Large Scale Central

Band Saw Question

Tools and Tips
#1

For my current project I need to cut a 4"x4" PCB down to 1"x1".
I have a table saw and chop saw but it is too scary to cut those small pieces on the bigger saws.
So now I am planning on buying a band saw. What I can not decide on is whether I just need a 9" bench type for the small projects or should I get a 14" stand alone type.

Is a band saw safer than a table saw? If a cut can be easily made on either table or band saw, which would you prefer? I had a the tabel saw kick back a piece of wood once. Scared the crap out of me.

I would go with a 14" model if it could take over 25 to 50% of the work that I now do on my table saw because a band saw seems safer than the table saw. Mainly because I don’t believe it will kick back like the table saw can do.

Any suggestions or recomendations?

#2

A band saw is definitely safer since it runs slower and the blade is a lot narrower and the blade runs down toward the table, so theirs no chance of a kick back. I’d go with a 14" model since it would have a deeper throat and it will also cut curves and circles if you need to do that. For straighter cuts use a wide blade and for curves a narrow blade.
Although I do use my radial arm saw and table saw a lot more than my band saw, it does serve a purpose when I have small stuff to cut.

#3

A band saw is safer than a table saw, in general.

One technique I use to cut small things on my scary table saw is to use masking tape to stick them to a bigger chunk of wood, cut that, then untape it and off I go.

This’d work on the chop saw too.

#4

You are cutting a PCB? As in Printed Circuit Board?

If so, niether a band saw (table-top) or a table saw are good choices. In the “business” we use routers or diamond wheel blades to “score” the board. Your typical hobby band saw will have a bad time cutting the FR4 material, the blade will wander and sparks will fly. A “roto-zip” type tool mounted in a table with a back fence is ideal for this type of work.

Again, assumes we are cutting a circuit board.

#5

may be a fine tooth blade on a scrollsaw would be best for cutting but if a band saw is what you want I would go with the stand alone if you have the room.

#6

Ward,

A steel bandsaw blade will quickly dull to uselessness if cutting PCB material. I would use a carbide-tipped blade in the tablesaw or chopsaw instead. BUT…you definitely need to clamp (or tape) the PCB to a larger piece of wood so that you can safely feed it through the saw as was suggested above.

That said, buy the bandsaw anyway…you’ll find it’s an extremely useful tool for cutting small pieces of solid wood. You’ll never look back.

Steve

#7

Save some money! A pair of snips will do fine, large variety 3" cutting length, 12"overall length

(http:///F-PIX/Snips01_s.jpg)

I’ve cut bundles of PCB stuff, as narrow as 3/16" Cuts nice and straight, all it takes is straighten the longer pieces, they tend to have a bit of a twist in them.

#8

I have both a 9" and a 10" band saw. Both table top models and more than sufficient for my modeling task. You may need the 14" floor model if you are going into business. And to cut one piece of PCB I would be more likely to go with an on hand modeling saw like X-Acto or Zona, or my dremel tool, or take HJs tip with shears if you have them

#9

Your suggestions and advice really helped. Cutting the printed circuit board is just one of many projects where I thought the band saw would prove useful.
I pretty much decided on the Grizzly 14" Band Saw. It gets good reviews on Amazon.

Thanks for your help!

#10

Good choice!

Ward, remember that the band saw blade will tend to drift. That is the nature of the beast, but can be compensated for. I’m sure that the book that comes with your saw will include a dissertation on it, but sometimes those can be confusing, especially for those of us who don’t work with these tools every day.

I’ve found a few youtube videos that explain it very well. Enjoy your new saw.

Bandsaw Drift Adjustment

The ABC’s of Resawing

Solving Band Saw Drift

Correcting Band Saw Drift

Once set, the fence will correct for that blade for the life of the blade, but only for that blade. If you change blades, you will have to reset the drift angle. Fortunately, once you have done it, it is easy the second time, and the third… and so on.

I always check first to see if I really need to change the drift angel, and so far, with three different blades, I haven’t had to make a change. That said, your milage will vary.

#11

Not to advertise for the competition, but there is an excellent write up on mylargescale.com on cutting scale lumber on the bandsaw.

http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/8/aft/122767/afv/topic/Default.aspx

Good Luck.

Bob C.

#12

A band saw is a useful addition to any workshop. It’s really good for resawing to dimension wood for model rr projects. I have one on my Shopsmith. For some reason, the blade wanders very little, and I can use a fence much as on a table saw.

Because the blade is so narrow, you make much less sawdust than with circular saws, whose blades are generally at least 1/8th inch thick.

#13

Yeah well! That is a completely different story!

There are a gazillion uses for a band saw - I have one - but cutting PCB sure isn’t one of them!

BTW the suggestion with the Dremel or any other chip removal method is dicey - the dust from PCB boards is quite aggressive. It probably would make nice abrasive grit. :smiley:

#14

One of the projects on my list is to cut up a 6"x6" cedar post I have. I plan on cutting it into 3/4" timbers for a tressle.
Once I get the band saw I am sure I will find many uses for it.

#15

Ward,

You probably already know that a typical 14-in bandsaw has only a 6-in maximum resaw capacity (unless you get the riser block accessory), and so will struggle a bit with a 6x6. Once you get through that first cut, though, it should be smooth sailing from then on.

Buy the bandsaw! You’ll never be sorry.

Steve

#16

Steve S, yep it will be close but the true dimensions are 5.5 x 5.5 so I should be OK.

Steve and Bob, Thanks for the links. A lot of good stuff there.

One more question. Is a 2 spd bandsaw desired or is one spd adequate? Just too many options to choose from.

Thanks

#17

Depends on what you want to cut. For cutting wood, you probably want blade speeds in the range 1000 - 3000 ft/min, and a single-speed saw is fine. Slower speeds may be desirable for difficult materials like plastics (which melt at higher speeds) or aluminum (which needs to be really slow–400 ft/min or so–and probably shouldn’t be cut with a nice sharp wood-cutting blade anyway).

#18

One of the advantages of a Shopsmith is that all the tools are variable speed, including the band saw. Really useful when cutting plastic, as you can cut without the plastic melting and solidifying behind the blade.