• Spring 2024 meetup in Calgary - tentative date Saturday, April 20/2024. Other regions are also discussing meet ups. If you want one in your area get going on organizing it! discussion
  • We are having email/registration problems again. Diagnosis is underway. New users sorry if you are having trouble getting registered. We are exploring different options to get registered. Contact the forum via another member or on facebook if you're stuck. Update -> we think it is fixed. Let us know if not.
  • Spring meet up in Ontario, April 6/2024. NEW LOCATION See Post #31 Discussion NEW LOCATION

Wanted: Table Top Hobby Size Bandsaw

YYCHM

(Craig)
Premium Member
Need a metal bandsaw. Space is tight so nothing too big thanks. 4"- 6" would work.
 
Last edited:

CalgaryPT

Ultra Member
Vendor
Premium Member
Are you looking for advice on what to buy or a member with one for sale/aware of one for sale?
 

CalgaryPT

Ultra Member
Vendor
Premium Member
There are lots of guys on this forum who have the 4" and 6" ones who can probably chime in, so I'll offer a different perspective that what you can readily Google. I have a large King 7x12 220V model but also needed a small tabletop one as well. I took a different approach and got a Portaband and married it with a SWAG table. It's worked great, but isn't a traditional approach. It is great to have a portable saw when needed though.

I think BusyBee still sells a small horizontal tabletop model if that is more what you are looking for.
 

Bofobo

M,Mizera(BOFOBO)
Ive been loving my bench top bandsaw, its a corded propoint branded unit that can be removed from its base which was sold at princess auto, i have to order custom blades from All blades but they are usually ready for pick-up next day. Having a ready built stand swayed me from the highly priced portaband and aftermarket base combo. Found it used for $80. But spent a few months searching image.jpg
 

Bofobo

M,Mizera(BOFOBO)
Thats almost the same as my pro point, slight difference in pivot mechanism. It also recieved poor reviews but with a quality blade its been solid fir my needs (4140 bar)
 

DPittman

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Ah wouldn't it be nice to be able to pick a piece of machinery where price didn't matter but all we cared about was the job and quality of the machine? Someday, maybe someday. (By the way, Lotto Max is at 60 million for tonight's draw)
 

Janger

(John)
Administrator
Vendor
This is getting close to my price point. Reviews aren't encouraging.

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.4-inch-5-amp-metal-cutting-band-saw.1001122903.html

Still looking.

This might be better.
https://www.kmstools.com/general-international-4-1-2-metal-cutting-band-saw-156502

Buy a better one used. I had a cheaper one and I found extremely frustrating to cut anything big. I bought a 7x9 used for about half - it has been a much better tool.

Another interesting idea is to find an old automatic hacksaw. They work.
 

YYCHM

(Craig)
Premium Member
Goddaa…. shoe horn it into this space and that space is shrinking as we speak.

SHOP2.JPG
 

DPittman

Ultra Member
Premium Member

kevin.decelles

Jack of all trades -- Master of none
Premium Member
I'll post pictures of mine after breakfast..... since I got it I haven't hardly used the bandsaw (4") . I keep eating blades on the band saw and alignment is gimmicky

The power hacksaw could cut washers off round bar all day long




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DPittman

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Thats almost the same as my pro point, slight difference in pivot mechanism. It also recieved poor reviews but with a quality blade its been solid fir my needs (4140 bar)

Blades can make or break a saw.... I have one of those cheap ($400) meat band saws you see for sale at a lot of places. The saws are notorious for cutting extremely poor and crooked. When I got mine all I could cut with it was maybe weiners and probably not even good at that. I was about to return it when it was recommended to me to replace the blade. I bought a decent quality blade and it transformed the saw into something usable!
Thats not a metal band saw story but I think the morale of the story is probably transferable and relevant.
 

Janger

(John)
Administrator
Vendor
Blades can make or break a saw.... I have one of those cheap ($400) meat band saws you see for sale at a lot of places. The saws are notorious for cutting extremely poor and crooked. When I got mine all I could cut with it was maybe weiners and probably not even good at that. I was about to return it when it was recommended to me to replace the blade. I bought a decent quality blade and it transformed the saw into something usable!
Thats not a metal band saw story but I think the morale of the story is probably transferable and relevant.

I agree about the blades. A bad one makes you think the saw is useless and a good one is surprising. How to get a good one though? I’ve bought starett and it was expensive crap (maybe it was a counterfeit?) and I’ve bought BUsy bee cheapos under $20. Generally the ones from KMS have not cut well worn out quickly and split at the weld. The BB seem to be as good or better as anything I’ve used including name brands Olsen? And others. I’ve not tried a custom one like Bofobo suggests. Anybody?
 

DPittman

Ultra Member
Premium Member
I've had a sharpening store make them up for me, I'm not sure what he used for the meat saw blade but for my metal band saw he used Lennox brand.
 
Top