Tools - Portable Bandsaw Stand

Portable Bandsaw Stand - Vertical and Horizontal

[September 4, 2013]

[Update: September 20, 2013]

[Update Oct. 26, 2013 to add table]

[Update Nov. 6, 2013 - additional notes]

[Update Nov. 23, 2013 - safety notes]

[Update March 10, 2014 - new blade]

[Update June 25, 2014 - other stands]

[Update April 21, 21015 - related links]

[Update Feb. 2, 2017 - lubrucant]

[ NOTE: For links to other types of portable bandsaw stands and blade recommendations, look here: https://sites.google.com/site/lagadoacademy/useful-links#misctools ]

For some time I have been wanting to get a metal cutting bandsaw, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money, and I didn't want it to take up a lot of space. After thinking it over and reading various reviews, I decided to purchase the Harbor Freight portable bandsaw (item #47840), and build a benchtop stand for it that would enable me to use it as a cutoff saw, and also as a vertical bandsaw. I also took the advice of a number of people who have reviewed this bandsaw, and replaced the provided bandsaw blade with a metal cutting 24 tpi blade.

Note: This bandsaw uses a 44-7/8" (3ft.8-7/8") blade.

Plans for this bandsaw stand can be found here:

[Updated Oct. 27, 2013 to add vertical mode cutting table.]

• PDF version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bykt5WZ092aWYnBlbEhncmFtZjQ/edit?usp=sharing
• LibreOffice Draw version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bykt5WZ092aWQWJGaDI5a0ozam8/edit?usp=sharing

Safety Notes

1. Wear eye protection when running the bandsaw - always!
2. Hearing protection is recommended when using this bandsaw. I picked up a set decent "earmuff type" protectors for under $10 - well worth the cost.
3. Do not let the bandsaw run unattended
4. On a few occasions, I have had a problem with the blade binding in the cut and stalling. Lubricating the blade (by brushing on some cutting oil while the blade is running), helps to prevent this, and also helps with the cutting in general.
5. Clamp the stand to the benchtop when cutting long metal pieces in cutoff mode, or the entire stand may tip over.
6. When using the bandsaw vertically, I have found it best to allow the front of the stand to overhang the workbench a bit, and clamp the stand down to the top of the bench (I just use a quick-release wood clamp). This not only stabilizes the stand, it also allows me to get a bit closer to the work.
7. The metal you cut will be hot after cutting - handle with care.

Building the Stand

My design goals for the stand were as follows:

• No welding required (I don't have welding equipment up to the job)
• No drilling, cutting, or irreversible altering of the bandsaw (if the saw broke during the warranty period, I wanted to be able to return it)
• Use materials already on hand as much as possible

To accomplish the above goals, I used plywood for many parts of the stand. The plywood is coated with wipe-on polyurethane to protect from oils and such. Further, I intentionally "overbuilt" the plywood sections to make sure the stand would be solid, sturdy, and would hold up to usage.

Also, one of the first things I did was purchase metal cutting bandsaw blades, so I could use the bandsaw to help build the stand. I was able to find a package of three 24 tpi blades at a local big box store for about $24; these are bimetal blades. I used one of these blades to do all of the metal cutting for this project, as well as numerous test cuts of various pieces of steel and aluminum, and I am still on the first blade. If I ever manage to break all three blades, then I'll consider buying something more expensive.

Bracket

The first and most critical item I need to make was the hinged bracket that would enable the bandsaw to tilt from the vertical to the horizontal position. Since I wanted a good sturdy bracket, I purchased a piece of 1/8" x 3" x 3ft cold rolled steel from the local big box store. The bracket was made from a single piece of steel, bent into the required shape. In order to bend the metal, I cut shallow grooves (using my mini-mill) into the metal at the desired bend locations (this could probably also be done using a hacksaw or the bandsaw!), heated the metal with a MAPP gas torch, and then bent it by clamping one end in a vise and bending it by hand. I made the central (90 degree) bend first, and then the two outer bends. The shape of the bracket was calculated to hold the saw at an angle, so that the blade itself would be vertical.

The bracket was attached to the saw by removing the blade cover, and using two existing screw holes to fasten the bracket to the saw. The attachment of the bracket to the saw was further strengthened by using four purpose made clamps (two on each side), to clamp the bracket to the saw housing.

The clamps were made by cutting 1" pieces from 1-1/4" angle iron. One side of each piece was then cut off to leave a clamp with a small projection on one end. A hole was then drilled and tapped in the clamp for a 1/4"-20 socket head screw. In use the clamp is placed behind the bandsaw housing, a screw is inserted in a hole drilled in the bracket and screwed into the clamp, sandwiching the housing between the bracket and the clamp.

Vise

I had a small drill press vise I was not using, so I adapted it by fastening it to a raised block (made from glued up plywood), and made some new extended jaw faces. The vise is a bit on the small side, but adequate for my purposes. In the worst case it can easily be removed if I need to cut larger pieces. I should note that the dimensions of this stand were chosen in part to fit the vise I had on hand, so you will want to make adjsutments as necessary to work with your vise.

Electrical

To improve control of the saw, I added a switched outlet at the front (see photo below left). The cord from the saw is looped under the stand, coiled on a simple wooden cleat (see photo below right), and then plugged into the front. The switch on the handle of the saw has a lock down button, so the bandsaw switch can be locked in the on position, and then switched on and off with the switched outlet.

Blade Cover

I was half-debating whether I even needed a blade cover, but when testing the hinge action during building (with the saw unplugged), I found I had a natural tendency to grip the bandsaw with my left hand right where the blade would be. This removed any doubts about the wisdom of playing it safe (and one should never doubt the wisdom of safety in the shop!). Since I didn't want to make any permanent modifications to the bandsaw, I made a new blade cover out of plywood instead of cutting down the provided cover. I glued up scraps of plywood to 1" thickness and cut out a side piece on the bandsaw (see photo below left); the bandsaw itself was used as a template to lay out the curve. The side piece was glued to a cover made from 1/4" plywood (see photo below middle), which was then trimmed down on the bandsaw as shown in the photo below right. The cover was fastened to the bandsaw using the existing screw holes for the provided blade guard, but using longer screws to compensate for the thickness of the plywood.

Adjustment

Adjusting the blade square to the vise was easily done by making slight adjustments to the vise and hinge before fully tightening the lag bolts that hold them down. However, upon making a test cut in a 2-1/4" steel round bar, the cut was seen to angle outward from the vise (in fact, it actually made a slight curve towards the bottom of the cut), as shown in the photo below left. On close inspection, it could be seen that the blade was actually tilting very slightly off vertical, such that the bottom of the blade was tilted outward from the vise by a barely noticeable amount. To correct this, I removed both sets of blade guide rollers and inserted a washer between the roller bracket and the saw frame as a shim to give the roller bracket a tiny bit of compensation tilt. Another test cut (see photo below right) showed that the problem had been alleviated.

As a side note, the 2-1/4" steel round bar cut through in under two minutes, running the blade at medium speed, dry cut (no cutting oil), and with just the weight of the saw pressing down on the blade. To date, I have successfully made test cuts on 1-1/4" angle iron, 4" wide 1/8" thick steel plate, 1/2" aluminum round bar, and 1" steel flat bar.

Vertical Cutting

To cut in the vertical position, the bandsaw is simply raised to the full upright position. In this position, the bandsaw frame rests on a hard rubber block (you can see the rubber block in the top middle picture of this page). I had initially planned to add some sort of locking mechanism to lock the saw in the upright position, but in testing this does not seem to be necessary as the saw is quite stable in this position, and while cutting the tendency is to push the saw more firmly into the upright position.

One disadvantage of the design of this stand is that when cutting in vertical mode, you have a to reach quite a bit to get to the blade; this also makes it more difficult to see how the cut is proceeding. This can be alleviated somewhat by standing to the side while cutting. In the few times I have used the bandsaw in the vertical position, this has been more of a minor annoyance than anything else, so it may not be an issue worth addressing.

Cutting table: At this time I have been using the provided blade stop as a small cutting table, but I need to replace this with a larger platform of some sort. I will probably use some aluminum plate for this purpose, but this will be a small future project as my current need is for horizontal cutting. When I finally get around to this, I will update this section. In the meanwhile I am sure that anyone who has a need for this will have no trouble working up a solution.

After added the vertical mode table, I made some modifications to the underside of the stand (see photo above). I moved the cord holder closer to the back hand, and added some wood cleats to hold the table when it is not being used. This allows me to keep all of the parts together; it is a simple matter to slide the table into the cleats after removing it, and just as simple to take it back out again to install it.

I also found a spare hex wrench (to fit the flat head socket cap screws which hold the table). I drilled hole in the wooden platform under the vise to store the hex wrench; this saves me having to look around for a hex wrench when I need to install or remove the table.

Some cost information

As noted earlier, I used quite a bit of materials I already had on hand to make the bandsaw stand. As a rough guess, if all materials had to be purchased from scratch, the cost to build the stand would be in the neighborhood of $70 - $100. Some of the costs I paid are shown below. A further estimate is that the entire project, including the portable bandsaw, could be built for a total of $150 - $200. This does not include the cost of vertical cutting table - since I built this from metal I had on hand, it cost me nothing.

Additional thoughts

For some time before I purchased this bandsaw, I had been wondering whether it was a worthwhile purchase. Although I have been using this bandsaw for only a short time, I can now say that I am glad I made the purchase. Compared to what I was doing with a hacksaw, the cuts are not not only much faster, they are also much cleaner and straighter. It's also much easier to make "thin" cuts - for example, if I want to cut a 1/8" thick piece off the end of a bar. Straighter cuts also mean less waste, and faster finishing of a rough cut as there is less waste to be removed.

I mentioned at the beginning that I did not have the right welding equipment to make this stand. For those of you who do have welding equipment, I think the main bracket would be easier to make by welding than by bending (unless you have a metal brake up to the job). No doubt the entire design could be done with a welded frame, if you so desired.

The whole project can be further simplified if you are willing to make permanent modifications to your bandsaw. For example:

• Instead of clamps, the bracket could be bolted directly to holes drilled in the frame.
• The power cord could be cut and wired directly into a switch.
• Instead of making a blade cover, the existing cover could be cut to fit the modified bandsaw.

Update - New Narrower Blade

A while back I ordered a new narrower width (1/4") bandsaw blade, with the idea that I would be able to use it in "table mode" to cut tighter curves. The blade I purchased:

• Magnate M44.875M14V10 M-42 Bi-metal Bandsaw Blade, 44-7/8" Long - 1/4" Width; 10-14 Variable Tooth
• Cost: $21.71

I finally got around to testing this blade, with some success. I should caution that this testing was only for a few cuts in 0.260" thick aluminum plate, so whether the blade will hold up with long term use is still unknown. I also have some concern that the narrower blade might damage the ball bearing blade guides with long term use, though in the short term I saw nothing of concern.

Below are some pictures of my initial test (the dimensions of the finished piece are roughly 3" x 1-1/2").

Update - About Modifying Other Stands

Recently a viewer emailed about modifying his Grizzly bandsaw stand (see picture below) to add a table. However, this brought up an issue which had not occurred to me before when looking at commercial portable bandsaw stands: The Grizzly stand pivots from the non-motor end of the bandsaw. As a result, when the bandsaw is in the vertical position, the blade is moving up.

Because of this, simply adding a table to the stand would result in an potentially dangerous configuration in which the blade is forcing the work piece upwards and away from the table as it cuts. Cutting with a table under these conditions is hazardous, and this type of modification should not be attempted.