Wood/Metal (multi-speed) Wilton BS -- Opinions, please

[John W. Wells]

I'm looking for a bandsaw, mainly for wood. I'm unlikely ever to do any resawing, and any furniture I make gets painted. But it seems I've had a great many projects over the years requiring wood cut to less than rectangular! And I also have need to cut other materials at times--plastics, aluminum, sheet steel and angle iron.

So I'm attracted to a BS that can do both wood and metal. The one I've found locally is a Wilton 14" (vertical) Model 8201K, with blade speeds of 3300, 39, 57, 78, 107, 142, 196, 278 SFPM. Speed changes are made via pulleys and gear case.

Here's a spec sheet on the Wilton:

there's quite a premium to be paid for that flexibility. It costs $1,000. For that money I could buy a pretty nice Delta 5X or Powermatic 14CS plus an inexpensive horizontal metal BS.

Having no prior experience with bandsaws (or feeds & speeds), I'm wondering if a wood cutting BS can be used to contour cut light sheet metal (with proper blade) if done slowly. (I've read Lonnie Byrd's book, but found nothing about metal cutting there).

And is the Wilton machine a decent one? I've been lurking here for a few months and seen no mention of it. Are there other multi-speed BSs available?

I figure I have $1,000 to spend. (SWMBO said "Go ahead--you deserve it.")

I'd sure appreciate any suggestions!

--John Wells

[TeamCasa]

John, Delta Industrial Model 28-348F is a good model. My brother-in-law has one and he likes it. That's not exactly a precise recommendation but it is a good saw and not to hard to change speeds and blades.

As for using a wood cutting saw for metal, nope. It runs to fast and the blades generally have fewer teeth.

I prefer a single use bandsaw (I have a JET 16") for wood and a Delta 16" for metal. I rarely use it for cutting metal except for curve cuts in sheet metal. I prefer a cold cutting miter saw for simple cutoff work. You mentioned angle iron, unless you have a decent horizontal bandsaw, its hard to cut on the vertical saw as you are limited to length.

I would get a quality wood cutting bandsaw and a cold cutting miter saw for the iron work. Your wood cutting saw will cut sheet aluminum and plastic fine with the correct blades.

Dave

[John W. Wells]

I hadn't known Delta made a wood/metal saw. Looks like a good one, but even more expensive. That gear box sure adds to the price!

Your "single use" suggestion is looking better to me. And since I don't have immediate need for iron work, I'm thinking wood BS for now. Thanks for your help!

--John