Shopsmith bandsaw for metal cutting

[SteveMaryland]

I have reviewed the information the following threads:

viewtopic.php?t=7758
viewtopic.php?t=10251&hilit=metal+cutting+blade

I need to cut some low-carbon steel, and I am too lazy to use a hacksaw, and I cannot find a shop that will do the work.

According to the experts, to cut ferrous metal on my (non-PowerPro) Shopsmith bandsaw, I will need to do a 1/7 to 1/12 speed reduction to get the bandsaw from 2000FPM (at the "slow" headstock speed) to 270FPM. Here are my questions:

1. Is anyone on this forum successfully cutting ferrous metal on a Shopsmith bandsaw without using any speed reduction? With what blade? Lubricant used?

2. Will a 555428 Shopsmith Speed Reducer operate between rear headstock and bandsaw? (I see it being used on the headstock front end but not from the rear)

I really don't want to invest in either the 555428 or fab the "homemade" reducer described in the thread. I would much rather pay a shop to do these (simple, straight) cuts but it is becoming impossible to find a competent shop that will bid.

[RFGuy]

Steve,

I have the Shopsmith speed reducer, but have only used it on the lathe. I haven't tested it on the bandsaw, but according to the bandsaw manual (link below), page 2, it says that it works with the speed reducer. Hopefully someone who has tried it can comment here. The speed reducer isn't cheap (used or new) though...

I don't do a lot of metal work, but I usually use a cutoff disc in my cordless angle grinder for this kind of work, rather than a hacksaw or bandsaw. It may not give as clean of a cut as a metal bandsaw, but is usually good enough for my application. Just trying to think of alternatives for you in case you have a grinder available...

https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/manuals/845539.pdf

[edma194]

I'd also use a cut-off wheel in an angle grinder as the first choice. If you have a Shopsmith Universal Arbor you can also mount a cut-off disk on the Shopsmith. How thick is this metal and what kind of cuts? A metal cutting blade in a Sawz-All or sabre saw might be sufficient.

If you do use a Shopsmith bandsaw you''ll still need a metal cutting blade, I would get a bi-metal blade if you can. My metal cutting bandsaw does not use lubricant, it can lead to blade slippage on the wheels, and that brings up something I hadn't thought of previously to cut metal with a Shopsmith bandsaw, the need to increase tension on the blade to keep it from slipping on the wheels. More power is needed to pull the blade through metal than with wood and the blades can slip and gouge the wheels easily, and that produces increased blade heat which can cause multiple problems. It may need the maximum tension the adjustment will allow.

[JPG]

I use a rotozip with abrasive cutoff wheel(and right angle thingie).

[SteveMaryland]

Material for this job is 4"x4" angle, 1/4" thick, A36 steel.

RF, come to think of it I have an arbor that adapts an angle grinder wheel to a drill. I have used this setup to cut steel but it is dangerous and a struggle to hold steady while cutting. Produces a ragged edge and a wide kerf. I have not used this setup in the drill press but that might work.

Ed, yes I would select a bimetal metal-cutting blade but I don't want to order the blade then find out the hard way that it won't cut because of the FPM thing. Is getting the right FPM really that important?? I don't know. I don't mind feeding the work very slowly. Would feeding "slowly enough" solve both the FPM problem and the lubricant problem? I don't know. Maybe someone can advise.

The cutting-lube problem may be the worse issue because if lube gets on the bandsaw wheels then blade slip will surely happen (how is lube-slip avoided on a dedicated metal-cutting bandsaw??). Plus lube will then permanently gum up the bandsaw for wood cutting. Could lube use be avoided with a very slow speed?

In the old days I would send this sort of work to a metal shop. Today I have 2 no-quotes on my desk. Pulling teeth to find people to do anything today.

[chapmanruss]

Steve,

As RFGuy, Ed and JPG have already suggested there are cheaper ways of cutting the metal you have than setting up your Shopsmith Bandsaw to do it. Even getting a small Metal Bandsaw could be cheaper than getting the Speed Reducer to slow your Bandsaw. Other options work too. Depending on how accurate and clean of a cut you need the suggestions already made may work for you. I have used a number of methods with success. A cut off blade used on a table saw can give very good cuts and if needed metal parts can be sanded to finish. Just protect for sparks given off during cutting and clean up (sanding).

[SteveMaryland]

Oh, OK a metal cutting circular saw blade, on the table. Diamond abrasive rather than teeth. That sounds like the ticket. Much better control over the workpiece and less hazard. And FPM and lube are no longer problems.

I kept thinking "bandsaw", but circular saw makes more sense. Thanks guys!

[chapmanruss]

For a while I was using a metal cutting blade on a Model 10ER I needed parts for to completely restore it. It made nice clean cuts in the 2"x2" angle Iron I was using for some Model 10 bench ends like the ones below.

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10E 8865 r.jpg (116.22 KiB) Viewed 2258 times

One of five I made benches for that way. Although functional I do prefer to use the Shopsmith Metal Bench Ends for restorations.

[reible]

I have one of this sort of saw:

https://www.harborfreight.com/10-amp-de ... 64194.html

It has limited capacity but for what you describe it should work fine.

Now finding a coupon for % off would make it even better.

Ed

[DLB]

That is pretty heavy material, I use a 14" metal cutting chop saw for this type of work unless you only need one or two pieces. This one is typical: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-1 ... /202983575

- David