can i use a wood band saw to cut metal?

FORMULA TO FIND S.F.P.M. IS: MOTOR R.P.M. X MOTOR PULLEY DIAMETER ÷ DRIVEN PULLEY DIAMETER X BAND SAW WHEEL DIAMETER X 3.1416 ÷ 12 = S.F.P.M. i changed pulleys on my motor and driven pulley on a craftsman wood saw.works great.i used a 2" drive pulley and an 8" driven pulley...but i bought a 1.5 drive pulley and a 9" driven pulley to cover just about anything.hope this helps. "qualified bomb inspector.if you see me running...try to keep up."

 

I bought my Sears Craftsman 18" throat bandsaw a couple years ago and using premium bi-metal blades I'd say it's the most valuable power tool I own. It has a gearbox in it to reduce the speed so when cutting metal it doesn't fry the blades. I think it runs about 250 fpm. I have used it for wood also...in high gear it really kicks ass with a wood band on it. I have cut 3/4" mild steel bar stock easily....slowly I might add but it made a nice cut. I rarely use abrasive cutoff wheels since buying this thing.

 

retro - you have a picture of that saw? is that the one thats in the current sears tool catalog?

 

Rockwell/Delta has one...on the web

 

This is it. I didn't get the roller stand, don't need it. After seeing how well this thing works the guy down at the local Corvette go-fast shop ordered one also, he swears by it too.

 

do not forget about the blade the highest quality blade pays for it self over and over bi-metal from a big name usa mfg. is best starret or lennox are best and use change the tooth size or pitch when you need it will take a little practice to know when to change. and the guide rollers for the blade are importent a blade that runs true will cut faster, more accurate and last longer than a blade that wanders also you might up the motor size and use a constant torque motor it will give the power you need and not slow down under load, most wood saws do not have constant torque motors and imported saws have weak motors

 

retro-
thanks for the pic. i think thats the one i was looking at. cost about 1200.00 or so?

thanks.

 

wood band saw is used to cut wood.
metal cutting band saw is used to cut metal.

 

I got a deal on a grizzley wood band saw, good sized one and have been going thru hell to slow it down. As others have posted, you can cut thin stuff no problem but anything with size burns the blade up. I use 3/4 or 1" wide blades and they can be salty. I have the smallest avail pulley on the motor and largest avail for the drive but the shaft sizes are what limit the pulley diameter. I am ready to make a jack shaft, either that or sell it and bite the bullet and get the right machine for the job.

 

Keep your eye open for an old treadmill. Take the motor and rheostat and mount it to your saw.
Change your blade to a fine tooth and control the speed with the rheostat.

 

I used a 18:1 (or something similar to that- been a long time ago) speed reducer to slow my wood saw down. You can't do it with pulley reduction.

 

I have a Skill bandsaw. I think its the only one they made. It uses some guide blocks that are made of unobtanium though and nothing I have found even comes close to the design. Even Skill told me they can't get them. I'm thinking of giving it a second look now if I can use it for metal. It already has a speed control to dial it down pretty slow. I'd like to convert it to use bearings possibly

 

I am looking at an older (1990-ish) Craftsman 4-speed bandsaw. The slowest speed is 270 FPM. How will this do with steel plate up to 1/2" thick?


Thanks,
Ed

 

You should slow the speed down for saftey and blade longevity. Oh yeah use a metal cutting blade. I have CRS

 

The guys from Popular Mechanics have all you need to know here.

 

I have an old ('40's or '50's) Delta Rockwell wood bandsaw that was my Grandfather's. I turned the motor 90 degrees on the lowered bottom shelf. There's about a 3:1 reduction in pulleys from it to the input of a 20:1 gear reduction box, mounted to a simple angle iron frame between the motor and the saw. Two sets of pulleys give about 1.5:1 over/ under from the gearbox output to the saw. Wavy set 18 tpi carbon steel blades cut 18 gauge or thicker steel just fine. 10 tpi is faster for 3/16"+ thickness.

 

I have have used my abrasive chop saw with good results. It is noisy,
throws a lot of sparks. The cuts are limited but a practised operator
can get very strait cuts this way. I also use vise grips on the metal
to avoid finger injuries.

 

Thanks for the speed formula, I will have to try it out. I bought a band saw from a school bus shop that was closing for about 70$. It has a 2 step pulley on the motor(110/220 but I use the 110V) but I have not played with changing speed. I have cut up to 1/4" thick hot rolled flatplate so far with a double pitch blade.

Here are some brackets I made last week for the ALT on my 57

 

Lots of good info here, I especially like the PMechanics article.

I bought a mid sixties Model 28-380 Rockwell Delta 14" bandsaw about 10 years ago for 350$. So what right?
Well, I thought I'd paid too much for it but when i got it home i realized it was the metal cutting model. It ain't no big ass DOALL but I've cut 3/8" steel plate with it to make brackets and whatnot. And with the slow speed, right bimetal blade and some patience you can work wonders.

If you're in the market for a bandsaw, keep an eye out on Craigslist in your neighborhood for one of these nice American made machines, the bonus is that all the parts are still available for them and the 93-1/2" blades are readily available. Hey, you never know....

 

The blade pulleys are adjustable and this is what keeps the blade running true, turn it on and adjust the pully to get the best run, forgot back the blade bearings off and then re do them after getting the blade to run true

 

I had good luck using a transmission from a lawn/garden tractor for a speed reducer on a drill press. Use one that has belt drive in and out.

 

This one will do soft metals. http://cgi.ebay.com/New-RAND-Wood-M...899?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c58576293

 

It all depends on the Feet Per Minute the blade moves, the blades number of teeth compared to the thickness of the material you want to cut. I used a 14" band saw with a 30:1 reduction on a 1740 rpm motor and a 24 tooth x 1/2" rake tooth blade. I hope this helps. JIM.T.

 

I'm thinking about building a wood bed for my T-Bucket. What type of welding rod should i use?

 

Revive an old thread.
I just bought this old girl.
It has a timber cutting blade but I will change to metal cutting.
Ill try to cut 3/4" mild steel.
It has a 3 phase 415 volt motor.

 

I bought a Craftsman 14" Industrial line of wood band saw . Have tried to cut sheet stock and aluminum. As mentioned by many that the band saw blade speed is to fast for a wood saw. I contacted my electrician friend and he looked at the motor thinking I could just change that. With the way this is made , even with a different motor I was going to spend a lot of cash. So now I am convinced that as also mentioned to just buy the right saw for the job. Will keep the wood saw and find another steel saw.
Vic

 

I bought a Craftsman Band saw 4 years ago . Bought a bi-metal blade and have been cutting metal with it ever since. I never cut very thick metal with it. I have a porta band and a chop saw for thicker stuff.

 

Try this stuff...
Not sure what heat range you'd use , though...
Works great with a WIG welder....Uses oxy for shielding gas

 

That's a serious saw. I think it has a 36" throat. Since you're an electrical technician, I'm sure you're sure you have 3 phase where you are gonna use it, or just change out the motor and rewire the starter to single phase, not a big deal. It would help to get a motor with slower rpm. But you should read this entire thread, and take note of all the info about blade speed. Unlikely that this saw has enough pulleys to slow it down enough to make it a practical metal saw. Just physics. A lot of wood cutting band saws cut around 1500-3000 feet per minute, metal cutting band saws have a gear box that reduces the speed of the motor (but maximizing torque) at around 150-300 feet per minute. Big difference.


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Craftsman made a gear reducer (actually it uses a Gilmer belt) for their wood saws to enable you to cut metal. It has a 10:1 ratio reduction. I have one and it does a decent job but as others have mentioned a real metal cutting saw with hopefully a blade welder - is the best solution.