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Bandsaw

Mark33

Well Known Member
I?m looking for recommendations on a bandsaw along with the best blade for cutting aluminum.

Thanks!
 
bandsaw

I modified the harbor freight 4 speed. I wanted a true metal cutting bandsaw so I used a speed reducer to bring the blade speed into a good range.

That said, aluminum is pretty easy to cut and most wood saws will do the trick.

DO NOT skimp on the blade, though. That blade makes all the difference. I use Lenox brand and have always been satisfied...
 
blade

I use a Lenox Diemaster 2 3/8 (.025) with a 14/18 V tooth set

For the harbor freight saw, the length is 7' 9.5"

It was about $40...
 
Thanks a lot!! Oh, BTW...and totally off subject, but I see that you?re an EFII system32 guy. Send me a PM if you have it installed and tell me how you like it.
 
I have a Delta wood bandsaw it seems to work fine for this application. I agree that if you have too fine of a blade its not good. Aluminum gums up on a fine tooth blade. I don't remember exactly what I have but I think its in the 14 to 18 TPI range.

BTW the Harbor Freight 1" belt sander is a great deal for the money and very helpful tool. I made a fence to square all of my 3/4" angle cuts.
 
I built my plane using a three wheel 14" bandsaw I bought at a garage sale for $10. Of course I replaced the blade and slowed it down.

Last fall I replaced it with an old Rockwell Delta 14" two wheel bandsaw that I found on Craigslist for a reasonable price. (Link below) I changed the pulleys, blades, and rewired it. The thing is amazing and I wish I had started with it! It has a ton of adjustments. It was either for light manufacturing of high end home use. Either way, it will out live my son!

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=9336

They made a version with a gear box that let you easily switch between wood and metal. If you can find one, grab it!
 
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I've had excellent luck using a 6.5 tpi wood blade. Sort of a coarse cut, though.

Lots of different bandsaws work fine. Look for easy adjustments that stay in place, and easy-to-follow instructions for adjusting and tensioning it. I used to have a no-name Chinese bandsaw but after several years, it broke. It was always a pain to adjust. I gave to my neighbor and bought a Rikon. Now, that's a good tool. But it's not cheap. Sure is good, and I like it a lot.

Dave
 
TPI

Some consider it blasphemy but I use a 14 TPI up to .040" then switch to a 7 TPI for thicker. Harbor Fright. Same blade since I started. It cuts fast which means less heat, less loading a d conversely, longer life. It does leave tooling marks so cut outside the line and sand to final dimension.
 
Some consider it blasphemy but I use a 14 TPI up to .040" then switch to a 7 TPI for thicker. Harbor Fright. Same blade since I started. It cuts fast which means less heat, less loading a d conversely, longer life. It does leave tooling marks so cut outside the line and sand to final dimension.

That's inline with what I've done. You can also use boelube or a bit of the cheapest unscented soap you can find to help the blade from loading up if using finer. I used a 6.5 TPI blade on the 0.015" stuff and it works, but a finer blade works significantly better.

If you want to talk about blasphemy, I use my miter and/or table saw to cut anything over 1/16" thick whenever possible. Makes short work out of cutting the AA stock to length and the angles on the end. Leaves a finer finish than the bandsaw by a mile and quicker. Longest part of the whole process is figuring out what the angle is.

A lot of "which bandsaw" really depends on which model you are building. On the RV10 you can use pretty much any bandsaw. With the tailcone, you're either cutting AA to length or splitting parts off. I use a 1" strip sander to finish the cut and radius corners. I own a 20" 3-wheel Delta Industrial with a variable speed motor and a 2-wheel HF 14" and they both work. I used to own an old Craftsman 3-wheel table top that would have worked. A porta-band style saw with the table attachment would work just fine too. Or even a hacksaw.

The biggest improvement you can do to any of the saws is get a good blade and make a zero or low clearance insert. The HF insert is something like 3/8" wide and it can let the thinner stuff bend if the blade catches.
 
The best blades put there

Been using the same Craftsman 14? three wheeler for over twenty years.
Tried all the different blades but I have found the best blades out there for aluminum and longer lasting than any other blades is the ? Super Cuts Three Wheeler Blades? with 24 teeth her inch. They cut aluminum like butter and don?t load up. You can find them on EBay.
 
Please explain for those with limited experiences.

TIA,
Mike

In a production environment, and specifically for cuttIng steel, the ?bi-metal? blades provide good cutting and long life. They use high carbon steel for the teeth backed with a spring or less tempered steel for flexibility.

Aluminum is much more forgiving and we aren?t typically in a production environment where any of this makes that much of a difference. However, Lennox, and other quality brands also do a better job setting the rake and finishing the teeth.

A machine shop or manufacturer producing products will look for the highest feed rate while still producing an acceptable finish for post cutting operations and not tear up blades.
This is the environment where it really starts to make a difference.

As far as TPI, it is recommended that at least three teeth contact the edge of material. This produces the best balance between cutting fast and cutting smooth. There are also blades that alternate every inch with different TPI that compromise both.

None of this matters much in a typical RV build.
 
Been using the same Craftsman 14” three wheeler for over twenty years.
Tried all the different blades but I have found the best blades out there for aluminum and longer lasting than any other blades is the “ Super Cuts Three Wheeler Blades” with 24 teeth her inch. They cut aluminum like butter and don’t load up. You can find them on EBay.

It’s a bimetal blade with a “raker” set, which is an aggressive rake, and probably keeps it from loading up. It would be slow for thick stock but we’re not mass producing anything.
Looks like a good choice for an RV build.

“Three wheelers” also have the advantage of being able to use a longer blade in a small saw. The longer the blade, the less heat build up, helping the blade stay sharper longer.
 
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