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  #11  
Old 05-12-2018, 07:25 PM
jmra72a jmra72a is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
Posts: 21
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I use a Shopsmith bandsaw. It utilizes a blade 72" long X 1/4" with a 14 pitch. It works great. The miter Gage from the table saw works on it allowing accurate cuts straight or on an angle.
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  #12  
Old 07-16-2018, 08:45 AM
ddj232 ddj232 is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Posts: 7
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Hello Bill,
I am setting my shop up for an RV-8 build. I too have a Shopsmith and have planned on using the bandsaw for my build. Actually the bandsaw and drill press. Did you try different blades before settling on the 14tpi blade? Can you get the blades anywhere else besides Shopsmith?

Don Johnson
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  #13  
Old 07-16-2018, 10:39 AM
David Paule David Paule is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 4,435
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Ditto on the coarse-tooth wood blade as BillL said in post #3. Works great, cuts fast.

But the cut is rough. I use a 12" disk sander to smooth that out, followed by a Vixen file to finish the edges. Last comes a fine mill file to deburr the edges.

Dave
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  #14  
Old 07-16-2018, 10:59 AM
rv7charlie rv7charlie is offline
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pocahontas MS
Posts: 3,884
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If you know the length, you can buy virtually any blade pitch/profile/material/etc you can imagine, from a local machine shop supplier, or from a vendor like McMaster-Carr. Either will weld you a blade in whatever width/length/material/etc you want.
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  #15  
Old 07-16-2018, 11:06 AM
rocketman1988 rocketman1988 is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Sunman, IN
Posts: 2,189
Default Bandsaw

I started with a bench top 3 wheel model and good blade. Did not like it at all..

I modified a HF 14" wood cutting bandsaw for metal. Not the cheapest build but it is now a real metal cutting saw.

The biggest problem with using a wood saw for metal is the blade speed. Even the slowest blade speed on a wood saw is far too fast for a metal saw.

I used a 10:1 reducer for my conversion and with a Lenox blade, it will cut about anything. I have used it for 2024, 6061, 4130, all sorts of stainless, brass and copper in thickness up to 2"...no issues whatsoever.

The cheapie will work but I'm a tool guy. Always wanted a metal cutting bandsaw, now I have one. Hmmm, I think a nice TIG welder is next!
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  #16  
Old 07-16-2018, 02:47 PM
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tyconnell tyconnell is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Keller, TX
Posts: 220
Default Boelube

I also use Boelube on the blade. Works well for me, especially when cutting the lead counterbalance weights. YMMV.
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  #17  
Old 07-16-2018, 03:54 PM
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N941WR N941WR is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SC
Posts: 12,887
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Since posting on this thread back in May, I found a nice Rockwell Delta 14" bandsaw on Craig's List identical to this one for $400.

I changed the cords for the motor and light, the pulleys & belt, and put an 18 TPI blade on it.

That thing will probably cut through an I-beam without slowing down. It is much nicer than my old $10 three wheel garage sale special.

It has to many adjustments to list and appears to be very accurate and holds its tolerances very well.

They did produce the same model with a transmission on it so it can be easily switched back and forth between metal and wood. If you can find one of those for a reasonable price, snag it ASAP! If not, and you locate one like mine, let me know and I'll give you the pulley and belt sizes.
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  #18  
Old 07-16-2018, 04:07 PM
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JonJay JonJay is offline
 
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Location: Battleground
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Nice find Bill. I have a few old Rockwell/Delta machines and they will last several lifetimes. They don?t make them like they used to!
Keep your eye out for a VFD (speed controller) and you can turn it into a variable speed if you anticipate cutting much steel, but it will probably be just fine on the lowest rpm setting for most jobs.
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  #19  
Old 07-16-2018, 05:26 PM
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N941WR N941WR is offline
 
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Location: SC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonJay View Post
Nice find Bill. I have a few old Rockwell/Delta machines and they will last several lifetimes. They don?t make them like they used to!
Keep your eye out for a VFD (speed controller) and you can turn it into a variable speed if you anticipate cutting much steel, but it will probably be just fine on the lowest rpm setting for most jobs.
You are right!

It is one of those tools that makes you smile every time you use it! I would love to get an old floor model drill press to replace the bench top one I have now.
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  #20  
Old 07-17-2018, 05:20 PM
Richard@Langair Richard@Langair is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Scappoose
Posts: 119
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I am surprised to see people saying the blade speed for wood is too high for aluminum. The blades must be extremely poor quality if you do. We use lennox Bimetal blades, nothing too fancy, and cut up to 5000FPM and even higher at times to cut all grades of aluminum. 6061, 6063, 2024, 7075, 5052, 5083, etc. They all cut fantastic the higher the surface speed, and the relatively inexpensive Lennox blades last seemingly forever. I have run a single blade for probably 40 hours of cutting as fast as I can feed material by hand (probably 150 inch per minute) and it was still cutting great at the end. it was of course a little slower than the beginning, but still very serviceable.

Lennox Diemaster is the blades we use. Our blades are appx $100 each, but they are 19.5 feet long.

Our saw goes much much faster than the average saw and the only reason I dont run it at it's upper limit (15,000 fpm) is because it is hard on the drive belts and I dont want to have to replace them.

Of course once you want to cut anything else, you need to slow the blade down. Most steels should be down around 150 FPM (Feet Per Minute) some a little slower, some can be faster.
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