Bandsaw vs. chopsaw ...opinions???
 

I was cutting some metal today using a cut-off disk with my angle grinder and realized just how hard it was to get a straight or square cut. This isn't so bad on flat metal, but square or round tube is a PITA. I had planned on getting a chop saw, but then I got to looking at the porta band type saws today. Now I am thinking these might be better. Less sparks, noise etc. Main concern I have is the stock size limitations. They do have the Deep Cut versions available :bigthink: Just wondering what everyone else prefers :beer2:

Porta-Band!! :bigthink:

A band saw gives a nicer cut and won't burn the metal. I use one that has a 6" x 6" cut and I can cut most everything I need to. Any bigger than what the band saw will cut --- out comes the torch.:biggrin2:

That's what I'm thinking, too.

6" x 6" ?? Is this a porta band? or a horizontal/vertical bandsaw? The ones I've looked at so far are 5" x 5" biggest ...Milwaukee and Dewalt

FYI: A miter saw will work fine as a chop saw, however; the gears and motor aren't sealed so if you use a miter saw for extended periods or chop a lot of steel with it, it won't last as long. But for the occasional cut, a miter saw will work just fine. For as often as I cut steel with it, my miter saw works just fine :beerchug:

It's a horizontal/vertical band saw off brand from TSC that I got a couple years ago.

I do have a 12" Compound Miter Saw and had thought of changing the blade for metal cuts. But I would really have to watch it as it's bolted to the workbench and there's lots of sawdust :Poof: :biggrin2:

Is this the Black Bull brand ? They are on sale now for about $150.

That's the one, I couldn't think of the name. I do have a chop saw, but I hardly ever use it since I have the band saw. I had to fuss a bit with it so it would cut square but it works great. The cut is thinner than a chop saw also. No sparks to worry about but may take a little longer to cut stuff. Once you start the cut, you can go do something else till it's done. It will shut itself off when the piece is cut off.

This is what I use for a chop saw, just put an abrasive blade on it. Been using it for 4 or 5 years so far. Had to take the bag off, it caught on fire LOL. Also have a Milwaukee Saws all

i bought a milwaukee compact saw a few months ago. if you get a deep cut saw you can get a stand to use it as a vertical cut saw. swag offroad sells some nice ones.

I have this 14" abrasive chop saw
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...w.jpg~original

A 14" Racine power hack saw ( picture is before I mounted the motor on it )

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...5.jpg~original

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDdJc_509bc

:bigthink: This one looks almost identical to the harbor fright one. Except cheaper and the 3 speeds are lower ..3/4 hp motor vs. 1hp ??? About the only major difference I can see. May have to check this out for the price.

I saw the vertical stands from swag. I like milwaukee tools. I have a milwaukee sawsall. I have been looking at the deep cut saws, hmmm......:bigthink:


I like this too .....cool saw Jeff

Both of would be great to have. I have a Milwaukee abrasive cut off saw I use. They both have their place. I also have a old sawsazll.

Broke down and went to TSC and ended up buying the Black Bull bandsaw. It was the last one they had, on clearance $150.

Looks like I'll have to do some tweaking and adjusting to get it to cut square. With the included blade the cut walks. Of course I was trying to cut 4" round pipe :bouncy: The top guide (2nd pic) isn't hitting the blade in the center. Could be the crappy blade :bigthink: Last pic is the bottom guide...actually more centered than it looks.

Was hoping there was more adjustments on the rollers, but for the price I think I can make it work:biggrin2:

That saw looks very much like the one I have. To get it to cut straight make sure the blade is tight (loose blade will wriggle and wander), the holder is square with the blade, check to see if the blade travels down straight ( I used a square to check it), keep the guides adjusted as close as you can to the piece your cutting and back off on the down pressure of the blade if it still walks. To check this all out, take a piece of flat plate 1/8" or 1/4" x 3" clamp it vertical with a square line marked on it. If the saw cuts down the line it will cut anything else square. This is all I had to do with mine and it works great. FWIW the blades they come with are crap!!!:biggrin2:

I have adjusted guides etc on big Do-all vertical bandsaws at work, so I was more familiar with their setup. I have been cruising youtube and found some good vids on adjusting the harbor fright model....think it's exactly the same. The roller guides are WAY too tight right now. I just gotta line everything up and get a new blade :biggrin2:

New blade will make a world of difference. Good luck to ya.:beerchug:

I have a milwaukee hot saw that i like, but i just picked this up for free..its an old ramco rs-90..it had a broken shaft in the gear unit, and i painted some motorcycle tins for a buddy of mine with a machine shop who made the shaft for me....its my go to now...nice cuts, and no sparks everywhere, set it and work on something else....got 11 blades with it too...and just put it on wheels...some pics of the paint work too,just for fun....

That's a nice saw. What is that a 8" x 12" cut?
You can't beat FREE:beerchug:

Band Saw

I have a Milwaukee Chop Saw too but I am too impatient as I try to push it thru the metal too fast and then it bogs down.
Blade tends to flex (if you push it too hard) so you end up with an un-square cut.
Sparks all over, blade wears down fast, blade might explode if you go to slow and it glazes over.

x2 i use mine all the time.

The chop saw is nice for a quick straight cut. I prefer a band saw, just seems to be a little more versatile.

By now I hope the OP made his decision but if not the porta-band is a great choice and adding this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEnMcquGf24 table from SWAG offroad makes a great tool even better. I have the older version and when doing fab work on the Jeep and Bug I would be at a loss without it.

I have a Milwaukee chop saw and it has served me well for a long time. The blade does have a tendency to walk if you crowd it while cutting especially when close to the edge of the material. A friend who is a machinist and rebuilds all kinds of equipment has a DeWalt DW872 chop saw and has been using it for several years. It uses a 14 inch 70 tooth carbide blade and it operates at 1300 rpm. That thing cuts great and does not walk. He is only now on his second blade The literature says the blade will make about 1200 cuts before needing resharpening. The cut is very clean and the material is not hot. Buying one is like buying another Cub, but it sure is tempting. Home Depot and Amazon are selling it for $435 with free shipping. Now, how do I explain to the wife that I just have to have one? May have to get rid of a few non-essential toys. I am looking forward to our first local area swap meet later this month.

I have both my band saw is a Kalamazoo and my chop saw is a Dewalt D28700 I prefer to use the band saw no sparks and i feel a better cut. The band saw will handle larger material also.

There are different types of band saws available in the market which also comes in different sizes and price ranges but they more or less do the same job and are the same instrument.

when you using a band saw you need to make sure that the teeth are hardened. In case you don’t have one, you would go through the risk of having a dull blade quickly.
I learn all of this from this article they discuss 14 Tips to smartly use your Bandsaw. I think this will help you.

Personally, I didn't like any bandsaw or chopsaw, but I've been using a Dewalt miter saw for the last 3 years. I like Dewalt for more precision-type tools. like Router, Table saw, Sanders, etc.