I want to thank you for all you videos. You’re channel is gold. Keep sharing all your wisdom, buddy. The depth of the videos, welding or tool reviews you keep every aspect in mind. I’ve learned more then just welding from you. You teach fundamentals of welding, materials and financial (return on investment). Oh yeah, the amount of common sense in these videos is refreshing. Thank you.
I just about bought one of those, but lucked out and found a Milwaukee with the miter base at a yard sale for a great price. Since then I’ve built a vertical stand for it with some steel I had laying around. I used a harbor freight portable bandsaw for 20 years before I found the Milwaukee saw and it did ok. Then I sold it for 40 bucks to cover some of the cost of the Milwaukee saw. Great tool to have,I use mine all the time. Thanks.
Yard sales around here only have furniture I don’t need or super old less useful tools lol. I wanted a Milwaukee but the current price for their cordless bandsaw here is 350$ 😮
Just bought the Einhell brand port-a-band here in the UK. It's a German brand but made in China in the same factory as yours because they are very similar. I have some of the Ozito brand which l bought from a supermarket six years ago when l got stuck for drill and it's seen off a Makita Combi 18v drill and a DeWalt 18v drill. The band drive wheel and idler are exposed on mine whereas yours is enclosed. These saws a great. However, the light is pointless once the blade goes i the section being cut if it's over 20mm. And they are difficult to keep accurate to the cut line because you cannot see both sides of the cut easily. So, to improve accuracy l zip tied a 75mm Milwaukee spirit level to the handle behind the battery. Provided the section is level, all l have to is keep focused on the bubble to control the final cut. It certainly helps cutting box section. These saws save on sparks, are fast, nice cool cut and to be fair, the Einhell seems quite well made. Early days yet. A much better topic to watch than the video on moving a dumper seat, l avoided that one. If there is one thing l refuse to do, is work on, watch or weld up anything to do with human excrement, passing the parcel (as l call it), toilets or sewers. Top regards, Jon
Good idea on the level, I bet that would work great on hand held cuts because it’s really difficult to tell if you’re cutting straight due to the weird angle you hold the saw at lol. The way you hold it a straight cut would be purely accidental lol. I really like the lack of grinding dust, metal chips on the floor is far better than hot sparks and dust everywhere. Not to mention it doesn’t massively heat up the steel like a grinder.
I’ve mentioned it before that I have the same dry cut saw. I had to make a new rear vise part. The pressed steel bends backwards and in angle cuts that ruins the cut as it isn’t square. I made it from 0.500” steel stock and that fixed the problems. The Diablo blade costs about $80-85 these days and is for steel and stainless. It works really well and lasts for some time. I have a separate blade for aluminum. I have the DeWalt portable battery brushless bandsaw and no stand for it as I only use it for portable use. These things are great. A warning though. I don’t know about the manual for the Hercules, but the one for the DeWalt states not to use the slower speeds too much (no definition as to how much that is) as it can damage the saw motor. So I recommend that people actually read the manual even if they think it makes them feel less manly.
I would guess it has something to do with heat. The motor probably needs to run faster to keep the airflow through the motor high enough to keep the motor cool.
Thank you for your honest review on this. I just bought one recently for my old (early '90's) Milwaukee BS. I agree with just about everything you say. I, too, would like HF to offer, say a $20 vise kit for the stand, like you, I don't like just clamping it against the frame bottom, but rather would prefer to clamp it against the fence. While I do agree with your recommendation that it should have been made from 1/4" on one hand, I can say that the compromise of 1/8" is OK for those of us who cannot dedicate a space to set one up. The thinner metal allows it to be "lighter" for when you take it out of where you store it and set it up on a bench to use. Also, I can see this being used by tradespersons, so having a lighter frame for use on a jobsite for cutting conduits and pipe I am sure would be appreciated by these trades people. If you decide to make another video on this BS/Stand combo, you should make sure to show that even though the saw itself can cut a 5x5 square piece or 5" diameter round piece, because this stand causes the saw to come down at an angle, you don't get all of that cutting capability. Also, the lower saw frame interferes with angled cuts.
I definitely will be revisiting it, there will be some modifications I will make to it to make it more sturdy. You’re right on the 1/4in steel, it would be far less portable at that point lol. Its intended use is obviously not heavy duty thick steel so they did the smart thing and made it somewhat light but still durable enough for general use.
I'd like to see what you come up with if you whip up a nice clamping system. I don't have any plans for that exact thing, but seeing others' problem solving solutions always gives me some good ideas for my various bodge job needs. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences with us!
I definitely will be modifying it a bit to beef it up. I have been using it a bunch and I already have found some things I would like to improve a bit 😀
Pro Tip: To get your porta band blades to last longer, vary the cut pressure, light, medium, light, medium, in each cut, for the first couple of cuts. It some how "tempers" the teeth and allows for much more life. It wont help with the "crib death" blades, you know the ones that have the whomp whomp to them right out of the box, but it will extend the life on a good blade. Another life extending tip is to use wax on the blades. I keep a tube of saw wax next to my swag portaband table, and I just cut into the end until the entire blade rolls around. Not only will it help to last longer but also helps to cut faster.
Thanks for the review. Does this porta band saw stand have a way to turn off the saw when the cut has completed? It would be nice to see it in operation too, with your pros anc cons after seeing its actual use. Cheers from Oregon, Phlip
So the little upright lever on the left side can be pressed and it will shut itself off because the trigger spring pushes the trigger to the off position. I would have liked to see a trigger on the handle or a foot switch, but it does work pretty good as it is.
I got the stand for $99 on sale! It’s awesome. If it were made of 1/4” I wouldn’t buy it, it would be WAY to heavy. I bring it everywhere I work. 1/8” is just fine.
Yes, if you need it to be portable for jobsite usage or, in my case, in a small shop where you can't dedicate the space so it's stored then brought out when its needed, the 1/8" is fine. If you have a dedicated area to mount it, then the 1/4" would be fine and better.
Appreciate the comparison video. I have an HF dry cut saw with the non-tooth “composite?” Blade. Stupid expensive even for what they are, but I haven’t had to replace it yet. Of course, it removes at. Least 1/8 of material with every cut. So I thought the combo you demonstrated might be the way to go, and I did just pick up a bandsaw stand. (Not opened yet). Hoping that the combo may allow me to part with the dry cut saw. I’m a hobby welder, at best. I guess I’d say the space is my biggest challenge.
The porta band has been working really good for me so far. It doesn’t throw chips/dust all over, it gives a really clean cut that isn’t hot, and I won’t feel bad if a wreck a blade cutting something I need to in a pinch. A toothed dry cut blade will produce a cut that’s more square consistently, but I got the harbor freight dialed in pretty good. I would 100% run a portaband on a stand over an abrasive cutoff saw.
The porta band has been working really good for me so far. It doesn’t throw chips/dust all over, it gives a really clean cut that isn’t hot, and I won’t feel bad if a wreck a blade cutting something I need to in a pinch. A toothed dry cut blade will produce a cut that’s more square consistently, but I got the harbor freight dialed in pretty good. I would 100% run a portaband on a stand over an abrasive cutoff saw.
I think the cordless version would be a good setup. I was too cheap to buy a Milwaukee cordless and didn’t want to buy into harbor freights cordless, so I settled for a corded saw. The cordless would make it far more handy, and likely perform just as good.
For $240, you should be able to get a decent 4x6 horizontal band saw. Pair that with some decent Lennox or Starrett blades and you're golden. They generally come with a little table you can attach to use them as a vertical bandsaw. I've cut 3" 316 stainless round bar on mine without any trouble.
"... for more affordable prices so you can wreck stuff." Now you're speaking my language! 🙂 OK, I was looking at the saws (not the stands) so I got a low cost Ryobi saw that I call the Rube Goldberg Special --if you don't know who he is, it's worth looking him up. It's actually a pretty damn handy saw but my question is, does anybody know if it fits correctly in Harbor Freight jig?? Thanks in advance!
So I looked up ryobis saws and it’s hard to say. They include a bunch of adapters for different saws with the kit. Many remove the handle or bolt on the sides near the handle. I am sure there is a way to make it work with your saw, but out of the box I am going to take a guess and say they don’t have an adapter for it.
That HF saw combination looks interesting. I've had a Milwaukee portaband for 40 some years. Milwaukee has a similar table for their portabands (48-08-0260) that I used to have and it worked well. I now use a SWAG offroad vertical stand for freehand work and a small benchtop bandsaw (Femi ABS105) for cutting stock to length. I'd be interested in hearing how this holds up for you long term.
I definitely like the swag stand, I see ads for it all the time online (searched for portabands too much I guess lol). I have a feeling the setup will hold up, but knowing harbor freight the switch will probably crap out at some point lol. Never knew Milwaukee had a stand, surprised no contractor I met had that.
@@makingmistakeswithgreg I remember looking at Milwaukee stands back in the late '90's and those stands cost more than the Milwaukee BS's themselves. Not surprised that there were not many who actually bought one.
I think it’s doable to make one yourself. That’s a pretty good idea. The only thing is, with retail prices of steel, it would probably cost the same. Granted it would be way heavier duty, and the sense of accomplishment would be worth it 😀
@@makingmistakeswithgreg thanks, I'll watch the video again to get some ideas because even if I have to buy some steel, it'll still be cheaper than shipping it to Belgium from the US
I bought the thing as soon as it came out. I have the Bauer saw, because the Hercules wasn't released yet. I agree rear clamp thing is a bit wonky. And the trigger deal is nearly useless - I zip tied the switch down & run the power through a pedal switch. Hard to beat for a couple of hundred bucks.
I made my own band saw table and holder for my Milwaukee portable band saw and it works just fine. Now if you want to cut something while doing another job the bandsaw type ( a proper horizontal saw which cuts without you holding on) like Greg showed here is just great. I would buy a propose made bandsaw to do this type of work. There are plently of used industrial one around, if fact the roofer who came to fix a minor leak over my porch roof has an oldie but goodie saw which I might just talk him out of. Just to say there are better choices out there if you look. Facebook buy and sell may be a plce to start.
Used bandsaws can be a deal. No doubt a medium to full size is preferred over a portable one. If I had more room I would have bought a full sized one for sure. The full size are really good when they have adjustable auto feed, it makes it really good to get decent cut quality and consistency.
iv got something similar i bought off amazon,i run a morse blade thought it would be handy for mobile work,just cant get a square cut especialy on somthing like exhaust pipe,seems the 1/2 inch blade wants to wander off,im guessing if you could slide the roller guides closer it wouldnt wander as much,looking forward to what you come up with hoping im missing something to get mine dialed in
Mine seems to cut pretty square. One of the things I learned with bandsaws a long time ago is consistency is the key to accuracy. Because the blade has a thin depth (teeth to backstrap), and the blade on the portaband is supported by rollers at fixed points fairly wide, it’s prone to walking. With such a setup it’s critical to get things square at the start (aka adjust everything to achieve a square cut on a normal piece of metal). Then when cutting it’s imperative to use the same consistent downward force start to finish. Using more or less downward pressure will cause the blade to walk in an inconsistent manner. Even with that said it’s difficult to achieve precision with imprecise tools. Even my dry cut saw can cut off square sometimes.
You can sharpen the dry saw blade. Wood circular saws also make a little noise. How many cuts do you get on the battery? Kind of savages way of opening a box , what next a machete 🙂 all in all , good video thanks!
The problem I have with the dry cut is the teeth tend to take a beating. It’s not that they dull out, they get chips. I bet you could sharpen it, but it would only be one time and after that there would be no teeth left. The bandsaw I have is corded, but I bet a cordless would get a ton of cuts off a charge. Probably 30-40 on 1/4inch with a decent battery. I was going to get a cordless bandsaw but I wasn’t willing to pay 380+ for a Milwaukee and I didn’t want to buy into harbor freights cordless tools lol.
So, what is the optimal cutting mode for this band saw? The saw is OK by itself, there's not many of them one can afford for this price, but blades quit too fast :(
So bandsaws are a “learning curve” type tool. I can tell you that the blades I bought from harbor freight seem like they will last a long time. I know for a fact they will outlast my dry cut saw blade for cuts per dollar. The blades are 38$ here for 4. I bet 4 or 5 of those blades would match the cuts a typical dry cut blade would do for a 90$ blade. The critical things are using wax or a pinch of oil on the blade, not pushing the blade hard, and making sure what it’s cutting is not going to move. Also, most importantly of all, using the correct tooth count for the material thickness. Using the wrong blade (tooth count/construction materials) will cause the blade to wear out fast. So far I have cut about 40cuts on 1/4in steel and another 20 or so on thicker stuff. The blade has atleast double that left I think. I bought harbor freight dry cut blade and it shattered all the teeth in 20cuts, so already it’s far better than that lol.
@@makingmistakeswithgreg Thanks, I'll keep this for reference. Speaking about a cost of a cut... I have an angle grinder with a diamond disk that sits in its stand just for straight cuts. One diamond disk costs about $10 and it is promised it will last for 1k cuts at least. I don't know about 1k but it certainly does few hundreds before the wear becomes noticeable. However there's a problem - both the angle grinder and the disk is so noisy I have to restrain myself from using this improvised disk saw as much as possible due to noise restrictions (neighbours). Let's say a disk is finished after 1/4 to 1/2 of promised number of cuts, then it makes one cut for 1-2c. A cheapest blade for this band saw costs about the same, but it quits after 50-100 cuts in best case or even only 30-50 cuts, this make one cut cost 10-20-30+c which is an order and a half worse. The only problem I can't solve right away is tooth count and I know it is not matching all materials I have to cut. I slowly come to conclusion that this is the main problem because of the way blades fail. First an invisible crack appears under a tooth, then it quickly enlarges and if the saw is not stopped immediately after blade starts wobbling the blade snaps in half from where that crack is and then it's all over for that blade (until it is welded back into shape). All blades that had quit had all teeth intact and sharp as new and this is so disappointing. It appears that the lifetime of blade body is much less than wear time of blades' teeth. This is just insane.
great video this thing was actually really appealing to me. I was gonna buy one a few weeks ago with that 15% off sale but with the lack of the clamp I decided not to. plus i have the bigger hf 64 1/2" bandsaw and I built a really nice horizontal table and a really nice base for it. I like the porta band because its portable and ill leave it that way
No doubt the bigger saw will do a better job, bandsaws are definitely one of those tools that you sacrifice a lot going smaller. If you have the room the bigger saw is the way to go 😀
Greig thank u for th video really appreciate u🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽but man I bought one of these junks for my Milwaukee corded band saw an boy pending on what ure cutting ure never gonna get straight cuts I wounded up getting so frustrated with it assembled it 5 times finally I returned it ….I’ve been looking at th Grizzly table top band saw and th klutch one now th klutch is a lot cheaper but th grizzly looks more well built ….everyone I’ve seen so far with a klutch has nothing but good things to say about them do u kno anything about th Grizzly tabletop band saw at all?
The hardest part with bandsaws is getting square cuts. So much of that comes down to consistent pressure, any variation in downward pressure will cause blade walk. Due to the blade angle changes in a small distance, fixed blade bearing supports that are far wider than what you’re cutting, and short tooth to backstrap length of the portaband in a saw stand, they are the perfect storm for making inaccurate cuts. I will be modifying my stand a bit to beef it up, and it should be a bit better. Obviously if accuracy is paramount a bigger band saw will solve the above mentioned things significantly and more inherent accuracy will follow
I use a skill saw with the freud metal cutting blades. It is fast & very portable. A 7'' blade is around $35. You just need to be good at using a skill saw. Watch those fingers.
It’s pretty crazy what those blades will do. Beats all the dust around in the air and over everything by using a grinder lol. Fingers definitely don’t like them though lol.
I tried to get those tools when they were on sale, but I couldn't get one. I ended up getting a milwaukee m18 fuel 5 inch cut with an angle grinder for $360
just use a grinder lol. i worked at a small machine shop for a bit they had a metal band saw it was honestly shit never cut striaght the fence was complety hopeless and top it all off every once in a while we had to cut some channel iron that didnt fit so i had to cut it with an 9 inch grinder because the boss was too cheap to refill the acetylene bottle. Man i should have quit that job sooner than i did.
So this plague has reached even US soil, oh my... I've bought a clone of this band saw in the middle of january this year and I'm already sick and tired and almost broke because of continuously replacing saw blades for this saw. 14/18TPI blades can hadle only up to 30-50 cuts of 1.5-3.0mm thick square pipe and a little bit of other slightly thicker soft construction steel, after about this amount of work the blade body breaks at a random location while teeth are still as sharp as new. 24TPI blades are unfortunately unavailable, I'd like to test them against thin material with a little hope that may be they will survive for a bit longer... So, a saw with a stand (different kind of stand) cost me about $250 which is not much for a band saw but every blade is about $10-20 and this makes each cut pretty expensive. Also it would be good to know what band and feed speeds are prefereble for blade longevity, currently I'm running the saw at half of maximum speed setting and lowest possible feed by gently lowering the stand to minimize the stress. Maybe this is wrong and more agressive cutting is better, I don't know.
Honestly it’s worth it. I have been able to achieve pretty square cuts with it, it does take some time to get everything set right. It’s exactly what you would expect from a porta band in a saw stand: not super precision but works well for what it is. The big thing to me is I can chuck something I need to cut in it and not worry about the blade. 7$ blade to get something cut I need to cut, vs $70+ dry cut blade wasted, that’s a no brainer lol.
@@makingmistakeswithgreg I know it'll do me just fine plus if I need to use a chop saw gizmo, I'll just sneak the piece into to work place and use theirs.🤣🤣🤫🤫🤫
AvE is a legend for sure. Years ago I traded him an old Milwaukee sawzall for a ruler. I even sent him some stickers from Milwaukee where I live. This is the video: ua-cam.com/video/KWubvrbcBRo/v-deo.htmlsi=7Bz58auOTo7tV5ez
Old harbor freight was a nightmare. Hercules and baeur line has been solid for me. I've got a hercules miter saw that I bought 5 years ago, probably put close to 15k cuts on it, and it's better than my dewault saw or rigid ever was. I don't do carpentry any longer, but I was sold on hercules. Now a heavy equipment mechanic and I beat the hell out of my stuff. The baeur 1/2 impact is better then my Milwaukee
I want to thank you for all you videos. You’re channel is gold. Keep sharing all your wisdom, buddy. The depth of the videos, welding or tool reviews you keep every aspect in mind. I’ve learned more then just welding from you. You teach fundamentals of welding, materials and financial (return on investment). Oh yeah, the amount of common sense in these videos is refreshing. Thank you.
I just about bought one of those, but lucked out and found a Milwaukee with the miter base at a yard sale for a great price. Since then I’ve built a vertical stand for it with some steel I had laying around. I used a harbor freight portable bandsaw for 20 years before I found the Milwaukee saw and it did ok. Then I sold it for 40 bucks to cover some of the cost of the Milwaukee saw. Great tool to have,I use mine all the time. Thanks.
Yard sales around here only have furniture I don’t need or super old less useful tools lol. I wanted a Milwaukee but the current price for their cordless bandsaw here is 350$ 😮
Just bought the Einhell brand port-a-band here in the UK. It's a German brand but made in China in the same factory as yours because they are very similar. I have some of the Ozito brand which l bought from a supermarket six years ago when l got stuck for drill and it's seen off a Makita Combi 18v drill and a DeWalt 18v drill.
The band drive wheel and idler are exposed on mine whereas yours is enclosed.
These saws a great. However, the light is pointless once the blade goes i the section being cut if it's over 20mm. And they are difficult to keep accurate to the cut line because you cannot see both sides of the cut easily.
So, to improve accuracy l zip tied a 75mm Milwaukee spirit level to the handle behind the battery. Provided the section is level, all l have to is keep focused on the bubble to control the final cut. It certainly helps cutting box section.
These saws save on sparks, are fast, nice cool cut and to be fair, the Einhell seems quite well made.
Early days yet. A much better topic to watch than the video on moving a dumper seat, l avoided that one. If there is one thing l refuse to do, is work on, watch or weld up anything to do with human excrement, passing the parcel (as l call it), toilets or sewers. Top regards, Jon
Good idea on the level, I bet that would work great on hand held cuts because it’s really difficult to tell if you’re cutting straight due to the weird angle you hold the saw at lol. The way you hold it a straight cut would be purely accidental lol. I really like the lack of grinding dust, metal chips on the floor is far better than hot sparks and dust everywhere. Not to mention it doesn’t massively heat up the steel like a grinder.
I’ve mentioned it before that I have the same dry cut saw. I had to make a new rear vise part. The pressed steel bends backwards and in angle cuts that ruins the cut as it isn’t square. I made it from 0.500” steel stock and that fixed the problems. The Diablo blade costs about $80-85 these days and is for steel and stainless. It works really well and lasts for some time. I have a separate blade for aluminum. I have the DeWalt portable battery brushless bandsaw and no stand for it as I only use it for portable use. These things are great. A warning though. I don’t know about the manual for the Hercules, but the one for the DeWalt states not to use the slower speeds too much (no definition as to how much that is) as it can damage the saw motor. So I recommend that people actually read the manual even if they think it makes them feel less manly.
I would guess it has something to do with heat. The motor probably needs to run faster to keep the airflow through the motor high enough to keep the motor cool.
I’ve been eyeing up that stand for quite a while now. I just haven’t pulled the trigger bc I wanted to see more about it
Thank you for your honest review on this. I just bought one recently for my old (early '90's) Milwaukee BS. I agree with just about everything you say. I, too, would like HF to offer, say a $20 vise kit for the stand, like you, I don't like just clamping it against the frame bottom, but rather would prefer to clamp it against the fence. While I do agree with your recommendation that it should have been made from 1/4" on one hand, I can say that the compromise of 1/8" is OK for those of us who cannot dedicate a space to set one up. The thinner metal allows it to be "lighter" for when you take it out of where you store it and set it up on a bench to use. Also, I can see this being used by tradespersons, so having a lighter frame for use on a jobsite for cutting conduits and pipe I am sure would be appreciated by these trades people. If you decide to make another video on this BS/Stand combo, you should make sure to show that even though the saw itself can cut a 5x5 square piece or 5" diameter round piece, because this stand causes the saw to come down at an angle, you don't get all of that cutting capability. Also, the lower saw frame interferes with angled cuts.
I definitely will be revisiting it, there will be some modifications I will make to it to make it more sturdy. You’re right on the 1/4in steel, it would be far less portable at that point lol. Its intended use is obviously not heavy duty thick steel so they did the smart thing and made it somewhat light but still durable enough for general use.
I'd like to see what you come up with if you whip up a nice clamping system. I don't have any plans for that exact thing, but seeing others' problem solving solutions always gives me some good ideas for my various bodge job needs. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences with us!
I definitely will be modifying it a bit to beef it up. I have been using it a bunch and I already have found some things I would like to improve a bit 😀
@makingmistakeswithgreg Nice!
Pro Tip: To get your porta band blades to last longer, vary the cut pressure, light, medium, light, medium, in each cut, for the first couple of cuts. It some how "tempers" the teeth and allows for much more life. It wont help with the "crib death" blades, you know the ones that have the whomp whomp to them right out of the box, but it will extend the life on a good blade.
Another life extending tip is to use wax on the blades. I keep a tube of saw wax next to my swag portaband table, and I just cut into the end until the entire blade rolls around. Not only will it help to last longer but also helps to cut faster.
Yeah, the wax helps a lot.
Totally... Very good tips
Thanks for the review.
Does this porta band saw stand have a way to turn off the saw when the cut has completed? It would be nice to see it in operation too, with your pros anc cons after seeing its actual use.
Cheers from Oregon,
Phlip
So the little upright lever on the left side can be pressed and it will shut itself off because the trigger spring pushes the trigger to the off position. I would have liked to see a trigger on the handle or a foot switch, but it does work pretty good as it is.
I got the stand for $99 on sale! It’s awesome. If it were made of 1/4” I wouldn’t buy it, it would be WAY to heavy. I bring it everywhere I work. 1/8” is just fine.
Yes, if you need it to be portable for jobsite usage or, in my case, in a small shop where you can't dedicate the space so it's stored then brought out when its needed, the 1/8" is fine. If you have a dedicated area to mount it, then the 1/4" would be fine and better.
Yep, you’re right. If it was 1/4 it would be something I would carry around complaining it was heavy lol.
Appreciate the comparison video. I have an HF dry cut saw with the non-tooth “composite?” Blade. Stupid expensive even for what they are, but I haven’t had to replace it yet. Of course, it removes at. Least 1/8 of material with every cut. So I thought the combo you demonstrated might be the way to go, and I did just pick up a bandsaw stand. (Not opened yet). Hoping that the combo may allow me to part with the dry cut saw. I’m a hobby welder, at best. I guess I’d say the space is my biggest challenge.
The porta band has been working really good for me so far. It doesn’t throw chips/dust all over, it gives a really clean cut that isn’t hot, and I won’t feel bad if a wreck a blade cutting something I need to in a pinch. A toothed dry cut blade will produce a cut that’s more square consistently, but I got the harbor freight dialed in pretty good. I would 100% run a portaband on a stand over an abrasive cutoff saw.
The porta band has been working really good for me so far. It doesn’t throw chips/dust all over, it gives a really clean cut that isn’t hot, and I won’t feel bad if a wreck a blade cutting something I need to in a pinch. A toothed dry cut blade will produce a cut that’s more square consistently, but I got the harbor freight dialed in pretty good. I would 100% run a portaband on a stand over an abrasive cutoff saw.
A timely video young man, someting I have been pondering for a while but a cordless version.
I think the cordless version would be a good setup. I was too cheap to buy a Milwaukee cordless and didn’t want to buy into harbor freights cordless, so I settled for a corded saw. The cordless would make it far more handy, and likely perform just as good.
NICE! I was looking at the cordless version of this and got the stand a while ago. Hope it works out for you, thanks for the video!
For $240, you should be able to get a decent 4x6 horizontal band saw. Pair that with some decent Lennox or Starrett blades and you're golden. They generally come with a little table you can attach to use them as a vertical bandsaw.
I've cut 3" 316 stainless round bar on mine without any trouble.
"... for more affordable prices so you can wreck stuff." Now you're speaking my language! 🙂
OK, I was looking at the saws (not the stands) so I got a low cost Ryobi saw that I call the Rube Goldberg Special --if you don't know who he is, it's worth looking him up. It's actually a pretty damn handy saw but my question is, does anybody know if it fits correctly in Harbor Freight jig?? Thanks in advance!
So I looked up ryobis saws and it’s hard to say. They include a bunch of adapters for different saws with the kit. Many remove the handle or bolt on the sides near the handle. I am sure there is a way to make it work with your saw, but out of the box I am going to take a guess and say they don’t have an adapter for it.
@@makingmistakeswithgreg Thank you for looking into it --wasn't expecting you to do that but I appreciate it!
That HF saw combination looks interesting. I've had a Milwaukee portaband for 40 some years. Milwaukee has a similar table for their portabands (48-08-0260) that I used to have and it worked well. I now use a SWAG offroad vertical stand for freehand work and a small benchtop bandsaw (Femi ABS105) for cutting stock to length. I'd be interested in hearing how this holds up for you long term.
I definitely like the swag stand, I see ads for it all the time online (searched for portabands too much I guess lol). I have a feeling the setup will hold up, but knowing harbor freight the switch will probably crap out at some point lol. Never knew Milwaukee had a stand, surprised no contractor I met had that.
@@makingmistakeswithgreg I remember looking at Milwaukee stands back in the late '90's and those stands cost more than the Milwaukee BS's themselves. Not surprised that there were not many who actually bought one.
You really are very good at this. Cheers.
Been unable to find this kind of stand on my side of the pond, easy enough to knock together oneself with basic tools?
I think it’s doable to make one yourself. That’s a pretty good idea. The only thing is, with retail prices of steel, it would probably cost the same. Granted it would be way heavier duty, and the sense of accomplishment would be worth it 😀
@@makingmistakeswithgreg thanks, I'll watch the video again to get some ideas because even if I have to buy some steel, it'll still be cheaper than shipping it to Belgium from the US
Awesome review.
It's just what we were thinking.
I bought the thing as soon as it came out. I have the Bauer saw, because the Hercules wasn't released yet. I agree rear clamp thing is a bit wonky. And the trigger deal is nearly useless - I zip tied the switch down & run the power through a pedal switch. Hard to beat for a couple of hundred bucks.
Yeah a foot switch is the way to go 😀. I definitely will do that 👍
I made my own band saw table and holder for my Milwaukee portable band saw and it works just fine. Now if you want to cut something while doing another job the bandsaw type ( a proper horizontal saw which cuts without you holding on) like Greg showed here is just great. I would buy a propose made bandsaw to do this type of work. There are plently of used industrial one around, if fact the roofer who came to fix a minor leak over my porch roof has an oldie but goodie saw which I might just talk him out of. Just to say there are better choices out there if you look. Facebook buy and sell may be a plce to start.
Used bandsaws can be a deal. No doubt a medium to full size is preferred over a portable one. If I had more room I would have bought a full sized one for sure. The full size are really good when they have adjustable auto feed, it makes it really good to get decent cut quality and consistency.
iv got something similar i bought off amazon,i run a morse blade thought it would be handy for mobile work,just cant get a square cut especialy on somthing like exhaust pipe,seems the 1/2 inch blade wants to wander off,im guessing if you could slide the roller guides closer it wouldnt wander as much,looking forward to what you come up with hoping im missing something to get mine dialed in
Mine seems to cut pretty square. One of the things I learned with bandsaws a long time ago is consistency is the key to accuracy. Because the blade has a thin depth (teeth to backstrap), and the blade on the portaband is supported by rollers at fixed points fairly wide, it’s prone to walking. With such a setup it’s critical to get things square at the start (aka adjust everything to achieve a square cut on a normal piece of metal). Then when cutting it’s imperative to use the same consistent downward force start to finish. Using more or less downward pressure will cause the blade to walk in an inconsistent manner. Even with that said it’s difficult to achieve precision with imprecise tools. Even my dry cut saw can cut off square sometimes.
You can sharpen the dry saw blade. Wood circular saws also make a little noise. How many cuts do you get on the battery? Kind of savages way of opening a box , what next a machete 🙂 all in all , good video thanks!
The problem I have with the dry cut is the teeth tend to take a beating. It’s not that they dull out, they get chips. I bet you could sharpen it, but it would only be one time and after that there would be no teeth left. The bandsaw I have is corded, but I bet a cordless would get a ton of cuts off a charge. Probably 30-40 on 1/4inch with a decent battery. I was going to get a cordless bandsaw but I wasn’t willing to pay 380+ for a Milwaukee and I didn’t want to buy into harbor freights cordless tools lol.
So, what is the optimal cutting mode for this band saw? The saw is OK by itself, there's not many of them one can afford for this price, but blades quit too fast :(
So bandsaws are a “learning curve” type tool. I can tell you that the blades I bought from harbor freight seem like they will last a long time. I know for a fact they will outlast my dry cut saw blade for cuts per dollar. The blades are 38$ here for 4. I bet 4 or 5 of those blades would match the cuts a typical dry cut blade would do for a 90$ blade. The critical things are using wax or a pinch of oil on the blade, not pushing the blade hard, and making sure what it’s cutting is not going to move. Also, most importantly of all, using the correct tooth count for the material thickness. Using the wrong blade (tooth count/construction materials) will cause the blade to wear out fast. So far I have cut about 40cuts on 1/4in steel and another 20 or so on thicker stuff. The blade has atleast double that left I think. I bought harbor freight dry cut blade and it shattered all the teeth in 20cuts, so already it’s far better than that lol.
@@makingmistakeswithgreg Thanks, I'll keep this for reference. Speaking about a cost of a cut... I have an angle grinder with a diamond disk that sits in its stand just for straight cuts. One diamond disk costs about $10 and it is promised it will last for 1k cuts at least. I don't know about 1k but it certainly does few hundreds before the wear becomes noticeable. However there's a problem - both the angle grinder and the disk is so noisy I have to restrain myself from using this improvised disk saw as much as possible due to noise restrictions (neighbours). Let's say a disk is finished after 1/4 to 1/2 of promised number of cuts, then it makes one cut for 1-2c. A cheapest blade for this band saw costs about the same, but it quits after 50-100 cuts in best case or even only 30-50 cuts, this make one cut cost 10-20-30+c which is an order and a half worse. The only problem I can't solve right away is tooth count and I know it is not matching all materials I have to cut. I slowly come to conclusion that this is the main problem because of the way blades fail. First an invisible crack appears under a tooth, then it quickly enlarges and if the saw is not stopped immediately after blade starts wobbling the blade snaps in half from where that crack is and then it's all over for that blade (until it is welded back into shape). All blades that had quit had all teeth intact and sharp as new and this is so disappointing. It appears that the lifetime of blade body is much less than wear time of blades' teeth. This is just insane.
great video this thing was actually really appealing to me. I was gonna buy one a few weeks ago with that 15% off sale but with the lack of the clamp I decided not to. plus i have the bigger hf 64 1/2" bandsaw and I built a really nice horizontal table and a really nice base for it. I like the porta band because its portable and ill leave it that way
No doubt the bigger saw will do a better job, bandsaws are definitely one of those tools that you sacrifice a lot going smaller. If you have the room the bigger saw is the way to go 😀
Greig thank u for th video really appreciate u🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽but man I bought one of these junks for my Milwaukee corded band saw an boy pending on what ure cutting ure never gonna get straight cuts I wounded up getting so frustrated with it assembled it 5 times finally I returned it ….I’ve been looking at th Grizzly table top band saw and th klutch one now th klutch is a lot cheaper but th grizzly looks more well built ….everyone I’ve seen so far with a klutch has nothing but good things to say about them do u kno anything about th Grizzly tabletop band saw at all?
The hardest part with bandsaws is getting square cuts. So much of that comes down to consistent pressure, any variation in downward pressure will cause blade walk. Due to the blade angle changes in a small distance, fixed blade bearing supports that are far wider than what you’re cutting, and short tooth to backstrap length of the portaband in a saw stand, they are the perfect storm for making inaccurate cuts. I will be modifying my stand a bit to beef it up, and it should be a bit better. Obviously if accuracy is paramount a bigger band saw will solve the above mentioned things significantly and more inherent accuracy will follow
I use a skill saw with the freud metal cutting blades. It is fast & very portable. A 7'' blade is around $35. You just need to be good at using a skill saw. Watch those fingers.
It’s pretty crazy what those blades will do. Beats all the dust around in the air and over everything by using a grinder lol. Fingers definitely don’t like them though lol.
Plasma cutters are getting super affordable now around $200, might be getting to be a better option.
Plasma works great, but it puts out a ton of sparks and smoke. Definitely a handy thing to have though 😀
This was so helpful.
I tried to get those tools when they were on sale, but I couldn't get one. I ended up getting a milwaukee m18 fuel 5 inch cut with an angle grinder for $360
That’s a pretty solid deal. I am waiting for some Milwaukee stuff to go in super deal here soon.
just use a grinder lol.
i worked at a small machine shop for a bit they had a metal band saw it was honestly shit never cut striaght the fence was complety hopeless and top it all off every once in a while we had to cut some channel iron that didnt fit so i had to cut it with an 9 inch grinder because the boss was too cheap to refill the acetylene bottle. Man i should have quit that job sooner than i did.
Buy a diablo steel demon blade for your cold cut saw. Worth every cent, you wont go back to the evolution.
So this plague has reached even US soil, oh my... I've bought a clone of this band saw in the middle of january this year and I'm already sick and tired and almost broke because of continuously replacing saw blades for this saw. 14/18TPI blades can hadle only up to 30-50 cuts of 1.5-3.0mm thick square pipe and a little bit of other slightly thicker soft construction steel, after about this amount of work the blade body breaks at a random location while teeth are still as sharp as new. 24TPI blades are unfortunately unavailable, I'd like to test them against thin material with a little hope that may be they will survive for a bit longer... So, a saw with a stand (different kind of stand) cost me about $250 which is not much for a band saw but every blade is about $10-20 and this makes each cut pretty expensive. Also it would be good to know what band and feed speeds are prefereble for blade longevity, currently I'm running the saw at half of maximum speed setting and lowest possible feed by gently lowering the stand to minimize the stress. Maybe this is wrong and more agressive cutting is better, I don't know.
I've been eyeballing that exact set up for a good while now. I guess it's time for me to stop farting around and go buy the thing.
Honestly it’s worth it. I have been able to achieve pretty square cuts with it, it does take some time to get everything set right. It’s exactly what you would expect from a porta band in a saw stand: not super precision but works well for what it is. The big thing to me is I can chuck something I need to cut in it and not worry about the blade. 7$ blade to get something cut I need to cut, vs $70+ dry cut blade wasted, that’s a no brainer lol.
@@makingmistakeswithgreg I know it'll do me just fine plus if I need to use a chop saw gizmo, I'll just sneak the piece into to work place and use theirs.🤣🤣🤫🤫🤫
11:47 Getting some AVE vibes, haha
I was expecting the box to get tipped over while yelling, "TIME!" 😂
AvE is a legend for sure. Years ago I traded him an old Milwaukee sawzall for a ruler. I even sent him some stickers from Milwaukee where I live. This is the video: ua-cam.com/video/KWubvrbcBRo/v-deo.htmlsi=7Bz58auOTo7tV5ez
Harbor freight is a night mare , just say No
They aren’t as bad as they used to be lol.
Old harbor freight was a nightmare. Hercules and baeur line has been solid for me. I've got a hercules miter saw that I bought 5 years ago, probably put close to 15k cuts on it, and it's better than my dewault saw or rigid ever was. I don't do carpentry any longer, but I was sold on hercules. Now a heavy equipment mechanic and I beat the hell out of my stuff. The baeur 1/2 impact is better then my Milwaukee