Bandsaw mods for pre-form cutting
Jul 15, 2023 10:18:15 GMT -5
QuailRiver, victor1941, and 5 more like this
Post by liveoak on Jul 15, 2023 10:18:15 GMT -5
OK guys, here's my quick and dirty band saw modifications for slab pre-form cutting.
Like I said before, no rocket science here.
My specific bandsaw isn't available anymore. But there are lots of inexpensive ones out there.
Here's one on Amazon for example
My saw is a 9" Craftsman that has an aluminum table, aluminum wheels & plastic doors.
Look for one like this, as there will be less things to rust .
OK, what I've done to make this work is pretty easy.
First we put the band saw in a plastic tub , up on attached wood blocks with a drain in the corner.
My drain goes through the table into a bucket. But that would be something you'd have to arrange for your own situation.
You need to have some kind of flow coolant set up - I used a Loc-line coolant kit.
I looked and the brand name is now pretty expensive, but there are numerous knock offs.
It has a magnetic base that attaches to the steel frame of the saw.
The saw guide actually had a handy hole that I could stick the little nozzle in.
Obviously you might have to do something different, with what ever saw you get.
For a reservoir I had an old aquarium drip tub, and I set that up on a shelf above the saw,
but I found that I needed to restrict the flow further with a pinch clamp on the tubing.
Of course you also have to buy a Diamond Blade.
The beauty of the 9" saw is that they all use a standard, readily available 62" X 1/8" size.
The price varies a lot, depending on where you get it.
I will say that this kind of use (rocks) is somewhat hard on the saw,
for example I just found that I already needed to replace the roller bearing thrust guides.
But at $7 for a 10 pack on Amazon - a cheap repair.
I highly recommend a bandsaw of some kind for cutting pre-forms.
It actually can pay for itself in saved slabs, especially if you have pricey rare ones (or limited stock).
Hope this helps inspire someone to try this- it's worked for me for a couple of years now,
Patty