has anyone made/retrofit a base so you could use it as a vertical bandsaw? i've seen where you can buy an attachment to turn into a horizontal, but i was thinking that would make a cheap vertical that would be tabletop and blades are cheap and easy to come by....

There was a guy just a few months ago that showed a picture of a simple little bracket he made to clamp his porta-band in his vice and use it as a vertical.


I had never thought of that, and I have a couple porta-bands that I can't send out to the field, and I've needed a vertical saw a couple times..... now to just get off may ass and make it :D

It really works well, I have some pics ill post in a day or 2

I just put my milwaukee's handle in the vise, clamp it down, and use a quick clamp to hold down the trigger :crazy:

i do the same thing except i took a piece of 1/4"plate that's about 4" x 6" and made a small table for the material I'm cutting. you just cut a slot in the plate, then cut the plate out some around where the plade is going to pass through. then take two different size drill bit to make countersunk holes for the screws. it takes jsut a minute or two to set it up.

We had this at work and it was very popular


http://IMG_4996.JPG

I made one recently and followed the pic someone posted on here as well as this pic http://www.absoluteengineering.com/vertikut/index.htm. Works very good!! akraven

yeah i just saw one on ebay...all my ideas are already made....:shaking:

does anyone have experience on how a modified portiband compares to one of the vert/horizontal band saws like the JET? i'm wondering which way i should lean...

Milwaukee sells one for their saws.

I asked a similiar question earlier this summer and got a response from someone that had made something kind of like this, but with a smaller width base. I pretty much copied his idea and made the base a little wider.

The hardest thing was trying to get it all to line up real good, and to get the 3 mounting holes counter sunk enough so that the head was flush with the top surface. I used some 1/2" plate 12" x 12" to make it, cut a strip about 6" wide for the base and a 6" x 3" piece to clamp into the vise.

Also, for safety i purchased a safety foot pedal so it wouldnt always be on incase something got cought up in it. Do a search for a "rheostat foot pedal switch" , i bought one from BrandsOnSale.com, it was like $25 shipped.

http://www.tim-morris.com/images/74jeep/bandsaw/pic01.jpg
http://www.tim-morris.com/images/74jeep/bandsaw/pic02.jpg
http://www.tim-morris.com/images/74jeep/bandsaw/pic03.jpg
http://www.tim-morris.com/images/74jeep/bandsaw/pic04.jpg

Hope this helps,
Tim

TBM- that is awesome and very well done...thanks guys for the input:grinpimp:

Milwaukee sells one for their saws.

like this?

http://www.toolbarn.com/product/milwaukee/48-08-0260/

that's to use it horizontal not vertical...

I asked a similiar question earlier this summer and got a response from someone that had made something kind of like this, but with a smaller width base. I pretty much copied his idea and made the base a little wider.

The hardest thing was trying to get it all to line up real good, and to get the 3 mounting holes counter sunk enough so that the head was flush with the top surface. I used some 1/2" plate 12" x 12" to make it, cut a strip about 6" wide for the base and a 6" x 3" piece to clamp into the vise.

Also, for safety i purchased a safety foot pedal so it wouldnt always be on incase something got cought up in it. Do a search for a "rheostat foot pedal switch" , i bought one from BrandsOnSale.com, it was like $25 shipped.

http://www.tim-morris.com/images/74jeep/bandsaw/pic01.jpg
http://www.tim-morris.com/images/74jeep/bandsaw/pic02.jpg
http://www.tim-morris.com/images/74jeep/bandsaw/pic03.jpg
http://www.tim-morris.com/images/74jeep/bandsaw/pic04.jpg

Hope this helps,
Tim

That is nice, and simple! I have one of those pedals from some tool that came from harbor freight and died, probably cheaper than $25 with the tool and the pedal is actually kinda nice. Hmmm I have some 1" plate but that would make for a heavy base!