RebekahsZ Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 (edited) Gonna buy a portaband to build my own exhaust. Was in harbor freight and saw one for $84, then saw a Porterfield at Lowes for $299. I don't want to fight my tools but I don't want to throw away money either. Reviews? Favorite Portaband? Edited January 22, 2013 by RebekahsZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I have a Milwaukee portable band saw that has worked well for me. The issue with these kinds of saws is the quality of the blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I bought a used Grizzly bandsaw which I think is about equivalent to HF. Its SOOO nice to cut with a blade instead of fiber chop saw or cut-off wheels on a grinder. I use it all the time. Dont know why you would want a portable (im assuming the hand held kind) to build exhaust? The combo vertical / horizontal works great. Never realized how handy the horizontal feature would be until I got it. Every garage needs one of these. Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I agree with Cameron. I have the vertical/horizontal cheapo from HF. Use it ALL THE TIME. I tried some super expensive vari-tooth bi-metal blades from www.mcmaster.com, and found that the Mexican ones that HF sells are a lot better and they're $8 vs $50 something. Only issues with are: 1. You can't cut really severe angles because the tube will pull out of the vise, and 2. You can't cut really large stuff because it hits the housing. It will do exhaust just fine though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 For mild steel the cheap blades work fine. For stainless the expensive ones are needed along with a low speed and some beeswax on the blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks guys! This is so much better than the reviews I've been reading on line from people I don't know or trust. The brand that Home Depot carries is Milwaukee. 2 years ago I bought a $129 Ryobi upright bandsaw and bought a metal cutting blade for it, but I have been very dissappointed with its performance and ability to keep a blade on track and make a straight cut. I'm going to look into this vertical/horizontal model that several of you have been talking about. Seems every brand of saw has some criticism on line with their ability to maintain the blade guide rollers. I've been doing fiber rotary cutting blades-I'm hoping this will be less time consuming and will allow me to be more accurate (and make less mess). Thanks for the recommendation on bees wax-I've been using either oil or water-and that gets messy quick, but at least it lets me get some cutting done with the flimsy Ryobi. The blade on it broke the other day and I can't find one locally. If I get a better metal saw, the Ryobi will become a wood only tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 Gonna have this thing forever (or as long as it works). Can somebody help me decide between the merits of these three models? I used the Home Depot site for my information. All three of these are $299. 6232-6N 4-7/8" cut capacity 10.5 Amps. 6232-21 5" cut capacity 11Amps AC 6238-21 5" cut capacity 11 Amps AC/DC I don't know what the AC/DC spec means on the 6238-21. I'm planning to get the Swag portaband table attachment to allow me to mount this upright on my bench. I looked at the HF vetical/horizontal and it looks like a good deal, but I fight with my wife for garage space and I can't have anything that sits on the floor-everything needs to fit on my workbench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beermanpete Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 From what I see in the photos at Home Depot I like the 6232-6N. It has more metal housings where the others have plastic. Also, the gear train appears to be more robust. The DC capability is likely a difference in the design of the speed controller. Not an issue unless you only have a DC power source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 This is a much better option then any of the HF or Home Depot products - and not that much more expensive.http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G0555-Ultimate-14-22-Bandsaw/dp/B0000DD0AC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 For the DC aspect- we aren't talking about 12V DC - like a cigarette lighter adapter-are we? Does the DC aspect of the power options make this unit more portable so I could use it with power from a car battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beermanpete Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 The voltage for this type of AC/DC equipment is normally the same, i.e. 120 volts for either. John, the Grizzly bandsaw looks like the blade speed is rather high for cutting steel. Clearly a better tool overall but would need mods to cut steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snailed Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 If my primary need was for a small vertical band saw, I would get a quality portaband and a table stand from swag http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-V30-Portaband-Table_p_55.html It would be easy to store and you could always use the portaband in the conventional manner for other projects. Tools at home despot are really hit or miss on quality, regardless of brand. I would much rather support a smaller tool supply store where they sell mostly to contractors and can give you lots of good advice and stock replacement parts. It might cost a little more at first but in the end I never regret buying from experts instead of moms that needed to stay busy once the kids went off to college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I cut mild steel on my DoAll band saw at high speed. For stainless slower is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Thanks guys, gonna get a 6232-21 Milwaukee 5" deep portaband with the Swag table. I need this to mount atop my work bench due to very limited floor space (limited by my wife's minivan). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Just used my Milwaukee Model 6232-21 portaband to cut some cast iron. Used a 18 tpi blade, although I bought a 24 tpi blade too for the stainless jobs. Blade install was super easy-cut like butter. That would have been a big job with a hand saw and a messy job with a disk. Turned a 30 minute job into 5 minutes. Used the slowest speed on the variable speed setting. Swag table is ordered yesterday and shipped today. It was a PITA putting the item I was working on in a vice, then using the heavy portaband at an odd angle. The Swag table should solve that. Thanks again for helping me make my decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snailed Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Nice, you're going to like that setup I bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 I have the whole setup done. Ready to start cutting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I got an industrial saw from a shop going out of business. Nobody wanted it because it sat outside... Scrap price: $25 Wide blade with a 256T Framed 3Phase motor on it... Monster! Hydraulic snubbers, wide blade, almost 700#! A few hours on a sunny day with scotch rite and battleship grey epoxy, along with a 2hp 256T Frame single phase compressor-duty motor on sale at HF and it was in business. This blade can go sloooooooooooooooow on the compound pulley setup it has. Can cut 8" structural beams on it! Way overkill for anything I will ever do, but for what I paid for it... Hell, I can't complain! Always check local shops for "old tools they never use any more" they usually hoarde them in the back of the shop until a big enough pile exists to justify a scrap ion run. You can get some great "lifetime tools" in such places. They may not be new, they may not look flashy... But they're BUILT, and chances are after you start using it no matter hat you o, you won't wear it out in your lifetime! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillerZombie Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Spend the extra money for a Milwaukee or dewald Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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