Making a Table for my Portable Bandsaw 

+ituxcoza I might have to make another one in orange to live next to the CNC! I debated the color scheme and I thought the Milwaukee Red would not go with the Platform Orange. I guess I could rattle can the saw... :)

As I sit here today rewatching some of your videos after the brake rolled through my subscriptions, i remembered this project... Any chance you can share the DXFs of the table? Would actually love to make one for myself too!

+Jose Alcérreca Thanks! No pressure there...

+da duck Sounds good! BTW this table wasn't much cheaper than just buying one, it just has features that were important to me.

Really... Waooow Brian Oltrogge​

+Educating Savvas Yeah, there are mobile versions of exactly what I did with the switch here. I just know how much happier I'd be with an incorporated switch right by my hand. Very useful for router tables, etc...

+Saw Dust Maker Thanks! Being near to Detroit has its advantages!

+fidsah The tech shop in Detroit has some nice laser cutters, but membership can be quite pricey

Wow, that's a bit expensive for a bit of steel! I'd suggest not getting the top powder coated as it will just scratch, look terrible and function poorly. You will also want to add a way to turn the saw off and on rather than pulling the cord out of the outlet. Swag has a foot operated on off switch. I think this may be annoying. Look for router table switches in order to have an easy access switch. Basically the same thing I integrated into my table.

+Ajey Thanks!

I made 5 of these…. The one you have seen in the videos, one I sent to Diresta way back, sold two and one is still here chilling in a medium FedEx box just in case I need to swap a new one or have a conversation with a laser cutter. I realized with the integrated switch, it should probably be UL listed… then I got too busy with a job that tried to kill me.

@@Grunblau That's great news for the tiny handful of people who got one. Right now, the options for the rest of us are either the SWAG kit, or coming up with something on our own. I think your design is head and shoulders above the SWAG model, but not even the plans are available so we can send them off to a cut-on-demand service. You wouldn't need to offer it with a switch or outlets. That's an easy add-on for the end-user, so just allow for punch-outs in the design much like with junction boxes in electrical work. That way the customer can source their own switches and outlets, place them on the body wherever they like, etc. Or just make it solid and leave it up to the customer to cut and drill for what they need. If they can't do that, they really shouldn't be messing about with the thing anyway! :D The only problem I see right out of the gate is that it might be too low for my DeWalt saw. That's okay, too, because I can always raise it up an inch or two when I mount it to the bench. Or buy a new saw that's a little smaller. As a blacksmith, most of my cutting on a bandsaw is for ornamental purposes. I have the bigger saws if I need to part off big steel, but a small vertical bandsaw would certainly be handy for cutting out rosettes and fluer-d-lis. The problem is finding a stand that I like... and that's available for purchase. ;-)

I have to agree with Wes. I saw the one you sent to Jimmy and got excited thinking you might now sell them. I have wanted one since shortly after you posted this video.

+David R. Darrow - drdarrow You can interact with most fabrication companies in every way you mention. I tend to model everything make sure it all fits and tolerances are good and then give them the 2D cut able geometry. So a CAD file with notes on it for important features. They will use this actual file to laser cut the pieces. You can supply the metal, but they probably get a better deal on it than you would. I sometimes tap the threads, and sometimes have them send it out to be tapped. Some places tap in house.... For these I had them countersink and tap. This means a couple day delay, but sometimes it is worth it to just have them do it. As long as you can produce a clean DXF you can use any vector creation software. For sketchup, make sure your arcs are actual arcs and not polylines.

Ask for flat black powder coat. This is probably one of the most common colors they spray... and one of my favorites.

+Paul Reed Solidworks :) Local laser company cuts and bends per my specs.

probably stuff he made himself lol

+iderpalot Most places with a steel laser cutter will also have a press brake.

Thanks for the comment! I have a access to a scroll saw too. I wouldn't want to use it for cutting steel or for cutting off a 1.5" diameter sprue though. For breaking up scrap the portable bandsaw is great. The bandsaw is made for steel but with some candle wax, it makes quick work of cutting off sprues and runners. Eventually, I'd like to get a lathe and this would be useful for cutting bar stock as well. I use the 10-14 TPI blade for aluminum. I wish they had a coarser option...

+Jack N I almost started a run in August but then I started a consulting gig that has used up most of my time...

+Jerry Peterson I really like my portaband table! I think the cost is closer to $150 with the switch/ outlet . I'll have to check again. I am currently doing a run of CNCS, when that is over I am going to do a run of the tables. BTW I spent about 6 hours using the table just today!

$150 is a very reasonable price point. I would buy one right now if you had them available. Will the table support the older 6236 or just the 6232? Thanks hope you get time to produce these. A lot of us would love one.

+Alex Howard All of this is based on the design of the Milwaukee. One side of the bandsaw is unlimited by depth, the other side is 5", I think. Mostly doing smaller cut-off stuff and with aluminum, I cut some candle wax first. This will be great for removing runners from dominoes, for example. Never thought about modifying the actual saw until just now.....

@@Grunblau Are you selling these kits yet?

+Alexander Howard I doubt I'll do another video on this but here is the process I used... First I decided to do the top size to fit into a FedEx medium flat rate box. Then I used tape, paper and a sharpie to record the profile of the saw. Then I modeled the stand and top in Solidworks. I printed out a paper version to check everything and the sent the file to the laser fabricators. Then I picked up the finished parts and brought them to powder coaters. When I got the parts, I filmed the assembly! This is where the video begins. Hope this helps!

+goodideawins Milwaukee 6232-20 Deep Cut Portable Variable Speed Band Saw. The corded one obviously as you couldn't use the power switch feature to turn it off and on.

+Suade907 Search for emergency paddle switch. I don't recall exactly where I got it. Various sources though...

Mc Master I think...

+MAT-Videos I have a local company that is used to me dropping by with a CAD file. This is the same company that cuts the Platform CNC steel for me. All online places I have seen tend to be about 2-3X the cost of local shops. Also, always do multiples. I had 5 of these made to keep the cost per table down. If you are confident in your geometry, you will be able to find a home for the extras even if they end up being Christmas presents! For example, if a single part is $1000, 3 parts will be about $2200. It is almost a buy 2 get one free. This is because there is an actual prototype fee that is attached when you only order one. This benefit slowly diminishes the more you order...

+Brian Oltrogge What's one gonna cost us? :)