bandsaw / jigsaw

[nigel daleParticipant @nigeldale57578]

Hi, can anyone recommend a small benchtop vertical bandsaw if such a beast exists ? There is the Cowells 375 jigsaw which is eye wateringly expensive for what it is, does any one have experience with this ? I am looking for something to cut sheet material reasonably accurately, should add that I am hampered with wrist and shoulder problems which make sawing very difficult. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

[nigel daleParticipant @nigeldale57578]

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

Blondihacks used a DeWalt portable bandsaw to make one. It's not a YouTube video I have watched so I can't comment on it.

Martin C

[BizibilderParticipant @bizibilder]

What size of material do you intend cutting? Sheet metal (say up to 2-3 mm) requires a very different tool to one for cutting thicker plate and/or rod, flats and tubes.

Like many I use a 6 x 4 bandsaw and find it does pretty much everything with the exception of thin sheet for which I use a bench shear.

[HOWARDTParticipant @howardt]

If a bandsaw for thin sheet then more than a few, me included, use old Bugess bandsaw. Mine is an early version that my father got from a cousin who worked at the factory probably in the late 50s. I have made a new blade guide but everything else is as original, original blade guides are terrible. Purchase new metal cutting blades with tpi to suit you metal.

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

Use 'portaband' as your search term and pick something to suit your budget. There is a Scheppach one from Aldi that looks goood, but would require some modification to convert to true vertical mode.

The challenge with all saws of this form factor is the wheels are quite small and blade life, even with a good quality blade, is quite short (they crack on the opposite side to the teeth due to fatigue failure).

If you have space, the ubiquitous 6 x 4 is a good one.

Another option might be a three wheel woodcutting bandsaw and something to slow it down (e.g. Coronet Imp or its many facsimilies).

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

+1 for the Burgess BK3 bandsaw as long as the material is not too thick, the three wheel arrangement gives plenty of "throat" space in a quite compact machine.

Rob

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

**LINK**

This is the Rolls Royce of benchtop bandsaws – they've got eye-wateringly expensive though! But very good and you can buy or make a table for sheet cutting.

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

Posted by John Haine on 14/11/2022 20:06:53:

This is the Rolls Royce of benchtop bandsaws

But what if he wants the Rolls Royce of benchtop VERTICAL bandsaws?

It is not clear if the Femi one or all its inferiors can actually stand up in true vertical mode. It is very difficult to find pictures of them in this orientation.

If the vertical part is crucial to his mode of working, he would need a hand-held one and a table/fixture such as this:

https://stakesys.co.uk/swag-v4-0-portaband-table-powder-coated

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

Posted by DC31k on 14/11/2022 20:16:06:

Posted by John Haine on 14/11/2022 20:06:53:

This is the Rolls Royce of benchtop bandsaws

But what if he wants the Rolls Royce of benchtop VERTICAL bandsaws?

It is not clear if the Femi one or all its inferiors can actually stand up in true vertical mode. It is very difficult to find pictures of them in this orientation.

If the vertical part is crucial to his mode of working, he would need a hand-held one and a table/fixture such as this:

https://stakesys.co.uk/swag-v4-0-portaband-table-powder-coated

Femi do indeed work well as a vertical bandsaw and a dedicated table is available, the table is also quite expensive but it is possible to make your own, they are not complicated and I did do a drawing for another forum member. there are some photo's in my albums under Femi.

Although perfectly adequate with the table attachment they are probably not as good as a dedicated vertical machine, however I use mine in both modes and would not swap it !

John

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Machines for wood have rubber coated wheels that don't take kindly to use on metal ! Noel.

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Noel, not meaning to be argumentative, but there are some types of rubber that do just fine on metal cutting bandsaws. Your blanket statement about wood machines' rubber coated wheels is not valid in ALL cases. My own bandsaw and a friend's, both converted wood cutting machines, had 1/8" thick neoprene tires fitted in the late 1980's and both are still in excellent condition after miles and miles of cut in steel, alum, brass, bronze etc. Both machines are operated at 150 feet / minute, the blade speed was reduced from 400-600 feet / min when they were used for wood cutting.

Of course it's possible that some makes of saws may have different types of rubber, maybe designed to run at higher speeds at lower blade tension, or have different friction characteristics to drive the saw blade, etc. Many variables, so it is hard to say if one or the other will work or not in ALL cases for metal cutting, without testing. I can recommend neoprene sheet for re-lining tires if problems developed with a particular saw or its' rubber compound.

[David AmbroseParticipant @davidambrose86182]

However, the Femi NG series are not suitable, as the blade runs the “wrong” way – so it would be going up in vertical mode. But they are great saws.

[Robin HardyParticipant @robinhardy]

I use a proxxon which covers all my wood and metal cutting, advantage is its vertical but limited table size and power. Fair range of blades and water cooling available.

[Brian Baker 2Participant @brianbaker2]

Greetings, I have used a 14 in throat Clarke for many years, and it is very good. I purchased it from Machinery Mart, problem is that they don't often have them in stock. its 3 wheel arrangement and 70 in blade work well on a range of materials and sizes, including brass steel plate up to 1/4 in. I use a bimetal blade, 14 tpi. Excellent machine, needs a little careful adjustment.

I also have a big industrial chop saw for very thick materials, up to 5 ins thick.

Regards

Brian B

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Easy enough to find images of the Femi in vertical mode, Their own website is a fairly obvious place to go.

Throat is less than a true vertical but depends what the OP intends to cut.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

I have the previous version of the Axminster Axminster Professional AP1854BV Bandsaw which will do metal and wood to quite heavy cross sections. Much smaller is the Proxon PROXXON MBS 240/E Micro-Bandsaw which is much smaller and really only suitable for thin steel sheet or brass and aluminium. A friend of mine had one and was very pleased with it.

regards Martin

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by John Haine on 14/11/2022 20:06:53:

**LINK**

This is the Rolls Royce of benchtop bandsaws – they've got eye-wateringly expensive though! But very good and you can buy or make a table for sheet cutting.

I would disagree with John’s claim, comparing that machine to a RR. The Fiesta might be a better comparison? Good and affordable. There are other more sophisticated machines available at eye-watering prices!

I have a machine capable of 6” cuts which can be stood with the band vertical. I welded up a rough bracket to affix in the machine’s vise (often a weak spot on portable machines) and bolted a piece of 15mm aluminium sheet to the bracket as a table. It needs a corner support for the table but works quite well. I (nearly) always clean/square up edge cuts on the mill, anyway.

Cost was about a fiver for the square steel tube and a few welding rods.

15mm is plenty thick enough (likely excessive, really, but it’s what I already had in the workshop) to add slots for a fence guide. That likely cost me a fiver when I bought it.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Hoping to avoid this thread going too far into “working-envelope bloat” … may I just mention that Nigel’s baseline reference was the Cowells 375 **LINK**

http://www.cowells.com/docs/jig.pdf

MichaelG.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Hi Jeff, I stand corrected, should have used the "some " ! The important thing with some band saws is the setting of the guide rollers or bearings, I was given a 6 X 4 that would not cut true, 4 new bearings and a bit of careful setting to get the blade at 90* to the table,that involved filing the outboard casting and it worked fine ! Good Luck Noel.

Edited By noel shelley on 15/11/2022 11:19:09

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

I think we need to be a bit careful about defining the cutting envelope on these cut off bandsaws converted to vertical mode.

On my Parkside, although the throat is effectively infinite, the maximum cut length is only about about 5" – not terribly useful for manouvering sheet material about but very good for converting medium sized lumps into small lumps.

Rod

[Martin Johnson 1Participant @martinjohnson1]

I built my own design 3 wheeler, it uses 64.5" blades and has a 12" throat x 4" height through. I wrote it up for EIM a good few years ago. It's still doing the biz and I wouldn't be without it.

Martin

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The Femi has the blade the other way round to the saw Rod shows so as I said the throat is limited to the max crosscut depth but length can be as long as you like.

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Posted by nigel dale on 14/11/2022 17:59:50:

Hi, can anyone recommend a small benchtop vertical bandsaw if such a beast exists ? There is the Cowells 375 jigsaw which is eye wateringly expensive for what it is, does any one have experience with this ?…………….

Yes I have a Cowells, and yes it's expensive, but also very good.
There's a whole variety of similar spec, but cheaper machines, but I've not come across a comparable sized bandsaw in the UK.
I have one of the smaller Burgess BK1 saws, and it works fine for sheet materials, but too fast really for sheet steel, even with the speed reduction kit.
My larger Emco 3 wheel saw is better built, but also too fast for steel, and well outside your preferred size.
Several folk have mentioned the Femi, or portable bandsaw route, but again maybe too large for you.

I have seen an advert for these, but no personal experience, of either the saw or UK availability, but they do look quite neat, and the closest I've seen to what you may be seeking.
https://www.micromark.com/mini-powertool/-saws

The photos look quite similar to the Proxxon, of which I again have no experience.
https://www.proxxon.com/en/micromot/27172.php

Note that the US one has a water cooling kit, which might be something to consider making if you compare the two saws.

Bill

 

Edited By peak4 on 15/11/2022 14:33:07

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Going a little outside the box, if you already have a compressor with an air tank, the £80 Parkside plasma is very good at 6mm down thicknesses. Straight lines can be cut using a piece of thin wood as a guide as easily as a Stanley Knife cuts paper. No distortion either side of the cut even on 1/16" sheet.

The downside is it's a bit fumy, so you need the shed door open and a metal tin to catch the burnt metal exiting underneath the sheet

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