Introduction.

Steel cutting band saws are manufactured in order to effect quick, clean & spark free steel cutting of steel section. These special purpose machines are all designed for relatively fast set-up & to allow the operator to attend to other work while the band saw does its job. Most of the larger machines tested come supplied with an in-built coolant system which directs a stream of  cutting oil directly onto the blade where the cut is taking place.  The coolant performs two functions by cooling the blade as well as lubricating and assisting the cutting process. The most common coolant used is a water soluble cutting oil quite commonly available.

Blade selection for steel cutting band saws involves specialised knowledge. It is advisable to seek advice from experts in the saw blade sharpening industry when choosing a band saw blade.  This is one area where even your tool store specialist may well suggest seeking specialist advice elsewhere.  Both the lineal speed of the blade combined with the number of teeth per inch (TPI) are dependant on the steel section being cut.  If you get the combination of TPI & speed are incorrectly chosen, than the machine could jam, throw or damage the blade, or simply not cut properly.

In Brief.

Although we have made mention of some safety features & operator convenience of particular machines, we have made no comparisons of machines in this category.

These machines are used in different applications & will be selected on the basis of being suitable for a particular range of jobs.  This review has been written to offer a comparison of the features, including band & cutting dimensions, & is intended mainly as a selection guide with just a few comments on what we thought of each machine.  To highlight the varying features , each review is accompanied by a pictorial page showing some of the main features of each model.