I saw in the Lowes flyer that they have a 9" band saw for $89. Looks like a decent saw. Except that it only has one speed 2600fpm (1750RPM). Has a work light, laser line, 3.5" cutting capacity, adjustable rip fence, table and miter guage

Anyone have one of these? Think it may work good for aluminum?

Oops, forgot the link.... http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=99436-38307-LS9BSUL

Bandsaws less than 14" are fairly ineffective. Also note that most blades you find in stores will dull quite quickly with aluminum -- expect to pay around $17 per blade for anything with any quality (buy from Highland Hardware or Suffolk Machinery and you'll be amazed at the difference).

You'd probably be able to accomplish your cuts on a miter saw or table saw for about the same cost in blades -- do you have a particular plans for this bandsaw?

It would be used for cutting stock to size (aluminum only). Probably nothing thicker than 2".

I couldn't get your link to work.

I bought a Delta 9" bandsaw. It is a real piece of crap to be honest. It has plastic wheels!! It was cheap though $75. And it WILL part aluminum. Although making a straight line is near impossible.

The blade did dull very quickly. It vibrates and makes a lot of noise, and it leaves a horrendous butcherd finish.

But at least it will make small pieces out of big ones, which is all I wanted it to do anyway.

Swami

You don't have to go broke on a bandsaw....but I've also gone the 9" route... and like said already.... couldn't cut a straight line with a fence. And anything over 1/4... forget about it.... not happening...
Check this out...
Wholesale Tool (http://www.wttool.com/c/20050225)

I've gotten some equipment from them, some import.. some standard.. If you get a decent known import manufacturer, it's hard to beat.

Just a thought...
good luck!

-Art

I myself have been looking at the HF unit...it's $169 on their website and the local HF store said they would honor that price with a print out from the website. Most of the reviews that I've seen end up replacing the motor after a couple of years for a US motor. Also they run unattended and at a much lower speed then the wood bandsaws you'll also use the 4 or 6 tpi bi-metal blades.

I was lucky enough to score a 14" bandsaw made by Rikon, right before all the Woodworkers Warehouse stores closed up, It's got a 1 1/2 hp motor, 2 speeds.... accepts up to a 3/4" blade. Granted it does run alittle fast for cutting metal, which I'm going to gear it up to change that very soon. But believe it or not, I've had some of the best Bi-metalic blades made ... by Starrett, Lenox... the $ 28 to $35 blades..etc. and they didn't last near as long as a plain old carbon blade of between 6 -10 tpi. I'm also primarily cutting aluminum, but I've cut up to 1 + inch solid plate 6061 with no issues on a carbon blade. Once I get the speed down in the 80 - 220 fpm range... I'll have to see if there's a difference then. I've found that when the blade is running too fast, the teeth clog up with AL, and it can turn into a dangerous situation quickly if you don't realize what has happened.

just my .02

-Art

FYI guys, you must apply flood coolant to bandsaw aluminum, or at least a tiny stream of it anyway. It makes a world of difference. I've sawn lots of 5.25" solid round without a hitch with coolant, but dry cutting (even with wax) is a nightmare.

FYI guys, you must apply flood coolant to bandsaw aluminum, or at least a tiny stream of it anyway. It makes a world of difference. I've sawn lots of 5.25" solid round without a hitch with coolant, but dry cutting (even with wax) is a nightmare.
Im so glad you said that. I have nothing to compare my dry cutting Aluminum experience too. The hardware store guy said lubrication would be unnecessary.

I cannot flood my bandsaw. Will a little cutting fluid help, or would it be insignificant?

Thanks,
Swami

If you're cutting thick runs of ALuminum Or Steel... 4" plus then adding coolant is a must, not an option. But in my experience, if the blade speed is slow enough, I've had excellent luck with just using an old candle prior to cutting. Hold it against the blade with the bandsaw running ( Do this carefully...even laying the candle on the table then slide it over against the blade ) Hold it on each side of the blade for 5 to 10 seconds per side, then you will notice quite a difference in cutting ... especially Aluminum.
***I'm not knocking HuFlungdung's suggestions, flood cooling does make a world of difference... but can take some doing to rig up on certain saws. If it's not that large of a saw.... use an old powerhead from an aquarium setup for your pump.... they work pretty good.

-Art

You can rig up a temporary coolant bottle. If you have an empty 16 oz Safe-Tap fluid bottle, it has a little lift up nozzle to dispense the fluid. Buy a few inches of 1/8" flexible copper tubing. This size tubing, you can just force tightly into the nozzle and it won't leak. Then, fill the bottle with some water soluble coolant (because its cheap and aluminum isn't too fussy). Then, you can hold the copper nozzle right against the side of the blade while the saw is running to dispense a bit of fluid. Keep your fingers well away from the blade, if it takes the nozzle on you, so be it...make another one. It doesn't take a whole lot to be effective. I don't say it even has to be continuous flow, but if the whole band gets wetted every 15 seconds or so, it should help.

With my bandsaw, I have a feeling that would lead to an incredible mess. Woudln't even a "temporary" setup need to have a way to collect all the fluid? I guess I could set the whole bandsaw inside of a tub....

Swami

No, it actually doesn't. You don't have to have so much coolant that it is running everywhere. That's just the easier method. But, sawdust makes a mess anyways, so you do need a tray to collect the waste.

So, we are all in agreement that you need a lower speed for metal then wood, that coolant is required to maximize the efficiency of the cutting process and that bi-metal blades are the preferred option, but these options can be personalized.

The ubiquitous $230-or-so 4" x 6" metal cutting band saw has to be one of the best bargains out there. If you can afford it vs. a plastic bandsaw, then I'd say go for it. I use mine 95% as a chop saw, but it's pretty easy to rig up a slotted table out of, say, 3/8" aluminum plate, and go vertical with it. I've never flooded it, just dribble in some tapmatic gold in the Kerf now and then, but I have no doubts that flood would improve the cut.

Most of them have three speeds. Here's the harbor freight model at a ridiculous $169. I've had mine for 10 years with no problems. You do need to do the blade guide setup correctly with feeler guages. Once set, it'll do an impressively straight cut. There's nothing like a hacksaw vs even this bandsaw through a 3" aluminum or brass round. It'll do steel too.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37151

Look into one of the msc band saws. They are a little more expensive but have 45" or so blades, good cvariety and variable speeds. they also have tables, or can use them as a chop saw. They dont cut perfectly staright, but nether do moany or the larger industrial saws (depending on which one, or the thickness of material. Only realy way for a really straight cut is with a cutoff saw which is crazy expensive)... I believe my small MSC saw was about $250, and my new one was $6500 (used). I still use the MSC often as it works great for aluminum bar stock under 1" and with my home made drip collant, works wonders for the money spent.

I actually picked up the one Swede posted a link to from Harbor Freight. It's on sale online for $169. I get to the store with the print out of the price (they'll honor it) and the lady is like "you don't want this price". Um....ok I say. "We have it marked at $149". Sold! :)

Yeah I picked up one of those Chinese jobs in the late 80s (looks just like what Harbor Freight now sells- see Swede's link, post 16) and it is still performing well enough. A tray between the flimsy legs stabilized the thing while adding storage for cut-offs. Some real wheels made it much easier to drag around as well.
The motor did die after a few years and the switch gave up too, but the castings are solid if rough and the wearing parts are adjustable so the price to use ratio seems pretty good.
For cooling/lube I use a squeeze bottle filled with coolant. There is always a bottle leaving the kitchen...dish washing liquid, syrup, ketchup, etc. to replace the coolant bottle when it gets nasty and worn.
I've had mixed results with different blades of varying quality. Not sure if the expensive ones are worth the price since cheap ones are so much cheaper. Were the saw not cutting every kind of scrap metal that came through the door I'd probably stick with the better blades but it only takes one goof to ruin a blade. Oops, there went another $30...ahh fiddlesticks.

WD-40 has worked for me when sawing or maching aluminum. It seems to make the chips not hold to the saw blade and clog up so easy. And I suppose it aids in cooling and lubricates too.

I use WD-40 for that as well.
WD-40 is about as common as tiolet paper as well