4x6 Horizontal Bandsaws

[historicalarms]

@David_R8 @Crosche @Dabbler @historicalarms @Brent H What have you guys got?

I use the same roller as you modified except mine is mounted on a A-frame stand. The stand is sturdy enough for what it is meant for (lighter stuff) but my roller is as yours originaly was, still swivels around and easily comes off the mounting bar.
While I have that roller for lighter stuff, for heavier stuff I use my engine hoist...just sling a loop of chain from the hanger hook, line er up with the saw table both height-wise and angle wise. I have cut a lot of 8 or 10 inch heavy pipe in my little 4" band saw using this set-up. I make the first cut then roll the pipe 1/3 turn, line up the saw blade with the already cut slot and cut again and again until done. Its suprising how even and square cut you can easily get if you have an accurately cutting blade . If I end up with a jagged cut and need it super square I just face off in the lathe. 8" is easily done but 10" requires a bit of jury rigging of tool post & cutter sometimes.

 

[CalgaryPT]

What do other people do? The commercial versions of these things don't go down low enough to work with metal horizontal band saws. Let's see some pictures?

The Busy Bee Craftex CX910 HD model will go down to 24". I moved to this model after some of my heavier projects starting sinking the cheaper stands and throwing my cuts off. This one weighs almost 40 lbs. and will support up to 270 lbs. It's very beefy.



Hey John—I see you've repurposed one of those old FIRST stands you and I worked on years ago. Good for you

 

[Brent H]

@Janger - I do not have a large bandsaw - I cry a lot about that fact and I actively seeking one but for now, I use my small band saw that I can support the steel on my welding table or I plasma cut or oxy/acet cut the bigger stuff. On the ship we have a large horizontal King bandsaw and the stand for that is :


I have a few projects coming up where a larger bandsaw will be necessary

 

[CalgaryPT]

How do you micro adjust inbetween holes Brent, or did you custom build the base to be level with the saw?

 

[Brent H]

@CalgaryPT - the base was made and the one pin drilled at the exact height. The saw is not very “portable” so the base only really supports the in feed end. The out feed is behind the main engine coolers so you have to be pretty quick to keep your parts out of the bilge. LOL

 

[architect]

Mine started out as a King brand from KMS. It had a roller on the top but I didn't like that so I replaced it with a piece of tubing. It's height adjustable with a pinch bolt. The best thing about it is that it takes up no space when not in use. I had to cut about 2 inches off the uprights so it is short enough for my horizontal saw.

https://www.kmstools.com/king-canada-adjustable-roller-stand-106197





Strong enough for some pretty beefy stuff. This a 10 foot length of 1/2" X 7" steel.

Waiting for my saw still but I bought one of these stands from PA for $15 on sale for its foldability in my tiny garage.

 

[Dabbler]

aside from the 'Record' woodworking ones, I use this heavy duty stand for larger work items...

The centre rod is solid 2 1/2" steel shafting and the outside tube is from a discarded hydraulic cylinder.
It will reach up to 62" high, and can hold a lot... I've put 600 lbs on it and it didn't budge...

I have some improvements do do, perhaps in the summer...

 

[Janger]

Did Burt make that John? looks like his green.

 

[Dabbler]

I did all the welding, and he did the machining. The mods are to make it easier to use, and fixing little things the didn't go well. He never used it, so he never experienced the problems. Yes it is painted in Bert Green...

 

[Crosche]

@David_R8 @Crosche @Dabbler @historicalarms @Brent H What have you guys got?

Sorry about the late reply; here is a stand that I constructed a few years ago. It doesn't see much use, but sure comes in handy when I need it.

 

[Janger]

Does the top come out of the post when you move / lift it? I found that really annoying.

@Dabbler your fancy home built one - does the handle adjust the height? Or is that to lock the threads so it does not spin? Not sure how yours works.

 

[Crosche]

Does the top come out of the post when you move / lift it? I found that really annoying.

@Dabbler your fancy home built one - does the handle adjust the height? Or is that to lock the threads so it does not spin? Not sure how yours works.

Yes, the top on mine does come out of the tube when lifted. It can be a bit annoying at times and probably not too hard to remedy. I could weld the nut to the tube to prevent the stem from pulling out or something like that.

 

[Dabbler]

It raises the roller. Unfortunately it spins freely. That's one of the things that I indend to address this summer - when I have room to machine!

THe other thing to address is that if you try to lift it by the roller, the screw just pulls out. By summer it will be captive, I swear!

 

[Janger]

Yeah my latest version here has a welded nut to the stand and the lock nut with handles. It stays together and does not spin loose when you move the stand. So good that way. Better but It’s still not quite right. to adjust the height you have loosen the nut and spin the roller to move up down then tighten the nut. The problem with that is you want to change the height when there is material sitting on it so then you have to hold the material in the air in order to adjust the height. Awkward.

I think spinning the nut should raise lower the material and a separate handle should lock the shaft. And when you spin the nut the roller should not spin on the jack axis. Needs a redesign.

 

[historicalarms]

Yeah my latest version here has a welded nut to the stand and the lock nut with handles. It stays together and does not spin loose when you move the stand. So good that way. Better but It’s still not quite right. to adjust the height you have loosen the nut and spin the roller to move up down then tighten the nut. The problem with that is you want to change the height when there is material sitting on it so then you have to hold the material in the air in order to adjust the height. Awkward.

I think spinning the nut should raise lower the material and a separate handle should lock the shaft. And when you spin the nut the roller should not spin on the jack axis. Needs a redesign. View attachment 12647

Your 'awkward" problem is why I prefer the engine hoist to any stationary stand. with the hoist, with no manhandling of the material at all, I have an infinite height adjustment available with just a little stroke of the handle

 

[kevin.decelles]

I think spinning the nut should raise lower the material and a separate handle should lock the shaft.

All my stands have the 'run-loose-in-the-tube' design (turning the nut raises the load), but my larger set has a tube with tighter tolerances and has a nut welded on the side with an 'L' shaped rod thread in to lock the shaft.

I like the the run-loose version but that's because I can move the gantry to 'hold the load' as I adjust.

 

[Janger]

All my stands have the 'run-loose-in-the-tube' design (turning the nut raises the load), but my larger set has a tube with tighter tolerances and has a nut welded on the side with an 'L' shaped rod thread in to lock the shaft.

I like the the run-loose version but that's because I can move the gantry to 'hold the load' as I adjust.

Does the locking rod press into the shaft threads? Is there wear? Would a softer wedge on the locking rod be a good idea?

I saw a couple commercial versions use either a chair type gas cylinder or a hydraulic lift cylinder to allow for height adjustment. They had foot pedals.

 

[Chicken lights]

Does the locking rod press into the shaft threads? Is there wear? Would a softer wedge on the locking rod be a good idea?

I saw a couple commercial versions use either a chair type gas cylinder or a hydraulic lift cylinder to allow for height adjustment. They had foot pedals.

Tranny jacks have both a hand pump with a rod, and a pedal at the bottom for your foot. If you stole that idea you could comfortably hold the work piece and use your foot to raise it to the right height

 

[John Conroy]

I saw this post on Homemadetools.net for a split nut to allow quick adjustment of long threaded rods.
https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-split-nut

Today I copied his idea and welded the piece I made to the jaw extension on my saw. It works great, holds solid when it should and adjusts quickly just by lifting the end of the threaded rod.

 

[YYCHM]

Now I know what to do with the puck I found behind my car