I have a good chop saw, one good 4.5 in grinder, one cheap one, use them a lot, and they do well. The chop saw is just really loud and messy, and after a while cut off wheels get expensive, and also messy.

I have been looking at the HF 4x6 band saw for a while, and not being lucky enough to catch one on craigs list, I bought a new one from HF. On sale, with 20% off, a new blade out the door for less than $180.

HF for me is over an hour away, I have family around there, so when I go to see them I will stop in. The first one I bought I did not open the box and check it. Put it in the back of the runner, and went home. Got home tore the box open to find the saw to table mount was broke in half. That sucks another hour back to return it, and an hour home. The next one I checked real good before leaving the store.

I have to say it is not a bad little saw. It is going to need some tweaking in a few areas. But now I think I want another one to keep in the vertical mode all the time.

First thing is get a few extra of the cheap HF blades. You will most likely break one or two getting used to it. Then get a good bi metal blade. Mine is from HF, but seems to be working really well.

There are lots of good mods for these little saws on the net.

I am building my rear bumper now, when I get it done will do a post in the fab shop, and show what the saw has done for me.

Later

 

Use good blades from Lennox. Mine are about $30 each but last a while. I have a JET bandsaw which is like the HF one only a real saw.

I hate chop saws too. Loud. Messy. Burn your house down.

Mine I can setup to cut and go fo something else while it cuts and when it's done turns itself off. Love it.

 

How good do they work in the vertical mode? I have the same setup with gridners and chop saw, but I am looking for a vertical bandsaw to cut sheetmetal and brackets with a little more accuracy. And maybe make larger cuts straighter since the chopsaw seems to not go "straight" through and i will have to waste time with the gridner trying to make it square again

 

I use my old 4x6 in vertical mode most of the time now. It is not as good as a dedicated vertical saw. Table is rather small and you can't get the upper blade support down close to the work. But it does work OK given the limitations.
- http://www.4crawler.com/Machining/in...andsawPivotFix

 

Whats the slowest setting speed on it?
You should find away to make a reduction unit so it'll cut metal even better.

 

They run from 80-200 FPM:
- http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93762

 

wabbit I missed a jet on craigslist, that is what I really wanted. But got tired of waiting. I am sure I will see one that sits on craigs list for like a month now. But oh well.

I am using a HF 14 tooth carbon steel with bee wax on the blade now and it is doing fine. $9.00

I am looking into the lennox blades. Seems about $33.00 each. Figure you are going to need a 10/14 vtp bymetal for heavier steel, and a 24 tooth for sheet, and the cost goes up pretty quick. Some of the guys I know with the HF saw are using the HF bymetal blades and say they seem to hold up well. but the store was out when I was there.

Trick is to tighten down the blade as tight as you can get it.

I actually find the 14 tooth carbon steel steel cutting best at the 120.

Like I said after using it in the vertical mode I would like to have two so I can keep one in vert mode and one in Horz mode. The table is crappy in vert mode. There are some good mods on the net for a more solid alum table, and table extention for the horz mode. I am sure that I will do both eventually.

The complaints I have now are with the tension adjustment for the motor, it is really crap. But does not seem like it will be hard to upgrade. And the adjusting nut for the fence in horizontal mode, it holds good just hard to use. U have to use wrenches to tighten it. The fence also does not seem to be completely square to the base, also will not be hard to fix. The stand is crap and way to close to the ground for a dude with a bad back. But in vert mode you can just sit on the base and cut away.

While this is cleaner and quiter than the chow saw, it is not faster, and dont force it. If anyone has any good suggestions on adjusting the feed speed drop me a line. I am doing it by sound right now.

later