Metal Blade for the Rikon Model 10-305 Bandsaw?

[upscale]

Hi. Got another question about the Rikon bench top Model 10-305 bandsaw. It uses 70-1/2" blades. Should it be able to use light duty 70-1/2" Metal bandsaw blades? Thanks.

 

[mwildt]

Manual doesn't list metal blades directly. Thing is the speed as wood cutting is fast and metal is slow so that's the biggest challenge. What kind of metal are you thing off cutting ?

 

[upscale]

Well, nothing in particular right now. But, I can see myself cutting square or round tubing which should be fairly easy. I doubt I'd be cutting solid metal very often.

 

[Cheese]

If you limit it to aluminum, copper or brass you should be ok. Steel needs to be slowed down and stainless needs to be really, really slowed down.  [smile]

 

[bnaboatbuilder]

Honestly I'm not one to mix wood and metal cutting on tools. I prefer to keep them independent. Cuts down on issues of contamination for wood finishes. I even keep identical drill bit sets, one for wood and one for metal so I can use lubricants.

An angle grinder with a cutoff wheel is basic and worthwhile to keep in a shop. The small portaband style metal cutting bandsaws are excellent. Swag Offroad makes a table mount for multiple brands. Dry cut saws in 7-1/4", 12", 14" are great to have but pricing varies widely.

I have all those, use them regularly.

 

[Cheese]

Swag Offroad makes a table mount for multiple brands.

Thanks for mentioning that, I was trying to remember the manufacturer because I want to pick one up for my Milwaukee 6230.

 

[upscale]

If you limit it to aluminum, copper or brass you should be ok. Steel needs to be slowed down and stainless needs to be really, really slowed down.

Ok, that leads me to ask. Is there a way to slow down a bandsaw motor without causing it to heat up?

 

[bnaboatbuilder]

Really only two main ways of reducing speed for a bandsaw. Not sure either is ideal for you unless you  are really committed.

You can change out pulleys to get slower speed appropriate for metal cutting. Mcmaster-Carr has many pulleys but depending on how proprietary Rikon shafts and pulleys are determines this option's viability.https://www.mcmaster.com/#pulleys/=1bmohoz
calculator for pulleys:https://www.blocklayer.com/pulley-belteng.aspx

Other choice is to change the motor out to a 3 phase 230v motor which are plentiful and cheap on ebay. Then use a VFD to change the speed to whatever you want. The VFD can run on 115V and converts power to run the 3ph-230V motor. Most of the electronic VFDs are made overseas with poor instructions on programming them, but still doable:https://www.google.com/search?q=vfd+for+3+phase+motor&oq=vfd+for&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.4690j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[upscale]

Really only two main ways of reducing speed for a bandsaw. Not sure either is ideal for you unless you  are really committed.

Think I'll stick with my hacksaw.

 

[Cheese]

Ok, that leads me to ask. Is there a way to slow down a bandsaw motor without causing it to heat up?

I have an older Delta 28-303 band saw that has a transmission and multiple pulleys. It provides 8 speeds from 40 fpm to 3000 fpm. It gets slowed down to 40 fpm for stainless and 115 fpm for steel, however it's used at the full speed 3000 fpm for aluminum. Just pick a good aluminum skip tooth blade. A band saw works well for cutting thin sheet and curved forms.

If I need to cut 1/4" or thicker aluminum plate in straight lines, I'll use the TSC 55 with an aluminum blade on a rail, that's the easiest and cleanest method. 85% of the chips are caught by the bag.

If I need to cut pipe or structurals, I'll use my 14" Milwaukee cold saw or sometimes the Milwaukee 6230 portable band saw.

So, it all depends upon what you're cutting and how often you'll be cutting it. If it's a once or twice situation you can always get by with a less than optimum setup for cutting aluminum. There's nothing wrong with using a Portabandsaw style machine or a right angle grinder with a .040" cutoff wheel.