A Vertical Bandsaw for a Small Shop (and Budget)

[MrWhoopee]

Among the many things that have been troubling me lately are the limited space in my shop and the minimal throat depth on my HF 4x6 in vertical mode (~2in.) Contributing to the first item is a second 4x6 that I inherited from a friend. It occurred to me that it had the potential for a much larger throat capacity, at the expense of the horizontal mode. I started by making replacements for the blade guide support bars which did not impose the twist needed for the horizontal mode. This gave me about 5 in. throat. Then I made the table.




Once I had this done, the legendary instability of the saw base, compounded by the angle of the head to the base, convinced me that I had more work to do.
I had to figure out how to attach the saw head to a vertical mounting bracket, then build a pedestal to support the whole thing. Along the way, I decided to increase the throat a little more by milling out some of the web on the saw head casting.



The final details were wiring a switch, painting the raw metal (I decided to keep the patinated original finish on the head) and fitting the belt guard.



It's no DoAll, but it only occupies 2.25 sq. ft. and cost $4 for paint.

 

[Firstram]

Nice, this has been on my list of things to build for a while. Unfortunately, it's a long list!

 

[Norseman C.B.]

Been eyeballin an old saw in my brother's shop for doin the same project, ya done
went and gave me some incentive to pursue it............................

 

[T Bredehoft]

I certainly hope you won't try to saw more than perhaps .030 aluminum, otherwise you'll push the saw over. I know I would.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I certainly hope you won't try to saw more than perhaps .030 aluminum, otherwise you'll push the saw over. I know I would.

I expect to be standing on its feet. If necessary, I'll weld a plate to stand on.

I just discovered that the saw takes a 65 in. blade, not enough adjustment for a 64-1/2. Time for more mods.

 

[projectnut]

You might want to contact Ellis Saws if you need a non standard size blade. They custom make just about any size you'd like. My Startrite H175 uses an .035"x 3/4 x 98" blade. I order them from Ellis 2 at a time which is their minimum. I get their bi metal blades in either 6/12 or 10/14 variable tooth. Since I'm close to them I just call ahead and pick them up the same day. They do however ship anywhere you'd like them to.

Band Saw Blade Stock List - Ellis Mfg, Inc.

Bi-Metal Tooth Styles Width Thickness Number of Teeth Per Inch 1/4″ .025 GP 10/14 VT 3/8″ .025 GP 10/14 VT 4 H 1/2″ .025 GP 6/10 VT 8/12 VT 10/14 VT 6 R 10 R 14 R 18 R 3/4″ .035 GP 4/6 VT 5/8 VT 6/10 VT 8/12 VT 10/14 VT 3 H 6…

www.ellissaw.com

 

[MrWhoopee]

You might want to contact Ellis Saws if you need a non standard size blade. They custom make just about any size you'd like. My Startrite H175 uses an .035"x 3/4 x 98" blade. I order them from Ellis 2 at a time which is their minimum. I get their bi metal blades in either 6/12 or 10/14 variable tooth. Since I'm close to them I just call ahead and pick them up the same day. They do however ship anywhere you'd like them to.

I've been getting blades made to size for my Kalamazoo 8CW off Aliexpress. Since I already have one 4x6 using the standard 64-1/2" blades, I'd prefer to modify this saw to accept the same, reducing inventory requirements and confusion.

 

[T Bredehoft]

I'd prefer to modify this saw to accept the same, reducing inventory requirements and confusion.

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[Shotgun]

I expect to be standing on its feet. If necessary, I'll weld a plate to stand on.

I just discovered that the saw takes a 65 in. blade, not enough adjustment for a 64-1/2. Time for more mods.

I had the same issue with my 4x6. I just found a bolt with matching threads just a little longer than the one in the tensioner, and then used a rasp on a drill to dig the adjustment slot out a little.

The blades are still a little difficult to get on, but it cuts metal.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I had the same issue with my 4x6. I just found a bolt with matching threads just a little longer than the one in the tensioner, and then used a rasp on a drill to dig the adjustment slot out a little.

20 minutes with a die grinder gave me enough travel on the tensioner. Fortunately, this old saw used USC threads so I was able to replace the tensioning screw with a piece of 3/8-16 all-thread. I re-purposed a knob I had made for something else and now I have all the adjustment I need.