HF metal cutting bandsaw?

[Clueless Newbie]

http://www.harborfreight.com/horizon...saw-93762.html
is this a good buy? or should i save my money and buy a better saw? i wont be cutting too big of stuff..just angle iron and sucker rod and i am getting sick of using a hacksaw

[whateg0]

Many of us own that one. For the money, it's decent. You'll need to take some time setting it up and get a good bimetal blade. Then you can start making jigs for cutting specific angles easily and such. Like most stuff there, though, I'd recommend using a coupon or getting it while it's on sale - or both!

If you don't already have one, an angle grinder can be used for a lot of cuts too.

Dave

[Clueless Newbie]

where is a good place to get a coupon?

[Clueless Newbie]

ok so i've been researching metal cutting bandsaws quite a bit today..but there are so many that seem exactly the same but the prices are way different. is harbor freight the way to go for my needs listed above or should i go with jet or grizzly?

[Rbeckett]

They are all the exact same. They are all made in china at the Rong Fu factory and painted a differing color for differing vendor. Get a HF on sale and use a 20% off coupon too and you will get out around $130.00. Go to the 4x6 group on Yahoo groups, and perform the initial alignment and truing procedure and get a good bi-metal blade to replace the rubber band it comes with. Then you will have a really decent metal saw that will give ya years of good cutting. You will only need to perform the initial procedure once and it only takes a few minutes to get it cutting straight and true. They have a procedure to replace the gear oil and a killer 2 drawer stand to replace the flimsy stand they come with. Give it a try, I did and I have been 100% happy with the results. Thats the Horrible freight solution for a metal bandsaw.
Bob

[nctox]

I'm still pretty much a "clueless newbie" too, but I agree 100% with Rbeckett. I bought the HF bandsaw almost a year ago. I broke a couple of blades before I did the tune up recommended by the Yahoo group. After tuning, the saw has cut straight and without any problems.

[bajajoaquin]

Also search your local Craig's List. I found mine locally for $65.

It's a great tool, for the price. Since getting my band saw, I almost never use my chop saw or other metal-cutting tools.

The only other piece of advice I'd add would be to make sure to have a spare blade on had at all times. I order two bi-metal blades at a time from Enco. That way, if I ever break one in the middle of a project, I have a spare handy. They're not too expensive, and it beats having to quit working to find a new blade.

[AnotherDano]

I got one of those a few weeks ago specifically to cut the bottoms off of aluminum CO2 & steel gas bottles. The thoat is small and the bottles had to be turned often, but the cuts came out straight - even after all the turning.

Already broke the blade that came with it; +2 on getting a good blade and a couple of spares.

[Larwyn]

I made a few changes to mine. It does a fine job for my purposes.
HF_BandsawMods.jpg

[whateg0]

I made a few changes to mine. It does a fine job for my purposes....

a FEW? Not to hijack the thread, but while we are on the subject of mods the OP can do after he gets his, do you have some details on your switch? Mine has been working its way loose for awhile and while it shuts off ok, I sometimes have to play with it to get it to turn on. I'm going to replace it, but was wondering if there is a better way. I'm thinking reed and magnetic switches. What did you do?

Dave

[urch55]

Got my 4X6 saw at Home Depot back in 1987. I did have to replace the belt tho. I use Ellis Bi-Metal blades.

[Clueless Newbie]

http://nmi.craigslist.org/tls/1813338069.html
found this, this is about a hour away from where i live
worth it?

[bajajoaquin]

"Worth it" depends on you:

Pro:
You get it today
You save a little money (don't forget to factor in gas)
If it's old enough, it might be one of the Taiwanese saws, which some feel are slightly better in quality
You can probably haggle down the price a bit.

Con:
It's two hours of driving
If you drive two hours, are you really going to be objective about its condition?
If you drive two hours, are you really willing to walk away from the purchase (the key to negotiating)?

[Clueless Newbie]

it did say it was made in tawain

[urch55]

http://nmi.craigslist.org/tls/1813338069.html
found this, this is about a hour away from where i live
worth it?

If you do decide to take a ride to look at it, take a 2" sch 40 pipe and give it a test drive. Take 20s and 10s with you just in case you can talk Tony down. But don't be surprised if he don't come down on the price. I personally never reduce the price if I know some one is coming out of town. I know they have the money and they must want it bad enough to come a long way to look at the item. When I sell some thing I know it's not junk and they use an excuse that they came from out of town. Then I tell them what I think and they all ways buy it for the price I ask.