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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Portland, VIC
    Posts
    14

    Default Metal Cutting Bandsaws

    Hi All,

    Just wondering if anyone has been in to Hare and Forbes and had a look at their range of metal cutting bandsaws. I'm particularly interested if anyone can see any difference or advantage between the BS-7L and the BS-7LA. I'm leaning towards one of these two machines.

    Has anyone got any input. The saw will be used for home use, I'm leaning towards the larger models mainly for the coolant and extra horsepower as opposed to the cutting size. But it is alway nice to have extra up your sleeve.

    Have used a large industrial unit at work and was pretty impressed. Any feedback on saw blade life. My first intention was to get an abrasive cut off wheel but I like the idea of the cold cut and being able to cut non ferrous materials.

    Cheers Silas

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    blackburn vic
    Posts
    297

    Default

    Hi Silas
    I bought the smallest one that H&F sell for cutting ally tubing up to 50mm.
    My experience is that they are great as long as you pay attention to alignment of the saw blade. If that is correct then you will get good life out of each blade. If not you will go through plenty.
    If you are cutting long material make a couple of support stands for either side of the saw.

    Roger

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    NSW
    Posts
    537

    Default

    You buy a bandsaw based on what maximum size material you will want to cut and what will happen to the material after it is cut.
    The BS-7L is a fairly large bandsaw by home workshop standards.
    The problem with having extra size and power up your sleeve is that blades are more expensive and power usage higher. So if you don't really need 7" x 12" capacity then it is better to get a smaller unit.
    Coolant ability is not such a useful thing in a home workshop as the running costs of the coolant can be just as much as buying a new blade.
    Coolant is not really necessary on the softer materials and steels that will be used in a home workshop. However if you intend to cut a lot of hard materials with bymetal blades then coolant could help extend blade life.
    I bought the Taiwanese model BS-5S for a home workshop and it has been quite good.
    However it is not as powerful as the Chinese BS -7L which uses a wider heavier more expensive blade.
    I guess it comes down to how much money you want to spend and if running cost are an issue. How much floor space you have .
    Blade life on a bandsaw is a very subjective thing. It depends a lot on blade choice for a particular material and type of cut and the accuracy of the guide rollers to support the blade and keep it straight . Heat build up is an important factor and metal shavings should not be allowed to build up around a cut and clog the cut otherwise sudden heat build up can have desasterous results. This is when coolant comes in if a certain material is hard to cut and is producing a lot of heat . However I think you probably know all this.
    A bandsaw is way more versatile than an abrasive chop saw. It is quiet and does not produce fumes and annoying dust which is a health risk.
    However for very fast repedative cuts of thin walled section tubes the abrasive chop saw is quick but rough.
    A chop saw goes well with a mig welder and a bandsaw goes well with a lathe but a bandsaw will do everything a chop saw will do but slower with more blade changing.
    Chop saws are no good at all for cutting thick bar materials as heat builds up and are no good for cutting tool steels for the same reason as the heat will harden the steel and make it hard to turn or mill.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    269

    Default Metal Bandsaw

    Bloke

    I have the BS-7L, had it two years now. I dumped the original blade and replaced it with a Bi-metal one for cutting pipe. It gets used everyday and have had no problems with it apart from lining the blade up correctly when I first started it up. The coolent pump will run dry in hot weather, just keep an eye on the solulable oil you use, the stuff that H&F sell is crap, it will settle back to sludge in no time and gum up the suds pump requiring you to take it apart and cleaning it out. I never cut steel without using lube of some sort, bi-metal blade or not, had that blade in there two years now and with care and attention I hope to get another two out of it.

    I went bigger for one reason, to keep the neighbour's happy as the drop steel saw was way too noisy. I have never used the saw in the vertical position with the supplied table, it just looks too dam dangerous without some kind of emergency stop at hand.

    DD

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Portland, VIC
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Thanks for the feedback Dingo Dog.

    Pretty much settled on one of the BS-7 models. Going to have a look at both in Melbourne and try and make up my mind which is better. From the photos I'm leaning towards the BS-7L over the BS-7LA but not much between them from what I can see.

    I've taken onboard your other comments aswell. Not that I expect hot weather to be much of a problem in Portland for the next few months....

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Adelaide
    Age
    68
    Posts
    1,373

    Default

    When you've done that it would be interesting to hear from you re the differences, which one you chose and why - I'm in the same position myself.

    I've used a 14" cut-off saw, seemingly forever, and have very belatedly decided to get a bandsaw. I did search for a traditional power hacksaw but they seem to be rarer than an honest politician.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Kyabram, Victoria, Australia
    Age
    46
    Posts
    96

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Retromilling View Post
    I bought the Taiwanese model BS-5S for a home workshop and it has been quite good.
    I bought the same saw a few months ago and it works fine, it needed a bit of calibration for the moving head but apart from that its all good. The easiest way to slow down the blade heating up is to reduce the speed to what they recommend. For wood you run fastest, hollow tube sections run at medium and bar is slowest.

    Of course a blade change is needed for cutting each sort of material too. As for coolant, i'm a noob but I dont seem to need it so far, that said i've mainly cut 50mm tubing w/3mm wall thickness and the cut doesnt get very hot. The blades are also only about $12 each and they will far outlast any cutoff saw wheel so going coolant might be false economy.

    One other issue is how big the material you wish or need to cut, my saw will cut 200x125mm, this when I looked at it seriously is much larger than I will probably ever need.

    Matt.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    NSW
    Posts
    537

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Matty5700 View Post
    I bought the same saw a few months ago and it works fine, it needed a bit of calibration for the moving head but apart from that its all good. The easiest way to slow down the blade heating up is to reduce the speed to what they recommend. For wood you run fastest, hollow tube sections run at medium and bar is slowest.

    Of course a blade change is needed for cutting each sort of material too. As for coolant, i'm a noob but I dont seem to need it so far, that said i've mainly cut 50mm tubing w/3mm wall thickness and the cut doesnt get very hot. The blades are also only about $12 each and they will far outlast any cutoff saw wheel so going coolant might be false economy.

    One other issue is how big the material you wish or need to cut, my saw will cut 200x125mm, this when I looked at it seriously is much larger than I will probably ever need.

    Matt.
    That has been my experience also. At about 1 to 2 dollars per liter for good quality coolant it does not take very long to loose 12 liters of coolant from evaporation and spillage.
    $12 dollars buys a new blade. However if you are cutting large diameter stuff and heat becomes a problem then coolant is required as excessive heat can ruin blades quickly.
    So far I have cut through 50 mm bars of free machining tool steels with no real heat build up. I think the bigger saws are running at a higher surface feet per minuet so they cut quicker and this may require coolant .
    You have to ask yourself what performance do I really need and what running costs are practical for those needs.
    Also if you cut multiple bars as a stack in the bandsaw then it changes the whole dynamic.
    Heat build up is increased because of swarf buildup between bars and extra friction of bigger cuts.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Armidale
    Posts
    16

    Default

    Hi Silas,

    Did you end up buying the saw?. Ive had a BS-7ds saw for a few months now and at this stage pretty happy. I tend to get longer out of the bimetal blades than the carbon. My first carbon blade I cut over a ton of 35x35 rhs in 2.1m lengths before the blade became blunt. But i think i get more than this out of the bimetal blades.

    The variable angle head is pretty handy if you do a lot of mitre cutting, however the machine takes up a lot of space in the workshop. Mine is mounted with a 4m set of rollers leading into the saw and 3m out of the saw. The issue is that you still need to access the back and side of the machine, so my rollers dont start for 400mm so i can fit down the side. But the machine has to be mounted about 500mm form the wall at the back, add to this the cutting area is at the front = rollers having about a metre gap behind them. OK if youve got plenty of space.
    As for the coolant, i run it all the time, however when Im working I have to add about 5 litres or more fluid before i start each day as a little bit drips out every cut.

    In my workshop if I have a job using larger than 150x100 rhs I just get my steel cut at the steel merchant before delivery, which is very cost effective and saves me a lot of time. So dont be too worried if your saw cant cut through bridge pilons. Just think how often you might actually need to cut large material?

    The quality of the hafco saw is satisfactory, however on the 240v models you dont get all the extras as with the 415v models.


    Hope this helps
    Mitch

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Portland, VIC
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Hi All,

    Just an update. I ended up getting the BS-7L bandsaw. Had it at home for a week and I have to say that it appears to be a very good thing. A few points on it are a little bit cheap compared with a bigger unit at work but nothing that can't be fixed over time.

    Have so far cut through a dozen pieces of 50 x 50 x 4 SHS, a heap of 50mm solid round bar and various smaller odds and ends. Very convenient to use.

    Cheers Silas

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Lindenow
    Age
    50
    Posts
    869

    Default

    keep an eye on ebay for power hacksaw's as there are lots on there all the time
    Warning Disclaimer

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    australia
    Posts
    18

    Default

    i got the EB260A from H&F... wish i got the next one up (EB280DS) now, didnt think id love using it so much... blade life is great as it uses coolant... in comparison, i wouldve used possibly 100, 355mm cut off disks to do the same work and NO MESS outside of 1m square.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Adelaide
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    68
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    Default

    I can't find either of the EB model numbers on the Hare & Forbes website, are there any other model numbers on the saw you got and the one you wish you'd bought?

    Rgds - Gavin

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    near Rockhampton
    Posts
    6,216

    Default

    I have a similar sized bandsaw and I find it just a good size to use...I use it to cut steel like 5" solid round and channel iron and all everything in between...

    Mine does not have the auto downfeed though as it is an older design then the new ones...

    One thing to watch with the small ones is while they may cut large diameters at 90 degrees, if you ever have to cut steel on an angle you will find the size of steel it will cut gets very small very quickly..

  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    australia
    Posts
    18

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gavin Newman View Post
    I can't find either of the EB model numbers on the Hare & Forbes website, are there any other model numbers on the saw you got and the one you wish you'd bought?

    Rgds - Gavin
    here you go mate ---> https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Horizontal-Bandsaws
    about half way down the page, basically the part i like is the double mitre cut, left & right, mine just has right.

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