Thread: Power hacksaw vs drop cutoff wheel

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Power hacksaws are much faster to change blades on. I don't plan(at the minute) on changing the blade in my bandsaw for solid, so that will slow me down a little.
I think bandsaws are much more fiddly to adjust the first time.

As Stu says, and perhaps also have the advantage of fewer moving parts which equals less hassle especially if purchasing a second hand unit- ie less to go wrong.

Cost is also another consideration. A decent power hacksaw will cost less initially and will cost less to run. Unless you can afford a good new or second hand bandsaw I'd stay away from the lower end of the market.

Of course the bandsaw is a little quicker. If you are running a business then time is money. If time is not a consideration (or you are not constantly distracted by 'her indoors' by pointless crap) then the power hacksaw is a good option.

I enjoy the time in the shed and any excuse to stay out there longer has to be worthwhile!

I haven't tried cutting RHS on the power hacksaw (need a roundtoit to get some finer pitch blades) but I have noticed that when cutting mitres on the drop saw the blade does tend to wander off and gives you an angle other than that which is desired, and the angle is different at the top compared to the bottom.

Also, the angle graduations on most Bunnings-grade drop saws are a bit how yer doin'
and nowhere near as accurate as the graduations on my Kasto (pictured)



(Yes the shed is a mess)

I imagine that cutting RHS, PFC, UC, UB or angle on a power hacksaw will give more accurate mitre cuts than a drop saw, but I haven't tried it yet.

Cold saws (ie Brobo) are farkin brilliant. Expensive, and the blades are expensive, but the mitres are brilliant, and repeatable accuracy is easily achievable when using an end stop (less than 0.25mm between parts).

Originally Posted by Gerbilsquasher

I haven't tried cutting RHS on the power hacksaw (need a roundtoit to get some finer pitch blades) but I have noticed that when cutting mitres on the drop saw the blade does tend to wander off and gives you an angle other than that which is desired, and the angle is different at the top compared to the bottom.

......

Cold saws (ie Brobo) are farkin brilliant. Expensive, and the blades are expensive, but the mitres are brilliant, and repeatable accuracy is easily achievable when using an end stop (less than 0.25mm between parts).

Unfortunately the 'wander' seems to be the curse of the flexy cutoff wheels on those saws - it can be reduced by just letting the disc feed itself rather than leaning on the handle, but it never seems to go away completely, does it.

I think I need to raid someone elses' box of roundtoits, I never seem to have enough...

And as far as the cold saw goes - it was the best freebie I've ever gotten (and likely ever will). Even after the rewind, I've got less invested in it than buying a cheap Makita chop saw from Bunnings (which I'd been considering about 3 weeks before it landed in my lap). My mates keep trying to come up with excuses to cut something on it, and if more than one is around at a time, it nearly turns into a punch on!

Seems like most people would confirm the suspicion I had that there is no major advantage for me to use up some valuable room with a power hacksaw then . Not sure whether to be happy or sad, that means I have to find another toy to buy next

Some really good replies. Looks like the bandsaw will be getting a gurnsey.

For me noise is a big issue. The woodwork tools make enough noise with out adding the noise of a grinding wheel evertime I have to cut metal.

I would be interested in a bandsaw, but for me cost is a big issue. I can't really find $500+, and I have concerns about the quality of a $3-400 one. For $300-$350 you'd get (I think) a very good old, solid hacksaw, or for less, one that needs a bit of fixing. I'm just waiting for one to come up in my part of the country. Otherwise I may have to build one. Cutting solid sections with a 14" friction saw is for mugs. I actually get much better results from a 4.5" angle grinder with a thin wheel. Let us know what you get.

Originally Posted by Bryan

I would be interested in a bandsaw, but for me cost is a big issue. I can't really find $500+, and I have concerns about the quality of a $3-400 one. For $300-$350 you'd get (I think) a very good old, solid hacksaw, or for less, one that needs a bit of fixing. I'm just waiting for one to come up in my part of the country. Otherwise I may have to build one. Cutting solid sections with a 14" friction saw is for mugs. I actually get much better results from a 4.5" angle grinder with a thin wheel. Let us know what you get.

For small stuff I use a thin (1.6mm) x 125 mm cutoff wheel mounted on an old table saw. It's not fast but it is very accurate, quiet and MUCH safer than an angle grinder or drop saw. Because the motor is well away from the blade I can even run water onto the wheel so I can cut steel without destroying the temper.

Full thread here

The mitre slide is very useful and the lower RPM means I have fewer qualms about using my fingers close to the wheel when cutting small pieces. In practice it it limited to about 25 mm stock but I do use it to cut 50 mm angle using two passes.

We have a 3 phase old school cooled metal bandsaw at work that has an adjustable (up to about 500 mm) cutting width and a 450 mm throat, and have to admit that is very nice to use for big/bulk stock. The ability to stick a 100 mm steel cylinder under the blade and just walk away from it while it does its thing is impressive. Can't ever see me having one in my shed though as the foot print is at about 2 sqm.

Originally Posted by eskimo

are the band saws any good for solid stuff...ie or are they really only good for hollow section?)

Yeah they are good the better quality ones cut alot better but we have a hafco at work and have cut 6 inch bms in it, it just wanders off line if the feed is to hard or the blade is old

The problem I've found with the cheaper units ($300ish) is that when cutting RHS, if the kerf tightens up even slightly the blade jumps off the wheels and jams. I've lost count of the number of times this happened to me at one place I worked as a volunteer welder. In the end I got so sick of it that I started taking a 14" chop saw to work with me and using that.

I'd like to think that the more rugged units don't suffer from this but I wasn't ready to take a chance so I bought a second hand power hacksaw instead.

The apprentice at work managed to get the saw out of the guide wheels a couple of times but i hadnt seen it happen to anyone else before.

Once the small saws are set up right they cut with no problems. I have had mine that I bought second hand for years without any trouble.
There is an adjuster on the top wheel for tilt to keep the blades on the wheels. When I first bought mine it cut on an angle and no adjustment would fix it. After fitting a new blade all the problems went away.
It regularly cuts tube and solid up to 150mm round and it is set and forget on the thicker stuff. The thinner tube you have to stop it going down to quick on the side walls but a oil damper fitted like the big saws would fix that.

Dave

Dave, would you say it was an 'entry level' unit? Because if there's a consensus that a, let's say a sub-$500 bandsaw will do a good job on heavy material, and keep doing it for years, I'll seriously consider one.

Hi Bryan,
If this saw got stolen tomorrow and I had $1500 in my pocket to buy a new one, I would buy the same saw again. The bigger saws have bigger more expensive blades and teeth per inch, and for hobby use your usually cutting thin stuff so you need a high tpi blade.
I would call the one in the link in the first post an entry level one but not these. These little saw will work hard for years. There is a big following world wide on this size saw if you have a search of 6x4 bandsaw you will find a heap of info and mods that can be done to these.
Mine is standard other than coolant which helps a lot to save blade wear and make them last longer.
If you have a look back in the forum you will find a post where a member on hear bought a band saw for a better price with a larger motor from gasweld and is really happy with it. If there is a store near you I would recommend you get yours from their if your going to get one.
Also these band saws hold there value if you decide to sell it down the line for some reason.

Dave

Dave, thanks for the info, but $1500 is way out of my league.
And Gasweld have no online catalogue, and no stores within 100km of me.

No you got me wrong there, this saw is only worth $300-$350 new, but if I had $1500 I would still buy another $300-$350 one not a bigger one.
Gasweld did have a catalog online but something seems to have happened to it.

Dave

That puts a different slant on it. Thanks for clarifying.