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Portaband question, why do so many people use these Vs a dedicated bandsaw?

2020AT4

2020AT4

Transgender tailgate operation specialist.
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Member Number
3826
Messages
221
Loc
Pennsylvania
Im a toolmaker by trade and as such I have certain hang-ups regarding tools and shop practices and such.

Understand, Im not putting anyone or their methods down, but using a porta as a vertical bandsaw would make my eye twitch.

Then again Im one of the few people I know to own a power hacksaw.:roxy:

I can think of dozens of reasons not to, help me understand why you do.
 
2020AT4 said:
Im a toolmaker by trade and as such I have certain hang-ups regarding tools and shop practices and such.

Understand, Im not putting anyone or their methods down, but using a porta as a vertical bandsaw would make my eye twitch.

Then again Im one of the few people I know to own a power hacksaw.:roxy:

I can think of dozens of reasons not to, help me understand why you do.
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If you're poor and working out of a 1 car garage it isn't a bad option.

A real vertical bandsaw takes up space and money. I have neither
 
Because most garage fabrication projects have a high tolerance for error and fit, so a portaband is good enuf. Very few garage heros are into tool making or proper machining.

I have a selection of decent tools. I still get involved in projects that require cobbling skills. I have a great deal of respect for those that accomplish a project with very little tool or all the wrong tools. Probably why I am fascinated with the pakistani gun makers and such that are able to make functioning items with a hammer, a rock and the floor.
 
Vertical metal cutting bandsaws are pretty expensive, and take up a lot of floor space and I seldom even need one. The throat capacity is seldom needed in the projects I do. 95 percent of what I do on a vertical bandsaw can be done on my portaband on a homemade stand. If I had unlimited room and money I would probably have a 36 inch metal bandsaw that would be covered with dust and cobwebs.
 
mjlogan88 said:
If you're poor and working out of a 1 car garage it isn't a bad option.

A real vertical bandsaw takes up space and money. I have neither
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Space issues I can understand, there’s never enough space.
 
clodhopper said:
Because most garage fabrication projects have a high tolerance for error and fit, so a portaband is good enuf. Very few garage heros are into tool making or proper machining.

I have a selection of decent tools. I still get involved in projects that require cobbling skills. I have a great deal of respect for those that accomplish a project with very little tool or all the wrong tools. Probably why I am fascinated with the pakistani gun makers and such that are able to make functioning items with a hammer, a rock and the floor.
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I can certainly relate to that.

I went from “cobbler” to “schooled” and had the need to go back and was fucking lost.

Took me hours to do a simple thing as I had forgot all of my “garage knowledge”.

I still feel lost sometimes for not having a proper Bridgeport mill when working at home.
 
A Doall bandsaw that in good shape is a dream to use. Especially if the rest of the shop is not screwing up the blade. In most shops it’s on the top of the list of abuse tools
 
-Small footprint
-Price
-Versatility to be removed and used as an actual portaband
-Great 'starter' tool for the shop that will get used often. I still use mine all the time.

With that being said, I know there are better tools for the job.. I just don't have them yet :flipoff2:
 
Since you have dozens of reasons not to porta-band, start listing:confused:

I went porta-band due to price and size. But also quality. A quality vert band is a wheelbarrow full of money. A Milwaukee was only ~$200 plus ~$100 stand. I can break it all down and throw it on the shelf.
 
I have a bauer portaband because it was cheap, but I can't get it to cut straight, no matter what blade I'm using (milwakee, starrett, bauer, etc.).

Friend of mine is lending a cheap HF style horizontal bandsaw and that thing is miles better than a portaband. It's less portable, but just as cheap.
 
Lil'John said:
Since you have dozens of reasons not to porta-band, start listing:confused:

I went porta-band due to price and size. But also quality. A quality vert band is a wheelbarrow full of money. A Milwaukee was only ~$200 plus ~$100 stand. I can break it all down and throw it on the shelf.
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I see quality used bandsaws often on CL for around $400.

Im tempted to pick this one up just to flip it.

Cons you say?

Blade cost vs life.

They dont cut straight

Their slow

Blade types are limited

Blade kerf limits how tight you can cut a curved shape.

Blade kerf makes it difficult to make a square inside corner.

Throat limits how thick of a piece you can slit off a piece of plate.

Single speed


I could go on...


As stated above, they do serve a few different functions and can be stored away, so theres that.

And no I cant take my 16" floor stander out of the garage and cut things with it. Like that hitch ball that wont come off of my rusted in place receiver.

Again, Im not knocking what people have, just curious as to why so many people use them vs a floor stander.
 
I have a harbor freight style metal horizontal band saw that stores under my work bench for cutting lengths up to 5" diameter. A good, first, careful set up of that inexpensive saw will cut slices absolutely true. Easy, accurate angle cuts to minimize further milling or sanding. All about the setup. Put the part in the vise. Bring down the saw and walk away as it does it's business. I have had some 4" diameter stainless that it took a couple hours to do the cut. Awesome. Other friends have bought these and rarely use them because of poor initial set-up. An hour of messing, and now use on a regular basis..even when a skill saw would have done the work

I also have a metal 14" throat, Jet vertical bandsaw with a large 24" table for cutting flat shapes up to 7" thick. It also has a blade welder so I can make my own blades. The welder is useful for cutting out large holes. You drill a "starter hole in the plate. break the blade and pass it thru the drill and then weld the blade back together. Cut the hole out and then break the blade again to get the blade and core out. Saves a TON of time! It is as accurate as you want to take the time for. Indispensable if you have a mill. The first "tool" I bought for the shop. I have had 300lb chunks of 7" thick alum on it. was there for awhile, but success for both exterior and interior cutting. Stuff that would have taken days to remove on a mill with multiple set-ups.

Both of these machines can be purchased as metal or woodworking. The woodworking machines are really too fast to even cut aluminum. Metal machines have several speeds and easily cut any wood quickly. More $$$$ tho. Bands can be $$$. A welder will allow band cost to be easily 75% less. Ebay is a good place to buy 100ft reels for cheap. I probably have 20 reels of different widths and teeth profiles. And I am just a home jockey with some fun personal fab projects.

After 30 years I finally bought a MIlwaukee porta-band. Only to use on an extension cord. A neat tool but not accurate for anything needing it.

I hate abrasive cut-off tools. I would never have one around the shop or in a neighborhood. Put one of the new badass carbide blades in them if you must because of space.
 
a nice vertical bandsaw is well down the list of priorities when the portaband is like 90% as good
tracing out the odd few brackets and shit, it doesn't really matter that it's a bit slower

horizontal bandsaw now, that's where a good one does make enough of a difference to justify buying/storing a good one over the portaband
 
Byro said:
Since we’re on the topic, anyone use one of these hogs? I’ve had my eye on one for a while and would like some real world feedback before I give China some money.

www.harborfreight.com

1 HP 4 in. x 6 in. Horizontal/Vertical Metal Cutting Band Saw

Amazing deals on this 4In X 6In Hor/Vert Metal Cutting Band Saw at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
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Gravity feed:clown:

Hard on blades, won’t cut straight.

For the price I would be tempted to buy one convert it to hydraulic/gravity feed like the big boy saws though.

That and some good blades and some mods and it could be a good machine.

ETA: just re read the description and it states it does have down pressure adjustment, most likely spring but that’s better than nothing.
 
2020AT4 said:
Gravity feed:clown:

Hard on blades, won’t cut straight.

For the price I would be tempted to buy one convert it to hydraulic/gravity feed like the big boy saws though.

That and some good blades and some mods and it could be a good machine.

ETA: just re read the description and it states it does have down pressure adjustment, most likely spring but that’s better than nothing.
Click to expand...

My thinking was it’ll cut considerably more accurately and quietly than the chop saw I am using.

I’d love to have a hydro auto feeder, unfortunately that is a bit out of my price range.
 
Byro said:
Since we’re on the topic, anyone use one of these hogs? I’ve had my eye on one for a while and would like some real world feedback before I give China some money.

www.harborfreight.com

1 HP 4 in. x 6 in. Horizontal/Vertical Metal Cutting Band Saw

Amazing deals on this 4In X 6In Hor/Vert Metal Cutting Band Saw at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Click to expand...
Had one from 1996 I was using. It worked okay. the Blade would fall off but I think that was setup. i just broke the casting where it pivots so it’s now useless. I’d buy another one for the price though just for the vertical and horizontal. I don’t need it to be fast. It cut straight and reliably when I got the blade to stay on after taking time to set it up.

it has three speeds too. I had it on the slowest speed.
 
2020AT4 said:
I see quality used bandsaws often on CL for around $400.

Im tempted to pick this one up just to flip it.
Click to expand...
How do you plan to slow it down to cut metal?



Byro said:
Since we’re on the topic, anyone use one of these hogs? I’ve had my eye on one for a while and would like some real world feedback before I give China some money.

www.harborfreight.com

1 HP 4 in. x 6 in. Horizontal/Vertical Metal Cutting Band Saw

Amazing deals on this 4In X 6In Hor/Vert Metal Cutting Band Saw at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Click to expand...

Tons of people use those and get decent results from them. There are a ton of different brands that are virtually identical and most likely come from the same factory. There are some mods out there to improve the rollers and keep it cutting true. As others have said, it's all in the initial setup. I wouldn't use one in a production environment, but for home/hobby use they're the best deal you'll find.
 
TrikeKid said:
Well, that's a dime a dozen wood cutting bandsaw, they're ok-ish for cutting thin aluminum but they spin too fast and lack the rigid blade guide of a saw meant for metal.
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Look at the second pic.

See the box on the back?

Change pullies.

As long as the frame is rigid enough, and that one has a beefy cast iron frame, it can be converted to metal cutting if need be.

I have a coworker who built a really nice metal/wood saw (He dabbles in both) out of a meat saw like you would find in a butcher shop using an old foreign car 5 speed and pullies.

He shifted the motor to one side with a reduction pully setup going to the input on the trans which sits in the other side of the base.

The output shaft is about 3/1 on the driven pully that turns the blade wheel. This was when VFD's were expensive, otherwise it would have been much easier.

Looks similar to this.




hobart5313gbandsawmeatcutter.jpg
 
Byro said:
Since we’re on the topic, anyone use one of these hogs? I’ve had my eye on one for a while and would like some real world feedback before I give China some money.

www.harborfreight.com

1 HP 4 in. x 6 in. Horizontal/Vertical Metal Cutting Band Saw

Amazing deals on this 4In X 6In Hor/Vert Metal Cutting Band Saw at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Click to expand...

That's the one I was saying is on loan from a friend. Cuts pretty darn straight once tuned up. Blade tends to fall off, but not a nig deal. Way quieter than an angle grinder or a chop saw.

When he needs it back, I'll be buying one for myself. There are tons of mods you can do to make them perform better, but do pretty well out of the box with a good blade.
 
Byro said:
Since we’re on the topic, anyone use one of these hogs? I’ve had my eye on one for a while and would like some real world feedback before I give China some money.

www.harborfreight.com

1 HP 4 in. x 6 in. Horizontal/Vertical Metal Cutting Band Saw

Amazing deals on this 4In X 6In Hor/Vert Metal Cutting Band Saw at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Click to expand...
I have 3 of those sitting around that I got for less than $20 a piece at auctions. I have grand plans of turning a couple of them into vertical band saws. Build a stand, build some new guides for it to straighten the blade back out instead of it having the twist like it needs in the horizontal application, and run it. I figure they'd beat the hell out of a portaband in vertical orientation. I have a good horizontal swivel head bandsaw that I wouldn't want to live without.
 
Simple reason, no space for a proper bandsaw...better than a cut off wheel though.
 
So what causes the blades to fall off the Horrible Fright saw? I’ve read about the roller alignment needing some adjustments out of the box to get it cutting straight. Might have to take one home next time I’m in.
 
Byro said:
So what causes the blades to fall off the Horrible Fright saw? I’ve read about the roller alignment needing some adjustments out of the box to get it cutting straight. Might have to take one home next time I’m in.
Click to expand...
I don't have experience with the HF saw, but in general it can be anything from poor setup to a stalled blade walking off of the drive wheel.

The Shit tier blades HF sells probably don't help either.

People also tend to want the saw to cut faster than its designed for which causes us a lot of issues with even our HUGE Kalamazoo saw at work.

With a horizontal saw slow is better for a lot of reasons.

We have guys that will rip every tooth off of a $250 blade in just a few cuts because they have no clue and were never taught right.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
That's the one I was saying is on loan from a friend. Cuts pretty darn straight once tuned up. Blade tends to fall off, but not a nig deal. Way quieter than an angle grinder or a chop saw.

When he needs it back, I'll be buying one for myself. There are tons of mods you can do to make them perform better, but do pretty well out of the box with a good blade.
Click to expand...
Best thing to do is set it up to cut slowly and walk away letting it do its thing.

Then the "Cut alarm" ie the piece falling on the floor will let you know when its done.:beer:
 
There used to be a company called Enco that sold the import band saws of slightly higher quality than HF. They were made in Taiwan.

I did the journey from a 4x6, to a 7x12, to a Turn-Pro 7x12 swivel head before moving on up to US and Japanese stuff. No complaints and those saws helped my business at each level.

Enco was so cheap I did well on resale, and probably sold the swivel head for more than I paid for it, as prices rose.

All the saws are very similar or the same from "maker" to "maker". Sometimes the 7x12 is called a 7x10 1/2 but the blade size will be the same. Baileigh, Grizzly make them and other random brands will pop up from time to time. Enco became absorbed into MSC and they have Vectrax branded stuff. Same thing but too expensive.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
Are you talking about the more expensive model that Hf produces or something else? I've been eyeballing this for a while.

www.harborfreight.com

1 HP 7 In. x 12 In. Hydraulic Feed Metal Cutting Band Saw

Amazing deals on this 1Hp 7In X 12In Metal Cutting Band Saw at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Click to expand...

That one is also sold by a lot of places under several different brands and paint colors. It's a huge step up from the smaller one, but also 3x the price.

I always planned on picking one up at HF until they removed CE stuff from the coupon. And now that they aren't doing coupons at all any more, not even the holiday 15% off with no exclusions, I need to shop around....I'm sure you can get it cheaper than HF's regular price.
 
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