Cutting Stainless round bar with a band saw.......?

[CGCINC]

I'm cutting 1/2" chunks off of a 1.5" cold finish stainless round bar and it is taking about 30 minutes per cut!!!!! (16 pcs.)
I've tried 3 different blades, all different TPI and it made no difference.
It's a cheap gravity feed HF band saw.


Just wondering if it's my junk band saw, the blades or just the way it is???

[Rodsmachineshop]

are you using cutting coolant fluid

[CGCINC]

are you using cutting coolant fluid ]

Well, not like a damn hose running on it like in the video but I am using a drip coolant.

[NRM]

30 minutes seems really long. I cut mostly SS and my saw is setup at ~150 fpm with a bi-metal 14 tpi blade and oil. My feed is broken so I do it by hand and 1.25" round stock takes me about 1.5-2 minutes per cut.

[Injected65]

I've tried cutting some larger solid bar in my HF band saw and it takes a good bit of time as well. My theory was that there needed to be more downward pressure to get it to cut faster, but when I would apply the pressure the 1hp motor was out of guts and the blade would stall.

[CGCINC]

I've tried cutting some larger solid bar in my HF band saw and it takes a good bit of time as well. My theory was that there needed to be more downward pressure to get it to cut faster, but when I would apply the pressure the 1hp motor was out of guts and the blade would stall.

Yes... I can push and it does better but the blade will stall as well. Also, it will cut crooked when I push.
It's an old saw with a 1/3hp motor and I need a new one Very bad but it works great for all my mild steel work.

[Injected65]

Mine works pretty well since most of what I cut is aluminum tubing. If you were going to be cutting a lot of bar stock you might keep your eyes open for any power feed band saws at local auctions. They seem to pop up every couple of months around here. If I had the need and the room for a larger saw I would definitely look into a good used one. Something with power feed, coolant pump, wider blade and a bigger motor should power through that SS decently.

[Rodsmachineshop]

what happens if you cut it with a abrasive chop saw

[CGCINC]

what happens if you cut it with a abrasive chop saw

Sold the one I had... It would take a long time I'm sure. This stuff is Very hard!
I actually emailed the company I bought it from and they said they use a diamond blade to cut it there.

[fdcmiami]

if you're not going to upgrade your horizontal bandsaw then pick up a milw/dewalt/porter cable deep cut portable band saw. i have cut 3 in ss shaft stock with all three of these using a 10/14 blade.

you could try and outfit like speedy metals and ask for a quote for cutting the discs. if you can make allowances on the thicknesses you can even try outfits like r b wagner or sharpe products and see what they carry for ss discs. they are used in rail construction quite a bit.

skip the abrasive cutoff saw;

[CGCINC]

if you're not going to upgrade your horizontal bandsaw then pick up a milw/dewalt/porter cable deep cut portable band saw. i have cut 3 in ss shaft stock with all three of these using a 10/14 blade.

you could try and outfit like speedy metals and ask for a quote for cutting the discs. if you can make allowances on the thicknesses you can even try outfits like r b wagner or sharpe products and see what they carry for ss discs. they are used in rail construction quite a bit.

skip the abrasive cutoff saw;

I just used my portable for the last cut....wasn't much better.
I will be getting a new saw soon, just milking this old thing for all it's got in it!

[fdcmiami]

i own one of these. check the horsepower and the cutting specs.

only pointing out the fact that it is not all about horsepower of motor.

all of my cutting is done with a 1 in .037 thk general purpose blade. i rarely change the speeds. all of my cuts are done dry.

http://www.ellissaw.com/Band-Saws/13...mitre-band-saw

posted wrong link first time.

bandsaw should have handled that pretty quickly. is it 303 shaft?

i would use a 10/14 or 14 tpi blade for cutting that with the bandsaw. no lube.

[CGCINC]

i own one of these. check the horsepower and the cutting specs.

only pointing out the fact that it is not all about horsepower of motor.

all of my cutting is done with a 1 in .037 thk general purpose blade. i rarely change the speeds. all of my cuts are done dry.

http://www.ellissaw.com/Band-Saws/13...mitre-band-saw

posted wrong link first time.

bandsaw should have handled that pretty quickly. is it 303 shaft?

i would use a 10/14 or 14 tpi blade for cutting that with the bandsaw. no lube.

The last blade I used was a 10/14 lube...no lube, didn't matter. All the teeth were flat after 3 cuts with this brand new blade.
This band saw I have is old but it has worked great for all my Aluminum and mild steel... I have found it's limits!

[fdcmiami]

ok, i can see i am not distinguishing between one saw and the other.

first; harbor freight horizontal bandsaws are.....well they are what they are.

when i was speaking of the 10/14 blade i meant on a portable bandsaw. i have routinely cut stainless steel propellor shaft over 3 inches in diameter with one of the saws listed.

i just want to be clear.

[X83]

You'll need to use a bi-metal blade with about 10-TPI because those cheap department store blades just won't cut it fast without overheating and damaging the teeth.

[Injected65]

With the wider blades to can often find them in higher quality steels as well. The smaller "hobbyist" blades often are a low grade steel and don't tend to last very long. We use a lot of Starrett or Lennox high speed steel blades on our band saw at work and they will cut for months before finally fatiguing and breaking.

[CGCINC]

The last blade I used was a brand new bi-metal blade... http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...ct_53252_53252
This is the blade I use for All my cutting but I think this Stainless is something different than just 304... It is HARD!!!!
I used a hacksaw to finish about an 1/8" that was left on one disc and it took forever and now That blade is dull

At least this is a one time thing. And you might know it was a freebie for my uncle.....

[Rambozo]

The last blade I used was a brand new bi-metal blade... http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...ct_53252_53252
This is the blade I use for All my cutting but I think this Stainless is something different than just 304... It is HARD!!!!
I used a hacksaw to finish about an 1/8" that was left on one disc and it took forever and now That blade is dull

At least this is a one time thing. And you might know it was a freebie for my uncle.....

Northern is not what I would call a quality blade.
But if your material is hardened at all, you will have problems with any HSS blade. Be aware that a lot of stainless can work harden, too. You can try annealing it to see if that helps. There are also carbide coated blades that buzz through hard materials.

[KSmith]

this is the blade I've been using on my 4x6 horizontal/vertical bandsaw. I have not been cutting stainless, but it is a quality blade at a decent price. They have other choices too.
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...PARTPG=INLMK32

ken

[X83]

I sold my 4 x 6 bandsaw about a month ago because the blades kept breaking or falling off and went the larger HF 7 x 10 machine; I just cut a piece of 1-1/4-inch 316L stainless bar yesterday which took less than a minute with the stock blade.