Can You Cut Steel On A "Wood Cutting" Bandsaw? 

I had a band saw in the 1960's I installed a moor from a 1948 Bendix Automatic Washer. it had a 10 to 1 reduction system operated by a solenoid. I used the slow speed for cutting metal it worked veyt well.

Thanks so much. Answered my question about cutting aircraft aluminum on a "wood" bandsaw. Just ordered a metal cutting blade for the same saw.

THANK YOU! I've been wracking me brains trying to find, and review various metal/wood band saws for knife making. I was HOPING the materials were blade specific, and not "slow it down or you'll die!" LOL this was informative, and helped me find a band saw!

thank you for your review. i needed to find out if a regular bandsaw would cut metal, but i kind new the blade would have to be for metal. you confirmed it. thank you

I have an old 1994 reliant which looks just like yours and still works great . Mine has the different size pulleys for speed variations also . Thanks for your video as I will get a metal cutting blade , as I never thought of using it that way .

Stumbled on your video and I believe that I have the exact same bandsaw.....Thanks for the info..

It is really nice that you put in a caption telling that a segment is at a higher speed! Very few do that, and it can sometimes make an impression to those who do not know the process that it should go much faster than what it does when trying it yourself. And many who watch this kind of videos have little or no experience in the process themselves. When cutting round material freehand, put a visegrip or toolmakers clamp on the stock! It will try to rotate as the blade goes into and out of cut because the cut forces are not above the contact point stock/table. This can make the teeth catch the edge and the teeth or your hand can get hurt.

This is rally helpful, thank you for making it!

Excellent video. It helps us DIY Builders a lot when we need to make a project and want to use the tools that are already available... instead of a hack saw!

Thanks for the demo! I've got a Delta 14", but speed isn't adjustable as it is, so it's not going to get fed any steel. I'll keep watch on Craig's list for something that can be modified to run slower. In the mean time I have a Miller Portaband mounted in a Swag Off-road table, so I have a 5" vertical bandsaw, and a portable saw for rough cutting wherever needed. For the sizes I'm working with it's been good enough. Thanks for the demos! -- Mike

Awesome Video Jeff, very informative

Thx! I think I will finally get my metal blade to work, I was pushing too hard...Also for crazy shapes I plan to do straight cuts blocking it in rough and then grind to smooth everything out... cheers😊

I would like to make an addition to your video. When cutting metals, you should not just "let the blade do the cutting". So, for each metal there is an optimal feed and speed. And certainly true for harder metals, the blade will last longer if you do put the correct force into the cut. The problem with going too slow is that the teeth will rub rather than cut and wear the blade out quicker. Otherwise great video. PS I loved the comment about Dracula needs to be aware. Very funny.

Good demo. Mine is a 1960 era cast iron Delta 14 converted to metal cutting with 135 rpm gear-motor. With five step pulley it cuts from 194 fpm to 1220 fpm with 1/4 x .025 x 10T Bi-Metal for tool steel, 1/4 x .025 x 4-6T for aluminum and 14T for sheet metal. I've never found a reason to go wider than 1/4 on my blades. I'm surprised you can cut thick steel that fast on a wood cutting saw even with 24T blade, I assume with a three step pulley and 1750 motor. Thanks from a retired tool maker.

Im thinking of using a vertical 14" bandsaw with different blades in both metal and woodworking situations. Investing both the 6x4 horizontal and the 14" vertical at one time is possible but painful. Thanks for your experiments.

I worked in a machine shop that bought several of these saws back in the 90's. My thought was they wouldn't cut metal. We but two sets of pulleys on them or an extra set I guess to say. we left the regular speed set then put a big time reduction set on with the motor made to slide or swivel (can't remember exactly) but we cut aluminum with the factory set speed and cut steel with the reduction set. Made a loop that would hold both belts. Also we added spray misters that made blades last a long time.

My 12" Sears 103.24280 has issue with the aluminum shavings sticking to the poly tires.

That looks identical to my Jet bandsaw I bought back in 97. Still works good. It's better to change those plastic guide blocks to rollers.

Very informative my friend , Good video. Cheers

Thank you . I have a bandsaw like that. But i never try to cut a sheet metal. I think its need a special kind saw for metal. But i haven find the saw yet.

II went to a store that sell metal removing CNC bits and order a metal steel cutting blade it was special made for my saw and was under $30

BADASS.....USEFUL INFORMATION...VERY COOL....

Thanks, Jeff! I was thinking of getting HF 14 inch band saw and now, you've confirmed what I always thought was probably the case! I will look for the model that model with the cast iron frame! I just bought a Skil 9 incher to get me by until I can find and afford a 14 incher! I am a beginning knife maker, and at 67, I'm a bit late to the game! I DO need to cut high carbon steel and some other metals so I bought 2 bimetal blades with 18 teeth per inch! I can't fond any blades with more teeth for the 59.5 inch blades I need so, I guess I'm stuck with 18 tpi. I'm hoping that it will cut 3/16th inch nickel steel! It works very well for bolsters and guards! Again, thanks for the video and the info!

Jeff...if that bandsaw has variable speed, then you really snagged a deal. When you showed us the page that showed the different types of material and the appropriate blade speeds, I could only surmise that your bandsaw was variable speed. You didn't tell us that part. Yep...proper blade selection and proper speed...key factors. Thanks for your videos.

ive got a bandsaw with a wood cutting blade,gonna try cuttin some metal.cool video.

Thanks a bunch! Looking for a versatile band saw now. Can you recommend a band saw with variable speed?

Depinately possible. It's not the tools fault to fail. It is the impatience of the operator that causes problems. We have a metal bandsaw at work, that the engineers destroy every new blade on the first use, as they FORCE to cut. The blades run about 120.00 from fastenal. I have a friend who cut blackpowder gun stocks on his meat cutting bandsaw, and it still works and blades last.

So is it safe to use a wood cutting bandsaw, those old belt-driven cast iron ones? Say, if I channge pulley ratios so it goes a bit slower, or if I calculate the saw's speed to match its recomended specifications, would it be ok? Is there any other characteristic that makes a wood cutting bandsaw suitable for wood-only?

Thank you fo the valuable information, I thought that I need variable speed saw to cut metal, just buy the blade for the metal ,Thanks again

I have two of these saws. 2003 and 2007. One is for wood, the other for metal or fine cutting with a metal cutting blade running at 576 sfpm. The ideal speed for steel is about 90-150 sfpm. I only cut thinner metal and leave the heavy cutting for the horizontal bandsaw. (SFPM is "surface feet per minute" the blade cuts, not the rpm of the pulleys)

I freaked out when I saw that there were no measurements or the use of the fence. Measure twice! This tool is way nicer than an angle grinder!

Just got one exactly like it.

Can you post a link for the specific blade you used for this.

Very Good!!

Nice video, but what brand blade did you use and how did it hold up?

no way that's incredibly sick!! Kyle Metcalfe (VLVV)

Thank you, I thought this was correct, i simply want to weld small stuff as a hobby, Thank you for confirming my knowledge lol ,

Cheers buddy thanks 👍

I'm going to be cutting out a couple of skinner knife blades out of 3/16" thick 440C steel and I was hoping to be able to use my table top (9" I think) wood bandsaw for this. The speed isn't adjustable though so I'm not sure if it will work. I was going to try a high tooth count bi-metal blade and cut a little at a time and allow the blade to cool off between cuts so I'm hoping I can pull it off but not sure. I do have a 4 1/2 angle grinder I can use but I'd rather not if I can help it.

wow it cut through that 3/4 ply like it was cutting through a banana. that was amazing.

Hello, i made a sliding sledge which runs in the guide rail, it cuts perfectly straight! I just purchased a wood metal blade, lets see if it works!!!

Crap, i really wish i grabbed one of those earlier central machinery saws. Those things are built like a tank and has 4 speeds and 1 hp motor. awesome saw for the money. The current generation has 3/4 hp motor. great video btw.

Asbestos is still used throughout the world and is largely mined in Russia. Many believe that Asbestos is harmless and continue to produce to this day. In America it was banned for "our safety" because our research suggest it's causes negative health effects such as Cancer. While others suggest that it was a ploy to boycott the large Russian export. Great video! This helped me a lot with my project. Thank you

Hey Jeffrey, does that bandsaw have an adjustable speed setting? It seems much slower than mine. I did buy one of the bench models, Craftsman 10", and some bi-metal blades. I've done a video on cutting aluminum with it but the speed seems crazy fast to try steel. I even bought blade wax to help. Great Craig's List find.

What was the ft/min on those cuts?

I have to cut a piece of wood and I know it has two decking scews in it. Is that going to be a problem for my band saw to cut through?

I have been cutting metal on my bandsaw like this for 10 years. Granger or mcmaster Carr, if you contact those companies and tell them what you wanna cut they will sell you a blade that will work.

about how long would the metal cutting blade last if only using it to cut sheet metal?

hi - nice vid thanks, what HP is that motor?

I cut a lot of aluminum with my wood band saw, never tried metal but man it goes right threw aluminum

do u can saw off a branch in dat saw blade?

Awesome thnx

I enjoy your videos, but I just want to correct you on something. Metal band saws usually have speed controls where as wood band saws do not. That chart you had out specifies the speed for the blade for the material to be cut. It is kind of similar to a drill press. You vary the speed to the material to be cut and also the diameter of the drill bit. Cutting wood the speed is not that critical, but cutting metal you usually use a slower speed and you can quickly dull a blade or bit if you are going too fast. Yes you can cut metal on a wood band saw, but you will most likely dull the blade more quickly.

I realize this is a older video but,, I'm doing the same conversion.. its a 10" Rockwell model 28-113 wood cutter. It has a 3/4hp motor. Can I use a variable speed rotary switch to reduce the rpm speed to a comfortable level without damaging the motor.?? Thanks for any reply from anyone who would know. 🙏👍

hi Jeffrey, Compliments of the season!!! could you let me know the details of the band saw blade company at India, I been trying to find one here at India.

Cool.

Hey Jeff, old video, but do you still own that machine? Have you been happy with it? I have a more worn out one similar that I need to modify/fix and am just ordering some blades for it this evening :-)

Any bandsaw... it is all about the band speed and the blade. Different speed ranges favor different material. Wood is typically a much higher speed than metals. Alum is a high speed also so a wood cutting saw with a good blade will cut alum. I cut up to 2 inch alum stock on my wood saw all the time (dry for those of you who insist it needs lube, it does not and will not stick to the blade either though on STEEL I do use a bit of wax). with a 6 tooth raker blade. The speed is not able to be adjusted slow enough to get a lot of cuts on steel etc. Too much speed and you will break off the teeth in a HSS blade in steel while the same blade at a slower band speed will cut a long time through steels.

If you are able you turn the piece vertical and the blade being straight it will cut a curfew that you can then follow and the blade will stay true and you guys all have a 5x mode but I have looked and I can’t find mine do you have to pay extra 🤔

Great video but that blade isn't set up very well. Needs tracking and more tension along with guide adjustment.

Very informative video thanks. As you cannot buy a metal cutting vertical band saw it would appear converting a wood one is the only option. I think a good cross cut fence would need to he made though with clamps preferably. Many wood cutting band saws only have one t slot which is a nuisance.

Nice

It depends on the Motor and the Blade. The motor on a metal bandsaw is lower rpm.

Old timer's trick that will help your blade last a lot longer : use some beeswax on the blade before cutting thicker material . . . * it can nearly double the cutting speed ! ( especially in aluminum plate ) :) This would be a fine candidate for a treadmill motor !

Perhaps you or someone else can explain what do you mean by a 9-in and a 14-in saw? Is it the opening from the top of the table to the adjustable foot? Also thank you for putting a video out about this saw. I've seen them online and wasn't sure of the quality. It looks like I might need to check one out.

Lucky boy!

Jeffrey I have cut tons of aluminum and steel on a verticle band saw and you need to stay as close to the recommended blade speed as you can and you can buy band saw blade wax in a cardboard tube you just rub the wax on the blade while it is running every 3-4 cutswax makes blades last longer and cut quicker good video thanx

how would that blade work in nail embed pallet wood?

Nice video! Does this model have the multi speed pulleys? I've been saying this for decades. A band saw will cut anything as long as the operator selects the correct blade type, T.P.I., blade speed, feed rate and coolant if indicated. Give a skilled operator a mediocre saw,, he'll know how to do the job right. Give a ham handed baboon a good machine, he'll instinctively screw up the work and the machine. I've got similar Taiwanese band saw. I fabbed steel upgrades for almost all the essential die-cast parts like guides, tracking hinge, and installed a pair of four sheave pulleys. Now its a champ at just about any job.

is it quiet ? im trying to make a low noise metal workshop and a hacksaw is not a lot of fun

@Jeffrey Santo - I realize that this video is a bit long in the tooth, but some things never change, so I was hoping to get a bit more information about the bandsaw used in this video. Harbor Freight is presently advertising a "14-inch 4-speed Woodworking Band Saw" that's made by Central Machinery (SKUs: 60564, 32208, 67595, 68835) that sells for $499.99 (February 2023). They're advertising that it weighs 167.2 pounds and that it uses 93.5-inch bands, so I was wondering if you think that it's anything like the saw you filmed herein? If not, I'd appreciate any identifying information you can find for your saw. I've both liked and subscribed, so please keep up making the informative videos. 👍

i put the metal cutting blade on my vertical woodcutting band saw. it works great but don't try cutting bed frame angle iron. i knew it was tough to cut but i just had to try.saw sparks and the blade will still cut plastics but not metal.

is that saw is really that quiet? wow

I tried this with my Jet brand bandsaw. Brand new blade I made 3 inch and a half cuts through some 16th inch mild steel. They went very nice and I thought I was rolling. Fourth cut on some eighth inch angle and it won't cut. Need to find a smaller pulley to slow the speed down. 60 dollar blade no good!!!! Ugh!!

I have an old (60s- 70s) craftsman cast iron wood cutting bandsaw that I re-powered to slow the blade feet per minute to @ 250-300 FPM. I used a snowblower auger gearbox to reduce the speed. I works awesome! I’ve been using it for about 8 years. Blades last forever, I think 3 blades in 8 years and I use it ALL the time. Steel, aluminum, sheet metal - whatever. Speed of blade is absolutely critical, however - another critical aspect of converting a wood saw to a metal saw is the blade. I went to www.toolcenter.com and bought .025 x 14 TPI NEO-type metal blade. There like 12 or 13 bucks apiece. These blades are totally awesome as I said earlier, they last forever. PS, I’ve never used any lubrication.

Most wood bandsaws have speeds much faster than a metal horizontal bandsaw and will dull the blade very quickly. Just as an abrasive metal chop saw cuts much faster than a dry cut chop saw, so if you try and put a metal blade on an abrasive chop saw it will work but it will dull out the blade quickly because of the speed. So its all about the SPEED of the machine thats the important part. So yes it will work but how long the blade lasts depends on the speed of the machine.

If you install a metal-cutting blade and if you feed the metal to be cut extremely slowly so that heat does not build up, and cut only thin materials...and use extreme caution, but used horizontal bandsaws are cheap (Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace) and most of them will stand up in a vertical position. All you need to do is build a small table to mount on them... My wood-cutting bandsaw has aluminum wheels with rubber tires. My metal-cutting bandsaw has cast iron wheels with no rubber tires. I think metal chips might eat up rubber tires.

anybody try a rheostat for speed control ?

👍🏻

Now that I saw this demonstration, I"m thinking I can cut down rocks with my bandsaw to put into a tumbler. Thank you!

TPI on a blade is not definitive on what the blade is used for I ran a 42" wide or 36" tall horizontal band saw with speed control we used a blade that was 24-26' long and the teeth on it cut everything from 6061 to Stainless steel the teeth were 1/4-1/2 spaced and the fillets were deep for the chip to go, it had more to do with coolant and blade speed, and what that blade was designed to do. The blade dropped straight down, we also had a pivot type saw and a roll in type saw and a doall, they all used differnt type blades. I cut cold rolled hot rolled stainless brass and aircraft aluminum on it all the time on the same blade, the 6061 always clogged up the guide bearings with chips. First time I cut Stainless steel with it I had it speed set for aluminum needless to say I case hardened the steel and burnt up a back then 400 dollar blade I'd just put on the saw new. OOPS. Got my ass chewed out for it. I didn't make many mistakes after that but I'll tell you if you're making parts for the welder don't cut them short, or you'll find your ass fixing the 80 parts you screwed up with a Lincoln and a lot of welding rod. Oh well I needed to learn how to lay a bead . I would use one of the cooling lube sticks to help keep the blade cool because you're not cooling it with coolant. agscompany.com/product/cut-ease-cutting-lubricant-stick-1-lb/ You can use that on a drill press or about any tool using high speed cutting tools. Or even a hand saw on metal, Its real handy on a bandsaw and its been around for a long time, the sticks used to be green if I recall.

Worth its wait huh lol

those 5 dislikes are probably from satanists who's head started spinning around when you brought the cross at the camera :P

Hi , can you show us the pulley setup on the bandsaw please

Might be a dumb question but, whenever I see anyone cut steel on a 'wood-cutting' bandsaw, I always wonder: don't you need some sort of cutting oil?

asbestos ...couldn't stop laughing

considering cutting geometries it is a fundamental rule that you always let the tool do the work. Each tool has it's limitations in terms of cutting capacity (room for swarf and chips) and you can't run above these limits. BTW - the speed about which you talk in your vid is actually the cutting speed and not the feed rate. For linear cutting processes such as sawing it's a function of the rpm's while for rotating cutting such as drilling, milling or turning it's a function of rpm and tool diameter (for turning dia. of your work). While the feed rate - as the name already indicates - indicates how fast you feed your work to the tool.

You need to consider surface feet per minute

It is also about the speed, and not just the blade

This little band saw has turned out to be the best tool purchase I've ever made ru-vid.comUgkx5ZrqmYO2uJq_nuU8TopyWxVzn8vqmPUL Once doing the set-up as per the included suggestions, this table top tool has been my go-to saw ever since (8 months as of this review). There are few things I wouldn't attempt with this saw. It takes up much less space than my table saw yet delivers twice as much punch. I've used it to create slices of wood no thicker than an 1/16th of inch by using the POWERTEC BS900RF Rip Fence. For small shop projects this tool can't be beat.

diresta does that all the time.

If it's a Toyota!

You last name Santo means saint in Portuguese and Spanish. It's ironic you introduced the video with a cross. Was it to scare aware the trolls?

you want three teeth in work for proper cut one entering one leaving one in middle of work for size of metal 100 to 300 feet of blade per minute i put a right angle gearbox in mine to slow it down

Slaanesh!

The spacing of the teeth have nothing whatsoever to do with if it's a metal or wood cutting bandsaw. TPI for wood cutting is a very important indicator on Arc of radius that you're cutting the way the wood chips are being pulled out of your curfe

I tried putting a metal cutting blade on my 9 ince wood cutting bandsaw it didn't EVEN cut a little! It will cut wood, and plastic, not carbon fiber, and not steel. You need to slow that blade down. Some thing is going to take a shit, sooner or later, hopefully it is minor. Think about this. If you make a band saw and all you have to do is switch the blade out why on earth would you say "this saw is for wood only" why not say "hey just change the blade and you can cut anything you want!" It would be a great marketing edge that EVERY company would use EVEN IF they sold one for metal cutting as well.

I cut asbestos everyday you've offended me deeply

Duh of course

True fact. I have cut asbestos tiles on a band saw. Wearing a standard dust mask. Good old General Dynamics...