BANDSAW FOR STAINLESS ROD

Greetings group.
What size bandsaw will I need to purchase to cut stainless steel rod up to 6" OD.
Is there a minimum motor power and blade size requirement? Do I just get the biggest I can afford?
I am looking at JET bandsaws. Any opinions?
Can I expect decent band life cutting SS?
Thanks!
DJ

I have a jet 8X? and though I never cut 6" SS I have cut 3" 316 and 416 with no trouble.

portaband or chopsaw unless you really like doing the same tedious nothing for a long time

amazing how much feed it takes to cut a piece like that

3 inch stainless round in my bandsaw..... I'll let you know after I count how many blades it ate

chopsaw........ less than three minutes

Are you cutting a lot of 6" or just some?

If it's a lot (like every day) I'd get a saw with a 1" blade and about a 3hp motor and of course, coolant.

If you are just cutting the 6" on occasion, a 3/4" blade with a 1hp motor and coolant will do.

I've got a Wellsaw 8M and wouldn't part with it. There are plenty of used bandsaws out on the market. Dake-Johnson, Startrite, Wells, Amada and others. A new American made 3/4" saw will run $3,500-$4,000. Used, from $500 up.

JR

I doubt you will cut a single piece on a band saw, you don't get enough beam strengt from the saw blade, have another place cut it for you, no kidding

I cut 6" aluminum using bi-metal that way, I wouldn't even TRY to cut stainless that way, you aren't going to LIKE doing it even should you succeed, important factor. Also, you may get hurt in the process.

Thanks for the repsonses guys.
I was wondering about the chopsaw.
Is that the better way to go?
Abrasive blade right? Not teeth.
Thanks,
DJ

Maybe I need an education here, but have never seen a chopsaw that would go through 6" unless you rotate the part. This sounds like a hot way to go. I can cut 6" dia. with my Roll-in, but I know it would take a little time. New blade and coolant, I would guess 1/2 hr. Blade life will be very dependent on how much coolant you use and if you use a premium blade or not. I don't do a lot of bandsawing, but cut mostly stainless and I replace the blade (3/4") about once a year. I buy premium blades.

TMD

Sawing 6" stainless is not a difficult problem. The key is the saw band not necesarily the sawing machine.

Stainless cuts readily with any quality HSS bi-metal saw stock provided the cutting edges are sharp and durable and the teeth are not permitted to dwell in the cut.

A good $10,000 industrial band cut-off saw will out-perform a cheap $700 import home shop 7 x 12 band cut-off saw but either machine will do the job provided you select a band stock suited to the problem.

For 6" stainless 303 and 304 I'd suggest a 2-3 vari-pitch bi-metal 3/4" band stock running at 80 ft/min using plenty of feed and coolant. This band stock is for solid material not pipe or thin walled tubing.

If your 6" stock is a pipe or tube be sure to select a saw band pitch having 2 or more teeth engaged with the wall at minimum thickness. Coarser pitches will hang up on the wall. For Sch 40 pipe you'd probably need a 4-6 or 5-8 pitch.

Sawbands have a finite life. The usual failure mode is normal wear where cutting action slows to some unprofitable rate. The are other modes. The band may simply quit cutting suddenly and dwell in the kerf forever creating a work hardened zone that no new band can re-start in. It could fail from a simple break or it may fail by sawing a wild kerf curving over an inch.

The band life of a cut-off saw band in stainless will be measured in a few hours of continuous piece cutting and the cut quality and time will have to be carefully monitored. When the cut time doubles from that of a fresh band it's probably time to change it even if it seems to be cutting OK. You might get a few more cuts from the worn band but consider the cost recovered from extending the life of a $30 to $60 band for a few more cuts of against the cost of a ruined cut in expensive material.

I prefer Lenox "Super" band stock for my cheap and utterly stock import Rong Fu 7 x 12 band cut-off saw. There are several other brands offering equivalent and just as clean cutting and durable saw stock. There are also saw stocks offered that are a couple of grades superior - and correspondingly expensive.

Another important part of the picture is a good coolant. Soluable oil has a good history cutting stainless. Personally, I'd use a a rich (7 to 1) mix of soluable oil for solid stainless. There are a number of more expensive certainly efficacious coolants provided the correct one is selected. Here I suggest you consult with Houghton or Mobil coolant tech reps.

Cutting heavy stainless barstock with an abrasive shop saw is an exceedingly poor idea. Stainless does not grind well and it tends to load and bond with the abrasive. It would take a 20 HP foundry duty abrasive oscillating arbor chop saw running a 24" wheel to cleanly and efficiently cut 6" diameter stainless removing a 1/4" kerf in the process and you'd eat 2" off the wheel diameter per cut in the process.

A large cold saw will also do the job but sharpening the blade represents a significant cost/cut expense.

There's many choices for the problem NTERPOLATE poses but I'd cut the stuff in a plain vanilla band cut-off saw using a plain vanilla bi-metal coarse pitch band.

As for the difference between a $700 Enco TurnPro 7 x 12 band cut-off saw and the exact same saw from Jet for $1100 is the color of the paint and the name on the stickers. Both saws are made in Asia by TurnPro. The TurnPro is smokey blue and the Jet is Bkack and white.

[This message has been edited by Forrest Addy (edited 11-12-2003).]

I don't cut much stainless but I do cut quite a few A-2 rounds.
My Johnson Model B does a good job up to about 3" round no problem.
4"-5" is ok with a new blade and everything adjusted just right.

It is easier for me to take my 4"-6" rounds to a place in Downey and have them cut them for me.

When I figure the amount of time spent messing with the saw and time spent on the lathe facing off angled cuts, it is cheaper to have somebody else cut me nice straight pieces.

Les

I cut stainless steel every day, solid and pipe and tubeing. We have a cheap MSC brand horizontal saw with a 7" capacity. This is one size above the really cheap saw sold by Enco and others. This saw has a hydralic cylinder for feed control and a small coolant tank . We useually use val-cool, It is just the only thing we have ever bought so I use it.

The blades are Starrett Bimetal Matrix II variable pitch and for thick stock I use a 4-6 tpi blade. For tubeing and thin wall stock I use a 10-14 pitch blade. These last us about a month when I can get everyone to change the blades like they are supposed to. The only real problem I have is when people get lazy and don't change the blade. They wind up tearing the teeth off of the course blade while cutting a piece of 304 tubeing.

It takes time for the solid stuff 4" around and bigger and you cannot walk away from it. The resistance to the cut will cause the hydraulic pressure to bleed off of the cylinder and this can put too much pressure on the cut. Every so often I will lift the saw out of the cut 1/4" or so so that the hydraulic cylinder will control the cut. I will also use a vacume or brush to keep the chips clear of the drive wheel. They can sometimes pack up at the cleanoff wheel and cause the saw to work harder.

This is a lot to type but it works everytime. I find it hard to believe that this cheap little saw has seen such daily use and still keeps on working after 4 years but it works. One day it will finnaly crap out and then I can buy a bigger one but for now it just keeps on cutting.

If you must only use a vertical band saw then use the same type of blade, keep the blade guides adjusted properly and BE PATIENT. Let the blade do the work and do not try to rush it. Use a wax lubricant now and then or try a mist coolant. I have never tried that one but it sould work ok.


Charles


[This message has been edited by CBlair (edited 11-12-2003).]

I have a Jet. I would always buy the biggest I could afford on a horizontal, and at the time it was about 700.00. (I paid to much, I think they can be had a bit cheeper now) 7x9 I think. One up from the real cheap one. It has been cutting 304,303,316, 416 17-4 and all kinds of other stuff for years, no problem. Darn square to. It isn’t no Amada, but if I need production I just order material cut. That saw will go through 6" bar no problem. Go eat lunch while its cutting. (near the saw) Use coolant and I buy Morse blades, not because they are better, just because they are available. I see others have posted speed and TPI. Don't leave tension on the blade when not in use, and get a tension gage so that your not guessing how tight it is. There is one of those saws, I think Rong Fu that has an extra rib cast into it on the arm. That is were I see some flex on mine. Look around at a couple of brands. They’re all about the same, but one has the extra rib. Some day I'll get a Marvel, or a Do all, but you need to saw now! you know what I mean.
Good Luck
Tim

I think there is going to be a Doall saw (36") in the Coastal Trader that comes out today. It is one of those local type magazines that they sell at the corner Zippy marts. I didn't get into it, but I think there is also going to be a couple of mills, a lathe, and several other pieces of equipment. David from jax