So I just bought a ryobi 9 inch bandsaw and a metal blade for it at Home Depot and when tried to cut a 3/16 piece of 1080 it wouldn't even touch it. I have used band saws before with wood so I am pretty sure it is adjusted right. The blade I used was a Vermont American 18 tpi by 3/8 deep. What do you guys use? Any tricks to it?
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Best bandsaw blade for knife steel?
- Thread starter Tkrocky
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- May 8, 2013
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go get the portable one from harbor freight or the portaband Milwaukee.
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Yes
Not variable enough, the speeds and guides are far difererent.
You're just going to burn another blade.
No
The reason you can't find that metal cutting blade for that saw is because that is not a metal cutting saw
This will do it and Home Depot sells the blades every day. bimetal HSS 18 TPI
http://www.harborfreight.com/portable-variable-speed-bandsaw-47840.html
stick it in the vise and there you go
or you can get the same thing by dewalt, or Milwaukee too and put a SWAG table on it
http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Portaband-Tables-_c_35.html
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It won't. Even if you 'feel like it' should.
As already explained. Wood cutting bandsaws are too fast. Way way way too fast. The adjustable speed ones meant for wood are also way too fast. They also put lots of plastic parts in wood cutting bandsaws which melt and start fires when you try to cut metal with them.
The portabands are recommended because they are affordable and can be mounted if you want. Google how to do so. I think this subject is covered at least once in the stickies at the top of the page.
As already explained. Wood cutting bandsaws are too fast. Way way way too fast. The adjustable speed ones meant for wood are also way too fast. They also put lots of plastic parts in wood cutting bandsaws which melt and start fires when you try to cut metal with them.
The portabands are recommended because they are affordable and can be mounted if you want. Google how to do so. I think this subject is covered at least once in the stickies at the top of the page.
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- Dec 24, 2012
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This is as simple as it gets. Obviously a steel work table is a better choice but I had this piece of scrap aluminum laying around. I found no need to go as wide on the table as some of the other examples that Ive seen on here. I took off the handle and just chuck it into this cheap vise that I have 2x4 mounted and extends out from a work bench, removable rubber jaws of my own making on there also . Use a zip tie to hold the. trigger I use this vise often in my filing as I can walk around it. This portaband made my life so much easier I cannot begin to explain. Oh, and you can blame the beers for the two extra holes in the table 
. Oops
. Oops
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You want the most teeth you can get. Like 36 teeth per inch I believe. You also want to go slow so the shavings fall away from where you are cutting at.
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No
Not only is 36 TPI is far too fine, it's not an available size
If you were to use a blade that fine and go to slowly, you create heat that may work harden that steel
The rule of thumb is 3 teeth in the thickness of the work to avoid stripping teeth off the blade
3teeth / 1/8" thick flat bar stock
= 3 x 8
=24 TPI would be the proper size
I still like 18TPI as a general blade pitch unless I'm working very thin liner material.
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I keep noticing the ziptie mentioned on folks with the dewalt and other brand saws
I'm using what is essentially a HF model and it has trigger locks built in,
Don't the other better saws have them ?
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I use to be a electrician when I was working and that is what we used to cut the metal pipe with. anything less than that was more work cutting the pipe.
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- Dec 24, 2012
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I'll sure feel dumb if there is. I'm not around the shop to check. I often see recommendations for the HF foot switch. I've not tried it. Would just complicate my simple setup.
This is as simple as it gets. Obviously a steel work table is a better choice but I had this piece of scrap aluminum laying around. I found no need to go as wide on the table as some of the other examples that Ive seen on here. I took off the handle and just chuck it into this cheap vise that I have 2x4 mounted and extends out from a work bench, removable rubber jaws of my own making on there also . Use a zip tie to hold the. trigger I use this vise often in my filing as I can walk around it. This portaband made my life so much easier I cannot begin to explain. Oh, and you can blame the beers for the two extra holes in the table
I was ready to just go back to the hacksaw but that looks like a real sweet set up! Going to harbor freight tomorrow to see if I can't duplicate what you have going on here. Any more pictures of how you mounted the work table and put it in the vice would be appreciated!
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2014
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- 67
I'm using a Doall dual range (high -low) speed with Lennox bimetal 14 tooth per inch X 1/2 inch wide blades and I get a long life out of each blade. I also use a 1/4" wide blade for tighter curves. You should be able to find a used Rockwell metal cutting bandsaw for less that $500.00 there's thousands of them out there. There's one right now on fleabay @$299.00 w 4 days to go on the auction.