Bandsaw vs. chopsaw ...opinions??? - Page 2

chris hall · #11 11-02-2014, 08:49 AM

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.

Jeff in Pa · #12 11-02-2014, 10:15 AM

I have this 14" abrasive chop saw

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

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

tonka.scout800a · #13 11-02-2014, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darryljs

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 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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris hall

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 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......

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff in Pa

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

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

bocephus1991 · #14 11-02-2014, 02:04 PM

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.

tonka.scout800a · #15 11-02-2014, 07:16 PM

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

The top guide (2nd pic) isn't hitting the blade in the center. Could be the crappy blade

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

darryljs · #16 11-02-2014, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonka.scout800a

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

The top guide (2nd pic) isn't hitting the blade in the center. Could be the crappy blade

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

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!!!

tonka.scout800a · #17 11-02-2014, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darryljs

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!!!

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

darryljs · #18 11-02-2014, 09:40 PM

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

mjsoldcub · #19 11-03-2014, 08:39 PM

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....

tonka.scout800a · #20 11-04-2014, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjsoldcub

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