Thread: Modifying a bandsaw to cut metal

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This one is for all you rod builders who have a small machine shop wth a bandsaw. I just completed a weekend project, and it went very smoothly. I pulled the motor out of the base of my bandsaw, and built a seperate hinged baseplate. Added a 3/4" shaft and a set of SKF pillow block bearings, and a 4 step pulley. Took the whole new base--motor, jackshaft, pulley and all up to my local hardware store and picked out a belt to fit from the motor pulley to the jackshaft pulley (I hate driving back and forth to the hardware store half a dozen times trying to get the right length belt). Mounted the hinged base back into the bandsaw base, and hooked everything back up. It works marvelous!!! My calculations showed that by adding a jackshaft and a second set of pulleys, it would reduce my blade speed from 677 foot per minute to approximately 250 FPM. I immediately grabbed a peice of mild steel and sawed it in half. Total cost?--$12 each for bearings, $3 for a 14" peice of shaft, $25 for a 4 step pulley, and $17 for 2 new v-belt pulleys. (the machine already had one jackshaft on it, and I needed to buy a slightly longer belt for the second drive).--So, about $70 and a day and a half of my "fabricating time"--which is pretty cheap when I',m working for myself.

The base on my motor was 4" wide, with adjustment slots in the base to tighten the belt. I had a peice of 4" x 3/16" flatbar, and a left over 4" butt hinge (see finger pointing in bad photograph). I also had a peice of 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1/4" angle iron. I cut the flat bar to 16" long, welded it to one leg of the butt hinge. Cut the angle iron to about 17" long (width of bandsaw base) and mitered the corners at 45 degrees, because this angle gets bolted to the OUTSIDE of the bandsaw base, and I hate gouging my shins on pointy peices of angle iron. The hinge was then welded to the angle iron. So--Now I have a peice of angle iron welded to the outside of the base (The base is open on 2 sides), and a long plate hinged like a tongue which can swing up or down inside the machine base. This allows the motor and jackshaft assembly to swing up and down, to tension the second belt, which runs from the jackshaft up to the lower bandsaw pulley.*** I positioned the plate so that it would keep the motor shaft end in the same relative position it had before I started changing things. I welded a peice of 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" x 5" long angle iron to the far end of this motor mount plate, to support the bearing closest to the 4 step pulley so that I didn't have to cantilever the 4 step pulley out too far from the side of the motor mount plate. (see pictures--it should show what I mean). This gave me everything I needed except that it wasn't rigid enough to suit me. the answer was to bolt a peice of plate from the far end of the motor mount plate (opposite from the hinged end) down to a crossmember in the original frame--AFTER THE SECOND BELT WAS TENSIONED.

And if it helps a bit, here it is in 3D CAD---

cool deal.. was your bandsaw a floor model or a table model? I don't have a bandsaw, but HF has some cheap table models

Originally Posted by Matt167

cool deal.. was your bandsaw a floor model or a table model? I don't have a bandsaw, but HF has some cheap table models

Its an old "Jet" 14" vertical bandsaw made in Taiwan. Its a floor model, with the actual bandsaw setting on top of the base. It is not one of the new gravity feed horizontal models.

Oh, I know what kind of saw that is.. I don't think HF sells any saws like that, but I have seen used 1's at junk/ pawn shops and garage sales from time to time.. guess if I can find 1 cheap, I'll buy it and convert it.. make cutting patch panels a breeze.

Matt--I don't think bandsaws do that well cutting thin body metal.

Cheaper than my plasma cutter. Good project and can be used for cutting wood slower too.

Good info, I bought a really nice old Rockwell 14" at an auction. The motor is missing and I want to set it up for metal. It already has all roller bearing guides. What I didn't know was the blade speed I need. thanks

Originally Posted by brianrupnow

Matt--I don't think bandsaws do that well cutting thin body metal.

yea.. might rip the metal out of my hands.. wouldn't want to cut off any appendages wonder about a scroll saw, could 1 of those be modd'd to take a saws all blade? or even a peice of hack saw blade?

Matt these work wonderfull..........
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92115
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=36567
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=36568
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92148

I prefer the first one that looks like a drill......

hmm. might go buy 1.. right now I have to use ither an air body saw that jams up constantly, or a cut off saw, which takes forever

I've cut a lot of sheet metal with a band saw. Stainless sheet too.

If the teeth start popping off, you are running the blade too fast.

Originally Posted by HWORRELL

Matt these work wonderfull..........
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92115
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=36567
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=36568
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92148

I prefer the first one that looks like a drill......

The last one will cut curves.. Price is great but be leary of harbor frieght stuff...

I had met a old man once that used a Lawn & Garden tractor transmission as a gear reduction on his Band Saw,.... it was small and he could use it for wood as well as metal.