Thread: woodies bandsaw cutting metal

You will need a blade with a very high number of tpi - up round the 32tpi mark if you want to cut thin metal. The old rule for hacksaws was 3 teeth in the job, but that doesn't work for sheet goods or relatively high speeds of blade travel. If you were in NSW I'd suggest ringing Henry Brothers, who make both wood and metal cutting bandsaw blades, and ask them what they suggest - if there is no one making bandsaw blades in your part of the world, then I'd suggest making the long distance call anyway, I've found Henry Bros to make good blades (no dodgy welds & lumps) & deliver reliably, unlike places that import bulk premade blades from the lowest bidder.

Of course being the Silly Season, deliveries may take a while.

They can use M42 bimetal blades.
for 6mm sheet metal, you can use 10-14 variable TPI assuming that the blade width you are
using is between half inch to 1 inch.. If it's lower than half inch wide blade, you can
go for a 14 fixed TPI.. You may try to give BandSaw Blades Online - Custom Welded Band Saw Blades a call for assistance/
recommendation .

For your reference in choosing the TPI that you need:

For materials up to 1 inch, you can use either 8-12 or 10-14 TPI..
For materials 1 inch up to 3 inches, you can use any of these TPI's 6-10, 8-12, 5-8..
For materials 3 inches upto 6 inches, you can use 5-8, 4-6, 3-4 TPI..
For materials over 6 inches, you can use 3-4, 2-3 TPI..




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I doubt you will have much luck cutting mild steel unless you can reduce the speed of your wood bandsaw.Non ferrous should be ok but if doing a lot of Aluminium there is grease or wax in a cardboard tube you can charge the blade with to prevent galling.You may get away with it on sheet but 6mm steel will most likely remove all the teeth very smartly at wood speed.
H.

Originally Posted by clear out

I doubt you will have much luck cutting mild steel unless you can reduce the speed of your wood bandsaw.Non ferrous should be ok but if doing a lot of Aluminium there is grease or wax in a cardboard tube you can charge the blade with to prevent galling.You may get away with it on sheet but 6mm steel will most likely remove all the teeth very smartly at wood speed.
H.

nuff said on that idea

Aluminium can be cut using meths or wax as a lube with almost any woodworking tools (table saw, drilsl, router, bandsaw)
The easiest way to deliver the wax for thin stuff is to rub it onto the cut line, for thicker stuff dribbling a dripping candle onto the cut line works better.
I prefer meths because it evaporates and does not make a mess. I use a hand spray pump set to a fine jet and squirt it onto the blades/bits.

I agree about what has been said about cutting steel.
Steel swarf is also not something you really want to get on wood as it reacts with wood tannins and turns the wood black.

If you have the space and need to cut a lot of steel I recommend buying a small dedicated horizontal metal cutting bandsaw. The typical maximum size cut these can make is 100 x 150 mm but they can also be mounted upright to cut sheet metal.
On my metal cutting BS I use 18 TPI for thin stuff and 14 TPI for everything else. I also have it set up with and aquarium pump to deliver and recover synthetic cutting fluid. As others have said this significantly extends blade life.

the amount of steel i would cut in a year would bandsaw jobs very few and far between but would use brass copper ally plenty if i had the right blade

Originally Posted by old_picker

the amount of steel i would cut in a year would bandsaw jobs very few and far between but would use brass copper ally plenty if i had the right blade

Ally can be cut with standard woodcutting BS blades provided some lube is used.
Even now that I have a metal cutting BS I still use my Bosch negative raked 96 tooth 12" TS blade to cut ally sheet up to 12 mm thick. The TS produces a much better finish than a BS blade. Just watch out for the ally swarf it generates which is like a lot of little razor blades floating around in the air.

Forgot to mention:

Cutting ferrous material anywhere near wood dust is a BAD idea. That is how most workshop fires start - a spark from hitting a nail or part of the machine produces a spark that smolders in the saw dust, then a few hours later the machine is on fire, followed by the whole workshop.

This seems to also be the origin of the 'static made my dusty catch fire' - you can't see the spark. There have also been 'stories' of sanders catching fire after being used for aluminium, steel & wood sanding.

Originally Posted by bsrlee

Forgot to mention:

Cutting ferrous material anywhere near wood dust is a BAD idea. That is how most workshop fires start - a spark from hitting a nail or part of the machine produces a spark that smolders in the saw dust, then a few hours later the machine is on fire, followed by the whole workshop.

A metal cutting bandsaw does not make sparks even when cutting ferrous materials, neither does a cold cutting saw or a hack saw.

A MUCH greater risk comes from grinders or welders.

You may want to see a real saw blade . Check this video