HF band saw

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Subject Author Date
HF band saw stryped 05-07-2008
Posted by Jim Wilkins on May 7, 2008, 5:31 pm
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>
> > If the part of the blade guide that holds the ball bearings is bolted
> > to the slotted extension bar then they can be tweaked to cut straight.
> > Put the saw on a flat level floor when you do it so the bed doesn't
> > twist. The cast iron flexes a lot more than you might think.
>
> How can I tell if the Harbor Freight has this? (It is the red one). I
> am not sure what you mean by "slotted extension bar"

I should have hung up, gone downstairs and looked before writing that.
The blade guide bar is solid, the slot is in the casting. Mine is a
Delta and a few parts are different from the HF model. The blade
guides can be rotated slightly to square up the blade to the table.
>
> And how "straight" is =A0"straight"?

I can get it to cut square within 0.005" per inch vertically but I
have to use it where I adjusted it because my basement floor isn't
completely flat. Usually I cut a piece at least 1/16" oversize and
mill or belt-sand it square.

I've cut steel 1/2" thick and 6" wide, lying flat, with a well-used
10/14TPI blade. Took about half an hour. My saw occasionally jams so I
stay near enough to hear it and shut it off.

Your 3/16" triangles shouldn't be a problem as long as the stock will
fit flat in the vise. I'd angle the vise and cut one triangle off each
end, then square it and cut the next two. If you need more than 4 you
can set the vise at 45 and flip the stock over after each cut. Free-
hand angles and notches on small pieces are easier and safer if you do
them before cutting the piece off the bar.

Jim Wilkins

Posted by spaco on May 7, 2008, 1:46 pm
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 A definite "maybe". If you used the blades that came with the saw,
then I'd try again. Get a high quality blade. A good one will cost
about $20 or so. Doall, etc.
Read this link:

> http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-260984.html

Sorry to say, the old 4X6FAQ seems to be gone.

It was at:

http://tinyisland.com/4x6bsFAQ.html

Now all I get is "coming soon"

Pete Stanaitis


Posted by johnnytorch on May 7, 2008, 6:27 pm
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> We had a local store open up and they have the metal cutting band saw
> for 150 bucks or so. I bought one of these cheap bandsaws at TSC
> several years ago and went through two of them before I finally
> returned them and bought a chop saw. The problem was the blade cutting
> 3 inch square tubing crooked.
>
> Should I try it again or not?

The $150 deal is good. I built a more rigid base for mine. Also added
hydraulic downfeed. Ran it daily in my small shop until I bought a 7x10.
Somebody will pipe up with the FAQ on these, as they are quite common (as
well as the questions).

As always, any piece of equipment from HF needs to be regarded as a
partially assembled kit...



Posted by syoung on May 8, 2008, 12:05 am
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stryped wrote:
> We had a local store open up and they have the metal cutting band saw
> for 150 bucks or so. I bought one of these cheap bandsaws at TSC
> several years ago and went through two of them before I finally
> returned them and bought a chop saw. The problem was the blade cutting
> 3 inch square tubing crooked.
>
> Should I try it again or not?

I just bought this last year for $199.00 and it's great. Much better
than the HF unit I used to have. I see they jumped the price up.
>
http://www.homier.com/detail.asp?SessionKey=du8oVgPO%2fRgJG8iRZn0JAiL%2bCnSNls%2beEvVi71FETlst9V10pWjCm%2b1Oa%2fQXm1qYffhMQQzezmXf&dpt=9&cat=119&sku=03111


Posted by stryped on May 8, 2008, 8:21 am
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> stryped wrote:
> > We had a local store open up and they have the metal cutting band saw
> > for 150 bucks or so. I bought one of these cheap bandsaws at TSC
> > several years ago and went through two of them before I finally
> > returned them and bought a chop saw. The problem was the blade cutting
> > 3 inch square tubing crooked.
>
> > Should I try it again or not?
>
> I just bought this last year for $199.00 and it's great. Much better
> than the HF unit I used to have. I see they jumped the price up.
>
>
>
> >http://www.homier.com/detail.asp?SessionKey=3Ddu8oVgPO%2fRgJG8iRZn0JAiL..=
.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Does it cut square? Also, would a "portable" metal cutting bandsaw
like the Porter Cable at Lowes clamped to a table cut as accurate?

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