Replies

1. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Jul 06, 2003 07:06am | #1

   TJ,

   Speak to your local saw doctor - they make blades designed for cutting metal.

   Cheers,

   eddie

2. 
   Telemike | Jul 06, 2003 07:18am | #2

   The bandsaw is much more likely to work well if you slow it down by 5 to 10 x.  Wood is cut at about 800 feet/minute and metal at about 1/10 that speed.  The fast blade can melt brass or aluminum and weld it to the blade.  Then, it jams in the guides or runs very roughly.

   To slow it:  A gear motor with a 10:1 reduction over your present motor, or a "jack shaft" - a second shaft that adds two new pulleys and reduces the overall drive ratio.  Use a big pulley on the jackshaft for the first belt (from the motor) and a small pulley on the jack shaft for the second belt (to the bandsaw).  Use "pillow blocks" from a  bearing supply or an industrial supply (grainger or mcmaster) to hold the shaft.

   
   

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   Edited 7/6/2003 12:23:45 AM ET by telemiketoo

3. 
   Andrew | Jul 06, 2003 06:04pm | #3

   Pitch is very important when selecting a bandsaw blade, especially for metal. For cutting 1/8 brass you should be using a 24 tpi blade and for 1/16 use the finest pitch you can find over 30 tpi. the general rule for metal is at least 3 teeth in contact with the stock at all times. For steel you need to slow the speed down, but for brass, aluminum and all other non-ferrous metals, you can cut them at high speeds. See if you can get a blade with a wavy set and variable pitch, as this helps cut down on vibration.

   If your cutting a lot of metal, get bi-metal blades, but regular carbon steel ones work as well. You can also buy lubricant in the form of a stick that you rub on the blade while it's running from any good blade shop that services the metal working industry. this stuff is nice and it's not nearly as messy as coolant. My first choice would be to cut dry, but you can use this if chips are welding themselves to the blade.