Metal cutting - oxyfuel cutting, plasma cutting, machining, grinding, and other preparatory work.
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Looking for a hobbyist bandsaw for very small garage.

I have a portaband and it's good for small stuff but not very accurate, but mainly not very good for multiple cuts. I find myself needing to cut accurately on square tube (miters and 90s) all the time and sick of hand feeding a portaband. It is just exhausting tbh. I may just sell the thing and get something else.

I'm hoping to get something that cuts accurate and doesn't break the bank. I want to be able to cut stainless hence the bandsaw. The dry cut saws I've used in the past were fantastic, but the blades die instantly on stainless more or less.

I've been leaning toward the grizzly 4x6 but I'm open to whatever people think is the best. Budget is what is worth the money for the home gamer. Willing to go dry cut, but time isn't as important and I'd rather get something for longevity and no issues and low operating cost.

Thanks!!!!
tweake
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i have a hafco. cheap and has issues. it needs a bit of tweaking to cut straight.
however the most important thing for good cuts is decent blades. for stainless you need bimetal blades.

to get anything that doesn't have issues and is reliable you need to sped $$$$.
tweak it until it breaks
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I have a Klutch 7x12 wet band saw, and when setup properly it cuts nice and square. I've even cut 3mm wall titanium with the original blade, and the coolant has helped it last a long, long time.
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Homemade
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Not sure if the size of material your cutting, but swag off road make a portaband stand. I don’t think it has the drop style of a cut off saw, it’s just vertical. But cheaper then a new saw.
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I bought a Baileigh band saw and like it, it's not what I would consider a high production saw but it has a good vise and the saw moves to do miter cuts and cuts straight.
Richard
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Homemade wrote:Not sure if the size of material your cutting, but swag off road make a portaband stand. I don’t think it has the drop style of a cut off saw, it’s just vertical. But cheaper then a new saw.
I built a little stand for mine. It works, but it is tiresome for a lot of cutting compared to a chop saw or horizontal bandsaw.
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This may not be the most helpful response regarding just buying a bandsaw, but keeping an eye on craigslist or the FB marketplace may reveal a bargain on an older saw. I picked up a Kalamazoo 610D a couple of years ago for $100. All it needed was a new hydraulic cylinder. Have cash and be ready to go and when the bargain shows up, you'll be on it.
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Ya craigslist could be an option for sure. I may just go for a cheap option and hope for the best we will see.
varekai
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I was able to score a sweet Dewalt DWM 120 on FB marketplace for $100, looks hardly used...
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