Replies

1. 
   DonC | Dec 20, 2006 08:59am | #1

   This is a "woodworking forum".

   If you go to a metal working forum. Tell them if you are cutting a diameter or lengthwise.

   What is the wall thickness of the pole?

   Tell them what a "portable band saw is? Is it horizontal or conventional?  Does your band saw have the slow speed capabilities to cut metal?

1. 
   skinman5 | Dec 20, 2006 09:14am | #2

   thanks for the help don, being a carpenter and experiencing something new i came to this forum for some help. i am sorry for offending you with my "metal" question. if somebody else, who is not limited to just "wood" has any experience with stainless steel can help out, it would be appreciated.

1. 
   sapwood | Dec 20, 2006 08:32pm | #9

   Use a bi-metal blade. Go to the hardware store and read the package.... get a tooth count that will be appropriate for your metal thickness. If that's 1/4" then you can use a fairly course blade unless you want to spend the rest of your career making this cut. Personally, I always use course blades..... cutting metal is one of the more mind numbing activities I must occassionally endure. There is no need for cutting fluids with the right toothed blade. Better get a couple of them although one will probably do the job. Oh, one more thing. A metal blade maker once told me to break the blade in..... don't use excessive pressure at first. I'm not sure why but since most of my cutting is with a vertical bandsaw I figured it was a moot point.

1. 
   skinman5 | Dec 21, 2006 09:53am | #11

   thank you all for your advice,  i used a bi-metal blade at a slow consistant speed and it worked like a charm. thank you again for your help,  steve

1. 
   alanplanesaw | Dec 21, 2006 05:31pm | #12

   skinman5,

   I don't think anyone was offended by your metal question in a woodworking forum.  It is simply better and wiser to ask people who work with metal routinely a metal question than to ask people who work with wood routinely.  Just a practical matter.

   Alan - planesaw

2. 
   Quickstep | Dec 20, 2006 11:50am | #3

   By portable bandsaw, do you mean one like the one in the picture I attached? If so, I should think a bi-metal metal cutting blade should do the job. I assume the pole is tubing and not solid? If it's solid, cutting it may be a tall order for a portable tool. For drilling stainless, an electrician friend recommmends pulsing the trigger for a start/stop action. I suppose the same may hold for sawing as well. Just curious, what's the 3" stainless pole for?  You might also check on the Fine Homebuilding forum.

   
1. 
   skinman5 | Dec 20, 2006 07:41pm | #4

   good morning qickstep, yes i am using that bandsaw, and thanks for your reply. this is 1/4" tubing that is going to be installed vertically as a dance pole. i once had trouble cutting into a ss ovenhood, so you can see my concern with this pole. thanks again.

1. 
   Ron01960 | Dec 20, 2006 07:47pm | #5

   Any machine shop in your neighborhood can tell you what blade to use. TPI.Is that pole going into The Golden Banana by any chance? ha ha!

1. 
   skinman5 | Dec 20, 2006 07:52pm | #6

   thanks ron, no golden banana, but apparently pole dancing aerobics is a big thing and this is going into a dance studio.

2. 
   ChuckN | Dec 20, 2006 08:04pm | #7

   Ron,

   Please tell us more about this Golden Banana... ;>)I spent a fortune on deodorant until I finally realized that people didn't like me anyway.

1. 
   marti038 | Dec 20, 2006 08:14pm | #8

   The main thing is to keep the metal cool. Two ways to do that: 1) use a metal cutting fluid 2) TAKE YOUR TIME!!! As stainless gets hotter, it gets harder. This phenomenon is called "work hardening". The heat from friction actually works to temper the steel, if you will, and makes it tougher. You can cut it with a porta-band, but have a way to control the speed of cut or the amount of contact the blade has with the metal. This will save you a lot of frustration and having to go buy another bi-metal blade or two or more. You should also make sure your tooth count on the blade is at least an 18T or finer.

   With all that said, I wouldn't want to make more than 1 or 2 cuts on this material with a porta-band. Contact your local Fastenal if you are cutting a lot. All of their locations have metal cutting bandsaws. They would probably be willing to cut it for you for a small charge.

   http://www.fastenal.com

    

3. 
   bww_maryland | Dec 21, 2006 05:55am | #10

   why not just use a chop saw / miter saw w/ a metal blade?

   Agree with other post, breaktime (fine home building) would give better answers.

4. 
   JeffHeath | Dec 21, 2006 06:15pm | #13

   Skin

   Part of my shop is  a metal fabrication shop.  Ideally, you'd want to cut that tube with a chop saw set up for metal cutting.  However, it can certainly be done with the tool in the picture.  Choose a blade that fits your saw and is a metal cutting blade.  Slow speeds work best cutting metal with a bandsaw.  Take your time, and don't let it get too hot.  If it's burning your hand, it's too hot.  When finished, deburr the cut, and start spinning around that new pole in your bedroom!  LOL

   Jeff

1. 
   Ron01960 | Dec 22, 2006 02:31am | #14

   The Golden Banana, How to describe it. I was in Dallas about 10 years ago, and when I was asked on the record under oat, name and address, when I said Peabody, Massachusetts. The defense attorney said. "Oh yea, the Golden Banana"
   Its sad to say that the great philanthropist George Peabody, For whom the city was named, is better know for a strip club, aka The Golden Banana. Another comment I heard was "That's the only city from Maine to Florida with a traffic light on the interstate" He then said "so when you leave the Cabaret Lounge, you can bang a U turn to get to the banana" This reads well in a deposition!Its useful in giving guys directions, bare rt. or left after the Golden Banana. Bare rt. at the banana, continue north take your second exit, Rockler is a mile down on the left. Its packed with guys who work outdoors just after the rain starts and causes a finish to the work day. The banana will probably reopen in 2007, for those of you just passing through and get thirsty.