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I have a few woodworking projects coming up that will require me to cut some metal -mainly brass or carbon steel less than 1/8" thick. I have a Milwaukie handheld metal cutting bandsaw but would need to build a table in order to use it. My budget does not allow me to just buy a SWAG type table, and I do not have a welder. I do have several vintage Sears 12" band saws that could be used for such a project. The advantage of this option is that it is a larger saw, and also gets one saw removed from the future projects pile. I know I will have to change the pullies to get the proper speed and switch to a metal cutting saw blade. Other than that, what other changes would need to be made to a wood cutting band saw to make it work for metal? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
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I can't help with the conversion issues, but do a fair amount of metal cutting. If you can live with the throat depth of the Milwaukee, i just cut out a piece of metal about 3 inches by maybe 6 inches, cut a slot for the blade, drilled two holes, and mounted it in place of what they call the bumper. When I want to use it, I just clamp it into a vise, with a wooden piece that pushes down the trigger, and plug it into a foot pedal on off switch, and it works great. If the throat would be an issue, you might look into a cheap plasma cutter. If you have an air compressor and a 240 dryer outlet, you can cut pretty thick metal with a plasma . If you only have 110, you can still do thinner stock, and it is so much faster than a bandsaw. I use it when I need to do more than a few minutes of cutting, because it does take a little longer to set up then my bandsaw.
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I bought my Milwaukee portaband saw from a welding shop. The guy there said they routinely put the handle in a bench vise and put something in the trigger to keep it going and used it that way. No table or other stand needed. I haven't tried it myself.
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(03-28-2023, 02:06 PM)pgriff Wrote: I have a few woodworking projects coming up that will require me to cut some metal -mainly brass or carbon steel less than 1/8" thick. I have a Milwaukie handheld metal cutting bandsaw but would need to build a table in order to use it. My budget does not allow me to just buy a SWAG type table, and I do not have a welder. I do have several vintage Sears 12" band saws that could be used for such a project. The advantage of this option is that it is a larger saw, and also gets one saw removed from the future projects pile. I know I will have to change the pullies to get the proper speed and switch to a metal cutting saw blade. Other than that, what other changes would need to be made to a wood cutting band saw to make it work for metal? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
Especially with carbon steel, you will probably need a series of pulleys to slow the blade on a wood bandsaw down to a speed that will allow it to cut steel with any longevity. Build your own table for the portaband. Many examples out there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfNlzWFgmc4
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Metal cutting blade in a jigsaw.
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Agreed with above, I just clamp my Milwaukee in a vise and use a zip tie on the trigger. Plug/unplug as needed. I sometimes saw a scrap of plywood half way through to use as a little table.
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Leave the Sears 12" saws alone. They aren't rigid enough to properly tension a 1/2" metal cutting blade. Maybe a 1/4" blade, but the killer is 200-300 feet per minute speed. An old gearbox gearmotor maybe from an overhead door might power it for the short term. Multiple pulley systems are too complicated to rig. For a single pulley system, a 1725 rpm motor with a 2.5" pulley will need a 14.375" pulley on the lower wheel to get the needed 300 FPM.
A 4-1/2" angle grinder with a cut off wheel may be the ticket for a low budget start. Youtube guys do crazy good stuff with that tool. Its a little sparky, so caution is mandatory.
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Thanks for all the suggestions. One of my 12" bandsaws came from a shop where it was set up for cutting aluminum. I might look at the pulleys and saw blade to see if this is an option. If not, I will look into making a stand for the portable band saw. I do have a few hacksaws and angle grinders, so I have those bases covered as well. Will probably pick the option that best suits the next need for metal cutting.
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(03-30-2023, 09:11 AM)pgriff Wrote: Thanks for all the suggestions. One of my 12" bandsaws came from a shop where it was set up for cutting aluminum.
An unmodified wood bandsaw can cut Aluminum and brass just fine with a proper blade. Cutting ferrous metals like steel on the other hand will pretty much instantly heat up and destroy the tooth tips on a blade at wood bandsaw blade speeds.
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I made a holder for my Port a Band to hold it vertically, and jam a piece of wood against the trigger to run it.
One of these days I will upgrade it by making a table for it as well.
Don't have a picture, but there are several guys on youtube that have done a similar thing.
Mark Singleton
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