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I'm cutting 1/2" chunks off of a 1.5" cold finish stainless round bar and it is taking about 30 minutes per cut!!!!! (16 pcs.)
I've tried 3 different blades, all different TPI and it made no difference.
It's a cheap gravity feed HF band saw.
Just wondering if it's my junk band saw, the blades or just the way it is???
are you using cutting coolant fluid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKHfmvrbL0Q
Well, not like a damn hose running on it like in the video but I am using a drip coolant. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodsmachineshop
30 minutes seems really long. I cut mostly SS and my saw is setup at ~150 fpm with a bi-metal 14 tpi blade and oil. My feed is broken so I do it by hand and 1.25" round stock takes me about 1.5-2 minutes per cut.
I've tried cutting some larger solid bar in my HF band saw and it takes a good bit of time as well. My theory was that there needed to be more downward pressure to get it to cut faster, but when I would apply the pressure the 1hp motor was out of guts and the blade would stall.
Yes... I can push and it does better but the blade will stall as well. Also, it will cut crooked when I push.Quote:
Originally Posted by Injected65
It's an old saw with a 1/3hp motor and I need a new one Very bad but it works great for all my mild steel work.
Mine works pretty well since most of what I cut is aluminum tubing. If you were going to be cutting a lot of bar stock you might keep your eyes open for any power feed band saws at local auctions. They seem to pop up every couple of months around here. If I had the need and the room for a larger saw I would definitely look into a good used one. Something with power feed, coolant pump, wider blade and a bigger motor should power through that SS decently.
what happens if you cut it with a abrasive chop saw
Sold the one I had... It would take a long time I'm sure. This stuff is Very hard!Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodsmachineshop
I actually emailed the company I bought it from and they said they use a diamond blade to cut it there.
if you're not going to upgrade your horizontal bandsaw then pick up a milw/dewalt/porter cable deep cut portable band saw. i have cut 3 in ss shaft stock with all three of these using a 10/14 blade.
you could try and outfit like speedy metals and ask for a quote for cutting the discs. if you can make allowances on the thicknesses you can even try outfits like r b wagner or sharpe products and see what they carry for ss discs. they are used in rail construction quite a bit.
skip the abrasive cutoff saw;
I just used my portable for the last cut....wasn't much better.Quote:
Originally Posted by fdcmiami
I will be getting a new saw soon, just milking this old thing for all it's got in it!
i own one of these. check the horsepower and the cutting specs.
only pointing out the fact that it is not all about horsepower of motor.
all of my cutting is done with a 1 in .037 thk general purpose blade. i rarely change the speeds. all of my cuts are done dry.
http://www.ellissaw.com/Band-Saws/13...mitre-band-saw
posted wrong link first time.
bandsaw should have handled that pretty quickly. is it 303 shaft?
i would use a 10/14 or 14 tpi blade for cutting that with the bandsaw. no lube.
The last blade I used was a 10/14 lube...no lube, didn't matter. All the teeth were flat after 3 cuts with this brand new blade.Quote:
Originally Posted by fdcmiami
This band saw I have is old but it has worked great for all my Aluminum and mild steel... I have found it's limits! :)
ok, i can see i am not distinguishing between one saw and the other.
first; harbor freight horizontal bandsaws are.....well they are what they are.
when i was speaking of the 10/14 blade i meant on a portable bandsaw. i have routinely cut stainless steel propellor shaft over 3 inches in diameter with one of the saws listed.
i just want to be clear.
You'll need to use a bi-metal blade with about 10-TPI because those cheap department store blades just won't cut it fast without overheating and damaging the teeth.
With the wider blades to can often find them in higher quality steels as well. The smaller "hobbyist" blades often are a low grade steel and don't tend to last very long. We use a lot of Starrett or Lennox high speed steel blades on our band saw at work and they will cut for months before finally fatiguing and breaking.
The last blade I used was a brand new bi-metal blade... http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...ct_53252_53252
This is the blade I use for All my cutting but I think this Stainless is something different than just 304... It is HARD!!!!
I used a hacksaw to finish about an 1/8" that was left on one disc and it took forever and now That blade is dull
At least this is a one time thing. And you might know it was a freebie for my uncle.....:mad:
Northern is not what I would call a quality blade. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by CGCINC
But if your material is hardened at all, you will have problems with any HSS blade. Be aware that a lot of stainless can work harden, too. You can try annealing it to see if that helps. There are also carbide coated blades that buzz through hard materials.
this is the blade I've been using on my 4x6 horizontal/vertical bandsaw. I have not been cutting stainless, but it is a quality blade at a decent price. They have other choices too.
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...PARTPG=INLMK32
ken
I sold my 4 x 6 bandsaw about a month ago because the blades kept breaking or falling off and went the larger HF 7 x 10 machine; I just cut a piece of 1-1/4-inch 316L stainless bar yesterday which took less than a minute with the stock blade.
Also check to make sure the blade is rotating with the teeth in the right direction :D (Not pointing fingers anywhere other than one of the knuckleheads here at the shop that ruined a $200 blade in minutes the other day).
true, that's a common mistake that can elude at first.Quote:
Originally Posted by Injected65
ken
Wow, even with some of my less genetically gifted crew, it'd be obtain a new one or get your walking papers for something that dumb. S/F.....Ken MQuote:
Originally Posted by Injected65
I was thinking the same thing. If other materials are cutting well you may have some really tough stainless. I have had a few pieces that were really tough to go through.Quote:
Originally Posted by CGCINC
went down to my friend Dennis at his welding shop he works with stainless a lot . he told me he uses a M42 dieband blades or M42 blade since is for hard metals and says very important to break blade in first be before cutting stainless and 100 surface feet per minute for speed and lots of oil when cutting to keep blade cool and from catching or binding . oh 10 to 14 tooth blade
I've ran into stainless alloys that work harden like crazy. Not all of them do. Didn't know what alloy it was, (it was a scrap I was fabricating something out of), but it sure was real tough to work with.
To reduce the amount of work hardening that happens, don't let the blade "rub" without biting in. Deforming or "smearing" the surface without actually peeling some amount off is what will make it harden. If your blade twists sideways if you use more feed pressure, you might need to pump up the blade tension to make the blade more rigid. Also, might help to keep the blade from twisting if you move the blade guides closer together (if they are excessively apart.)
If you need to add extra feed pressure beyond gravity alone, you could always hang a weight off the end of the saw arm.
A lathe isn't an option? S/F....Ken M
Glad someone brought it up, 300 series stainless alloys work harden like magic. Don't be gentle, you have to get a bite and run with it. Any gentle cuts or rubbing will give it a skin you'll flatten teeth trying to get through. Once this happens, best bet is to rotate it and approach it from another angle. Better blade, better lube, more aggressive, more tension.Quote:
Originally Posted by jakeru
What are you using for cutting lubrication?
Parting off that material on a lathe would take one hell of a machine. Parting requires a very rigid machine, parting that diameter of that material, you want something tough as nails, not an import, or Atlas, or even a SouthBend under 14/16 (and even that size may fight it).Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoSixMike
On the other hand, were it me, I'd hit it with whatever would cut it, then face it true on a lathe. Even a home-shop grade machine should be able to handle facing it. Parting is a whole other story.
I like Do-Al blades the best.
Get you a good cold saw
http://www.grizzly.com/products/9-Sl...-Cut-Saw/G0681
OK, shows you why I outsource machine work. My local guy has a nice Hardinge(think 12" swing) and a big old Pratt and Whitney in the back(18", maybe even 20" swing) I just drop the stuff off and tell him what needs doing:) S/F....Ken MQuote:
Originally Posted by Trip59
This will be my next saw from Grizzly.... http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-x-...-Bandsaw/G0561Quote:
Originally Posted by SeanMurphy265