Replies

1. 
   roc | Oct 18, 2009 03:48am | #1

   > Craftsman 14-inch band saw<

   In the early eighties I converted one of those, purchased used at an estate sale, to cut steel. Worked great. Ours was one speed and I changed the pulleys to slow it down.

   >1620 fpm<

   Nah dude nah for cold rolled steel which is close to rebar in make up you want on the order of 150 -200 fpm. I am getting this from Machinery's Handbook #24 page 1038.

   Probably want a 10 or 14 tooth per inch blade.

   You can look up fpm , Feet Per Minute, for the type of metal you want to cut. Depends a little bit on the blade you get and how good it is and how fast you feed it.

   You can cut aluminum with the 1620 fpm but not steel. You will just vaporize the tips of the teeth in no time. Well almost vaporize. Make them really, really sick really, really quick anyway.

   So. You need a much larger pulley on your blade side and perhaps a smaller pulley on the motor. Go the blade side first. Very small pulleys on the motor get hot and heat the motor bearings on the pulley side of the motor.

   > re-bar <

   My experience with rebar:
   • seems to be crappy steel / has hard spots in it that can beat up blades.
   • a horizontal band saw is the way to go because you will most likely start with long lengths and it gets dicy putting it up so high. Here is a saw that I have for cutting off steel that comes in long lengths. This price is a little high; you may be able to do better if you look around. Plan on replacing the belt right off with a more flexible higher quality one. The stock belt causes excessive vibration.

   http://www.cpowoodworking.com/band_saws/20-330.html

   • there are rebar cutters that have long levers that sit right next to the floor and you just clip off the length you want like a nipper with a long handle. Nice to have a partner for this clip, slide, clip, slide, clip, slide, . . .

   http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200334495_200334495

   Abrasive wheel cut off saw is cheep and works ok but smokes and stinks and throws sparks. I hate the things but good for rebar because of the Abrasive "blade"/disc doesn't get effected by the hard spots in the rebar. Will last longer than bandsaw blades if you have a lot to do.

   http://www.jagorequipmenttoolandsupply.com/Products/template.asp?Item=1601

   The horizontal saw and the chop saw can cut a whole bundle of rods at one pass so saves time. The horizontal band saw has automatic shut off so you can set it to cut through a pile and walk away and when it gets through the bundle it will shut off.

   DO NOT LEAVE THE ROOM while it cuts. A friend of mine did and when he came back he had flames to the ceiling because the blade jammed, the belt got hot from motor still turning, motor went up and electrical fed the fire. Fun, fun, fun ! Mine works great though. I bet he had his belt too loose.

   >cut metal occasionally<

   Ooooo be careful here. It is easy to get complacent and have a bandsaw full of saw dust and " take a quick cut just this once " on some steel and burn your shop down. The saw dust can smolder and ignite later after you leave the shop.

   To cut metal you need to clean the saw dust out of the saw, the surrounding area and DO NOT USE THE DUST COLLECTION.

   Unless you are a person of impeccable, unwavering habits it is not a good idea to mix metal and wood in the same shop/tools.

   OK at ease, I am done with the disclaimer

   roc

   Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

   Edited 10/17/2009 9:36 pm by roc <!-- ROC2013 -->

   
   

   ---

   Edited 10/17/2009 9:38 pm by roc

2. 
   Don01 | Oct 18, 2009 03:52am | #2

   I think you need a proper metal cutting bandsaw for this. The horizontal type that can pump coolant.
   Your craftsman could be setup to cut soft metals like brass and aluminium only. Even these would have limitations.

   Don

3. 
   roc | Oct 18, 2009 04:28am | #3

   Here is one source for a no big deal lube for the blade. It is basically just a wax stick. The liquid is a mess unless you are set up to deal with it and catch it after it runs over the blade.

   http://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com/shop_ind.cfm?i=10

   Oh here is a photo

   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DT12WW

   roc

   Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

   
   

   ---

   Edited 10/17/2009 9:29 pm by roc

1. 
   bill5335 | Oct 18, 2009 05:01am | #4

   I use a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade to cut rebar.

    

   Bill

    

    

1. 
   roc | Oct 18, 2009 06:44am | #5

   1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10: )PS: do you mean a power hacksaw, a jig saw or god forbid a sawsall ?
   rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

   Edited 10/17/2009 11:48 pm by roc

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 18, 2009 07:06am | #6

   Wha's wrong with a Sawzall.  We used a reciprocating saw (Ridgid, Sawzall equivalent) when we had to cut rebar while removing concrete steps.  Worked like a charm.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   Tinkerer3 | Oct 18, 2009 07:59am | #7

   We have used the Sawzall and the angle abrasive blade, but I much prefer the Milwaukee hand band saw (my Porter Cable was stolen).  If I had only one of those three available, I'd use it without hesitation.

2. 
   roc | Oct 18, 2009 09:43am | #9

   Do you mean one of these ?http://www.milwaukeetool.com:80/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductId=6230N&CategoryName=SC%3a++Band+SawsMan I love mine ! Variable speed . . . sweeeeet !It cost more than my horizontal floor stand bandsaw !Still though not the thing for rebar. The horizontal bandsaw has the built in vise and then can set a roller stand or saw horse to catch the drop. Can cut many at once etc.Putting the rebar in a regular vise in ten or twenty foot lengths then cutting with a sawsall or porta band is too much work. Pick up the saw put the saw down, Pick up the saw put the saw down, Pick up the saw put the saw down.The horizontal or the floor nipper just slide and cut, slide and cut.Can get the floor horizontal for not much more than the sawsall. I got a Porter Cable tiger with the quick blade chuck. Never really made friends with it for metal and that is what I bought it for.lubeSaw a little dabgrabBuck, buck, bucklubeSaw a little dabgrabrepeatrocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )Edited 10/18/2009 2:50 am by roc <!-- ROC2013 -->

   Edited 10/18/2009 2:56 am by roc

3. 
   Tinkerer3 | Oct 19, 2009 05:08am | #12

   Yes, that's the beast.  I find it very handy.  I could use the angle grinder but it hurts my ears - bad ears.  My vice sits on a saw horse time thing and when I use the saw it is easier to set it on the floor.  If I had a table behind me it would be much easier.  I have cut quite a bit of rebar and old bed frames and it has worked okay.  I had a Porta Cable that was some $100 more expensive when I lent it out someone stole it from the job site.  The borrowers said it sawed faster than the stationary saw they were using. 

   As far as I can tell, this one works just as well.  What is this "floor horizontal thing"?  My Sawsall  beats the price of all!  I bought some blades in my electric shop and signed a paper.  A week later, they called and told me to come pick up my Sawsall.

4. 
   roc | Oct 19, 2009 06:46am | #15

   >What is this "floor horizontal thing"?<
   The horizontal bandsaw I posted before. Sorry to change names or be confusinghttp://www.cpowoodworking.com/band_saws/20-330.htmlOr the rebar cutter that others mentioned that's better.Angle grinder is fun. Lots of noise and sparks. Thin hard cut off blade cuts fast like Keithflknr said.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

   Edited 10/18/2009 11:49 pm by roc

5. 
   islanddog | Oct 19, 2009 07:26am | #16

   Of course one could always experiment with friction cutting. In this method one uses a normal bandsaw with a dull blade. Running at speed, press the steel into the blade with some pressure. When the cut begins, maintain that pressure and zip through the cut. This is actually scary as hell, hard on the saw, it screams like a banshee, and it could result in burning your shop down. Nevertheless, one can cut steel this way. I tried it and got passive results. Its difficult to maintain the proper pressure while holding your breath and squinting. After that, I got a slow speed bandsaw that's dedicated to steel cutting.

6. 
   roc | Oct 18, 2009 09:26am | #8

   Removing rebar that is sticking out the side of concrete maybe but cutting new stuff the metal begins to sag under its weight and closes the kerf, the blade grabs and the sawzall starts bucking like . . . well . . . a bronco.Then you reach out to hold the sagging part and you are using the saws all one handed.NOT AS MUCH FUN AS IT SOUNDS.Fun to watch though.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

   Edited 10/18/2009 2:44 am by roc

4. 
   keithflknr | Oct 18, 2009 10:47am | #10

   I just use a hand grinder with a cutting wheel.Goes through it like butter.

5. 
   philip | Oct 18, 2009 12:29pm | #11

   The slower speed of 1620fpm is more than ten times the speed required to cut mild steel....
   In passing: speeds ranging from 50fpm to 100fpm are suitable for cutting mild steel and annealed tool steels like O1 , D2 ,A2 etc. Where did I get that from?----From the wheel cover of a proper metal cutting bandsaw , and it is what I do most days these days (cut mild steel, O1 and D2 on an ordinary wood band saw which obviously I have modified).
   BUT for the "occasional" cutting of re-bar etc you would be better off using an angle grinder with the correct disc-this is very fast . For even less "occasional" cuts there is still the ordinary hack saw....

   Philip Marcou
1. 
   kwl10686 | Oct 19, 2009 02:18pm | #18

   I really appreciate the information.  Thanks.

1. 
   old saw | Nov 02, 2009 02:12pm | #19

   You could always cut it like blacksmiths sometimes cut steel.  Score the piece well all the way around its circumference with a cold chisel or a hacksaw and then break it off in a vise.  You may need a length of cheater pipe on the end for leverage.  The thicker the steel, the more leverage you need, of course.  Need a decent vise, too - or a big anvil and hammer.  It works surprisingly well and beats hell out of hacksawing.

6. 
   Quickstep | Oct 19, 2009 05:14am | #13

   I used my bandsaw to cut aluminum once. Although it did a fine job cutting, aluminum chips got imbedded in the saw's tires; ultimately ruining them. Since then, I avoid using woodworking tools for anything but working wood.

1. 
   Quickstep | Oct 19, 2009 05:15am | #14

   PS, cutting rebar with anything but a rebar cutter or an angle grinder is too much like work.

2. 
   kwl10686 | Oct 19, 2009 02:09pm | #17

   I'm glad you brought that up: it's something I didn't forsee.  Thanks.