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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    50

    Default Metal and wood vertical bandsaw?

    I can see some conflict in using a bandsaw for both, ie sawdust vs metal shavings, but in a budget and space confined environment how successfully can one use a dual purpose vertical band saw? Any recommendations of a reasonable sub $3k model?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Newcastle
    Posts
    341

    Default

    I've been thinking about this.

    My experience is that metal bandsaws end up being quite messy. The cut needs lubrication.

    If you had a coolant setup that you could turn off that might work better, as without coolant you end up using oil etc which coats the whole business. (But then you'll end up with wood dust in your coolant even if clean up carefully)

    For most situations you want a horizontal metal bandsaw. It self feeds and you walk away. You'll get bored pushing a 100mm solid round through a vertical bandsaw

    You can probably get reasonable independent bandsaws for your budget.

    The cheap 4x6 bandsaws have good metal cutting capacity. Do require tuning up.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Norwood-ish, Adelaide
    Age
    59
    Posts
    6,541

    Default

    The main issue with using a bandsaw for both wood and metal is blade speed - a wood bandsaw should be run around aluminium speeds, which is about 3 times that used for steel. On the other hand CI is cut around half the speed of steel, so to do 'everything', you need to have a wide range of speeds available; somthing like 6:1 at a minimum.

    Michael

  4. #4
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    7,183

    Default

    This has been tossed around mannnny times.

    The elephant in the corner is blade speed.
    Wood likes fast blade speeds - most wood bands saws offer two speed pulleys ~500 and 1000m/min. Quality gear will run to 1200 m/min. The most efficient speed is 1500 m/min but at those speeds blades get hot and need cooling.

    Steels like to be cut between 100 and 30 m/min.

    If you get a 3P bandsaw or put a 3P motor on the bandsaw and drive it with a VFD to reach 100 m/min you will need to set the BS on the 500 m/min pulley and then drive the motor at 10Hz ie no good - you will over heat the motor, To get 30m/min you will need to run it at 3Hz - no way. I have a VFD on my WW BS and have special double speed fan on the motor - I use it to cut Al but you can do that qt wood cutting speeds by adding a bit of wax to teh blADE.

    You could add an intermediate pulley but the stuffing around changing pulleys would be a PITA.
    I've used upright MW bandsaws before and I found a freebie (Metalfast) but I already had a really good 19" WW BS and a small horizontal 6x4 MW bandsaw so I gave it to the mens shed. Didn't think that much of it for wood, ordinary blade guides and limited cutting height. I've found them a bit of a PITA to use for MW as you have to stand there holding the metal and on thick stock it takes AGES. My small 6x4 does it all itself and then turns itself off.

    A pippin says the best solution is both saws. AT a pinch get the wood band saw and a 125 mm angle grinder and cut stock with thin kerf cutting wheels.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    South of Adelaide
    Posts
    1,225

    Default

    We have a do-all bandsaw at work that is variable speed and has a 2 speed gearbox, we only use it for metal, some plastic,and trimming the occasional pallet bearer off. works fairly well, and we have never had an issue with the mixed pile of shavings it produces.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    50

    Default Thanks to all for the responses.

    It is pretty much what I expected. Compromises are full of compromises. Thanks all

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    332

    Default

    Based on using a Steelfast bandsaw which has a 2 speed gearbox and a step pulley arrangement, speeds for wood and metal are quite possible, I also added a VFD to give a few more options. The downside I find is the cast wheels have rubber tyres which end up with embedded chips, mainly aluminium, which ultimately need clearing otherwise the blade tends to slip, apart from that I would say fairly universal. Photo shows it being setup to cut a large machine cover casting. These do come up for sale in the usual places.
    Alan.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    57

    Default

    I agree that having the same bandsaw for wood and metal isn’t a good idea however converting a wood bandsaw to cut metal is. I am in canada and the old Rockwell delta Milwaukee (various names over the years) 14 inch bandsaw‘s make good candidates. My conversion used an old wheelchair motor and a DC power supply from Amazon to get the low speeds while still using the original motor for aluminum cutting speeds. The wheelchair motors always have a disengage so they can free wheel and that allows The standard motor to be used for aluminum and when I want to cut steel I engage the wheelchair motor and it will just freewheel the other motor.

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