Dry Cut Saw vs. Bandsaw

BigBody79

BigBody79

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Location
Lumberton
My Harbor Freight Abrasive saw works as good as it ever has but I'm tired of the giant mess.

I'm looking for something different.

The two options that come up are horizontal band saw and dry cut saw.

I had a horizontal band saw at one point but it never really cut square. There was some slop in the hinge it would cut 90 degrees crossways but not 90 degrees vertical.

A 4x6 band saw and a dry cut saw are both in the same price range.

What say ye?
(not specifically these but an idea)

46461_700x700.jpg

49464_1_700x700.jpg
 
I say bandsaw. The dry cut saws are loud as shit.

I would also try to modify the bandsaw so that i could lock it in a vertical position and attach a plate to have a vert bandsaw as well.
 
I have a bandsaw that I never seem to get perfectly square cuts with either. It doesn't really bother anything though. I just crank the welder up a little higher and fill in the gaps. Kinda like welding open root :lol:

I have an abrasive and a cold saw and find myself using the bandsaw 90% of the time.
 
If you go bandsaw I'd look for a portaband with a stand that it'll attach to!! I love the mobility of my portaband
 
orange150 said:
That's what I use :lol:

View attachment 262187
Click to expand...
Man you really can't beat it, portability and versatility don't get much better with a portaband I have the Milwaukee and 1976 portaband 2 speed! They make stands for those Milwaukees that do vertical, horizontal, and chop but I use my vice too! I'm gonna buy the stand when I start the tube on my rig just for simplicity!
 
What do you mostly cut? For tube and the occasional small piece of solid stock, the cold cut is good, but blades are expensive and you trade off dust for huge chips of metal that go everywhere. The regulation 4x6 is pretty much an indispensable first purchase for anybody doing any fab work. We're all embarrassed to own the Horrible Fright 4x6, but we all do, and we all still use it. (OK, maybe not all of us!) It took me a couple hours to get mine dialed in when I first got it, but it's been great ever since. We have an Ellis 1600 that gets the most use. The 4x6 is usually locked up for freehand bandsaw work. But sometimes, you have something that you can't cut in the big saw, the little guy does great. We also have a 10" Evolution dry circular chop saw, and it's great for tube and portability, but I can't get blades to last too long, and it's noisy and messy. Also, they're not great for big solid stock, stainless, or hardened steel. The bandsaw doesn't skip a beat.

Basically, ditch the abrasive. Get the 4x6 for now, but put some money aside for the dry cut eventually. Unless you mostly do steel tube, in which case the Evolution dry saw is probably your best first purchase.
 
upload_2018-1-31_15-2-28.jpeg
I've had one of these with ENCO branding on it for now 20 years. Never ran the coolant for the mess and freezing. Other than two or three blade bearings I have cut a pile of steel with it. Buy your blades in bulk. Mine will also lock in the vertical position like an up right. The blades are traditional sizes and heavy duty. Make profile cutting as a vertical very hard. 10 inch channel to 6 x 4 tubing down to light flats angle and tubing.
Mine as a note was 799.99 back then....
 
C.Berry said:
If you go bandsaw I'd look for a portaband with a stand that it'll attach to!! I love the mobility of my portaband
Click to expand...

My portaband is the one i reach for first. I can make cuts much faster and cleaner than using a plasma or torch with cleanup.

I just wish someone made one that was lower profile. There are a number of times where i just cant fit it in where i need it.
 
That's where I love my disc grinder with thin cut off wheels. Fast and fits tight places.. if it won't fit, I'll grab my air die grinder.

Portaband ftw. I need to get one.
 
It's looking like bandsaw. I'm mostly cutting mild steel. Nothing extravagant. No stainless. No aluminum. Getting into tubing. I'm not above my 4.5" angle grinder. I just need something cleaner. I find more often, I'm not doing things because I don't want to get dusty and dirty. Say when I have 30 min before dinner to mess in the shop.
 
a_kelley said:
Gloves and a shop jacket... Essential for most all cutting operations anyway.
Click to expand...

Agreed. But there's just something about all that flying dirt and dust. I have cut something with the hacksaw recently just to avoid the grinder.

I found a porta band on craigslist for reasonable. Looks like I might go that route.
 
For you other bandsaw guys, how big of a saw do you have to get up to to get a thick enough blade not to break them so often? I've got a grizzly 4x6 and it seems to eat blades. They don't seem to break that often with me but some of the other users don't utilize the hydraulic feed as well as they should.

We had a big bandsaw back in high school and we were pretty rough on it like highschool boys are. I don't ever remember us breading a blade. It was a tank. One of those green ww2 surplus jobs.
 
I went thru a couple of 4x6's before getting a Grizzly 7x12. Night and day difference in quality.

The 4x6's would skew bad (off in vertical plane) if blade was the least bit dull, or had a few broke/wore teeth.

I cut a heck of lot more steel per blade with the 7x12 than the old 4x6's. You have to feed slow the the 4x6's or they eat up blades.

I'd go 7x12 for many reasons. As to the band vs. chop...I cut a lot of bigger stuff, just been doing some 4x6x1/4 square tube....with the bandsaw, you can set it up, and walk away. When the drop falls off...set up another cut, and be getting other stuff done.
 
I'm with him^. I used to be very anti bandsaw and would chop saw everything--now I can't stand the smell. Currently own two chop saws two portabands, an evolution rage dry cut saw that I never use, a hf 4x6 that marginally works and a klutch 7x12 that I love.
Do it once, buy the decent 7x12 and be done. And a portaband for everything else.
 
Watch CL for an old Wells or Dake or Kysor bandsaw. I just sold a Kysor 7x12 for too cheap. Great saw, good size, easy to use, and will last a shit ton longer than anything you can afford to buy new.
 
Bandsaw for what you are doing.

I have both and use them both a lot, but Bandsaw is my "go to" for tubing, plate, and most 4x4 applications.

I do love my dry cut saw for structural steel though and quick adjustment cuts.

One thing that may not have been mentioned is cost of consumables. Blades are MUCH cheaper on the bandsaw vs. the dry cut. My dry cut saw blades are roughly $80-100 a piece for a decent blade. They CAN be re-sharpened if you don't damage the teeth though.
 
Picked up a Milwaukee Portaband yesterday. Used it last night making my vertical bender stand. I already like it a lot.

Thanks for the recommendations.
 
Nice, portable too. Just don't lube the blade. Like for aluminum. Rubber drive wheels and hardened steel blade don't cooperate after that....I like the Lenox blade bought in bulk to replace the stockers with and keep two TPIs in stock. So easy to change I go back and for depending on the stock.
 
Back
Top