tool perform all the tasks I am going to throw at it?
2. Will the tool hinder my abilities in the long run?
3. Buy a tool without a limiting your abilities for success/goal. In other words make sure the tool is more than capable and in the words of my friends: "you built that to pull engines"... Over do it sometimes is ok.
4. Tools always have a long shelf-life and a great return on investment.
Like A Pmech said blade welders are a great thing.
The bandsaw that is a "combo" device will end up being more of a pain (blade changes) in the long run. Good luck and keep looking.
1. Can this tool perform all the tasks I am going to throw at it?
2. Will the tool hinder my abilities in the long run?
3. Buy a tool without a limiting your abilities for success/goal. In other words make sure the tool is more than capable and in the words of my friends: "you built that to pull engines"... Over do it sometimes is ok.
4. Tools always have a long shelf-life and a great return on investment.
Like A Pmech said blade welders are a great thing.
The bandsaw that is a "combo" device will end up being more of a pain (blade changes) in the long run. Good luck and keep looking.
darkk
Well-known member
Delta model 28-203 with speed lever tfansmission. 14" and will do wood and megal.
GarageEnvy
Well-known member
Plenty of good suggestions on here. I personally like having separate saws but I certainly understand if space/budget doesn't allow it. Grizzly also makes a dual purpose bandsaw. It's model G0621X. Yes, it's made in Taiwan. I have a 20" wood only model that I've been pretty happy with. The trunnion is cheap and it lacks a foot brake but I've noticed the newer models have addressed both of those deficiencies. For pure metal, Do-all is about as good as it gets. I wish I owned one. For pure wood, Minimax or Laguna are hard to beat. The prices are definitely budget busters though. My father has an old Delta 14" that he has rigged two speeds into. We've used it for light aluminum but never steel.
Oh and not all of our "thumbs" are as talented as APmech's.
Oh and not all of our "thumbs" are as talented as APmech's.
All,
Thanks for all the info, I learned a bunch and have some good mid-range models to choose from. It looking like it will be best for me not to crack the piggy bank until there are a few more coins in it if I want a decent unit. At least now I'll keep my eye on CL and other sources for specific things to look for. Thanks to everyone and as usual I learned a lot.
Thanks for all the info, I learned a bunch and have some good mid-range models to choose from. It looking like it will be best for me not to crack the piggy bank until there are a few more coins in it if I want a decent unit. At least now I'll keep my eye on CL and other sources for specific things to look for. Thanks to everyone and as usual I learned a lot.
camarotoolman
Banned
The 14" Dewalt, Rockwell with the gear box would be your best. Check feebay and craigs. The imports are under powered, unless you use balsa wood only, and the metal parts are very weak. Do all are great, maybe over kill for the home shop.