Home Made Band Saw + Modifications

cathead

CATWERKS LTD
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Hi All,
First a little history on the metal cutting band saw. It was made with wheels made from thick
pipe and the centers welded in and machined, each wheel with three spokes. The motor
came from an old clothes dryer and is 1/3 hp. It has a belt driven reduction followed by a
chain driven reduction. The vise is operated with a long threaded rod underneath the table.
The saw uses a standard ten foot metal cutting blade.

Today I did some work on the saw. The wheel surfaces were widened to accommodate a one
inch wide blade. Also added was a table to allow use as a vertical saw and freehand operation.
Also the switch had to be moved as it was ungainly to reach over the moving blade to shut it off.

It has cut a lot of metal over the years. The largest stuff I have cut with it is 5 inch round material.
Usually it is used for angle iron, pipes, and solid rod material for lathe work.

It could use some cleaning and a coat of paint, a job for another day.

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That looks like it does the job as needed, but a bunch of OSHA people would not like it. But if you had plans on that wuld be great.
 
That looks like it does the job as needed, but a bunch of OSHA people would not like it. But if you had plans on that wuld be great.

Plans, what plans? I planned to build a saw so I looked at several, got some materials at the metals place and went to work
building a saw. That's about it. If OSHA had their way, saw blades would be toothless.
 
Do you know what I remember most about building this saw? Not having a working metal saw, all the parts
were cut with a hack saw. The vise jaws and table underneath as well as the pillow blocks for the bearings
were made from a chunk of 5/8 x 4 inch material. :pickaxe: I need to take some new photos as it has been cleaned up and
looking much nicer now.:wink:

I still have several improvements I would like to add. An automatic shut off would be nice
and an adjustable hydraulic add on to control the drop rate would be a good thing. Also
some new paint would do wonders as well.:idea:
 
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Automatic shut off, Lay cord across bed, Oops the cord would be cut before you got all the metal cut. Oh well another try.
 
for an auto shut off something I would try is to use a door safety switch that is mains rated, then a lever attached to the top saw part which releases the switch when the cut is finished. So the switch is closed when the saw is raised or cutting and opens when the saw is fully down. I scrounged one of those switches a while back, I think it's 120V/10A or perhaps higher, should be enough for a 1/3hp motor I think.
 
for an auto shut off something I would try is to use a door safety switch that is mains rated, then a lever attached to the top saw part which releases the switch when the cut is finished. So the switch is closed when the saw is raised or cutting and opens when the saw is fully down. I scrounged one of those switches a while back, I think it's 120V/10A or perhaps higher, should be enough for a 1/3hp motor I think.


A momentary switch would be the best. Come to think of it I have a limit switch or two that might be just perfect for the job. :idea:
They are at the bottom of a crate of electrical "stuff". If it works out, I will post a photo or two.

Thanks Matt.
 
The home made band saw now has auto shut off and it works flawlessly. The switch is a limit switch
that was discarded from a local stud mill lumber plant. The limit switch was wired in series
with the main switch and will not interfere with operation of the saw when used with the
table for freehand operations.

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holy cow, that was fast! Nice work :) That's pretty much what I envisioned, though I think yours works the other way round - opens when pressed? Looks more elegant.
 
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