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.

[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

[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.