Bandsaw question

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Should be no problem. I swith blades all the time. A bit of blade lube will help. Even spray on some wd40 while cutting metal.
 
Great!!!

Any good blade maker/brand you can recommend? Any good source?

BTW, target product to cut is damascus steel billet (untempered) about 5/32" - 1/4" thick.

Also, what is ideal width should I get to be able to cut curves?

Thanks!
 
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Also, if you can slow the speed down that would be best. If not, cut slow. A hardback general purpose blade will suffice. A flexback blade may work for you depending on how tight the radius you want to turn but the teeth may dull quicker. The thinner (depth) the blade the tighter the corners it will do. The thinnest I have used is 1/4" and on real small radius corners, it is usually best to let the blade determine the cut then file or grind to shape. As for # of teeth, I like 18-24t per inch for a GP blade. Try looking at bandsawblade.com.
 
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Just be careful about cleaning ALL the cutting oils you use off of everything . If you leave any residue it could affect your finish on any wood cut with your BS .
 
And, be certain you vacuum out the insides of the Shopsmith bandsaw to get rid of any leftover metal residue that could embed themselves on the bandsaw tires. It can cause you all kinds of blade tracking grief later on if you don't (I know from personal experience on my own SS...:crying:)
 
Dario: Why don't you give the guys at Suffolk Machinery a call......distributors of Timberwolf blades. They should be able to give you some good information.
 
I would make sure the saw is clean with no sawdust before you start, to avoid unexpected ignition. Ask about speed when you get your blade, I've seen this question come up at regular woodworking sites, and the general feeling is that metal cutting band saws run a lot slower than those made for woodworking, and that it's not such a good idea unless you can use a slow speed. I don't know anything about the Shopsmith saw though.

Dan
 
I see three possible problems.
1. making sure your saw is clean of wood dust so that it does not catch on fire.
2. the mess it will make of your band saw with both oil and metal shavings.
3. cleaning the saw again before you try cutting wood again.
None of those mean you can't do it just be ready.
My only don't do it concern is about how well bearings etc on a wood saw will hold up to metal filings. otherwise cut slow as I know wood saws are not made to withstand the forces of a metal cutting saw. Basically if the blade is not cutting don't start forcing it.
 
if you do not own the shopsmith speed reducer i say NO!!!!, do not cut metal that thick. the slowest speed is too fast. you can make your own countershaft to reduce the speed for much less than the speed reducer. just look in you shopsmith bible PTWFE.
 
Thanks guys.

I was advised to look at a heavy duty jigsaw instead (Bosch 1590EVSK 6.4 Amp Top Handle Jigsaw - $134.99 at Amazon or Milwaukee 6268-21 6.5 Amp Top Handle Jig Saw for $146.52). I will investigate this more and most likely go this way if workable to save the bandsaw. It might work better for the intended use anyway and might be cheaper in the long run.

Thanks again!
 
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I think you will find bi-metalic blades are the ones that will last best. Those have high speed steel teeth welded on a flexible spring steel backing. I use those for cutting most everything where there is a possibility of metal, abrasives, dirt, junk, etc. While not as good as a new blade, the resharpened ones work well too. Most cutting is with brass and aluminum and it works.

If you have the shopsmith speed reducer, this is a good place to use it,

If all else fails, you can burn through steel with a bandsaw at high speed - trashes the blade totally, but it does make a few good cuts.

Production work (more than on occasional use) -- get a metal bandsaw or use a metal cutting blade in a jig saw or reciprocal saw. The cleanup is a bummer on the bandsaw set up for wood. They have the hand held small bandsaws for steel at construction sites.
 
KenV said:
Production work (more than on occasional use) -- get a metal bandsaw or use a metal cutting blade in a jig saw or reciprocal saw.
Click to expand...

Definitely not production work...but the reciprocating saw idea is also good since it can be used for other stuff/projects as well (multi-purpose).

Will look into it also. :biggrin:

Thanks!
 
Grab a can of carb cleaner for removing any oil residue from the table and the wheels. A total cleaning will be nessecary before you cut wood again. If you are just doing a couple of pieces, it might be worth visiting a metal shop and asking to use theirs.
 
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