I cut all sorts of materials – hard wood, soft wood, steel, aluminum, plastic. I’m leaning towards the chop saw since most of the cutting I do is of stock materials to knock them down to smaller pieces. I can swap blades for different materials and chop saws tend to be cheaper than bandsaws.
“The portabands are cool – we have one, but they are a bit limited in use. They are great for cutting bar stock and small things, as well as being portable since you can pop it out of the base. The issue that you run into is that you’re limited by the width and length of something you’re cutting. The blade is diagonal to the body and you can cut something thin and long, but if you want more than say 4-5” of cut, the corner of what you’re cutting ends up running into the motor section of the portaband. At least with a benchtop band saw, you’d have whatever depth the throat is, but you can cut an infinite length since the blade is straight and you have no “Machine” to run into with the edge of what you’re cutting.
“I love my milwaukee band saw, however it has it’s draw backs. It can only cut about 5” deep, so if your trying to cut some tubing off it’s great. The milwaukee can’t make a straight cut to save it’s life. When I tried to cut off some sliders from a wrecked truck, the porta band wouldn’t get close enough due to body and other things in the way, so out came the good ol sawzall.
“There are specially designed band saws with higher cut capacity for this purpose. For instance, a 12″ portable band saw can be cut 12″ x 12” in half or down to smaller sizes with ease. Once the timber has been cut to a reasonable size, then you can use the portable band saw to cut it down further. You could use a portable band saw to slice the wood into thin sections; however, it has limited depth of cut and width it can accommodate.
Band saws are available in two types, portable as well as vertical. Let’s first examine the case of the vertical band saw. This has to be the biggest difference portable band saws have when compared to vertical band saws.
portable band saw vs stationary Related Question:
Is a portable band saw worth it?
What to Consider When Choosing Portable Band Saws. The portable band saw is one of the few tools that, when used with the right blade, is equally effective regardless of material. It can cut straight lines or curves, so it can be used for joints, precision cuts, or decorative work.
What is better a band saw or scroll saw?
If you want to make fine detail cuts, inside cuts, make patterns and letters, and you want to do so on smaller pieces of wood, the scroll saw is what you want to go with. However, for large, straight, and aggressive cuts on larger pieces of wood, and even metals, the band saw is the way to go.
Is a band saw usually portable?
A portable bandsaw is usually a smaller version of a regular bandsaw that is more compact and therefore easier to carry around. In addition, some are cordless allowing you to saw wherever you may be—power outlet nearby or not.
Will Milwaukee band saw blades fit DeWalt?
Blade. If you’ve used any type of power tool, you’ll be well aware of the importance of the blade, and keeping it maintained properly. The Milwaukee 2429-21 XC compact bandsaw allows for blades up to 32” to be used, and the DeWalt DCS317B can take a blade with the sizing of 27 ½”.
Can a band saw cut curves?
Whether it’s a tight curve or a closed opening, you can cut it on your band saw with a couple of easy tricks. Cutting on the band saw can be the same thing. The narrower the blade, the tighter the spots you can cut; in fact, some band saw blades rival a scroll saw for cutting tight curves.
What is a band saw good for?
A band saw can be used to cut curves, even in thick lumber, such as in creating cabriole legs, to rip lumber and to crosscut short pieces. The most common use for the band saw, however, is in cutting irregular shapes. The second most common use is in resawing or ripping lumber into thinner slabs.
Can a scroll saw cut 2×4?
Though scroll saws are generally intended for thinner pieces of wood, they can be used to cut a 2×4. They’re pretty versatile little saws, but make sure to take your time with them. The key to success when tackling a 2×4 with a scroll saw is patience, care, and not pushing the wood too hard.
What does a portable bandsaw do?
How Does A Portable Band Saw Work? The blades available for a portable band saw are made in the shape of a ring, or a band. The band continually rotates on the wheels, creating a smooth cutting motion. The band saw can cut straight lines or change direction quickly to create curves.
What should I look for in a band saw?
The two main things to consider when choosing a band saw are the depth of cut and the throat. The saw’s depth of cut is the distance from the table to the upper blade guides. Many band saws are marketed on this feature alone, which tells the prospective buyer how thick of stock can be cut using the band saw.
Who made the first portable band saw?
The bandsaw, although widely considered French in origin, was invented by the Englishman, William Newberry. In 1808, Newberry patented “a machine for sawing wood, in which an endless band or ribbon saw, strung over two wheels, was used”.
Can a Portaband cut wood?
It will chew through wood with no problem and cut micarta just as effectively.
What is the difference between a wood and metal band saw?
A metal cutting bandsaw is typically built more solidly than a saw designed for cutting wood, so there are no issues with the machine itself. As for the blade, the wood fibers could clog the metal blade’s teeth more quickly, and the blade will probably cut through the wood more slowly.
Are band saw blades interchangeable?
For cutoff work, band saw blades should be as thick as the saw and material will allow. TPI stands for “teeth per inch” when talking about band saw blades. “Pitch” is interchangeable with TPI when talking about band saw blades.
What is the most common bandsaw blade length?
Try a blade of 114″ or 115″ length; it’s more than likely that either one will work just fine. Most bandsaws will accept a range of blade lengths, sometimes with as much as 2″ difference between the shortest and longest blades that the saw can use.
What size blade does a DCS371 take?
DEWALT Cordless, Portable Band Saw, 20V DC, 32 7/8 in Blade Length – 25DU76|DCS371P1 – Grainger.