Metal bandsaw advice

KTMer · May 26, 2021

Beginner garage machinist here
I have a horizontal bandsaw and it does all the metal cutting I have had to do so far
I have the opportunity to buy a vintage Doall vertical bandsaw for cheap
Can't imagine what I will do with it but I do love heavy duty American machinery
Would appreciate advice on what the Doall can be used for that I can't do with my horizontal saw
And yes, I know it can be used to cut curves but I just don't do that type of work

LKeithR · May 26, 2021

KTMer said:
...And yes, I know it can be used to cut curves but I just don't do that type of work...

Then maybe you don't need it...

Tyrone Shoelaces · May 26, 2021

I’d only ever buy a vertical bandsaw if it came equipped with a blade welding device. You can then saw internal shapes easily and make your own blades if need be.

Regards Tyrone.

Scruffy887 · May 26, 2021

KTMer said:
Beginner garage machinist here
I have a horizontal bandsaw and it does all the metal cutting I have had to do so far
I have the opportunity to buy a vintage Doall vertical bandsaw for cheap
Can't imagine what I will do with it but I do love heavy duty American machinery
Would appreciate advice on what the Doall can be used for that I can't do with my horizontal saw
And yes, I know it can be used to cut curves but I just don't do that type of work

It is good to understand the difference between WANT and NEED. OK to buy if you want it in your shop if you feel you need it just to see it there. I want a 14" lathe in my shop. My little Jet 10x24 bench lathe has done everything I have ever needed. So there is never going to be a 14" lathe in my shop.

crossthread · May 26, 2021

I cut a lot of different material. I have a horizontal that is used for bar stock and the vertical for everything else. It is a lot easier to change the blade on my vertical which to me makes having the two practical. I agree that it needs to have a good working blade welder.

KTMer · May 26, 2021

Tyrone Shoelaces said:
I’d only ever buy a vertical bandsaw if it came equipped with a blade welding device. You can then saw internal shapes easily and make your own blades if need be.

Regards Tyrone.

Thanks Tyrone. Never thought of that but makes perfect sense. Pretty sure the Doall does have one but not sure whether or not it works. Any additional insights appreciated

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KTMer · May 26, 2021

crossthread said:
I cut a lot of different material. I have a horizontal that is used for bar stock and the vertical for everything else. It is a lot easier to change the blade on my vertical which to me makes having the two practical. I agree that it needs to have a good working blade welder.

Thanks crossthread. Good point. Any additional insights would be appreciated

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk

Tyrone Shoelaces · May 26, 2021

KTMer said:
Thanks Tyrone. Never thought of that but makes perfect sense. Pretty sure the Doall does have one but not sure whether or not it works. Any additional insights appreciated

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk

Maybe you haven’t considered internal work. If you do have a working blade welding device and you need to cut out a shape in the middle of a component you can drill a hole in the corner of the work. Cut your blade in half, thread it through the drilled hole, weld the blade back together again. Then you can saw your shape out. Cut the blade to remove it when you’ve finished.

Most welding devices have a little grindstone to dress the excess weld and a little thickness gauge to test the blade thickness later

The ability to make your own blades, we used to buy a reel of blade material to make blades, is very handy and economical also.

Regards,Tyrone.

D.Minnich · May 26, 2021

KTMer said:
Beginner garage machinist here
I have a horizontal bandsaw and it does all the metal cutting I have had to do so far
I have the opportunity to buy a vintage Doall vertical bandsaw for cheap
Can't imagine what I will do with it but I do love heavy duty American machinery
Would appreciate advice on what the Doall can be used for that I can't do with my horizontal saw
And yes, I know it can be used to cut curves but I just don't do that type of work

With the invention of the EDM & CNC the vertical band saw has gone by the wayside in the shops I worked at. As an apprentice I used to have to sit at one for hours cutting out the punch shapes in a large 1' thick stripper plates for Dies...but now the EDM does i way more precise then me following my scribe lines. Back then if you were on an all day band saw job...you had to stay alert or the guys would sneak up behind you tape toilet paper under the stool and light it on fire....even practical jokes got safer over the years...you'd be out the door for something like that these days...back then the boss would laugh his ass off when you jumped off your stool.

steve-l · May 26, 2021

I have both a 12" horizontal and 1612 Doall contour saw. I love them both. The horizontal cuts my bar stock and most of my long lengths of profile. The vertical does small stuff that cannot be held in the horizontal. It is very versatile, it cuts short pieces and it cuts curves plus it has a very wide blade speed range from 50 to 5000 FPM. Very, very handy. The vertical DoAlls are never scrapped and always command a high price. Most parts are still available.

GregSY · May 26, 2021

I'm not telling you what to do, but I have no idea how any person can survive without a DoAll vertical bandsaw. I guess one could scrape by with a Grob, but otherwise....

neilho · May 26, 2021

I used a horizontal only for years, bought a Grob NS18 on a whim and now use it 10 times more than the horizontal. With a miter and fence, it's way faster for small pieces than a horizontal.

Even a 14", if it's a Powermatic or Delta, works pretty well if the metal cutting version. But a Doall? Kick yourself if you don't buy it. If you get it, fix it up and then don't like it, it's resellable and you'll have gotten some education.

Larry Dickman · May 26, 2021

if your horizontal bandsaw is of the HF variety, you could use the DoAll to chop it up into little pieces so the garbage man will take it.

But seriously, if you have room for it, you'll never regret having it

tnmgcarbide · May 26, 2021

yes, even a smaller doall like my 16" s-f-p or a metalmaster ,you will find
is the best $900 you'll spend . no-matter what the task.. turning, milling,
welding... the vertical doall, and the rockwell 6x48 belt grinder are used
literally every day as support machines in nearly every task. they are huge
timesavers . if your shop doesn't have a mill,lathe , horizontal and vertical
saws, belt and pedestal grinders, and welding capacity....you're going to
waste time struggling instead of making parts.

you could add a large format
drilling machine, surface grinder, forge and anvil, CNC plasma...
you'll never have enough tools.

i almost forgot the bench grinder with 8"x1" nonwoven abrasive deburring wheels.

KTMer · May 26, 2021

steve-l said:
I have both a 12" horizontal and 1612 Doall contour saw. I love them both. The horizontal cuts my bar stock and most of my long lengths of profile. The vertical does small stuff that cannot be held in the horizontal. It is very versatile, it cuts short pieces and it cuts curves plus it has a very wide blade speed range from 50 to 5000 FPM. Very, very handy. The vertical DoAlls are never scrapped and always command a high price. Most parts are still available.

Thanks Steve

KTMer · May 26, 2021

neilho said:
I used a horizontal only for years, bought a Grob NS18 on a whim and now use it 10 times more than the horizontal. With a miter and fence, it's way faster for small pieces than a horizontal.

Even a 14", if it's a Powermatic or Delta, works pretty well if the metal cutting version. But a Doall? Kick yourself if you don't buy it. If you get it, fix it up and then don't like it, it's resellable and you'll have gotten some education.

Thank you Neil

KTMer · May 26, 2021

tnmgcarbide said:
yes, even a smaller doall like my 16" s-f-p or a metalmaster ,you will find
is the best $900 you'll spend . no-matter what the task.. turning, milling,
welding... the vertical doall, and the rockwell 6x48 belt grinder are used
literally every day as support machines in nearly every task. they are huge
timesavers . if your shop doesn't have a mill,lathe , horizontal and vertical
saws, belt and pedestal grinders, and welding capacity....you're going to
waste time struggling instead of making parts.

you could add a large format
drilling machine, surface grinder, forge and anvil, CNC plasma...
you'll never have enough tools.

i almost forgot the bench grinder with 8"x1" nonwoven abrasive deburring wheels.

Appreciate the advice

KTMer · May 26, 2021

One more question
Looks like the blade welder is missing parts
Are blade welder parts available?

Superbowl · May 26, 2021

KTMer said:
Beginner garage machinist here
I have a horizontal bandsaw and it does all the metal cutting I have had to do so far
I have the opportunity to buy a vintage Doall vertical bandsaw for cheap
Can't imagine what I will do with it but I do love heavy duty American machinery
Would appreciate advice on what the Doall can be used for that I can't do with my horizontal saw
And yes, I know it can be used to cut curves but I just don't do that type of work

Since no one else has given you the real answer I will chime in. There is a big difference between what you can cut on a vertical and a horizontal band saw.

The horizontal can cut an infinite length of material in both directions. For example you can cut a 20' long piece of angle iron in half. The limitation is the width of the piece, often only 4" on a small horizontal. You can not cut a 20' piece in half on a vertical.

The vertical saw is limited on one side (a 16" Doall is limited to 16" on one side but infinite on the other side) but it can cut an infinite width of material. This make the vertical ideal for things like plate or sheet metal that will not fit a horizontal saw. On a 16" Doall you could cut a 16" strip off a 4'x8' piece of 12 ga sheet metal. Of course what you usually need it for is something like cutting a 12" x12" piece of aluminum plate or sheet metal.

steve-l · May 27, 2021

KTMer said:
One more question
Looks like the blade welder is missing parts
Are blade welder parts available?

There were several welder models made by DoAll, Most were for contour saw installations, but some were also free standing machines. All of these welders use common parts and they are still available, but unique parts like the light bulb on the earlier models are no longer available. There are parts break down drawings available, but a schematic for some models does not exist. A schematic for the later model is still available. They are all powered by 208-240 volts single phase power. They will all work on both 50 and 60 Hz power. That is not stated anywhere. Schematic differences are minor and be figured out no problem. They should be fused for 15 amps internally.

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