Cutting Vinyl Flooring - I Thought I Destroyed My Bandsaw

[DerbyDad03]

In a previous thread, I posted about the mess that results when you cut vinyl flooring/trim/etc. with power tools.

Over the past 2 evenings I made that mess while cutting some flooring for a basement bathroom. In an effort to control the mess I hung drop cloths behind the miter saw to hopefully catch what the dust collection chute didn't. Tip: Hang those drop cloths all the way to the ceiling. I didn't and I had to vacuum the walls as high up as 8'.

It took quite a while to clean the rest of the shop of all the tiny, staticky chards. You have to vacuum very slowly or the shards don't even let go of the surface. After I vacuumed up the majority, I used my air hose to blow out the crevices of my miter saw, resulting in the need to vacuum again. What a PITA.

The scariest part was when I thought I had destroyed my band saw. I had some odd shaped, round-ish, obstructions that I had to work around. The band saw was the easiest way to make those cuts.

Example: The cleanout with rough concrete behind it.

After cutting about 4" of the first curve, the band saw started sounding funny and then started banging - bang, bang, bang. I thought I had blown a bearing or maybe even the motor. I pulled off the front cover and tried to turn the wheels by hand. They were hard to turn and then stopped completely. What had happened was the blade was melting the vinyl and it was building up on the blade. When a chunk got big enough, it would hit the blade guides and bang its way through.

Turning the wheels back and forth numerous times was enough to clear the chunk so that I could continue. Close up the saw, cut some more, bang, bang, bang, open, clean, close, continue. I eventually made it through all of the cuts but now I have to see if I can clean the blade and the urethane tires. I may just end up replacing them.

I'll admit that when I thought the saw itself was broken I had mixed feelings. It's a 35 YO Craftsman, sized right for my small shop and easy to roll out if I need more room. On the other hand, it's a 35 YO Craftsman and just about anything would be an upgrade.

[Leon]

Whew! I probably had the same bandsaw. The one with a plastic front cover?

I eventually upgraded to the Laguna with an 18" Rikon in between for a few weeks. The Rikon was no better than the Craftsman, for what I was wanting.

Maybe a wider kerf blade and or fewer teeth to prevent the melting.

[DerbyDad03]

Yep...Technically a benchtop model that came with a leg set. I remember taking the sale ad into Sears and the guy bringing out the saw from the back room.

"Umm... where's the leg set?" "What leg set?" "See, right here in the ad: It says *with leg set." "I don't think we've ever carried a model that came with a leg set. That's usually sold separately."

He let me take the saw home and ordered a leg set as a separate item, no charge to me.

I'm not sure what type of bench you would bolt a 3' x 2' bandsaw to or how you would use it in a permanent, bolted down manner. I've often needed to move mine around to have room on the outfeed side for longer cuts.

When SWMBO and I bought our house right after getting married, her Dad, now passed away, gave me the money to buy it, so it's got some sentimental value. It was my first big power tool. I remember taking it out into my backyard to rip boards when I was building the deck.

35 years and still going strong - both the bandsaw and our relationship. :-)

It was one of those situations where I just wanted to make a few cuts, not spend time swapping blades, adjusting guides, etc. Besides, once I realized that it was gunking up the blade, I didn't want to gunk up another one. All my other blades are brand new, still all coiled up with the tags on them. They last longer that way. ;-)

[Leon]

Mine had to have a leg set. The motor hung under the BS and was supported by the leg set.

[krw]

These kids today! It took me 49 years to even get the bandsaw. ;-) It really wasn't that high on my priority list.

LOL! Thanks for telling the tale. I have some flooring to do, sometime in the future. If I do vinyl, I'll be sure to think of a different way to cut it.

I did cut some HDPE a little while ago on the bandsaw. Everything went fine, except the HDPE "dust" that clung to everything, though not as bad as most plastics.

[DerbyDad03]

It was more of a practicality than a priority. I knew that a band saw would allow me cut *something*, considering that at the time I thought a table saw was out of the question. I *was* young and still learning. Money was tight, family was just starting to grow. Most of what I wanted to do (needed to do) was DIY not only because I wanted to learn but also because we couldn't afford to hire people to fix up the house. When my FIL offered to pay for the band saw, I jumped at the chance.

Years later, while talking to a co-worker that was into woodworking - and good at it - I learned that a decent table saw could be had for next to nothing through the weekend classifieds. My 1970's vintage Craftsman TS (the ones that people are still resurrecting out of the trash) cost me $100 back in the early 90's. Your issues with getting your bandsaw into the shop reminded me of getting that TS into and out of my van, then down the hill to my back yard and then into the shop. Sound familiar?

Cross cuts can be supposedly be done with a score and snap, at least with the flooring I used, but if you are just a little bit off with the cut, the seam will show. That's why I used the miter saw. The rip cuts I made didn't seem as bad, but I haven't actually looked *inside* the saw yet.

This was the second vinyl floor I've laid and the clean up afterwards was the biggest PITA both times. I may rent a cutter the next time.

Earlier today I was putting a coat of poly on some trim. I spotted a dark spot on one piece. I looked close and found a small piece of vinyl. I don't know how it got there, but obviously there are still some shards lying (floating?) around.

[krw]

I know the drill. Swap your bandsaw for my RAS and the story is the same.

Yes, I've heard that somewhere before. Can't quite place it. ;-)

I moved my Unisaur from the garage in Alabama to here and into the basement by myself. I thought that was tough (the bandsaw was easy by the time I'd thought about it for (way too long). I just about killed myself with the lathe. It was on the back of my truck so couldn't use the same scheme.

I've seen some cutters that don't seem that far out of line. One job will pay for it. The second is gravy. It's sometimes hard to anticipate the second. I bought a wet saw for tile and burned one out. I bought another at HF but haven't used it much yet. I plan to do three bathrooms and the laundry when I get a chance.

Bet that pissed you off. Keeping stuff clean isn't easy but you don't expect anything like that floating around.

[DerbyDad03]

So, I found the problem...

I pulled something off a shelf that is up above the miter saw, but about 2' to the right. Down floated a whole bunch of vinyl shards. I grabbed a step stool and vacuum and climbed up to clean the shelf.

Not only was the shelf full of shards, but the d*mn things are stuck to the f'ing ceiling! It's everywhere.

[krw]

Tell us what you really feel. ;-)

Obviously you're going to have to clean the room like an operating room or you're going to have your finishes ruined for a long time. Thanks for the warning.