Bandsaw Table

[ericher69]

Decided to make the first fence out of 3/8" angle.

Very nicely done!

What are your plans/intended use for this setup?

Hope you have a 120V mig to weld those 3/8" angles; couldn't resist...

Sent from my iPhone 5s 64Gb using TractorByNet

 

[roadhunter]

Wow. That is an impressive project. If it woks half as good as it looks it will be extremely useful.

I don't have the patience to do work like that so it really impresses me to see it.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I appreciate the various comments received. Some additional notes:

There is a place south of town that sells Grade 8 hardware for $3.00 a pound. Contrast with $1.09 for a single 1/2" Grade 8 nut at the local big box store! So I got the yellow zinc Grade 8 stuff which is not needed for this purpose but looks nice.

There is another thread going where folks have identified Rustoleum Lobster Red as a substitute for Kubota factory paint. It is exactly the right orange-red I wanted, and only available in Walmart stores. Never would have thought to look there without that thread!

My dad was a get 'er done type, but my favorite uncle was a craftsman in both metal and wood. Learned something from both. My uncle would have criticized my lack of planning on the fence/clamp. My dad would have said I wasted money on paint and took too long.

On application, I really want a Ellison bandsaw but that is not in the budget for the time being. This is small, but with a 4.5" x 4.5" work envelope it can do quite a lot. It replaces a 60-year old Sawmaster power hacksaw that is slower, noisier, and less accurate.

 

[CalG]

Nice tool!

Don't get attached to "square and true"! That only lasts until the blade gets a bit less sharp on one side than on the other. Which is usually the first time you need to restart into an existing kerf.

Make the "squaring" easily adjustable. Same as for a wood butchers saw.

 

[downsizingnow48]

CalG is right, it is important to have easy adjustments for squaring up everything. So far this thing is a delight to use, it can be adjusted dead square both horizontal and vertical, and holds the adjustment.

Couple updates. The first photo shows a new girdle made from 3/16" steel plate. It connects the front and rear carriages using 8 5/16" bolts. This makes everything 100% stiff. The second photo shows setting up the angle fence. It is fast and easy to get true 45 degree off the keyway. I resurrected the vise from the old Sawmaster power hacksaw. It will be used for clamping flat material. It can be shifted from the fixed 90 degree fence to the adjustable angle fence.

 

[jwmorris]

I like it. I was going to build something similar that used gravity to feed the saw into the work but came across a deal on a roll in saw.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Thanks for that saw reference. I looked for an affordable industrial metal cutting band saw a long time before deciding to go to the trouble of making this one. If one of those Roll-In saws had come my way I would have grabbed it for sure.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Perfect notches are a piece of cake. Chips fall into a commercial size baking sheet from a restaurant supply house ($8).

 

[downsizingnow48]

Finishing touches:

1. A cart to roll it around on. Top shelf for the chip tray, bottom shelf for stuff.
2. A switched outlet for power to the saw.
3. The 60 year old Sawmaster vise is perfect for this use.
4. The vise has just the right amount of tip-over to jam round material against the fence and table.

 

[Big Barn]

Pat. Your attention to detail really shows. Very nice!

Terry