Bandsaws

[Azrael256]

So, I have recently gone from always borrowing somebody else's bandsaw to finally owning one.  It's pretty much an antique, an old green cast aluminum Shopmaster that probably came out of the back of a 1955 issue of Popular Mechanics.  It looks like a 10" tabletop model (Just guessing, I didn't measure).  The bearings look good, spin freely, and don't make a sound, so I'm pretty happy with it.  The motor is a bit questionable, but it's one of those where you supply your own refrigerator motor, and I was able to find a rebuild kit for a few bucks.  At any rate, I couldn't argue with the price.  I helped repair a gate, and it was given to me along with a bunch of metal and a WWII vintage brain bucket.  Life is good

So, I have the one blade that is on it, which is of unknown composition, and I know exactly what length blade to use (63") because Shopmaster cast that into the housing.  Other than that, I'm lost.

I plan to use it to make knife handles and other similar projects.  I'll be cutting wood, antler, bone, and probably occasionally some brass.  I don't plan to cut anything harder than brass, but the stuff I have is unusually hard (I'll explain that in a minute).  Most of what I plan to use it for is just cutting scales.  Project #1 will be using it to make a scale cutting jig.

From what I've found poking around, 63" is an unusual size, so I don't know if I'll be buying too many off-the-shelf blades for it.  I don't mind having blades cut and welded, but I don't have a clue what kind to buy.  All these tooth patterns and bimetal, trimetal, carbide-tooth stuff is getting me mightily confused in a hurry.  So, any advice on blade type you guys might have would be most appreciated.  Also, I'm not sure what to lube the bearings with.  I'm going to guess that it has been lubricated with ordinary 30W for most of its life, but if there's a better lube, I'm all for it.

Ok, on to the insanely hard brass...  I was given several pieces (and considering the price of brass, this was quite a gift), some of which came out of fuses.  The fuse material is WAY WAY harder than any brass I've ever seen.  It appears to be ordinary yellow brass, but it is just so dang hard that I don't know what to make of it.  I was told that there is some kind of phenomenon whereby the brass becomes extremely hard when it is subjected to high currents over a long period of time.  I have no idea if this is true, but I thought some of you might know.

[S. Williamson]

Best explanation I can think of is oxidation/ impurities invading the brass over time.  Kinda along the same lines as gold getting softer as it gets purer, and the inverse for steel and iron.

As far as bimetal, trimetal, and carbide, all I can think of would be blade alloy composition.  Not sure what metals or their ratios, though.

You gonna make me a set of stag grips for my Bersa or a new walnut stock for my AK or Mauser?

[Azrael256]

You gonna make me a set of stag grips

Sure, but you're gonna have to find the staghorn.  Good luck with that.  Buffalo might be easier, and it'll match the color of the pistol better.

[280plus]

I've never heard of brass getting hard over time with high current. I'll ask around. My GUESS is it's actually a harder brass alloy specifically designed for fuses.

As far as the blade I suggest talking to a Lenox rep about it. They make the best blades around as far as my experience has shown me. You can't go wrong with Lenox blades.

http://www.lenoxsaw.com/bandprod.html

[Larry Ashcraft]

I've been using a band saw pretty much every day for the last 35 years, cutting trophy column mostly, but other stuff on occasion.

The bearings probably don't need lubrication.  Bimetal blades work well, but are expensive.  Also remember, the wider the blade, the tighter it has to be (if your saw doesn't have an indicator).

IF you cut stag, do it outside!  The stuff stinks to high heaven.  Also, if you cut any amount of stag horn, all your bearings will go south, trust me on this.  The powder is extremely abrasive and will get everywhere.  Just prepare to replace bearings soon if you're cutting any amount of dry bone.

The best brass to use is leaded or free machining.  It cuts like wood with a 14 tpi band saw blade.  Harder brass will turn your blade into scrap in no time.  If you need a supplier, contact me, I'll get you some prices or a link.

14 tpi is probably what you want.  I prefer .5 inch blades, because I make mostly straight cuts, but if you are going to be making a lot of curved cuts, try .25 or even .125 blades.  With the narrower blades I would probably prefer 18-22 tpi.

HTH

[Azrael256]

Heh, I made the mistake of working an antler in a garage with the door closed one time.  There are very few smells that bring me to the edge of vomiting instantly, and it's one of them.  I hadn't throught about the dust being abrasive, but it makes sense.  I was told to wear a mask if I worked antler or bone in any large quantity because the calcium content can screw up your lungs, so it makes sense that it would eat bearings quickly.  I do most of my antler work with a dremel anyway, but I'll be extra careful on the saw because I don't know how easy it will be to find bearings for this thing if I burn them up.

I think I'll go with the .5" blades to start with.  My plan is to use this saw mostly for cutting scales, and they're all perfectly straight cuts.  90% of my work will be with wood, so I'll probably just start out with a good woodworking blade.  I don't plan to get that deep into brass work for some time.

Thanks for the advice.