Little Machine Shop recently came out with a new portable band saw that can also be docked to an included base for benchtop use. It works common 44-7/8″ blades and can cut materials up to 3″ wide and 4″ deep.
It also has two speed settings – 105 and 280 FPM, meaning hassle-free cutting of multiple materials. The lower speed setting is good for use on steel, while the higher speed setting is well suited for use on aluminum, plastic, and other non-ferrous materials.
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Converting the band saw from portable to bench-top modes and vice versa takes 5 minutes.
The quick-action vise can be adjusted from 0 to 45° for angled cuts.
Price: $250
Buy Now(via Little Machine Shop)
There is a similarly-styled convertible Grizzly band saw ($272 via Amazon) that offers slightly different speeds and both wider and deeper cutting capacity.
If you don’t need hand-held portability, there is also a Lathemaster benchtop band saw for $289. The Lathemaster band saw has been in my wishlist for so long that I forgot where I learned about it from, but I believe it is well regarded among modelmakers.
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matt
Wonder how the bearings and guides are in the saw.. The HF and grizzly versions of the saw are pretty craptastic.. But LMS usually has all the upgrades done on their machines. Good price..
Wonder if that table could be adapted to a Milwaukee or dewalt saw??
Stuart
This seems to designed for fabrication and machine shop work, which are areas that Milwaukee and Dewalt don’t often step into.
Milwaukee makes a portable bandsaw table that works with some of their models – http://www.milwaukeetool.com/accessories/cutting/48-08-0260 .
river1
http://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Portaband-Tables-Accessories_c_35.html
fred
Milwaukee has a conversion table for their portable band saws:
http://www.toolup.com/milwaukee_48-08-0260_portable-band-saw-table.aspx
fred
Sorry Stu – I must have glossed over that you already had mentioned the Milwaukee conversion table.
The $254 price makes it more expensive than some of the other options (with saw included) that you mention – but maybe if you already have a Milwaukee band saw -it might be a good option.
We had a Doall horizontal bandsaw and a big Marvel vertical saw in the shop so I’ve never seen one of these small convertibles in use.
Stuart
No worries!
I really wish the major tradesmen tool brands would turn their attention to industrial needs. Something like Bosch’s drill press (https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/bosch-drill-press-pbd-40/%3C/a%3E%29, which isn’t available in the US, would be perfect for my varied projects. There’s a lot of room for innovation in this space.
Mr Michael L. Veach
That is the one thing that makes smoke come out my ears. Bosch will have wonderful tools in Europe that never make it across the ocean
HuyTV
I think this one is better than Milwaukee…
Tom
I’ve had this saw for about 6 months now an I can say its no better than fair. I have not own any other portasaw but what I can say is that the blade guides leave a lot to be desired. You really have to go slooooww in order to minimize blade wander. I say minimize because with the factory guides, i have found it impossible to eliminate wander. I’ve changed to Starrett blades and that was not much help. I’ll probably try to fabricate my own guides and see if I can make an improvement. The price was good enough, but the quality of the saw itself is not consistent with other LMS stuff I have (solid column mill and 20″ lathe). I’m still looking for a small metal cutting band saw for the shop.
Stuart
Thanks for sharing your experience with the saw! I’m sorry that it’s “no better than fair.” That’s unfortunate, as there really aren’t that many super-compact benchtop bandsaw options. LMS typically only puts their name on great products; it’s disappointing that this one might not live up to their reputed quality.
Gabby
It’s expensive but look at the Kama saw guys. Italian made cuts up to 4″ material fully variable speed control, very little blade wandering. I bought a used one 8 years ago replaced the brushes 2 years ago….great little saw!!