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Bandsaw - diy.

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NeoTech:
So i stumbled across this on another forum. Its a 24" inch bandsaw and by looking at it i figured this one isnt that too hard to construct if you got a welder and pile of scrap tubing and some spare time. I let images speak for themselves.

Finished product


Frame assembly


Tracking casters


Band tensioner


Blade guide


Seems that the casters is 6" poly urethan casters and the blade is riding on the crown. Upper right is blade tension lower left is motor drive..
Upper left and lower right is blade tracking. Im guessing he is running a bi-metal blade in this able to cut frame tubing.
He saids e he built it 25 years ago intially and still uses it to the day..

Shoutout goes to GAB or G.Barnes over at the http://www.tbucketeers.com/ forum for this.

Think this is gonna be my vacation project with some alu casting mixed in there. ;)

PekkaNF:
Good thing that people make these....however I don't like the looks of this particular design:

1) Wheels are very small (probably to make it compact and cheap), but small wheels are not a good idea with band saw. You need a lot of band tension and there is minimum recommended radius for each band saw blade thickness. I have googled couple sometimes, but forgot. I think it would be a good idea to google first some values about band saw tension/wheel diameter/durability before making too many welds. I saw once one workking band saw, that was workked hard, because the guy turns parts (Ex. lathe operator). The wheels on that one were made out trailer wheel rims (turned unnecessary parts off) and trailer wheel hubs with taper bearing.

2) The body of that saw looks weak.

Pekka

awemawson:
My immediate reaction is that the wheel diameters are far too small, and the blade will crack from fatigue, but I may be totally wrong - it has been known  :wave:

NeoTech:
yeah i dont know actaully.. i have seen commercial versions with smaller wheels about 6-7" in diameter. Metal bandsaws are way slower as well. And the diameter of the wheels takes surface speed down as well..

GAB claims this saw of his has been working fo 25 years.

But i agree can be a good point to check blade tension and minimum radius.. But take into consideration the bend is less in this design than with the ones with two wheels due to the four contact points. Unless you make those two wheels really big.. I dont really have space for the height of such a machine though.. When i researched smaller bandsaws the table top models they usually have one larger wheel in the bottom then a smaller idler and only one top skateboard wheel sized upper idler. But they are made for smaller diameter bandsaw blades as well..

Need to do some more research.

PekkaNF:
I did consider at one point building one myself, did some research and decided to buy one small 4*6", because it will do most what I need.

I did consider 3-wheel design like this:
http://woodgears.ca/reader/pekka/3wheel_front-b.jpg

That design has been used commercially several times and offers pretty deep throat for it's size.

The turning radius will be always smaller on smaller wheels. Wrap angle will be less, but I think it is of smaller consequence here.

I don't mean to discourage you, on the contary.

Are you making the band saw to cut only thick pieces of metal or some other materials as well?

Pekka

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