Cutting Stock

[wespe]

Just wondering how you guys rough cut your stock. I've fixed my lathe, and it's running great. The only thing is, I don't have a bandsaw, and one is not in the budget. I spent about 15min last night trying to cut through 1-1/4 STL RB (not sure of the exact alloy) with a hacksaw, think I ended up destroying the teeth (cheap blades, anyone?). Ended up searching every nook and cranny of the shop until I found a smaller sized piece that I could make work, but ended up doing more cutting than needed.

So, how do you cut your stock? Or do you buy it cut-to-length? Should I just buy some good blades and enjoy the workout? Or make a bandsaw the next thing to buy instead of a mill?

-Tom

 

[shred]

I'm a big fan of the cheap 4x6 bandsaw. Under $200 at HF on sale. Sawing raw stock when all I had was my Taig and 1" stock was 'huge', the hacksaw wasn't so bad... now, no way

For a while I tried to use a jigsaw and sawzall-type things with metal cutting blades, and while cheaper, they aren't nearly as good.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Wespe---A band saw is great for cutting small stock, and I have one that I bought about 4 months ago. However, with no automatic feed, bandsaws can be kind of a bear for cutting stock. I strongly recomend a power hacksaw. There are a lot of free plans out there for power hacksaws, they will automatically self feed without a person standing watch over them, blades are relatively cheap, and they are quite simple to make.--Brian

 

[cfellows]

Virtually every project I do starts out rough cutting stock on my 4 x 6 bandsaw. I would venture to say your lathe and your (soon to be mill) won't get much use if you don't have an easy way to cut rough stock down to size. My 4 x 6 bandsaw was my second major purchase, right after my lathe.

Chuck

 

[shred]

Wespe---A band saw is great for cutting small stock, and I have one that I bought about 4 months ago. However, with no automatic feed, bandsaws can be kind of a bear for cutting stock. I strongly recomend a power hacksaw. There are a lot of free plans out there for power hacksaws, they will automatically self feed without a person standing watch over them, blades are relatively cheap, and they are quite simple to make.--Brian

Self feed? With the typical 4x6 in vertical position you have to push the stock into the blade yourself, but in horizontal mode, the weight of the motor and upper parts push the blade through the stock-- clamp it in the vice, turn on, lower to stock and go away.. shuts off when complete. Is that what you're meaning?

This is the designed-for-metal type I have (NB: the stand traditionally sucks):

This other kind of bandsaw is designed for woodwork (though it can work on metal) and doesn't go horizontal (there are large, high-end vertical bandsaws for metal; Ignoring those for the moment):

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Yes, thats what I'm meaning. My issue with the small Harbour Freight style bandsaw is that for my needs they take up too much room. I have a small heated machine shop (in the corner of my engineering office) which has sufficient room for the 14" vertical bandsaw I use for small cuts. I have a large unheated garage where my big old powered reciprocating hacksaw lives. I can put anything up to a 4" diameter steel billet in it and let is chew away untill it has finished the cut and I hear it when it shuts off. My 14" vertical bandsaw is identical to the green one in your picture. I bought it used for $300 and put in a countershaft with a second set of pulleys to slow the blade speed down to 250 FPM and with a metal cutting blade it works just fine for cutting steel.

 

[shred]

Yes, thats what I'm meaning. My issue with the small Harbour Freight style bandsaw is that for my needs they take up too much room.

Ah, I get that. They're a somewhat awkward shape, especially with the factory stand (somebody posted a bandsaw cart a while back that looked nice). I have a poorly-heated garage for everything (good thing I'm in Texas), so the HF 4x6 fits in there ok. Very useful when you run across a steal on 12-foot lengths of brass stock.

They make a little 'benchtop' H/V metal bandsaw as well, but I've not used them. Anybody with experience with those?

Btw, I considered the abrasive-disk cutoff saws as well, but the recommendation was to avoid those unless you like little particles of abrasive all over the shop.

 

[cfellows]

Tom,

Just a few additional notes to help with your decision. The 4 x 6 bandsaw takes 64 1/2" blades. These are carried at Home Depot and such places and typically cost around $10 for carbon steel. Bimetal blades usually cost in excess of $20, but last a lot longer than carbon steel. You generally want to keep a spare cause they tend to break at a time when stores are closed. My band saw requires some regular fiddling to keep the the cut square. As the teeth wear, vertical tracking seems to change a bit. I've also had to replace the blade guide bearings once in the 14+ years I'hve had the saw.

On the other hand, the bandsaw is superior, when used in vertical mode for making long cuts or curvey cuts in metal plate, angle iron, etc.

Chuck

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Here are a few pictures of my 14" bandsaw. My heated shop is only about seven foot square, so there is room for my lathe, my mill, my bandsaw, and me, and thats all!!! I couldn't get far enough away from my friggin bandsaw to take a picture of the entire thing, so had to take 3 pictures to show it all.---Brian

 

[BillH]

I have a lathemaster tabletop bandsaw. The internals are not of the highest quality so I took it apart to rebuild part of it. Well a project came up that required me to cut some 1x3 aluminum. Was going to use a hacksaw, 2 minutes into it I said *uck it and spent the next couple of hours putting it back together not the way I wanted but so it would work again. It works now but I still need to replace the ball bearings and properly grease it.
Anyhow, get yourself a bandsaw, it IS a required tool, just as much as a lathe is.

 

[steamer]

The 4 x 6 was the best $160 I ever spent 10 years ago....still is

I posted a bandsaw cart some time ago. I'll dig up the thread a bit later

It was designed to get rid of the sheetmetal stand....which was awful, make the saw mobile,and get it low enough to roll under a bench when not in use.

I think the design worked well, but It may be a bit too low. That aspect can be annoying at times, but it does work well otherwise.

Dave

 

[rake60]

I have a 4 X 6 bandsaw that is used for most stock cutting.

I also have a small abrasive disk cutoff saw.

It's maximum capacity is 1-1/2" stock and as shred mentioned it does make
a lot of dust and wild hot sparks when cutting. On the plus side, it cuts to
within 1/4" of the vice. All that considered, I paid $30 at the local Tractor Supply Store.

Rick

 

[mklotz]

If anyone reading this thread is considering getting one of these saws, here's some recommended reading...

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=896.msg6012#msg6012

 

[artrans]

Just wondering how you guys rough cut your stock. I've fixed my lathe, and it's running great. The only thing is, I don't have a bandsaw, and one is not in the budget. I spent about 15min last night trying to cut through 1-1/4 STL RB (not sure of the exact alloy) with a hacksaw, think I ended up destroying the teeth (cheap blades, anyone?). Ended up searching every nook and cranny of the shop until I found a smaller sized piece that I could make work, but ended up doing more cutting than needed.

So, how do you cut your stock? Or do you buy it cut-to-length? Should I just buy some good blades and enjoy the workout? Or make a bandsaw the next thing to buy instead of a mill?

-Tom
[/quote
well with money being and issue and hows not having that problem of late I have the hf band saw and a upright also. And a cutoff saw two thoughs here one you can take a 7 1/2 inch wood saw and put an abrasive blade on it and use that for now. Also a sabra saw with a metal blade I hate cutting metal any which way it seems the blades dull so fast and nothing cuts straight after that also there are some plans around on how to make a power hack saw with scrap metal mostly sq tube stock just some ideas

 

[artrans]

well with money being and issue and hows not having that problem of late I have the hf band saw and a upright also. And a cutoff saw two thoughs here one you can take a 7 1/2 inch wood saw and put an abrasive blade on it and use that for now. Also a sabra saw with a metal blade I hate cutting metal any which way it seems the blades dull so fast and nothing cuts straight after that also there are some plans around on how to make a power hack saw with scrap metal mostly sq tube stock just some ideas

 

[rake60]

Plans as artrans refers to are available at the Vintage Projects website.
They are from 1960's Popular Science articles.

Rick

 

[wespe]

Thanks for all the replys,

Looked at the vintage plans site. Some good plans for a powered hacksaw, but I think that hacksaw is a little bigger than I was hoping (good sized table to go along with it). Looked further into the plans, found the ones for the benchtop shaper. Has anyone here built this before? I figure that it could be used to cut stock, as well as perform the features of a small milling machine. I think I will look a bit harder at this, and see how feasible it is.

-Tom

 

[steamer]

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=2932.0


Here's the link to the thread with the stand.......

Dave

 

[John S]

I bought one off those 6 x 4 saws when they first came out, many many years ago.
I had issues with the roller guides not being square and had to modify these but soon got it sorted.

I used to have blades made up at the local saw place free of charge in return for boring to odd saw out for them, mine preferred 64" and not 64 1/2" as it was nearly out of adjustment at 64 1/2" It did steerling work and I only parted it out when I bought a big 18 x 12 saw and it was getting in the way.

To give an idea how hard working these are I wore out two sets of guide rollers over the years.
Another thing to note with any band saw is that once it's cutting square, short of a guide roller failing if it starts to cut on the slant it's the blade, in fact it's always the blade.
Never be tempted to try re adjusting it, just swap the blade. I have even had new blade cut slanted, if they are end of roll material it can do anything.

 

[steamer]

Hi John,

I've had reasonable luck adjusting the tracking on the 4x6 saw. Good quality blades run better on it and make all the differance though.....the extra few dollars do make a difference here.

Dave