# portable bandsaws



## thriller007 (May 17, 2020)

what are you fellas using for portable bandsaws? with my limited room I am interested in one. Probably a corded one would be better for me.


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## YYCHM (May 17, 2020)

Are you this cramped?

Check with @eotrfish .  Seems to me he had a neat little table top band saw collecting dust the last time I visited him.

Craig


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## Bofobo (May 17, 2020)

I have a Propoint (princess auto) it came with a base but is a corded portable, 52”x1/2” blade. Works amazingly well with the right blades, I get mine here (all blades Canada). Have used many saws both wet and dry, I highly recommend mechanized saws over hand powered ones. But some floor model bandsaws are to be had for quite cheap, in many cases for less than a port-a-band.


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## thriller007 (May 17, 2020)

ok I am defiantly not that cramped. That is impressive! 


YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> View attachment 9170
> 
> Are you this cramped?
> 
> ...


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## CalgaryPT (May 17, 2020)

Milwaukee Portaband (corded) married to a SWAG Off Road Bandsaw Table.

Love it. The table adds tons of versatility.


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## YYCHM (May 17, 2020)

How often do you actually use it in portable mode?  Seems to me a Sawsall is a better solution to off the table situations.


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## CalgaryPT (May 17, 2020)

Sometimes a Sawsall is better, you're dead right. And I do have one of those too. But I originally got the Portaband because I was cutting a lot of angle cuts at a remote location. I had a generator in the back of my truck and I worked several weekends cutting tubing for a metal fence. But for more precise fit-ups a portable bandsaw is better I find. No back and forth movement that gets annoying and dangerous after 100+ cuts, and the finish is almost perfect. It's way easier on the muscles for larger jobs. Sawsalls are great because you have no throat to deal with, but they are really a demolition tool. They also make a mini Fuel version (see pic) great for plastic pipe and tree limbs. The plumbers love 'em. When I was buying 6" and 8" IPEX sewer pipe I'd take one to the Wolseley Service Yard and cut up the big lengths they sold to smaller ones that fit in my truck bed.

But you get ugly cuts from Sawsalls, and they are hard on the muscles as you get older. Here's the mini version below, but I still prefer the portable bandsaw.


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## Marc Moreau (May 17, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> Milwaukee Portaband (corded) married to a SWAG Off Road Bandsaw Table.
> 
> Love it. The table adds tons of versatility.
> 
> View attachment 9171


Nice tool never saw before.


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## Dabbler (May 18, 2020)

I have a portable bandsaw for cutting up 20' barstock to fit it in the garage.  Otherwise I use their bigger cousins to do the heavy lifting.


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## Tom O (May 18, 2020)

I have a hand held bandsaw that comes in handy sometimes I haven't made a stand for it though.


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## Tom Kitta (May 19, 2020)

I am looking at auctions to get a cheap portable bandsaw for cutting smaller stuff or very long stuff. Using my horizontal is difficult with its blade optimized for thick stuff and my vertical is limited to length of stock of around 15 inches. So I either use a grinder or cut very slowly on horizontal.


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## thriller007 (Sep 28, 2021)

I do have a portable bandsaw now and wish I would have bought it earlier. Mine is not a fancy one but it does the trick. I made a redneck stand for it so that it can be used stationary and upright. Now thinking of setting it up as well to use as a horizontal. The easy thing would be to just buy this base https://www.princessauto.com/en/stationary-base-for-portable-band-saw-8857971/product/PA0008896243 but what is the fun in that? Well, that and it is not on sale. Does anybody on here have one of those bases? I need to get an angle measurement from the part that bolts to the saw. Or if you see it go on sale at the Princess store as my daughter used to call it give me a heads up. Thanks


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## Hruul (Sep 28, 2021)

thriller007 said:


> I do have a portable bandsaw now and wish I would have bought it earlier. Mine is not a fancy one but it does the trick. I made a redneck stand for it so that it can be used stationary and upright. Now thinking of setting it up as well to use as a horizontal. The easy thing would be to just buy this base https://www.princessauto.com/en/stationary-base-for-portable-band-saw-8857971/product/PA0008896243 but what is the fun in that? Well, that and it is not on sale. Does anybody on here have one of those bases? I need to get an angle measurement from the part that bolts to the saw. Or if you see it go on sale at the Princess store as my daughter used to call it give me a heads up. Thanks


That looks just like the one I have for my King Canada saw.  Let me know what measurements you need and I will attempt to get them for you.  Note: the stand does not fit at the saw bolt location really well, have to fiddle with the saw to get the bolts to start, I suspect the holes are a little off on the stand.  Likely cause it is the same stand for several brands and they are just a little different.  Also, the work clamp is just above useless on my stand.


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## Tomc938 (Sep 28, 2021)

I bought a WEN saw from Amazon.  Right around $200.  Very happy with it.  Certainly beats a hacksaw!


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## thriller007 (Sep 28, 2021)

Hruul said:


> That looks just like the one I have for my King Canada saw.  Let me know what measurements you need and I will attempt to get them for you.  Note: the stand does not fit at the saw bolt location really well, have to fiddle with the saw to get the bolts to start, I suspect the holes are a little off on the stand.  Likely cause it is the same stand for several brands and they are just a little different.  Also, the work clamp is just above useless on my stand.


thanks so much, I am just looking for the measurements of the angle that the arm is at where it screws on with the 3 screws in relation to the pivot bolt, and any other dimensions that are on that arm would be great as well


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## thriller007 (Sep 28, 2021)

Tomc938 said:


> I bought a WEN saw from Amazon.  Right around $200.  Very happy with it.  Certainly beats a hacksaw!


Hey that's the same one have. no problems so far. Running Dewalt blades.


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## Dusty (Sep 28, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> View attachment 9170
> 
> Are you this cramped?
> 
> ...



Hey Craig that's really cramped space and you manage very well.


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## historicalarms (Sep 29, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> View attachment 9170
> 
> Are you this cramped?
> 
> ...


  Where is all your reloading stuff now Craig


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## YYCHM (Sep 29, 2021)

historicalarms said:


> Where is all your reloading stuff now Craig



Dedicated reloading bench in the rumpus room.


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## combustable herbage (Sep 29, 2021)

Tomc938 said:


> I bought a WEN saw from Amazon.  Right around $200.  Very happy with it.  Certainly beats a hacksaw!


 
Could you provide a link for the saw you bought?


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## kevin.decelles (Sep 29, 2021)

I have a cordless Milwaukee M28 (the big one)..... bought it used from a plumber friend..... crazy useful but only in short bursts, not really applicable to mounting, but it is such the right tool a lot of the time.

I wouldn't mind a corded version.


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## thriller007 (Sep 29, 2021)

https://www.amazon.ca/WEN-94396-Variable-Handheld-Portable/dp/B07KKXNWXK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=wen+94396&qid=1632957742&sr=8-1&th=1
I see the price changes all the time. Its a good deal at $139. I did not get it that cheap.


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## johnnielsen (Sep 29, 2021)

I bought the King VKC-8377 corded portable bandsaw and the mounting base to allow use as a table top horizontal bandsaw. It also swivels the saw head to mitre cut without angling the vice. It has a variable blade speed preset so is easy to run at a speed suitable to the material being cut. I quite like it.


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## Crankit (Sep 29, 2021)

I have a corded Milwaukee that works well for my needs and space


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## Tomc938 (Sep 29, 2021)

combustable herbage said:


> Could you provide a link for the saw you bought?



https://www.amazon.ca/WEN-94396-Var...=1&keywords=wen+bandsaw&qid=1632965254&sr=8-4

And less than $200 - $139!


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## whydontu (Sep 29, 2021)

Milwaukee 6232 portaband and Swag V1.0 table. Takes up no bench space, just gets clamped into my bench vise when I need it. Best of both worlds. 

https://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-V10-Portaband-Table-_p_64.html


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## YYCHM (Sep 29, 2021)

whydontu said:


> Milwaukee 6232 portaband and Swag V1.0 table. Takes up no bench space, just gets clamped into my bench vise when I need it. Best of both worlds.
> 
> https://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-V10-Portaband-Table-_p_64.html



That Swag Table is pretty slick!


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## whydontu (Sep 29, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> That Swag Table is pretty slick!




Also good for cutting up frozen sockeye salmon. Important to clean up all the salmon sawdust, especially in August. Learned that the hard way.


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## historicalarms (Sep 30, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> Dedicated reloading bench in the rumpus room.



    I'm going to start the torturous journey to convince SWAMBO that it might be time to put a small safe and a loading bench for some of my stuff upstairs from the vault & loading room downstairs with my decline in leg mobility. I couldn't move everything up, I would have to commandeer 1/3 the house....Chicken, what do you think of the chances of my success doing that knowing the "Boss"....slim to non I'm betting.

     I wouldn't need much room in reality, just a 10 or 12 gun safe and a single bench 8ft x 2 , just enough for the stuff I use on a regular basis....just a "pipe dream in the making " so far.


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## thriller007 (Sep 30, 2021)

I love that idea of the swag table. Super simple. I went this way for attaching without tools but may change to that style. Sorry that the table is just wood in this metalworking forum but my selection of metal is not that diverse right now.


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## Tom O (Sep 30, 2021)

You could say “ Heres the patterns mocked up “


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## Chicken lights (Oct 3, 2021)

historicalarms said:


> I'm going to start the torturous journey to convince SWAMBO that it might be time to put a small safe and a loading bench for some of my stuff upstairs from the vault & loading room downstairs with my decline in leg mobility. I couldn't move everything up, I would have to commandeer 1/3 the house....Chicken, what do you think of the chances of my success doing that knowing the "Boss"....slim to non I'm betting.
> .


I think you’d have a better chance teaching my dispatch how to read a map or third grade math before convincing the commander in chief in your dream


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## Goldxxx (Mar 20, 2022)

I have the Dewalt corded bandsaw and the Swag auxiliary table only. I just chuck it up in my mechanics vice when I need to use it. I’m limited to room on my work bench so it stays hanging up until I need it. Some of the best money I’ve spent. I’ve only gone through the original Dewalt blade. It cuts 3/4 plate steel pretty quick.


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## David_R8 (Apr 5, 2022)

Tomc938 said:


> I bought a WEN saw from Amazon.  Right around $200.  Very happy with it.  Certainly beats a hacksaw!


Hi @Tomc938 , I'm curious about how your Wen saw is holding up. Amazon reviews are a bit mixed.


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## phaxtris (Apr 7, 2022)

I recently bought one of those wen saw's, It seems like reasonable quality for the price

I have a job at the end of month where it is going to see some pretty heavy use cutting 5/8 anchors all day....I will see if it out preforms a grinder....and stays in one piece


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## Dabbler (Apr 7, 2022)

phaxtris said:


> I have a job at the end of month



@phaxtris It might be a good idea to have a box (they come in 3s and 5s) of spare blades on site for your porta band.  Anchors should be pretty tough, and you may dull or break a blade ans without some spares, it won't show well...

I like the Morse blades - not too expensive, and last a while.


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## phaxtris (Apr 7, 2022)

Dabbler said:


> @phaxtris It might be a good idea to have a box (they come in 3s and 5s) of spare blades on site for your porta band.  Anchors should be pretty tough, and you may dull or break a blade ans without some spares, it won't show well...
> 
> I like the Morse blades - not too expensive, and last a while.



Yea I have a pack of 3, I'm not overly worried, concrete anchors are only grade 5....edit, I should say these ones

 it's just a trial (of the bandsaw), if it turns out to be crap I will just go back to standard zip disc, i just really don't like zip cutting anchors, seems like a waste of money (zip blades)


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## StevSmar (Apr 7, 2022)

whydontu said:


> Also good for cutting up frozen sockeye salmon. Important to clean up all the salmon sawdust, especially in August. Learned that the hard way.


I can imagine what this is like…

The SWAG table does look like a great addition!


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