cutting plate on a bandsaw ?

[GT2]

I cut curves all the time on my 1/2" band saw. The thicker the metal the harder it is. You have to put quite a twist in the blade, which the blade does not like! Slow but sure

 

[zzvyb6]

I put a metal cutting wheel on my Craftsman table saw and chew up everything up to 1" plate with ease. Takes some time and you use up the wheel, but that's what flea market tools are for. Lots of old saws on craigslist.com.

 

[Mattlt]

Cut at about a 45ｰ angle to the blade. Don't cut at a 90ｰ angle, or flat to the blade. Think about how you would cut something with a hacksaw (or cutting a 2x4 with a hand saw for that matter.)

I seem to remember hearing about a rule of thumb that you should have X number of teeth contacting the metal at a time. Has to do with the TPI of the blade in relation to the thickness of the steel. I'm thinking it was 3, but don't quote me on that.

 

[sandman2234]

Minimum 3 teeth in contact with the material at all times is the general rule. It keeps you from ripping the teeth off the blade.
I recently gave a horizontal saw to a friend, who had none, that needed some parts. I cut out the parts from 2.5" material on my bandsaw and sent them south for finishing on their milling machine.(I wasn't going to do ALL the work!!)
Bandsaws are great, but a Oxygen-Accetylene torch is a great investment when you get the funds!
David from jax

 

[AKwelder]

All though at work I have access to numerous saws, torches and machines of impressive size, All I use at home are a portaband, and a skill saw with a carbide metal cutting blade. For holes I like hole saws and uni-bits. I have a nice OA torch but have not got the bottles, yet.

A portaband costs about 300 dollars and is for sale at home depot. The blades run about 7 bucks each. We cut every thing up to 4 inch with one on remote jobs and in the field. We even use them in the shop for out of position work. If you buy one you might ask around, most people consider Milwuakee the standard, some of the others are poorly thought out. my personal milwuakee is 10 years old and never had a bit of problems. I used it to make every cut on my 6 trailers over the years

For a job with holes in heavy steel i use carbide hole saws, but do not use oil based cutting fluids, you want to cool the bit not stop the friction witch is how it cuts. I use brake clean. it cools the bit fast, is cheap and leaves no residue for paint.

 

[3RRL]

I drill a couple of strategic holes that I know I can make the blade get to.
Just before it starts to make a sharper curve, like on a grapple jaw. Try to hit the tangent point with the saw blade. (The holes should be drilled outside the piece you wan to keep.) Make sure the hole is larger than the blade, at least enough so you can turn the metal to start the blade in the direction of the sharper curve. Sharper curves need more holes point to point. Then use an angle grinder or bench grinder or disc sander to blend in the curves. Also try to use coolant for all metal cutting saws when possible. It is a life saver on blade wear.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

another tip for cutting sharp turns (with jigsaws, bandsaws, etc.) is cut lot's of relief cuts.....

learned this from my high school shop teacher

 

[keeney]

I routinely cut 1"x2" bar stock and I have even cut 1" x 12" pieces of plate with my Milwaukee Porta-Band. On this small hand-held bandsaw, the problem is never its cutting ability - the small throat (about 5") is the main limitation. Using some cutting oil makes the blade last a lot longer.

I would say your bench-top bandsaw should be able to cut anythingyou can fit through it up to 1/2" thick easily, and up to 1" with some patience. Of course with the bigger, thicker pieces, holding and feeding the heavy peice of metal into the saw becomes an issue.

- Rick

 

[Danno1]

I drill a couple of strategic holes that I know I can make the blade get to.
Just before it starts to make a sharper curve, like on a grapple jaw. Try to hit the tangent point with the saw blade. (The holes should be drilled outside the piece you wan to keep.) Make sure the hole is larger than the blade, at least enough so you can turn the metal to start the blade in the direction of the sharper curve. Sharper curves need more holes point to point. Then use an angle grinder or bench grinder or disc sander to blend in the curves. Also try to use coolant for all metal cutting saws when possible. It is a life saver on blade wear.

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Exactly what I was gonna type!

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[2manyrocks]

There's also a difference in cutting quality between bandsaw blades. Enco sells some pretty decent ones--sometimes puts them on sale.