Further Down the Rabbit Hole, or Plasma Cutters, MIGs, and Chop Saws oh my!

[mikey]

Ok I'm sold! A trip to HF on my way home is on my agenda.

I assume this is the "little" band saw?
http://www.harborfreight.com/horizontal-vertical-metal-cutting-bandsaw-93762.html

How are HF's bandsaw blades?

I would guess the HF model is the most ubiquitous little bandsaw in the US. It is capable from what I understand but may require some tweaking to work well. Join the Yahoo 4x6 group and learn all about it. I have a Jet HVBS-56M and it has been flawless for about 15 years now. Once tuned, it stays tuned.

For blades, I would highly recommend you consider Lenox Diemaster-2 bi-metal blades. They are not expensive and mine last over 5 years each, or more. I prefer a 10-14 tooth variable pitch blade and use it for everything from wood to stainless with no issues at all. Easily the best blade I've tried (tried Starrett, Morse, and the lousy stock Jet blade and none came close to a Lenox).

You will need to tune the saw and the best guide is on the Yahoo group by John Pitkin. It might be in the download section here; haven't checked. You will also benefit from a chip brush and a good table for vertical cutting.

 

[BFHammer]

Welcome to the ever slippery slope!

I wholeheartedly agree with what has been said above about the Harbor Freight bandsaw. One of my first purchases as I was tooling up to do some metal fabrication. With a little tuning it's a great little machine. I find it still gets a ton of use for the larger metal cutting work.
Around Christmas, temptation (and a 25% off coupon) got the best of me and I purchased the Dewalt DW872 dry cut saw. It has been great so far and I have given it a good workout. It will be painful when I have to replace the blade but so far so good.

On the topic of plasma cutters I fell in love with those early on. My advice would be hold off until you justify the expenditure and then get a Hypertherm. I tried to cheap out and started with an Eastwood versa cut. Very underpowered, low quality torch and it eats consumables. I sold it and got a Hypertherm 45. That machine is AWESOME! Everytime I have a need for the plasma it makes me . I actually cut some 1" plate just to see if it would and it did. 1/2" and under is like slicing butter. Although the machine is a big investment up front it is easy on consumables saving you money down the road.

One thing to put on your list that I think was mentioned above is a portable bandsaw - the one from HF is just fine and can be had for basically $100 on sale. Take the money you saved and get a SWAG portaband stand. My saw lives in the stand and gets used almost everytime I'm in the shop for something.

That covers everything but welding. I did some stick welding years ago but when I got back into metal work I got a Millermatic 211 MIG. I really learned to weld from YouTube and lots of practice. The MIG is very versatile and I think is a good all around choice. Definitely go gas. Flux core only when you can't take your rig with you. You can buy an 80CF tank and it will ride in your back seat just fine - it only about 4' tall. That is probably against some rule - but just keep the cap on for transport. Alternatively get a buddy to pick it up for you and you can weld something up for him in exchange. Welding is it's own little vice - like Brino I have now picked up a TIG machine and with another five years of practice I might can make a decent weld with it!

Good luck and have fun - this forum is a great place for info and always willing to help spend your money!

Mark

 

[ch2co]

Mike
Could you post some photos of the stand that you made for holding the HF "portaband" saw?

Also for anyone, the HF band saw is a horizontal /vertical bandsaw. When it is standing in a vertical position, does it have a table to work off of? OR has someone
built such a table? Photos?

Thanks
CHuck the grumpy old guy

 

[mikey]

The table that comes with most Asian H/V bandsaws is just stamped thin sheetmetal that screws onto the lower blade guide. It is flimsy and dangerous in my opinion so I made my own from 1/4" thick mild steel that attaches to a sub-table. The sub-table is permanently screwed to the lower blade guide and is as large as clearance allows. The main table attaches to the sub-table with two 1/4-20 thumb screws in a few seconds. The main table is supported with a vertical support that stabilizes the table and prevents the saw from leaving the vertical position until I'm ready for it to do so. It takes a flick of the wrist to install or remove the support post.

 

[T. J.]

@chuck-
The portaband tables that Mark mentioned above can be found here:
http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Portaband-Tables-Accessories_c_35.html

I have the version 1.0 table for my Milwaukee saw and love it. SWAG also sells lots of other cool stuff that's on my wish list!

 

[ch2co]

Thanks guys, I just made up my mind to get a portaband style unit. I don't have a lot of floorspace for a horizontal unit.
I cut most of my aluminum with my radial arm saw with metal cutting blade, gotten real good at it, but not for steel.

 

[intjonmiller]

I'm not too much further down this path than you. 2-3 years anyway, but far too busy with paying work to make much progress on my hobby in that time. But that has given me the ability to be patient in acquiring tools. I got an older HF abrasive chop saw pretty early. Cost me $20 on my local classifieds. Brushes crumbled a couple months later but some from a Harbor Freight router fit just fine. That has served me well for most things, along with angle grinders and a pneumatic cutoff tool. Just found a Milwaukee deep cut porta band for $150 on the classifieds the other day. About an hour away from me, but on my brother's way home from work. I'm excited to get it from him this weekend and put it to use making a chop saw stand and a vertical saw stand for it. But for fabrication tasks a cheap abrasive saw is faster and, other than the spray of hot, dirty grit, absolutely fine for the job. I keep a bastard mill file at the chop saw for quick deburring of the razor edge it leaves on tubing and such.

Someday I'll get a "proper" horizontal bandsaw, but having used one with power feed and coolant pump/pan, and with precious little space in my 1 car garage, I am going to wait until I have room and money for the real thing. Every six months or so one shows up on the classifieds around half the price of new. I can wait.

 

[BGHansen]

I've got a HF 7 x 12 band saw and love it. Have a USA made bi-metal 10-14 tpi blade it in. It's my go-to cutting tool. Also have a Porter Cable chop saw from TSC; cost about $100. Don't use it nearly as much as the band saw though I do use it for miter cuts in angle because I'm too lazy to change the vise angle on the band saw. Have one of the import inverter plasma cutters too. Only used it a couple of times to cut some 3/8" thick angle for making a float for scraping our driveway. I could have used the band saw, but the plasma cutter is right at my shop door, saw is 30 feet away.

Also have a Hobart 190 MIG welder, AHP 200 TIG, Miller spot welder and a Lincoln AC buzz box stick welder. The Hobart replaced a piece of crap 30-year old HF MIG welder that would never consistently feed wire. Hobart is the Chevy brand as compared to Miller as the Cadillac (same company makes both). Absolutely nothing bad to say about my Hobart welder.

If you're on a budget, start with the band saw and MIG welder. The TIG is nice if you're doing Aluminum welding. Plasma cutter if you're making curves or complex shapes that can't be done with a band saw (easily). Sounds like you're hooked, join the crowd!

Bruce

 

[AGCB97]

I'd watch Craigslist for stuff. You might get good machinery albeit older and needing a little care. I got a Johnson model J bandsaw for $400. All it needed was guide bearings and a blade. Cuts up to 19" wide flat plate and it's ready to use, no slag to grind.

At quick glance I didn't see anyone mention TIG welder. But closer look proved me wrong. Clean easy welds in steel or aluminum. A Alpha TIG AHP 200 was $700 from Amazon and it does stick too. To get the same features in an American made welder you'd pay 3-5 times as much. Good if you're making your living with it but not so good for a DIY er

As brino said "
I often refer to my "TIG welding practice" as "TIG electrode sharpening practice". My biggest step forward there came from getting a high-end auto-darkening helmet. Amazing what you can do when you can actually see the work and the puddle!"

I agree %100

Aaron

 

[GarageGuy]

... You get the idea.

Yep, you're in the right place. That describes most of us. I've had excellent luck finding tools on Craigslist over the years. It takes patience, though.

As others have mentioned, the ubiquitous import 4 x 6 band saw is a great place to start. The same machine has been imported for at least 40 years and labeled under dozens of brand names. I got a used one for $45 on CL, and after a few hours of clean-up and adjustment it is a capable little saw. I buy the Olson carbon steel blades they sell at Farm & Fleet, and Big R. They sell for about $8 each, and are made in Wisconsin. They last quite awhile unless you try to cut hard steel, or don't have enough teeth in contact with the metal.

I do a fair amount of welding, and the two processes you will use most are TIG and MIG. I have a higher end Everlast Power Pro 256 AC/DC TIG inverter machine. It can do stick welding and plasma cutting in addition to TIG. It is one of the few machines I bought new, and they run in the $2000 range. I weld aluminum, stainless, and mild steel regularly. I also like being able to use silicon bronze and aluminum bronze for brazing in addition to traditional welding. At work I use a Miller Dynasty 350 TIG machine (big $$$), and it is a killer nice machine, but I can do almost anything at home that I can at work. There is a learning curve to TIG welding, but it is very versatile. That said, there are some things that are just faster and easier to weld with MIG. Metal framework for equipment stands, etc. TIG is my favorite, but I have (and use) both. My advice is to get a 220v machine whether you pick TIG or MIG. You are much less likely to outgrow it and be looking for a bigger one in 6 months.

If you use plasma, you don't need a large quantity of air, but it does need to be very dry air. Moisture in your plasma torch will eat up tips fast, and leave poor quality cuts. I found a small refrigerated air dryer on CL for $200, and it makes a big difference. It will make your powder coat stick better too because static electricity and humidity don't work well together. Before I got it, I used a poor man's air dryer by coiling a copper tube through a large Rubbermaid tub filled with ice water, and then using a couple of water traps between that and the plasma torch or powder gun. If you chill humid air, it condenses the moisture so it tends to separate or fall out of the air. It doesn't matter whether you use a refrigerator or ice to get the job done.

Once you've been bitten by the hobby machine and welder bug, you're doomed just like the rest of us. Be careful and have fun!

GG