Hacksaw versus Bandsaw

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

I cut the blank out from the van with a jigsaw in 2001, so had it in the workshop.

The nibbler I have is a hand one, and I was needing to cut about 2m/6ft6" of running length. My forearm muscles are not up to doing that without major protest, and it would have taken much longer. The jigsaw would have taken about 3 times as long as the bandsaw did, and I think I would have had to change blades at least once as one snapped. So, even with problems, the bandsaw was quickest.

Regards,

Richard.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

For what it's worth Andrew I would have thought something like a Rapidor Major hacksaw would suit. Second hand G and M do one for £150 plus VAT. The don't take up too much space and you say you really only want to do big bits so you are not really concerned about cutting times. Just set it up and go do something else. I think you get much more saw for your money compared to a bandsaw.

regards Martin

PS I have a vertical bandsaw for sheet and everything else I do by hand-draulic hacksaw but then I don't go much above 1 1/2 bar and most round stuff I just part off.

regards Martin

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

That Rapidor Major linked to by Martin is pretty much the same as the one I use except for mine having the fixed square cut vice rather than the pivoting version shown in the pictures. Fixed vice is slotted to take the blade so it grabs both sides of the material. Mine just works without fuss or hassle. G&M price seems a bit high. The Major is a lot heavier than the open framed light version. Major needs a trailer or transit type van to shift but I bought my light one home in a SAAB 900 combi. Had to take the legs off. Main saw part is a two man or engine hoist lift. Darned if I can see any significant functional or engineering differences between the major and the light one I also have. Major has a built in coolant system and thats about it.

I'd not be worried about wear on a Rapidor or, for that matter, any of the other typical British industrial types with slide / guide ways symmetrically disposed relative to the blade. I imagine the types with a heavy cast arm above the sliding bow might be subject to derangements of the cut control and blade support hydraulics which might be troublesome to fix. The Rapidor is a very simple device and probably pretty much immune to wear out in any normal lifetime. Simple plain bearings and pivots throughout easily fixed by re-bushing and / or new shafts if it really has been abused. Can't see any issues with changing the square slider bars either. Should be easy enough to find an economically priced example £45 for one sans motor, £100 for one with seem about the going rate.

Clive

[Anonymous]

Posted by JasonB on 26/06/2017 12:25:12:

Not sure if Andrew has a vertical bandsaw in the workshop or house?

The vertical bandsaw is in the house. It's a bench model, but no bench space in the workshop, or the house, which is why it is on the floor. It can cut aluminium extrusion, but I wouldn't want to use it on sheet metal. Much quicker to use the guillotine.

Andrew

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I was really thinking along the lines of plate which is a bit more than the guillotine can handle. Regularly cut brass and ali upto 1/2" on my old woodworking one but its too fast for steel which goes through the Femi now. Also cut upto 3" sq ali on te vertical before I got the Femi.

[egaParticipant @ega]

Posted by Ian S C on 26/06/2017 11:03:04:

ega, the only time it overheated (terminally), was one evening my mate was cutting a hefty lump of steel, he switched on and went and had his evening meal, when he came back an hour later expecting the job finished, he saw smoke coming out of the motor, and the saw jambed in the cut, that would have been 15 years ago, I think any motor without a thermal cut out would have done the same. Under normal use I'v never found the motor to over heat.

Ian S C

Thank you for this reassurance.

My radial arm saw has a thermal cutout which has operated only once in all the years I've had it. A cutout seems like a good idea for any continuous running motor.

[Anonymous]

Following a trek up the A14 this morning I am now the proud owner of a new (to me) 6×4 bandsaw, plus a number of spare blades:

Naturally I've tried it out, on 1¼" diameter EN3B. Went through with a nice clean cut more than an order of magnitude faster than the old donkey saw. I'm beginning to think the donkey saw was more of an ass. So far I'm a happy bunny.

It's been quite a while since I've been up the A14 to the M1/M6 junction by car, and I'm pleased to say that the junction is now what it should have been before the dummies in the DoT interfered. Vis, if you're on the A14 you carry straight on to the M6 with no junction on a dual carriageway, and vice versa. No more stupid single lane traffic and tiddly roundabouts and chaos if you get into the wrong lane at the wrong time.

Andrew

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Conversely I (at the other end of Andrew's trip) have now got some floor that I haven't seen for several years. Eat your heart out Sir John Stevenson.

 

I hope the bandsaw serves you as well as it did me.

 

As for the A14/M6/M1 junction. It works perfectly for the A14/M6 bit, but they seriously cheaped out connecting the M6 to the M1 Northbound and the M1 Southbound to the M6. Maybe in another 30 years there'll be another amendment and they'll get it right.

Edited By Mark Rand on 02/07/2017 21:00:07

[larry PhelanParticipant @larryphelan54019]

Good for you Andrew,happy cutting.

As an aside,you should know that road systems are not intended to make for happy driving,everyone knows that !

OK you pay for them,but what,s that got to do with it ? As the man say,s,give it another 30 years or so,and who knows?

[Anonymous]

Thanks Mark, I'm very pleased with the bandsaw. On the showing so far it's way better than my old Taiwanese donkey saw.

Despite the satnav wanting to take me back to Cambridge via the M1 and A421, south of Bedford, I persisted with the M6/A14 until it got bored and decided to agree. At least that way I could nip off the A14 to the gliding site at Lyveden (near Corby) for a chat and a cuppa.

Andrew

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