Wood Band Saw to Metal Cutting Conversion

thingiverse

Recently I needed a band saw capable of cutting metal for several of my projects. As with most of my hobbies, there are multiple outcomes I seek: cheap, technical, build, and learn. To achieve these goals, I began shopping around to acquire a band saw as inexpensive as possible since it would only be used occasionally for hobby work. I needed the saw to cut metal and fit a compact footprint on my bench. A vertical design was essential to minimize space consumption, considering my bench and garage space is currently at a premium. With these constraints in mind, I set my sights on a Harbor Freight 1/3 HP 9 in Benchtop Band Saw. I managed to snag it on sale at Harbor Freight for around $100 with a coupon. Similar saws can be found at local big box stores. Using this basic frame and some upgrades, I was able to convert the wood-cutting vertical band saw into a metal-cutting type with speed control and an FPS display. I now have a compact band saw capable of cutting metal, wood, plastic, etc., that fits in the corner of my bench. This project encompasses the conversion and is intended to share the process with other makers. If you have questions, need additional details, or spot any bugs, please let me know. The entire project can be found on GitHub. Consider contributing and making it even better if you happen to create other customizations. Additionally, I will list parts used in this project on my OpenBazaar store.