4x6 Bandsaw Cart

[tom37]

I stumbled across this a few days ago at HF. It was set by the door with
a tag saying open box item ($100.00). I looked at it and thought about it
and looked at it again. Right now new is $185.00 I belive. So I dropped $100.00 and loaded it up. Aside from having all the bolts only hand tight,
the only problems I could see was that the motor mount plate was destroyed.

I spent a short time making a new motor mount plate and adjusting the
motor to get the two pulleys allinged proper. I spent an hour or two adjusting the fence and roller guides along with the blade tracking. Its now cutting
to within 1/32" of square on a 2"x 2"x 1/4" tube. I also snached an idea
from another site and made a 45 degree fence, so that the main fence can stay locked down at 90 degrees.

Today I built a stand/cart for the saw. I choose to leave it on a cart rather then a fixed mount at the end of my
bench. I guess now I have to hunt up some pipe to build stands out of. Thats another day tho. My cart is probally
not the neatest or fanciest but it seems to get the job done.

Material is 2x2x1/4 and 1 1/4 channel. The only reason I went so heavy on the wall is because I had it and it was in the way.

I'm only posting two pics so I don't have a never ending post. The rest of the build pics are at this addy.

http://picasaweb.google.com/keesfrie...eat=directlink

My welds arn't perfect but there getting better.

[Kamikaze]

I like what you did and especially the height you set it at!

How stable is the single post?
The welds look great IMO...

I've got a similar band saw and was thinking about redoing the base since it is so low and not the most stable. It is also a P-I-A when moving and loading into a truck with ramps so I am studying your pics closely.

[tom37]

Kamikaze,

Thank You for the kind words.

I to was worried about how stable it would be, but it turned out to be rock solid. The base is 15" of 2 inch tube, then I capped the tube and welded on a bolt for the axle. The front is also 15" wide, but in the front I used a piece of 2"x3" angle. My thought was, if I decided to go with a slightly larger wheel in the rear, then I could use a large nut and full threaded bolt for level adjustment in the front. (Which it needs) I already for a dip in the garage floor, so it wobbled a little bit. I think I will use two pieces of DOM and make a slide out handle off of the top center support.

I didn't want any chance of tipping to the rear. It ended up being probably 25 lbs to lift in the front. It's not that bad, but it does need a good handle.

The height was always a problem with my old saw. I'm 6'1", so I made the table surface 35" from the floor. The only trouble I see is that now I have to build a sturdy work stand that is solid at 35" tall. The last thing I want is to have to stop and set down a piece of steel so I can right the stand that fell over.

[Brazos]

[billybee60]

Tom;
Nice job on the cart and great deal on the saw!
I had been looking at a Delta bandsaw and they wanted over $400 for it about five years ago. Then I looked at the ones in tractor supply for $175 and it was hard to see the difference. Anyway I bought the cheap one and it has been a work horse in the shop ever since. It is nice to be able to set it and walk away to do other things. Mine came with sheet metal legs and I built an angle iron frame with wheels on to roll it around. It has become one of those things that I don't want to be without.

[monte55]

Raising the saw to a more convenient height can be good for some things. I've had one of these saws since 1988 and it's still working. The only thing I did was make a roller base for it that raises it about 4 inches. I use the saw
in a vertical mode quite a bit. In that position it is top heavy and when pushing material against the blade it may try to tip. Leaving it low allows one to sit on the saw preventing this and being able to apply more pressure to the work being cut. Many who buy this may have no others for vertical use.
If my saw was 36" high, no way could I straddle it. The taller height is fine if one is cutting small parts. When I drag a 20 foot piece of stock to be cut on this saw, I don't have to lift the material as high and have such tall roller stands that get a little unstable unless they have a wide footprint. I have other saws also but this one gets used a lot for quick cuts. I use my 7x12 for heavier material. Just my thoughts.
Nick