Wen bandsaw follow up, extreme cut.

[@toolman7540]

Great video for that saw to run 3 hours nonstop shows that the saw is a great machine, great buy.

[@WJBlades]

It's nothing special but it'll get you in the game!

[@leonet99u]

Great video and to the point; just what I wanted to see. That was a big piece that I doubt I will ever need to cut, but for capability demo purposes, it's good to know that it is possible. The cutting time might be too long for a production shop, but for a hobby shop like mine, and probably most of people looking to pay this price range, it's more than satisfactory. BTW, not that it matters, but it was a 4-hour cut (I think you started just before 1 o'clock and finished just before 5). Thanks again for the review! I am going to get one.

[@WJBlades]

Caught my time mistake...lol. I realized it after I already uploaded the video.

[@gunlover1955]

It is Screaming oil me oil me, lol. They cut faster with some kind of oil or coolant!

[@bladder1010]

@Foxtrot They make specific cutting oils, but pretty much any lube is better than none at all.

[@j.richardmoore5865]

Ha ha ha, was thinking the same thing!

[@dismalsidnal]

Again, great video, and it absolutely has answered my questions. Thank you so very much, sir!

[@WJBlades]

Just out of curiosity are you planning on getting this one or save up for a faster one?

[@dismalsidnal]

I'll probably get that one, and then save up later for a nicer one.

[@mlb6d9]

Just got a used one for cheap - excited to put it through its paces

[@mikemeinders6717]

I just got the same band saw and I like it .. Mistakes are made when you rush so don't push it set and forget it

[@j.richardmoore5865]

I just ordered one (6/17/20) probably should have watched this video before I did. But I am somewhat impressed with the accuracy of the cut w/out lube.

[@newt2010]

Any teeth left on blade? That’s crazy amount of time. There has to be a better blade to get you more speed.

[@WJBlades]

That blade lasted quite a while.

[@toolman7540]

Great saw just need a change of blade and use cutting oil and it will cut faster.

[@ebe-hero7052]

That was damn good for a diy home bandsaw

[@markkoons7488]

Assuming the cut is square enough to maintain the same kerf, rotating the cylinder so far less metal is being scraped per foot of travel would speed things up. So would a bigger motor and higher blade speed. Maybe that motor would sustain a greater speed. An adjustable hydraulic pressure cylinder for roughly $50 in parts would help too. Fortunately, none of us try to make such heavy cuts even on a yearly basis. Good test. Thanks.

[@hansschmidt1961]

Thanks for the review. The stock blades that come with those saws are notoriously bad. I have read that folks get much better performance from Lenox Diemaster 2 bi-metal blades....10/14V toothset.

[@WJBlades]

This was an aftermarket Bimetal blade, not Lenox tho. I don't think it would get much faster without adding weight for more down force. ☺

[@Agustin-jo8mv]

Really nice cut!

[@AM-dn4lk]

Thank you for the review. It was comprehensive. This saw has one very critical flaw. It does not cut vertically straight. The pivot hinge is out of alignment with the bed. At 3" vertical the blade is off by 1/8". That is very bad. There is no easy fix, and you don't realise this problem until you own a saw and check it. There are no adjustments for this. Prior to purchasing the saw, I did not see any KZbin videos or product reviews outlining this big problem, so I purchased the saw. The only way I could have thought of fixing this problem was to regrind the bed at a slight angle to compensate for the 1/8" misalignment. This was no easy task for someone without the correct tools for grinding flat. If I had to do it over again, I would not purchase this saw. I would look for another brand and model which may have cost a little more money, but had a better chance of being able to cut accurately.

[@AM-dn4lk]

@Jake Heke No you don't. You cannot adjust/correct the vertical travel. The hinge is fixed and there is no adjustment. The saw I got cuts at an angle in the vertical. If you have a mill you can surface the table to align with the vertical offset.....but might as well spend a few more dollars and get a proper aligned saw.

[@gangleweed]

@@AM-dn4lk You don't need to have the blade square to the job in the vertical plane only in the side plane......a few degrees tilted towards you is OK......you adjust the table to get it square to the blade sideways.

[@canamflaco]

Thx for the review. Was looking for a decent hobbyist band saw. U help me make my maind about buying it

[@tonybaggett1984]

Supercut Blades makes a 6-10 TPI blade for that saw I wonder if it would be noticeably faster? Also if you had to choose between this saw and a dry cut saw (meaning the ones that look like a chop saw but use carbide teeth saw blades and run slower rpms) for the same price would you choose the band saw or the dry cut? The dry cut of course being a lot faster but with more expensive blades and not as versatile.

[@grantadan]

Would you recommend it for exhaust, home hobbie guy my self

[@WJBlades]

Absolutely

[@gangleweed]

This example is so typical of when you have a big piece of steel and want to cut a bit off......there is just no other way........I once had to drill a series of 3mm holes across a piece of 10mm steel plate 400mm wide and then hand hack saw it between the holes because my power hacksaw couldn't get at it to cut it off.

[@elplevonrooo395]

I’m buying it. You sold me.

[@maxscal7537]

Your blade must be toast

[@WJBlades]

That blade lasted about a year.

[@CincinnatiDJL]

Thanks for the video. I am comparing this to the Harbor Freight saw. WEN web site list this saw with a 4.6 amp motor. Harbor Freight list their saw at 6.4 amp motor. Can you tell me how many amps is printed ON THE MOTOR (not the owners manual) on your WEN saw. My guess someone has it printed wrong in their owners manual ????? For the record the WEN has a 2 year warranty, Harbor Freight 90 days.

[@WJBlades]

I chose the Wen saw because of the 2 year warranty... the motor itself has no info on it but, the sticker on the saw says 4.6 amps. For the record I think this motor is adequate, the slow cutting seems to be a byproduct of the abilities of the blade and the light down force from the housing. (It's a small saw.) Hope this helps, happy cutting.

[@antiantifaterrier5761]

Get a good Bosch blade or high quality blade and that 3hr cut will probably be about 30 minutes.

[@NRiggiKnives]

Can this be used vertic as l for cuts? Looking to use it to cut out knife blanks.

[@WJBlades]

Yes, I use it for that as well. The table it comes with for using it that way is not the best and putting it on is a pain in the but. In my video "Bladesmithing 2, I profile a blade with it set up upright. I start cutting around 1min 56seconds in. It works well, just not in a tight radius. I think they offer blades for it that will radius better.

[@NRiggiKnives]

WJ Blades Great! That will be convenient not having to breathe in all the dust from the abrasive cutting disks!

[@WJBlades]

That's why I purchased it. ☺

[@jameskellar2287]

The wen and th harbor freight band saw are the same. Just different branding.

[@WJBlades]

Yea, looked like it to me also. You just get a bit better warranty with the Wen.

[@maxgreen6838]

Thanks! :)

[@tinnyblacksmith3434]

How much did that run ya ??

[@WJBlades]

$260.00

[@manimaran9573]

I want dealer contact.

[@lilyislay9692]

What type of material was that?

[@WJBlades]

I purchased it from a local metal fab shop and I'm pretty sure all they work with is low carbon steel. If I remember when I get home I'll spark test it.

[@lilyislay9692]

Don't worry about it, figured it was steel, just wanted to make sure. I just bought this bandsaw and got it setup but haven't made any cuts yet. If it cut through that big ass piece of steel then it''ll be more than good for my needs. Thanks

[@jtbmetaldesigns]

I so much want to cut smaller I-beams. Cutting a few 1/2” profiles then welding them end to end makes for some interesting art.

[@64t120r]

Is that the stock blade?

[@WJBlades]

Pretty sure that blade was a 14TPI bi-metal blade off amazon... sorry it's been awhile.

[@64t120r]

@@WJBladesHave you tried other blades since this video was published? If so, are they different?

[@WJBlades]

@@64t120r Most of the stuff I cut is smaller and I've been satisfied with those blades. It's been over a year now and I'm on blade number 3. Sorry, not a lot of experience with the other blades out there.

[@rendel5024]

I'm glad Wen isn't in Australia, it wasn't a good advertisement for the saw

[@WJBlades]

It wasn't meant to be an advertisement.

[@pitot1988]

Poor blade being worked up...

[@Awethesoul]

bet your blade is crap just like a cheep bench grinder change the grinding wheels and it will be so much better

[@DeanneCecelia]

very wrong blade...

[@WJBlades]

Maybe.

[@DeanneCecelia]

Are these special blades? I couldn't even see the teeth, they probably blunted from doing 20x their capacity anyway. Also I read 14tpi has 10x less space between teeth for metal to be removed than 3 tpi I'm thinking with the right blade it would be 6 x faster but I dunno .I wanted to buy this machine.

[@WJBlades]

That blade was a 14tpi Bi-metal from amazon (imachinist.) I used it for many cuts and it worked well. There are plenty of other blades I haven't used so, I'm not a blade expert. I can confirm that the blade wasn't the bottle neck on this cut. The bandsaw is small and it's construction is lightweight compared to larger models. It cuts faster when weight is added to the end of the cutting arm.

[@WJBlades]

Since you say, "very wrong blade" I would love to hear how you'd make out using a 3tpi blade on steel. Let me know what happens if you try it. I expect that to be an entertaining story. 😉

[@DeanneCecelia]

6 tpi is possible on that machine, why would you use a blade meant for cutting 12mm max