Band Saws- Wet or Dry?

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I currently have an old Wells dry cut bandsaw.  I am looking at upgrading to either a jet, Kalamazoo, a Grizzly, or maybe a Roll In.I have always thought that wet saws were better for heavier fab and production type work so my opinion is skewed, but lately I have had a few people tell me that all wet saws do is rust metal.  My dry saw has been OK but that is it.  Another drawback about wet saws is having to clean the cooling system.  I am wondering if anyone has any experience with larger dry cut band saws and how they compare to wet cut saws.Opinions?TB 302 EFIESAB Migmaster 275MM 211 w/Spoolmate 100Hypertherm PlasmaMetal Master, Victor, and Smith TorchesUnihydro 45Wells BandsawArcair K2000Weldcraft Tig rigMiller 12VSLincoln PT 225No one can say I'm brand biased.
Reply:Add Ellis to your list.  I don't have any experience with wet saws so I can't compare them, I can only say that i have been happy with my Ellis 1600 dry saw.If you are in a high volume setting I believe that a high capacity wet saw would provide a significant benefit. For the type of work that I do a smaller saw was sufficient and I don't believe that I am giving up anything with it being dry.Ken
Reply:the cutting oil will stop rust on parts and the sawellis says not to use wet then i wouldnti just changed the oil on my grizzly today its a great saw Attached Images
Reply:i have used both wet and dry;  have been using this ellis 1800 for a couple of years.  great unit.  if it could be fit into this saw it was cut there.  almost 25 tons of steel,  the fifty foot long five by five's i cut with a torch. Attached Images
Reply:forgot to mention, i'm only on my second blade.  lost the first one because helper rolled an angle iron and threw some teeth. Attached Images
Reply:i was going to buy a ellis they are the best but i was juststarting out and for 3 grand i could get a lot more from grizzlyi bought a band saw and combo sander (not made in china)plus extra blades and sand paper and more for less than 3k Attached Images
Reply:good examples for the op.  your saw has to fit your needs. there are many varieties.  i like that saw ed if i was doing mostly lighter stuff i would go that route.  i like the ellis because if is fairly bullet proof, portable if i have to and runs 110 or 220.  it is also mfg'd in usa.
Reply:Wet cut is best IMHO..Blade runs cooler, lasts longer, sheds cuttings better."The reason we are here is that we are not all there"SA 200Idealarc TM 300 300MM 200MM 25130a SpoolgunPrecision Tig 375Invertec V350 ProSC-32 CS 12 Wire FeederOxweld/Purox O/AArcAirHypertherm Powermax 85LN25
Reply:I have a DoAll 916m. It's about 25 years old. It's doesn't owe me anything, thought about replacing it... but it still cuts straight. It uses coolant and I get some great blade life and nice accurate cuts. I cut mostly 9" 6061-T6 aluminum and 316L stainless and I can't imagine doing it dry.On my mill I use a fog buster mister http://www.fogbuster.com/ which provides great cooling without the mess of flood coolant. I can run all day and not even use a quart of coolant. It's amazing how little it requires to take away the heat. Just another option to flood coolant.I think for mild steel the Ellis is a great saw. Great miter ability. They have an air cooling option. Not sure if it's a misting style or just air. I almost bought one a couple of years ago.
Reply:what norite mentioned is the key to wet saw value. "Blade runs cooler, lasts longer, sheds cuttings better." the value is in the long term savings. unless i am tig welding i have never noticed  the slight rust affecting from the water based coolant that my buddy has. i just bought one last month that i need to get a motor for.Dynasty 200DXPassport plus w/ spoolmate 100victor 315c oxy/(act and prop)Miller digital elitemilwaukee power tools
Reply:Yup, the coolant is for blade life and other things mentioned.
Reply:...My 2 cents worth......I've worked as a welder/fabricator and maint man for quite a few years....wet saws are the only way to go for any kind of production work...even a few4X4x1/4" square tubes will make you wish you had one...  RustLick synthetic coolant is pretty nice....not cheap, but solves the rust problem...blades last a loooong time....  Cut the tubing, drain it, and you can MIG the stuff with no problem...TIG might need some clean water rinse.  One place I worked...owner and I set up the small shop...built a rolling rack for pressure washing the large amount of 1/2"-2" square tubing that is usually oil-soaked, rack has a couple inches slope in 20 feet, water runs off...then move the whole rack to the bandsaw...cut the tube...place it back on the rack to drain off remainder of saw coolant...and water rinse later if required..  Often we'd get mill bundles of square tube...tack all the ends and just push the whole bundle through the bandsaw...I'm thinking it was Ellis two post horizontal....maybe about 12X14" or so...1" blade..vari-cut teeth...Dougspair
Reply:Originally Posted by Hank33I currently have an old Wells dry cut bandsaw.  I am looking at upgrading to either a jet, Kalamazoo, a Grizzly, or maybe a Roll In.I have always thought that wet saws were better for heavier fab and production type work so my opinion is skewed, but lately I have had a few people tell me that all wet saws do is rust metal.  My dry saw has been OK but that is it.  Another drawback about wet saws is having to clean the cooling system.  I am wondering if anyone has any experience with larger dry cut band saws and how they compare to wet cut saws.Opinions?
Reply:I like it wet........feel free to make a joke out of that hahaha
Reply:I've used both wet and dry over the years and wet blades definitely last longer. The mess is negligible if anticipated. Get a small plastic waste basket or a 5 gal bucket the catch the drippings. Different brands of coolant will be better than others (Rustlick is great) find one that cools well, and prevents rust and stick with it. I currently use a Baliegh (BS210, I think) and love it, but was not too thrilled with the bio degradable coolant that came with it. The saw would rust "tight" if left for only a day, and the bed became covered in surface rust. Once I switched coolants (to a pink one in a 5 gal square bucket from my lws, I don't have the name here) all the rust went away, almost immediately.Use good blades, too. Lennoxx and Starrett both hold up well. They'll last longer saving you mucho $$$ in the long run.Brian LeonardAppalachian Ironworks L.L.C.434 Long Branch Rd, Marshall, NC 28753828 649 9966828 702 [email protected]
Reply:Originally Posted by dave powelsonSee my posts, starting with msg. #2    http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=35703 1-The Lenox Micronizer is wet cutting---without the ongoing, total mess of wet cut.If one's paying guys to clean stock after the wet cut, this quickly pays for itselfin time and money.2-What model number and size of Wells saw do you have? Mine's only 73 years old. To me, any Wells saw is a keeper.The Longevity   (pun absolutely intended!) of Wells saws, I'd attribute to the pinion gear drive and robust construction-'C' frame.There's more old Wells and Kalamazoo saws around than any other makes.
Reply:First the disclaimer...I'm a home shop hobbyist so I can't speak to heavy volume production work.Anyway, I've been using a flood cooled 7"x12" Grizzly for about 8 months.  Love it!  I'm using Rustlik (1/2 cup per gallon) and so far no rust problems.  I also use bi-metal name brand blades.  Way better that the ones that came from Grizzly. The coolant can be messy especially if, like me, you forget to put a bucket under the end of a long pipe and end up dripping coolant all over the floor.There have been some maintenance issues with the coolant system...the plastic reservoir had a hole in one corner and had to be replaced...the pump intake sometimes plugs up with some sort of slimy gunk (I just blow compressed air backwards thru the coolant hose to clear it.)..electrical bulkhead fittings loosen up causing coolant leak...gotta love those Chinese.  But seriously, no big deal.Given all that, the saw cuts straight, clean and cool.  I would definitely recommend flood cooling but understand that there will be the occasional mess (hey, you probably needed to mop the floor anyway...). Attached ImagesMiller 211 w/ spool gunMiller Dynasty 200DXLongevity 60i IGBT plasmaO/A w/ crappy chinese torch/gaugesSouth Bend 10K latheGrizzly 4029 10x54 millGrizzly 7x12 hor bandsawangle grnders, bench grnder, bench belt sndr7.5 hp 80gal cmprsor
Reply:We use an Ellis 2000 for production and a Jet for smaller stuff and prototype work.  Both are dry mitering saws. We cut mostly tubing and lots of miters.  Cutting tubing, wet saws dump coolant all over the shop during and after the cutting process. Coolant also adds to painting prep time.  If we were cutting solid rounds or such, we'd have a wet saw.  The old Kalamazoo was a good saw, but the mess cost far more than any blade life savings.  Even 12 foot blades aren't very expensive when you look at cost per cut.  For occasional use like a home shop, I wouldn't even consider using coolant.  Wet saws will run just fine without coolant  by the way.
Reply:go with a iron worker Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by Hank33I currently have an old Wells dry cut bandsaw.
Reply:For a horizontal bandsaw, the only way to go is for flood coolant. No question and as others have mentioned, the mess is negligible.I have a Doall C4 and run flood coolant before the cut and on the back end of the cut. I also have a magnet near the drain of coolant catch to pull out iron chips before entering the coolant reservoir.I use a coolant called Sawz-it. It is water based and does not cause any problems. Has a rust preventative in it and rust is a non-issue. If you plan to do any type of heavy and consistant cutting while still maintaining blade life, coolant is a must.Granthttp://jackalopefab.com/MM210Synchrowave 200DXMiller XMT350 w/60series feederMiller Bobcat 250 with SGA 100 and spoolgunHTP PlasmaFull Machine shop with everything