Do I need to use a special blade in the bandsaw for cutting metal?

You're definitely going to need to slow down the blade speed. Ideally the blade should run at 60 fpm to 120 fpm depending on the material to be cut. If I remember correctly the bandsaw I converted originally ran at 350 fpm. Here's a link to the thread where I converted a Rockwell 10" wood saw to a metal saw.

www.hobby-machinist.com

Another Dinosaur Comes Back To Life

I've had a Rockwell 28-113 wood bandsaw sitting in the back of the shop since I bought it new in 1974. It's gotten very little use since I haven't been into woodworking for over 30 years. For the most part it's just taken up floor space and been used as a storage shelf. A couple weeks ago I...
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com

You might be able to find used components to do the same thing. If you need to purchase everything new, you'll probably be better off to sell the current one and buy a used metal saw.
 
You could fab a platen to mount to the table for the sanding belts.
That round guide would be a good starting point.
It is not worth it to spend the time and $ to slow the blade down, use it as a sander.
 
Good luck getting that saw to work as a metal saw. It runs waaaayyyy too fast, for starters. Those Crapsman bandsaws and other Crapsman equipment of the same caliber are meant for hobbyist woodworking at best. My father-in-law (deceased) has one sitting in his shop that I could have for free, but it isn't worth my time and effort to even bring it through the door.
 
I've owned 2 of these over the years and both have passed . It will cut aluminum with a skip tooth blade . I may have parts and blades for it still . If I remember correctly , they had sanding belts that could be used . I ended up with a Wilton and a Jet 14" . The Wilton went to someone on here and the Jet is buried in the other basement . I'll be heading out to the garage later on today to go thru the clutter . I found a gearbox in the back of the truck so if anyone is in need of such , you'll save it from the scrap yard .
 
I bought the same saw at least 35 years ago. I never used it as a sander; see the snippet below showing the installation of the sanding platen (separate part - full manual is attached also). I don't recall if my saw had this included or not. I do recall the slow-down pulleys for cutting aluminum were an add-on. I'd thought about adapting a treadmill motor to slow it down for sheet metal, but ended up selling the saw and buying a DoAll 16". Frankly, it's a light-duty wood cutting saw.

Regarding your original question about different blades, bi-metal (HSS teeth, soft/spring-steel back) would be best for steel. I use bi-metal blades on my HF 7 x 12 horizontal cut-off saw; they last a couple of days short of "forever".

On my DoAll, I have carbon steel blades and use them interchangeably on wood and metal. I was taught to use a blade tooth per inch so at least 1 1/2 teeth were touching the material (keep from hammering the teeth). For 1/16" steel, 16 tpi would be 1 for 1; 24 tpi would give you a 1.5 ratio.

Bruce


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erikmannie said:
I just got a bandsaw for free from a woodworker (my Dad). The blade in there now is presumably for cutting wood.
I don’t know much about bandsaws. Should I replace the blade with one made for cutting metal? I never work on wood.
95+% of my work is on mild steel.
This new-to-me bandsaw will be tasked to cut a lot of 45-70 kpsi tensile strength (carbon steel) weld beads.
Click to expand...
Like most DIY bandsaws, you can use the basic thing considered as a base set of project parts, and set about making some improvements.
YouTube has lots of videos showing everything from little add-ons to complete DIY constructions. Quinn Dunki (Blondihacks) showed a project where she rigged up a hand-held bandsaw on a wall mount with a trick tilting table.

The first answer is yes - you do need to use a blade suited to the job. My choice is bi-metal M42. For cutting wood, choose 6TPI for ripping thick chunks. 6-10 variable, or 8TPI, or 10TPI for fine wood cuts on thinner stuff. For metal, 10-14TPI variable for thick chunks, and in aluminium. 14TPI for thick cast iron. Thinner metals need finer tooth pitches. You need more than a couple of teeth on the thickness of what you cut.

When you get to what's OK for steels, put stainless in a special category. The speed, technique, and lube are all very important. Generally as the steels get thin, like 3mm, or 2mm, the teeth count needs to go up. Look to 18TPI or 24TPI. With stainless, it can trash a good blade in seconds if you do it wrong. You need the lube paste, oil, or oily coolant flow. You go blade speed real slow - and go in hard! Get the blade going without rubbing, and don't stop until you are through. If you release pressure on the cut, come back away a fraction real quick. Don't let it rub.

Counter-intuitively, extremely fine toothed blades don't help much here. If the pressure is distributed on too many teeth, they can lack the point force to start cutting. Mine worked on 14TPI into 10mm stainless.

Cheap Speed Controllers
I bought a Axminster band saw claimed to be OK for woodwork and metalwork because of the variable speed power drive, so I didn't need a drive, but I did also get a variable speed drive for my drill press, which would also work on a bandsaw. About $100 should get you the right thing. Avoid those simplistic $40 little boxes that leave you with no torque.

Check advertisements very carefully, checking for single-phase input AND single phase output capability. There are tons that do single-phase in, and three phase out. Use 240V if you can contrive it in your shop. The one I got was "universal", able to be configured for all kinds. I show the first link as the one I purchased.
The one I bought
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203098314559?

USA supply
I have not checked the specifications in detail, but here are links to USA eBay examples that might do the job.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144662252352?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/394295165098?

Given you got the base device for free, you might consider you have room for some upgrades. Adding on a little adjustable blade guide with four 1/2" diameter sealed ball bearings is one I have seen a video on. I see this item as a safety need, as well as something to prevent cut wandering about.

Some folk add a mist, or coolant flow pipe, though you have to pay attention to guiding and collecting wet stuff from under the table. It may be a DIY woodwork bandsaw is best kept doing what it was designed for. Having a slow-speed metal cutting ability is a huge treat, but you may want to use a more dedicated machine. That said, one can definitely turn a base bandsaw structure into a great metal cutter.
 
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I inherited the exact same saw. I cannibalized the motor when I cooked the one on my 4x6 (my fault). The stand may get repurposed with some new casters. The rest is in the bone yard.

While this doesn't have as large a throat, it's actually up to cutting metal.

20210729_230650.jpg
 
I have 2 of these 12" craftsman bandsaws. A '60s vintage one in the wood shop (which I quite like), and one almost identical to the OG posted one in the machine shop. I'm really just storing that one for someone, but I have put the largest pulley that would fit on the saw (about 11-1/2" diameter, if I recall), and smallest on the motor to slow it down, and have been using it for metal work. It's is still turning about twice as fast as it "should", but it works quite well. I've cut 2-3" bar stock with it. It had a fine tooth metal cutting blade for sheet work on it when I took custody of it, and it would probably work quite well for thin stock with that blade at the current slower speed.

-Pete
 
That saw is probably not worth the effort to convert it to cut metal other than sheet metal or aluminum and brass. I picked up an old Dunlap a while back with the idea to convert it to cut metal. Mr. Pete has some videos on converting a wood bandsaw to cut metal. I ended up getting a 30:1 speed reducer off of Ebay for around $50. Install on the Dunlap was not hard. SFPM is now in the range for cutting metal. My 3x6 has a 13tpi blade that works well on metal so I got a 13tpi blade for the Dunlap. I don't know if I have damaged the blade or didn't get the right type but it doesn't cut metal other than sheet metal, aluminum and brass. I am thinking about getting another blade to see if that makes a difference. If not I will convert it back to wood cutting.
 
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