HF 14” metal cutting conversion.

[C-Bag]

Several years ago now I decided i needed a vertical bandsaw and the cheapest most flexible option after looking into it was the HF 14” which is a direct knockoff of the Delta. The most popular version of a 14” with several places that supply parts and it’s all cast iron construction. I needed it to be for cutting metal and several places on the net said 110ft per min was good for most everything, so I looked up a conversion chart online. The 1 1/2hp motor from a donor table saw ran at 1750 so the most compact way to get it to work was a double reduction.

I had the material and the pulleys along with the table saw motor mount. Instead of the silly sliding bolted affair I opted for making using the table saw motor mount and everything thing hangs off the main upper pulley. The jackshaft, pulleys and motor all auto tension by hanging. its simple to change belts or maintenance by just pulling up on the jackshaft angle iron and pull the top belt off then lower the motor and jackshaft to the floor. No belt adjusting and it has cut through 4” blocks of aluminum, steel and cast iron with no slippage. I made the belt guard out of some perforated material I had and welded some wheels to the bottom to be able to move the saw as needed like a hand truck.

 

[C-Bag]

After some extended use I happened upon Frank Fords auto sled for his 14” bandsaw and decided I needed one. His has a pulley system with a weighted can that pulls the sled through. I couldn’t figure out how much lead I needed and decided to bypass the whole thing and go with air. Letting the air regulator dictate how much “push” instead of my arm. I had the 1/4” plate from making an inspection hole in my table for my RF30. It just needed to be cleaned up so I put it on the Atlas 7b and got it smooth and flat.

 

[Janderso]

Well done, you got it contained in the housing.
I was thinking of doing something like this a few years ago. I kept running into a space problem.
Awesome!!

 

[Aaron_W]

I bought an old Davis and Wells 14" bandsaw last year. It was already a bit of a project as I'm going to need to make a new base for it, but the plan was to also do some sort of speed reduction so I could use it for metal or wood. Still in the research phase so seeing how you did yours is helpful.

 

[C-Bag]

I made a backstop along with some threaded post to hold the backstop and provide holes for various hold downs. Mounted some special key stock under the sled which guides the sled but it is also the attach point for the air ram. Mounted the ram and regulator. Most time around 22psi is what gives me a nice feed.

 

[C-Bag]

Well done, you got it contained in the housing.
I was thinking of doing something like this a few years ago. I kept running into a space problem.
Awesome!!

Thanks Jeff.

 

[C-Bag]

Some of the setups I’ve done with the auto sled. I could not have done some of these on my 4x6.

 

[Janderso]

Great pics.
The pic showing your protractor? That is sweet "2470B". I need to do something like that.
Often times I think, what's the best way to cut this. I am embarrassed to say, I forget about the vertical band saw.

 

[C-Bag]

Great pics.
The pic showing your protractor? That is sweet "2470B". I need to do something like that.
Often times I think, what's the best way to cut this. I am embarrassed to say, I forget about the vertical band saw.

thanks. The vertical is an ever evolving thing and that’s why as I do some special setup I put the parts on magnets on the upper wheel guard. Partially because I’m lazy, but I’m also forgetful. And if the stuff is sitting basically in my face it helps with a “dawning”. Having dedicated tooling for each machine has really upped my game.

a lot of what I do is kinda small odd ball stuff and I found myself wrestling with the 4x6 in vert mode. If there’s a way to not have to freehand close to a saw blade I’d rather go that route. The old HF saw was $50 used and abused. The most expensive part was the nice ball bearing guide head. It was half of the $300 total cost I have into the saw. It is my most often used machine tool.

 

[rwm]

Clever stuff! My sled has a drill press vice but it is not as versatile as those hold downs. Consider that stolen.
Robert