Portable Bandsaw Recommendations?

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So, I dont have the room for a full on bandsaw...the Mrs wont go for it anyhow. Doesnt she know that this keeps me safely away from society?Wanted to get some of your guys' ideas on the double handled portable bandsaws out there.  Looks like Milwau!#* and Dewal$ make some nice ones.  Im not looking to cut a terrible amount (maybe 3/8 at most if ever), but I gotta get out of using my radial as a chop saw.  Pipe cutting, and steel fab is what I look to do.Any recommendations/comments/concerns/alternative ideas?IE:http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/to...productID=8921ThermalArc 185MillerMatic 180 w/ AutosetVictor Cutskill Oxy/AcetyleneThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38and spite!
Reply:I have the milwakee like the dewalt.... works good just you have to work it a bit..... and it won't cut a stright line through tube..... or rounds. but you can over come this._________________Chris
Reply:That's what Ive heard, and I dont really like the idea of being limited to under 5".  BTW: How well do these blades hold up?  Was surprised to not find much on the forum about these.  Maybe I'll get good enough someday to just let loose on the torch, but until then...Last edited by DirtyLittleSecret; 02-26-2007 at 10:10 PM.ThermalArc 185MillerMatic 180 w/ AutosetVictor Cutskill Oxy/AcetyleneThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38and spite!
Reply:With the Milwaukee the weight of the saw can make it pretty ruff on blades if you don't maintain constant control all the time. They are fairly heavy in awkward positions. If you just let them run under their own weight they'll scream right through but won't last long. Stress cracks in the flutes like crazy.
Reply:I have the milwaukee as well and was tickled with it.  For a small machine, its got plenty of power but I was looking at a small bench model.  I was considering one of these but couldnt swing the dough.  These things are pretty slick though:http://www.kooltools.com/bandsaw_ev88.htmlHell, I got to looking, theve even got a gas powered model.. sheesh.Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:The milwaukee is definitley better than the dewalt!  We have about 4 milwaukees and 1 dewalt here at the shop.  The dewalt has a chain drive and it broke within the first few uses.  The milwaukees have a worm gear and have never had any trouble out of them, and they are abused pretty bad.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Portable bandsaws are appealing for sure. What about the HF one? I ask because my local place probably sells the same thing with a different name.But just to clarify. You have to babysit them the whole cut, right?Craftsman 230a Buzz-box,  Lincoln 140T & 180T, Century K2789, PUROX W202 O/A14" cheapo chop saw that cuts straight and square!A toolbox of the cheapest Chinese tools money can buy"Real" tools all old reliable Husky/Craftsman/Proto stuff
Reply:Originally Posted by wallythackerPortable bandsaws are appealing for sure. What about the HF one? I ask because my local place probably sells the same thing with a different name.But just to clarify. You have to babysit them the whole cut, right?
Reply:Thanks Sandy for the good info.For the occasional use it would see I'll add one of these wee beasties to my shopping list when they next come on sale. I know if I don't buy one it will be the first tool I need for my next job. Or my chopsaw won't when it should.Heck, quiet, portable, those are good enough excuses to buy another powered tool. Craftsman 230a Buzz-box,  Lincoln 140T & 180T, Century K2789, PUROX W202 O/A14" cheapo chop saw that cuts straight and square!A toolbox of the cheapest Chinese tools money can buy"Real" tools all old reliable Husky/Craftsman/Proto stuff
Reply:Anybody have the Milwaukee Portable Bandsaw Table?Might be a nice little upgrade for someday down the road.  Seems like a great little home brew fab project!ThermalArc 185MillerMatic 180 w/ AutosetVictor Cutskill Oxy/AcetyleneThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38and spite!
Reply:We use milw. and dewalt day in day out.I prefer the dewalt simply because of poor lighting conditions in the steel mill and the dewalt has a nifty little spot light.Lennox makes some of the better blades variety of tooth count and pitch.when cuting pipe and tube always use a pipe wrap to help squareness score a cut around the circumference berfore cuting all the way thru.
Reply:Originally Posted by wallythackerPortable bandsaws are appealing for sure. What about the HF one? I ask because my local place probably sells the same thing with a different name.But just to clarify. You have to babysit them the whole cut, right?
Reply:Thanks guys. The benefits of these outweigh any problems I can see. I'll be having quiet fun cutting steel for a change.Craftsman 230a Buzz-box,  Lincoln 140T & 180T, Century K2789, PUROX W202 O/A14" cheapo chop saw that cuts straight and square!A toolbox of the cheapest Chinese tools money can buy"Real" tools all old reliable Husky/Craftsman/Proto stuff
Reply:Be safe. Milwaukee is powerful and fast. Can throw chips deceptively far (at least to your face), sometimes you need to turn the saw is unusual positions. I have had a deep cut Milwaukee for 5 years. It is heavy compared to the portable cable I previously owned.  Though, performance is incomparable.  Milwaukee is good.  Around here second hand Milwaukees are under $150.  The table cost more than the saw.Last edited by tapwelder; 02-27-2007 at 10:17 AM.
Reply:I've used the Milwaukees, the Porter-Cable (original PortaBand), and now I happily own the DeWalt.  I could easily recommend any of these units.  I've even used an 18V green model that was designed for electrical contractors, but I can't remember the name.  It was only big enough for 2" pipe, though, but pretty handy.I'm looking into the Milwaukee Li-Ion cordless model, too.I've not looked too closely at the HF models, but "Cutter" at www.shopfloortalk.com has one and posted very thorough feedback about it, including what to take apart and lubricate as soon as you bring it home.When these things will fit into position easily, they will make you swear off reciprocating saws.  After a few years, you'll cut straight lines without even noticing the effort.
Reply:We also have several Milwakee porta bands, nice tool. I had a set up that I fabbed to make a stand up bandsaw out of it."If you live in Sacramento you have seen my work."
Reply:After using the torch for years the Milwaukee in my shop is well worth its weight. May purchase the table for it for my portable endeavors."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400
Reply:I bought a HF on sale for $69.  I have been using it for several months and it works as well as the name brands I have used in the past.  I doubt it would stand up to heavy daily use but it is light weight and handy.  For my needs it is fine.
Reply:Had the same Milwaukee portaband in the shop for ump-teen years now.  Can't kill the thing.
Reply:I have the Homier version of the HF saw. Paid 49.99. I've had it for a couple of years and done quite a bit of cutting with it. It is mostly plastic but seems sturdy enough. I had to chuck the wheels in my lathe and sand a crown on them to get it to track well - they were originally very flat. It has variable speed - I like to slow down at the end of a cut. The quality is nothing like the name brands but I am getting good service so far. This Makita sold by NT looks like the parent design: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...4683_200304683I use a homemade pipe wrap to get square cuts as described above by Lorenzo.  Bi-metal blades last quite a while if you take it easy and don't use more than the weight of the saw for down force. BradLincoln SA200, HH135, Lencospot, HF80 Inverter, Rockwell 11x35 lathe, HF drill mill, Kama 554 tractor w/ FEL & BH, Belarus 250AS, lot's of Chinese tools
Reply:Related question: Is there still a close-cuting portaband on the market (that will cut within 1/16", or 1/8", of a surface)?
Reply:This unit is advertised in my local Tractor Supply for only $210. Granted it's not really portable, but the price seems pretty low.    We've been thru two of the Milkawkee units, finally killed the last one when if was dropped off a ladder.  If you buy the Milkawkee, be sure to get the model with the variable speed. The cheaper one only has 2 speeds.
Reply:I'm not much for the porta-bandsaws as we had one here at the office and for whatever reason was prone to problems and did a terrible job of cutting squared off ends. I invested in an old piece of machinery a powered hack saw and I tell you that is the ticket for me.  It runs unattended and chews through steel, aluminum, brass, copper you name it since it doesn't generate much heat so you don't get any galling on the blade or need to worry about lubricatants.  This is a picture of mine before I rebuilt it and its from 1912. Attached Images
Reply:i have a millwaukee, but i wish i had gone with the porter cable, its much lighter and easier to handle with one hand, the portable bandsaw is an amazing tool regardless which brand, but its not really good as a primary means of trimming stock, get a jet bandsaw not HF bandsaw, the extra hundred dollars is well worth it, if you have ever used them side by side you will find yourself getting quite prickly whenever anyone brings up the HF bandsaw.   no single tool will solve all of your cutting needs, remember that and things get less frustrating.
Reply:Originally Posted by CPSSThis unit is advertised in my local Tractor Supply for only $210. Granted it's not really portable, but the price seems pretty low.    We've been thru two of the Milkawkee units, finally killed the last one when if was dropped off a ladder.  If you buy the Milkawkee, be sure to get the model with the variable speed. The cheaper one only has 2 speeds.Hey 383BigBlock ...... Not bad for a 95 year old machine. I wonder if any of us will still be working so well when were 95 years old.Washman
Reply:Thats funny Washman, its from the Tractor Supply website!
Reply:I've got one of the HF portable saws and it has worked well for the light use I give it. Got it on sale for about $65 and had a coupon. Couldn't see spending $150-300 on something that is primarily a dust collector. My red HF horiz/vert saw gets most of the work. BTW Mac's advice on reading Cutter's bandsaw thread on SFT is spot on. I had to do everything Cutter recommended when I first got mine- it's a good read."All that is required for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing"
Reply:Hey CPSS,If you can find a 1912 Marvel Draw Cut #2 at the Tractor Supply Website I'll smooch on someone's bottom.  Washman the thing still cuts like a dream, chews through any thickness steel you can put in its mouth. You can still find at auction the #2 and its little brother the #1.  If you can pick one up for $100 or $200 they are a worthwhile investment and you can still get some of the parts from Marvel.  They've sent me the blueprints to have any part I need made locally.  They're great people and thats why they've been in business for over a hundred years.Michael
Reply:Washman the thing still cuts like a dream, chews through any thickness steel you can put in its mouth. You can still find at auction the #2 and its little brother the #1. If you can pick one up for $100 or $200 they are a worthwhile investment and you can still get some of the parts from Marvel. They've sent me the blueprints to have any part I need made locally. They're great people and thats why they've been in business for over a hundred years.
Reply:I have a HF portable band saw. I use it to cut exh tubing. I made a frame to hold it in my vice. And it has a larger table. It cuts pretty square if I do my part right. The Milwaukee baldes hold up very well. I just get them  from Lowes which is close by.  Even on stainless tube. It was an experiment to see if it would cut what I needed. It does an excellent job cutting sections from u bends and such. After the cut I square it up on my 6x48 belt sander. Was hoping it would die so I can get a Porter Cable unit. But as long as its working i'll use the hell out of it till it croaks.On thick stuff I take it out of the vise and use it freehand. It does that quite well. As far as blades I tried to skimp and use some cheaper ones. The stainless tube eats them in about 2 cuts. The Milwaukee blades are the best.mm135HTP Invertig 201 With water cooler9" Southbend LatheLots of hand tools.
Reply:papasloan is there a chance we could get a picture of the frame that holds it in the vice.  It sounds like a great idea, but I cannot picture it in my head.thanksBart
Reply:I have the HF one. I had a few problems at first resulting from not getting the blade all the way in (it kept wanting to come out and chewed through part of the guide and made some lines around the cover), but after I pushed the blade back on the other side of the crown its been fine. I use it alot actually, but today I bought one of the bigger hydraulic 7 x 12 horiz / vert bandsaws. DONT SKIMP on blades. You will spend twice as much on a bi-metal blade, sure, but it will last SEVERAL times longer. And yes the directions on these is specifically to let the saw cut under its own weight. If I am careful I can get pretty strait cuts.
Reply:There is an excellent review by Cutter at www.shopfloortalk.com about the HF portable band saw.  He even took his apart to show where you can make it last a lot longer by spreading around the factory grease to more critical areas.
Reply:Ok here is apicture of the hf bandsaw in a frame The frame is 1"x 1/8 steel angle. Some scrap I had hanging around.The piece held on with a HF clamp is a blade guide. seems the blade will slip off the bearing in the back. When that happens it stretches the blad and cracks hell out of it. So I made a guide. Even with the frame on it still does portable work. No need to remove it.  And the slot that is in the table makes a great guide. The front of the table is held together with flathead allens so blade change just takes an allen wrench. Attached Imagesmm135HTP Invertig 201 With water cooler9" Southbend LatheLots of hand tools.
Reply:I've got that little Dewalt portable bandsaw (linked in originating post).  I picked it up at a pawn shop for $70 and love it.  The blade was crap -- broke the first time the saw touched metal; so I picked up a pair of Milwaukee blades at Home Depot for $15.  It's been a great asset in my home shop...cuts angle like a knife through butter.  I agree that it's not necesarily the straightest cut, but it gets the job done very cleanly.  My only other options are to use a 14" cutoff saw (which has it's limitations) or a Porter-Cable Tigersaw (sawzall).  My huge preference is to use the portable bandsaw.  The built-in light, and variable speed control are very nice features.--Mike
Reply:Originally Posted by CPSS  We've been thru two of the Milkawkee units, finally killed the last one when if was dropped off a ladder.  If you buy the Milkawkee, be sure to get the model with the variable speed. The cheaper one only has 2 speeds.
Reply:In construction the only ones that really stand the test are milwaukees and greenlee saws. Always use the bimetal blades, cost more but definitely last much longer. Both are a bit more costwise, but you get your moneys worth.Latest Toys Miller 180 Mig and Elite Mask!!Wright Welder 225ACShop OutFitters 20/20 Bending SystemHypertherm 380 Plasma30 Years of Sparking (Electrical & Welding)