Bandsaw or hacksaw, that is the question

[Downunder Bob]

I'm assuming you are thinking of the cordless variety like makita or milwaukee and others make. Yes they work, but ae4 inclined to be underpowered, for anything but the light set of work. I did consider them before I bought my HAfco 5 x 5

One sales guy was very honest and basically talked me out of buying one. I had narrowed it down to Makita, for various reasons that suited me. I'm not saying one is better than the other because I haven't tried them all.

Anyway the sales guy said they were really only intended for use on construction sits for cutting steel frame sections that are made from rolled and folded sheet steel sections as used in steel framed housing for domestic use. For that they work quite well, and certainly better than a hacksaw. he loaned me a demo model they had for a few hours, I bought it home and tried it out on some bar stock I had just flat and round MS. Yes it cut it but was slow. It convinced me to buy a proper band saw, and I haven't looked back.

Blade breakage is very much how you use it. If you allow it to twist the blade while cutting yes the will break. Also the problem with blades is cost if you have to buy the proprietary brand blades.However if you have someone near you that makes bandsaw blades it should be much cheaper. This more or less true with any type of bandsaw.

However if your use is more like the house builders then have a good look and make a choice.

 

[Winegrower]

I kind of lucked into my Kalamazoo 9”x16” bandsaw before I realized how useful it is. The size is part of the usefulness...not that I’m going to cut 16” I-beams up, but for example, I sawed some 12” metal roofing up like it was butter. Also, I have split some 14” bars in half lengthwise. I also made a pallet with clamps to hold smaller pieces faster and more accurately...see POTD writeup.

I would like a vertical metal saw, but not enough to actually buy one and make room for it.

 

[Logan 400]

WCraig, I don't have knowledge about all the brands but we have used the DeWalt and Milwaukee in the field. The Milwaukee last longer and seems to be more durable for our use. Mostly cutting emt, unistrut, and threaded rod to 1/2".
Jay

 

[NCjeeper]

My vote is for a 7x12 H/V bandsaw. Bought mine in 2004 and its been great. Enough grunt to plow through large diameter stuff.

 

[gjmontll]

I had hoped the HP 4x6 portable bandsaw would be right for my infrequent cutting of jobs beyond the normal handheld hacksawing. But even with an upgrade to Milwaukee brand blades, it was disappointingly slow and loud. I found that a chop saw was no answer either.

Going outside the scope of this topic: For "heavier" cutting jobs, my current choice is a reciprocating saw; I have the HF one. It cuts much faster than the chop or band saw and many blade choices are available. The Milwaukee "Torch" blades work well. Weakness of this approach is limited accuracy and I often start with a hacksaw cut for at least a straight start.

For lighter cutting, I use a Rockwell Bladerunner (basically a jigsaw).

 

[mikey]

@gjmontll, I don't own a HF saw but mine is similar, at least in shape. These saws can be tuned to perform quite well, and then it is the choice of blade that brings it home. Before you give up on your 4X6, I suggest you try a Lenox Diemaster 2, 10-14 variable pitch bi-metal blade for general work. This blade, at least on my saw, cuts everything from Delrin to Stainless to carbon steel to wood and does it fast and accurate. They seem to last a long time when used on a well-tuned saw. My current Lenox blade is at least 5 years old and the one before this one went even longer. You might give it a try.

 

[jsh]

I picked up a Milwaukee portaband, deep throat. Same auction I got the vise base that it fastens too and works as a small band saw.

Buddy has been making knives and wanted a metal band saw. I ran across a place that makes a table that bolts on to a portaband.

swagoffroad.com

 

[C-Bag]

Count me a hacksaw man; but, not any machine that takes less than a 14" blade, even then, machines like the Keller are too wimpy. I have, presently, a 6 X 6 Peerless saw, it is OK, but previously, I had a Marvel saw that took 3 TPI blades; I challenge HF to try to keep up with it!

Wow, I can't even fathom a 3 TPI blade! You have to be cutting nothing thinner than 3/8" or so right? So you have no problem finding blades?

I prefer machines I can setup and let them do their own thing while I go do something else. Its why I love the old shaper and why I put an auto feed sled on the 14" verticle saw. The 4x6 automatically feeds itself. It is a true luxury to have all these plus a portaband too. Also have my sabre saw on a stationary mount for stuff the others can't do. Each one to their use because no one saw does it all.

 

[gr8legs]

We have a 7x12 Horizontal / Vertical bandsaw and a DeWalt 872 cold saw (that replaced one of those awful abrasive cutoff saws - ugh!).

90% of our cuts are done on the cold saw. It's fast and does a respectable job cutting stuff that will be processed further or welded as-is.

The bandsaw is nice when used in horizontal arrangement because you can set it up and do repetitive cuts without babysitting it. And the cuts are cleaner but when you use the coolant system it flows along the stock and piddles on the floor

I had a power hacksaw long long ago but it is very slow going.

If I could have only one saw it would be the cold saw - small footprint, fast cutting, relatively good, clean accurate cuts. JMHO

Stu

 

[projectnut]

Several posters have mentioned that their power hacksaws are extremely slow compared to a bandsaw. At the 140 strokes per minute speed my Racine saw is cutting at slightly less than 61ft./min. The bandsaw has 3 speeds of 60, 100, and 160 ft./min. I run the bandsaw at the lowest speed for everything except plastics. Essentially both saws are cutting at nearly identical speeds.

While the bandsaw can cut at substantially higher speeds, I've found over the years that it's extremely hard on blades. At the lowest speed a blade usually lasts a minimum of 2 years, and more often closer to 5 years. At the highest speed I'm lucky to get a year out of a blade.

Both saws can be set and left to run on their own. They both have stock gauges for cutting multiple pieces of the same length. They both have adjustable down feed pressure, and shut off at the end of each cut. The power hacksaw also lifts at the end of each cutting stroke to avoid dragging and dulling the blade on the return stroke.

As mentioned about the only downside of the power hacksaw is cost and availability of blades. They are still quite common from most industrial suppliers, but can be relatively expensive. The higher quality blades are now going for around $20.00 each for brands like Starrett. I have still been able to find all I need new on eBay or from members of other bulletin boards for around $3.00 per blade. Given they last nearly as long as the bandsaw blades they aren't all that expensive by comparison. The average bandsaw blade now costs around $40.00 to $45.00 depending on length, width, material, and tooth configuration.

Here's are brochures for the Racine Power hacksaws, and the Startrite bandsaws: