Workshop/Tools/Parts

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by yerko42

Has anyone used the Harbor freight 14in 4 speed band saw?

http://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-4...saw-60564.html

-The lowest blade speed is 568fpm which seems reasonable, though I think lower would be better... would it?
-93.5 blade so it should be pretty easy to get blades.

Does anyone know of a comparable 120V 14" saw that runs slow enough to cut metal that isn't unreasonably huge or $1800?

Or am i getting to hung up on blade speed? should I just get a small woodcutting saw and toss a metal blade on it and assume it is ok? I feel like I'm missing something and that there should be a better market for a benchtop metal cutting band saw.

Also can anyone specifically recommend an economical drill press? My team bought one off of grainger and right out of the box it had some disgusting run out, so bad that we hardly use it. I think we would have gotten the same or better at HFT.

A lot of the 14" bandsaws are more or less the same, but a few have some notable differences. The step pulleys for multiple speeds on the Harbor Freight unit you linked are rather unique. I've looked at the saw in the store several times, and it doesn't seem like a bad saw at all.

For cutting aluminum, a somewhat high blade speed with the right blade is actually preferred. We cut aluminum on a wood-cutting bandsaw all the time. We've owned the Grizzly G0555X for about a year now and it has served us very well. It's powerful and smooth running. In fact, I don't think we've ever even broken a blade on it. Some of the unique features here are a pretty large 1.5HP motor and full ball-bearing blade support (6 bearings) and the nice fence, the heavy base cabinet, and worklight.

At home, I have a Delta 14" 3/4 HP with the sheet metal base stand. It's probably the most popular model of 14" bandsaw of all time, and there's a lot of aftermarket support for it through vendors like Rockler. It's not a bad saw at all. I like the blade guide adjustments on it and the quick release blade tension lever, but the 3/4" HP motor can be a little weak at times and the rigidity of the base could be better. The newer offering from Lowes is this Porter Cable which I've looked at in the store, and seems pretty decent.

The big thing with all bandsaws is you really want to look at how all the components relating to adjustment of any sort are made. Blade guides, blade tension, blade tracking, and the table trunnions. Differences in these areas are where certain saws outperform or outlive the others.

If you want to cut steel, you will need a much slower bandsaw, and the 568FPM of the Harbor Freight saw is likely still far too fast. When you want to cut steel, it becomes a whole different type of saw you need.

On blades, stick with Lenox, Morse, or Starret bi-metal blades. It makes a big difference on any saw.

On drill presses, we've owned the older DP1500 model of this Ridgid one from home depot for the last 15 years and it has served us very well. But, I can stall it on bigger drills and hole saws.

Lowes has a Porter Cable that looks pretty decent for the price, and I like the keyed chuck better.

Students really seem to like variable speed drill presses, since none of them realize how easy it is to change belt speeds (lazy bums :-) ).

One thing to look at on drill presses is the area where the column attaches to the base. On many drill presses I've seen and owned, this area does not have enough material, and it can flex.

For large drills, hole saws, and countersinks, on both of those listed above, the minimum speed of 300 RPM is still a little fast. For that reason, the next drill press I buy might be the Grizzly G0779.

Finally, the Harbor Freight 20" 12-speed drill presses at least on paper seem to offer a lot more than the Lowes and Home Depot offerings, for not a lot more money, especially if you use one of their always-available 20% coupons to buy it. And it goes as slow as 180 RPM, which is important, especially if you ever plan to work in steel.

One last thing you want to look at is how drill presses handle the depth stop. Some do it in different ways, and not all of the ways to do it are real great. It's an important feature not to be overlooked.

As with any machinery purchase, they say to buy the biggest that you can afford and can fit in the shop (and through your doorway), because there will always be a bigger job that will make you wish you had bought the bigger machine.