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I BOUGHT A NEW DEWALT DWM-120 portable band saw and then just recieved today the SWAG Portaband table for it VERsion 3 ( for Dewalt).Nicely made solid and so on. When I put a square to the saw blabe it was not square to the table.In 100mm it was off vertical by 1 to 1.5mm. It's not much, but it is not square.I wrote the company and this is their rememdy: As for the blade not being level this is based on the casting of the saw not being perfectly flat. We recommend removing the insert plate and filing down the casting of the saw to get the blade perpendicular to the table top.Has anyone done this and if you have do you have any tips or considerations before I try doing this.I aso read that the INCRA V-27 mitre to use with this application is MEH.Any ideas? thx
Reply:I have one for my Milwaukee and its not totally square. But for most cutting it really don't matter.www.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:I would try shimming before I would start taking material off on a brand new saw.
Reply:Yeah I hear yaz. But I will have to look closely at the "casting". I am sure these things are casted, then assembled. He was talking about filing so I am sure that it would need to be looked at closely to see if minimal filing would be a remedy...Still looking for someone who has tried to make this setup more accurate.Thanks for responding!!!!
Originally Posted by M J D
I would try shimming before I would start taking material off on a brand new saw.
Reply:Might want to use it for a bit. They're not precision instruments, you can mark your metal and guide / rotate it.. How often will you cut 4 inches on your vertical bandsaw setup. So it really is not off that much in 2 inches or flat on the table. By the way a foot pedal was a nice addition for mine.
Reply:Portable band saws are not exactly known for square, accurate cuts. I have the Milwaukee version and no matter what I do I cannot square it to the Swag table. I did loosen the guides and shim them a bit with copper wire and that helped a lot but still not perfect. Like mechanic416 says most of the time it doesn't matter and if I want a straight cut I just draw a straight line on the material and follow it like I would on a jig saw. I do have another one set up like a chop saw on the expensive Milwaukee stand that I got ridiculously cheap and it is right on the money but only useful for pipe at the moment with it's pipe chain hold down, but I am working on setting it up to cut square tube and bar stock. Perhaps it is so accurate because it is made by Milwaukee.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:The table I made for my Dewalt bandsaw is adjustable for square side to side and front to back. The saw has been in almost daily use for years now. I can't say enough good things about that Dewalt saw. Totally accurate and reliable.
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Originally Posted by vdotmatrix
I BOUGHT A NEW DEWALT DWM-120 portable band saw and then just recieved today the SWAG Portaband table for it VERsion 3 ( for Dewalt).Nicely made solid and so on. When I put a square to the saw blabe it was not square to the table.In 100mm it was off vertical by 1 to 1.5mm. It's not much, but it is not square.I wrote the company and this is their rememdy: As for the blade not being level this is based on the casting of the saw not being perfectly flat. We recommend removing the insert plate and filing down the casting of the saw to get the blade perpendicular to the table top.Has anyone done this and if you have do you have any tips or considerations before I try doing this.I aso read that the INCRA V-27 mitre to use with this application is MEH.Any ideas? thx
Reply:I made my own 10 years ago. Old Milwaukee and it's great.
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Reply:The more I looked at it, I didn't really see any rough casting. Anything I would file off would be folly. Shimming would be the best thing...I may be splitting hairs here anyway.
Originally Posted by M J D
I would try shimming before I would start taking material off on a brand new saw.
Reply:I am not known for being very clear about what I am trying to write. A picture is worth .....( here is what I was trying to show)
anyway I meant to say simply that the blade is off 1.5mm off vertical, which the gentleman said I could probably shim with something very thin...splitting hairs...I just took everything out of the box and remembered ready some observations from other users and especially the stuff about the miter. If I can get an accurate cut with just the setup I have without spending real dollars for real fab equipment, I will be happy. Afterall, I am a hobbyist. ( INCRA V27).
Originally Posted by tapwelder
Might want to use it for a bit. They're not precision instruments, you can mark your metal and guide / rotate it.. How often will you cut 4 inches on your vertical bandsaw setup. So it really is not off that much in 2 inches or flat on the table. By the way a foot pedal was a nice addition for mine.
Reply:That is really something!!!!
Originally Posted by downsizingnow48
The table I made for my Dewalt bandsaw is adjustable for square side to side and front to back. The saw has been in almost daily use for years now. I can't say enough good things about that Dewalt saw. Totally accurate and reliable.
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Originally Posted by John T
the incra miter works OK but yes, its a little sloppy....
Reply:Your initial description was clear. You can use feeler gauge blades for shimming. That error might be in the bearing assembly screws? Also is it the same on the Other side? Are you sure the table insert is level, no metal chips or flex. I found that setup best used for miter cuts I could not do on my horizontal band saw. Also great for quick trim and shaping. Beware that small parts/shavings can /will fall onto your wheels and bearings.
Reply:I didn’t get the miter yet before I saw how the setup would go as far as precision was concerned, which is a big deal to me,
Originally Posted by TraditionalToolworks
One thing to check is how the bottom of the slot is adjusted, on mine I found it was tilted to one side preventing the miter from sitting down flat on the table. But loosening the front/back bolts and adjusting it flat allows the miter sit flat on the table.My Milwaukee didn't fit properly either, I had to open up the throat on the plate. But having the miter is the whole reason to get the Swag Off Road stand, IMO, otherwise I could have made my own.The protaband is not a highly precision machine, but it's useful to be able to cut miters on it, even if they need to be cleaned up with an angle grinder. My $0.02...(no affiliation with Swag)EDIT: My Milwaukee is a 6236, the holes on the plate don't match up for what Swag shows for the model, but to Troy's credit he did tell me there are so many variations it's hard for them to match them all. As I said, it's not a precision saw by any means. Certainly no Ellis...
Reply:Thank you. I have not fired anything up yet.Yes, it is about 1,5mm off at the top in the picture and the same distance off at the bottom on the other side so the there is a right side biast. I have to look at how the base to base contact looks, how the screws are seating in the swag base and the use of feeler gauges is a BRILLIANT idea! Busy morning for me!
Originally Posted by tapwelder
Your initial description was clear. You can use feeler gauge blades for shimming. That error might be in the bearing assembly screws? Also is it the same on the Other side? Are you sure the table insert is level, no metal chips or flex. I found that setup best used for miter cuts I could not do on my horizontal band saw. Also great for quick trim and shaping. Beware that small parts/shavings can /will fall onto your wheels and bearings.
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Originally Posted by vdotmatrix
I didn’t get the miter yet before I saw how the setup would go as far as precision was concerned, which is a big deal to me,
Reply:I said above I am not a trade fabricator with the requisite professional accoutrement needed for the calling. I am not blaming anyone, are you? I am investigating whether anyone else has seen a similar result with this exact setup and possible solutions they could offer here. The saw I have is a dewalt Dwm120. The stand is superbly well built. Thanks for responding!
Originally Posted by TraditionalToolworks
It is a portaband you bought so you can't blame Swag Off Road for that. They are what they are.You don't own an Ellis band saw. You don't own a Rollin band saw. You don't own a cold cutting saw like an Evolution or a Fein.You own a portaband. It might not be the tool for you.
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Originally Posted by vdotmatrix
I said above I am not a trade fabricator with the requisite professional accoutrement needed for the calling. I am not blaming anyone, are you? I am investigating whether anyone else has seen a similar result with this exact setup and possible solutions they could offer here. The saw I have is a dewalt Dwm120. The stand is superbly well built. Thanks for responding!
Reply:I've been using my Dewalt mounted in a table for about 4 years, no problems with bearings or wandering or anything.Before I made the table, I looked at the Swag table and at the mounting boss on the Dewalt. Just eyeballing I could see the mounting boss was not square to the blade. For a while I considered using these precision washer shims (see link) to get the Dewalt square on the Swag but I ended up making the table.Anyway you might try these washer shims and see if that gets you where you want to be.https://www.mcmaster.com/standard-washer-shims
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Originally Posted by TraditionalToolworks
There is something you could try, and just trying to offer you some advice.The bearings are not the best and need to be replaced often, but you might be able to kind of adjust them depending on what model of saw you have...I don't know the DeWalt, I have a Milwaukee. I took mine off and tried to readjust as the blade is not entirely aligned, but again, it's a portaband so it is what it is. You can try to shim things to get it square to the table, put a shim under one side to make it square (as you show it out of square in your pic above).Little things like that will make it be more precise, but it is an inexpensive band saw, I just wanted you to keep that in mind.
Reply:Thank you!
Reply:I never could get my Milwaukee square to the slot in the table. It bugged me a bit. Just gave up. Never checked to see if the blade was perpendicular to the table.Wasn't really a problem though, I just used it the way it was.
Reply:I am guilty of not reading the OP carefully and I missed the "vertically" part, my apologies. It does sound like shimming is the answer though.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
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Originally Posted by downsizingnow48
The table I made for my Dewalt bandsaw is adjustable for square side to side and front to back. The saw has been in almost daily use for years now. I can't say enough good things about that Dewalt saw. Totally accurate and reliable.yes if you google "tractorbynet bandsaw table" it will come up.
Reply:Id like to edit my above post but thats not possible on this website. The V 27 is actually not sloppyIt fits in the cut out very tight and it also has plastic spacers that you can adjust to take up the space if any. I havent used it in a while so my memory faded. It actually works pretty good but Using a couple C clamps definitely helpsBecause sometimes the blade will grab the piece and get you wonky
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Reply:You can also get into trouble with this thing if you push down on it. Because the further and will liftOne of these days Im going to make a little tab to hold it into placeSuch as in the picture. Hopefully you will dig what Im saying
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Reply:John T,Your table is slightly different than the version 3.0, you must have the version 2.0 as I think the 1.0 needed to be held in a vise.One difference is that the 3.0 has a separate throat plate which the saw attaches to which is removable.Yes, the plastic washers are how you adjust the tightness in the slot, but the 3.0 table has a separate piece at the bottom of the slot with a SHCS on the front and rear to secure it, maybe your table is different but as long as it sits flat on the table, that's about as good as you can do.These are not precision tools by any means, IMO, and that's just my opinion.
Reply:After tweaking this thing to get the GD blade perpendicular to the base, I finally found success with a .25mm feeler gauge positioned just right. PITAThe first cut just ignoring the non-perpendicularity gave me a fktup cut. Even with the blade pretty damn square after adding the feeler gauge to the base fastener, it was still not near perfect. I know , I know I have to spend many more hundreds of dollars to be able to cut a piece of tubing square, but what is the purpose of this setup with a bandsaw and a bandsaw table if it isn't to get more accurate cuts? What do folks use this setup for?I am talking just cutting 1-2" tubing square or rectangular.There must be something I am missing like tips and tricks of using a cheap $300 bandsaw on a table-mount portaband ver. 3.0 to get acceptable cuts.I am in envy of the unbelievably accurate cuts I got from the metal supermarket...its amazing. The mounting brackets I just cut are for the axles for my welding cart so the precision isnt important on one end of the pieces, but when I cut the spar I need for shelf it has to be accurate...God will I have to go back to make a cut on my abrasive disc chop saw after all this?UUgggggg! Any ideas....
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Originally Posted by vdotmatrix
I know , I know I have to spend many more hundreds of dollars to be able to cut a piece of tubing square, but what is the purpose of this setup with a bandsaw and a bandsaw table if it isn't to get more accurate cuts? What do folks use this setup for?
Reply:Not sure how much experience you have cutting metal, but it's not a bad solution to have bandsaw capabilities in a small, inexpensive package. I can turn my horizontal bandsaw up on vertical, it has a small table, but small is the keyword here. YESI can also use an angle grinder, most of which cost at least half of what a portaband costs, but they are pretty messy and way noisier. An angle grinder is more versatile, IMO, however. Especially if you weld, they have a number of uses.yES i AGREES, i HAVE ALL THAT.No, I think you're merely missing an understanding of what you can get with a tool that wasn't even designed for sitting on a table to begin with and/or what a $300 tool can do for you.yES i AGREE. JUST WONDERING WHAT PEOPLE USE A PORTABLE BAND SAW FOR...MOSTLY ROUGH CUTS? NOTHING REALLY PRECISE. i GUESS IF YOU USE IT A LOT YOU GET GOOD AT USING IT.Not to burst your bubble but they're not using a portaband on a Swag table to cut their metal. Maybe if you had enough money to get a saw equivalent to what they're using you would also have a better appreciation for your $300 portaband. I bought my portaband for $100 on craigslist. lol, OF COURSE NOT. MY POINT WAS, WHATEVER THEY USE IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTICALLY ACCURATE AND REPRODUCIBLE. wOULDNT THAT BE NICE TO HAVE SOMETHING A FRACTION OF THE UTILITY.Yes, as I have suggested, mark out your cut layouts with a combination square and maneuver the piece how you need to in order to get a straight cut to your line. You will find that you can get remarkably close cuts to your layouts. Much quieter than an angle grinder, and way cleaner (means a lot to me).. I USE EVERY SQUARE DEVICE I HAVE. THE TIPS AND TRICK I AM ASKING ABOUT. DOES THE CUT SEEM TO FLARE OUT TOWARDS THE END? LIKE AT THE END OF THE CUT. i APPRECIATE THE RESPONSES, I HAVE A LOT TO LEARN...THX
Reply:Well I have 3 portabands and I use one as a hand held for cutting conduit and unistrut on the job site, it doesn't cut perfectly square but it sure makes quick work of it. The second one I have mounted to the Swag first generation table that clamps in a vise, I use that one for rough cuts or cutting small pieces of thinner metal. Works great for coping angle iron before welding together for frame shapes. Also great for cutting all thread without buggering the threads. Now the 3rd one I have mounted to a chop saw style table and is adjustable for square and let me tell you if you want square cuts from a portaband this is the way to do it. Mine can cut just as square as my horizontal band saw, of course with any band saw you have to make adjustments as the blade wears and never force the work especially with these narrow blades like the portabands use, they will flex and go crooked on you in a heartbeat if forced. Here's a link to a thread I started a few years ago about my chop style table with a few examples of how accurate I got it to cut. https://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthrea...ortaband-StandI think a big part of why it's so hard to get square cuts from a portaband is because it is designed to move through a stationary/clamped work piece, when you mount it like a verticle band saw now you are moving the work piece through the saw instead.Last edited by bigb; 04-27-2020 at 07:02 PM.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
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Originally Posted by bigb
Well I have 3 portabands and I use one as a hand held for cutting conduit and unistrut on the job site, it doesn't cut perfectly square but it sure makes quick work of it. The second one I have mounted to the Swag first generation table that clamps in a vise, I use that one for rough cuts or cutting small pieces of thinner metal. Works great for coping angle iron before welding together for frame shapes. Also great for cutting all thread without buggering the threads. Now the 3rd one I have mounted to a chop saw style table and is adjustable for square and let me tell you if you want square cuts from a portaband this is the way to do it. Mine can cut just as square as my horizontal band saw, of course with any band saw you have to make adjustments as the blade wears and never force the work especially with these narrow blades like the portabands use, they will flex and go crooked on you in a heartbeat if forced. Here's a link to a thread I started a few years ago about my chop style table with a few examples of how accurate I got it to cut. https://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthrea...ortaband-StandI think a big part of why it's so hard to get square cuts from a portaband is because it is designed to move through a stationary/clamped work piece, when you mount it like a verticle band saw now you are moving the workpiece through the saw instead.
Reply:I was a little confused when people referred to a portaband, when they were talking about an actual saw called a portaband.....like the one I see in your link....that is a saw right? OK, I WANT a horizontal setup.
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Originally Posted by vdotmatrix
I was a little confused when people referred to a portaband, when they were talking about an actual saw called a portaband.....like the one I see in your link....that is a saw right? OK, I WANT a horizontal setup.
Reply:Within my shop I rarely have use for a table mounted vertical bandsaw. However away from my shop I use it handheld for everything it can reach. The largest benefit I found when I mounted the portaband on the table was convenience and ability to cut irregular shapes shapes. My major issue was drifting off my line. I really had a few job in succession ,shortly after I purchased it where the vertical band saw was a great option. I was cutting complementary angles too great for my horizontal bandsaw. Then, I have a eureka moment and figured how to do it on the horizontal bandsaw horizontally. Thus the existence of the swag table saw was unnecessaryThe portable bandsaw will be a handy tool, overall. You can free hand cut quite accurately. It is just slow.I would suggest H bandsaw before chop saw or cold saw. Quiet is nice. I use my cold saw on job sites or on items I do not move off my trailer.Good luck.I have a dry saw not a cold saw.Last edited by tapwelder; 04-27-2020 at 09:29 PM.
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Originally Posted by TraditionalToolworks
Keep in mind the rabbit hole you're going down. For about the same price or slightly more you can get a cold chop saw that will cut way more accurate. Just sayin'...I don't have one but want one real bad...will cut square or miters accurately.
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Originally Posted by tapwelder
Within my shop I rarely have use for a table mounted vertical bandsaw. However away from my shop I use it handheld for everything it can reach. The largest benefit I found when I mounted the portaband on the table was convenience and ability to cut irregular shapes shapes. My major issue was drifting off my line. I really had a few job in succession ,shortly after I purchased it where the vertical band saw was a great option. I was cutting complementary angles too great for my horizontal bandsaw. Then, I have a eureka moment and figured how to do it on the horizontal bandsaw horizontally. Thus the existence of the swag table saw was unnecessaryThe portable bandsaw will be a handy tool, overall. You can free hand cut quite accurately. It is just slow.I would suggest H bandsaw before chop saw or cold saw. Quiet is nice. I use my cold saw on job sites or on items I do not move off my trailer.Good luck.
Reply:I wouldn't expect much better cuts with that Eastwood setup. Your still going to get blade drift with that. If your dealing with smaller, lighter gauge material, the dry cut saw will give you the most accurate cuts. I use a horizontal bandsaw for most cuts, but for miter cuts that need to be accurate, the Makita lc1230 comes out.
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Originally Posted by M J D
I wouldn't expect much better cuts with that Eastwood setup. Your still going to get blade drift with that. If your dealing with smaller, lighter gauge material, the dry cut saw will give you the most accurate cuts. I use a horizontal bandsaw for most cuts, but for miter cuts that need to be accurate, the Makita lc1230 comes out.
Reply:I'd keep the dewalt and get a horizontal band saw. Does hf still sell them?or just use the dewalt for a while til you figure out what you need most. Since you have time, invest in some good files. You can hog metal off rather than grind. There actually is something satisfying about hearing all that swarf raining down onto the floor per stroke.The saw will be valuable to you hand held. Sale the table, keep the saw.The Eastwood saw has very limited capacity. It might work fine, just check the spec for capacity at angle cutting.
Reply:It's a inexpensive saw setup. Use it as is and if it doesn't make a 100% accurate cut, buyA bench 4"x36" belt sander to true up the cut. If you're welding pieces together, a 1/8"To me doesn't matter on 2" tube.For best results buy yourself a Ellis 1600 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Originally Posted by vdotmatrix
I have one. Noisey, dirty, heavy-ish.
Reply:Matrix,You are really going to flip your lid When you snap a blade in the middle of a cut .... and it takes 2 hours to realign the new blade to your OCD specs ....Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ProMiller 211Hypertherm PM 451961 Lincoln Idealarc 250HTP 221 True Wisdom only comes from Pain.
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Originally Posted by tapwelder
I'd keep the dewalt and get a horizontal band saw. Does hf still sell them?or just use the dewalt for a while til you figure out what you need most. Since you have time, invest in some good files. You can hog metal off rather than grind. There actually is something satisfying about hearing all that swarf raining down onto the floor per stroke.The saw will be valuable to you hand held. Sale the table, keep the saw.The Eastwood saw has very limited capacity. It might work fine, just check the spec for capacity at angle cutting.
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Originally Posted by TraditionalToolworks
What type of cold chop saw that you have?If you don't have one that uses Carbide Tooth Blades, you have a different beast.
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Originally Posted by BD1
It's a inexpensive saw setup. Use it as is and if it doesn't make a 100% accurate cut, buyA bench 4"x36" belt sander to true up the cut. If you're welding pieces together, a 1/8"To me doesn't matter on 2" tube.For best results buy yourself a Ellis 1600 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Originally Posted by vdotmatrix
Man. I really don't know what I was thinking. I had a hardon for this stupid band saw, completely spacing out the metal chop saws. I have had this Rigid chop saw...it works, but some of the mitered cuts were a little tenuous.
Reply:It was tapwelders suggestion...
Originally Posted by TraditionalToolworks
Isn't that an abrasive blade saw?Tell me though, were you serious about the files to clean up crappy cuts? I'm still laughing over that one...
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发表于 2021-9-1 23:17:55