What bandsaw porta, uprite,or vert/horzontal

[MoblMec]

Hi Guys
It is time to buy a band saw. I only have money and room for one now. So the question is witch is the best all around.
A porta band with a table to mount it to. like at swagoffroad.com
A horozontal / vertical mountid to my bench top converted to vertical only.
A metal vertical saw on a stand. I can't find one I can afford
The problem is I don't have $500-1000 to spend on a uprite ver speed metal band saw.
I am realy torn between the porta band and the vert/horz converted because I can find these for a couple hunderd.
Any openions , ideas , suggestions, or problems with any of these please let me know.
Thanks
MoblMec

[Ray Rogers]

Normally, guys go for the PortaBand when space is a very big issue in their shop. For most of us, even a small shop can accommodate a horz/vert saw and that is a more versatile saw. The horz/vert saw has 3 speeds (you only need one) and it has a longer blade which means the blade can run cooler and last longer. It also will have more torque - as I said, an all around better deal if you have the room for it (and it isn't big, especially after you cut it down). As for the others, not worth discussing unless you have a lot more money to spend and, even then, I probably would stay with the smaller, cheaper saw simply because it does everything we need a metal saw to do ....

[MoblMec]

Thanks Ray
I guss with 3 speeds I can cut wood,g10, micarta and all other stuff also???
MoblMec

[Matt Bufford]

Originally Posted by MoblMec

Thanks Ray
I guss with 3 speeds I can cut wood,g10, micarta and all other stuff also???
MoblMec

I do.. g10 is hell on the blade, and wood is hell on cleaning the internals. But a little compressed air, and harbor freight bimetal belts are the winner for me!

[Ed Caffrey]

I own/use three different bandsaws. 2 metal cutting, and one wood cutting.

Metal cutting:
1- Dewalt "porta-band"(44 7/8" blade): For general knifemaking, I don't think there is a better saw. Build a stand for it and it's ALMOST perfect. The area it lacks in is the throat...a 3 1/2" cut is all you can make. I've tried/used the Milwaukee, Mikita, and Dewalt...the Dewalt is the only one I would recommend. Neither of the other two brands lasted longer than 6 months before they required replacement or major repairs.

1- Wilton 7x12 (93" blade): This is the saw that sits in the Blacksmith shop, has wet cut capability, and cuts the majority of "big" stuff that the porta-band will not.

Wood cutting:
1- Craftsman wood cutting bandsaw (71" blade) I use this saw for wood, kydex, and other "soft" materials. This saw never touches synthetics such as micarta or G10. All those materials do is wreck blades. All synthetics are cut on one of the metal cutting saws.

For a lot of years I used one of the vertical/horizontal saws, and it was "serviceable". The problem with this type of saw is that they are just built "cheesy".....unless you spend the money and buy one of the "upper tier" models, such as Wilton. The blade guides wear out very quickly, cast parts often break, and making a straight cut is nearly impossible.
TIP: If you go with a Porta-band, stick with straight 18 or 24 TPI blades. Combination tooth blades simply don't hold up on the thinner materials we often cut. For example, a 10/14 tooth will very often rip a few of the larger teeth off, and make cutting anything a miserable experience.

[Crex]

I agree with Ed on the portaband, except I had just the opposite experience with Dewalt failing (switch and drive gear) and my Milwaukee still running strong. Got and ol' goodun with the wider throat. Still either one will out cut the rest and are way more versatile than a floor model. Also have a HF one that still works but requires a lot of maintenance. Nothing like "skip tooth" from breaking teeth to make you nuts.
While I sometimes use the Morse Brand bimetals from HF, I get much better life and cuts from Milwaukee and Lennox brands.

I like dancing room when I can maintain it, so I just don't care for the floor models. The portabands do all the cutting I need. If they won't get it, a cut-off disc in my sidegrinder will.

[Ray Rogers]

You can cut other materials but there are problems with doing so as the other guys have stated. The 3 speeds that metal saws have are all slow speeds as is appropriate for cutting metal. A wood saw will run 15 or 20 times faster than a metal saw so you won't be cutting wood at anything like the correct speed or with a correct blade but, within limits, it can be done.

My experience with the upright saw has been quite different from the other guy's apparently. I've been using my small Grizzly saw for at least 15 years, cutting mostly metal but also synthetics, and have yet to need any part replaced. The blade guides are grooved from wear but they haven't failed, the saw still cuts as straight as it ever did...