IMS Bandsaw?

In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :

Mine sits down beside my bench. If I need to cut long stuff I roll it out just far enough for the long stock to slide in down the face of the bench. That said, I only use it when I need to cut something thick, make repeated cuts, or something perfectly straight. 75% of the time I use my grinder or my Porta-Band. 

In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :

Hi, I decided to try searching for info again and was encouraged when I saw your more recent post. Did you ever find out what size blade this bandsaw takes? I have the same one. Did the string trick and it looks to be like 91.5" or something like that (not a standard blade size at least). Hoping for some type of confirmation. I know these saws are similar to old Deltas, but don't want to waste money on the wrong blade. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :

The speed of those even if you use the slower of two speeds available is really too fast to cut steel. You might get away with cutting thin aluminum but most aluminum will pack up the teeth. Use old ATF ( automatic transmission fluid ) to prevent that in addition to feeding the stock slowly. 
 Yes new ATF will do the same job but I'm too cheap. 

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) :

My problem with the horizontal bandsaws is they take up an enormous footprint.

Not the saw itself, but the space needed for infeed/outfeed for pieces of any length.

I used to have one.  Don't miss it at all.

AFAIAC, they are great for large shops that do a LOT of cutting to length, but that's about it.

 

Equipment needs to be on wheels no matter how big the shop. Mine is 1800 sq ft  and if I'm not using something it's rolled out if the way.  I put two steel wheel on one side and lift the other side with a floor Jack.  That way while it's mobile with a floor Jack  it also stays in place when I set it down.   
    The one remaining issue is bench height. If all equipment was at the same height I could use the bench tops to hold long pieces.  
   The best solution I've found are adjustable rollers. 

Mine is freaking mint and has a very little footprint. Only thing I would change is, that because I really do not see a real benefit to the horizontal cutting ability, I would have bought the Swag offroad vertical table rather than the portabandpro rig. It does store nice under the workbench.

When I am fabricating I have the saw on top of the workbench and the roller with the grinder and sander pulled out.

I have been using one of these Femi saws to cut metals for 15 years and don't know what I'd do in the shop without it. You could also buy a portaband and Swag Off-Road bench stand for it but also have a portable saw.

That is the table I'd recommend.

The only downfall I see is that it is not a storable as the portabandpro. Way nicer though IMO.

I let the smoke out of a new Bauer unit after cutting three or four exhaust tubes.  Not hyperbole, the switch or something started jetting before I unplugged it.

I sold the big IMS band saw a while back to a buddy who wanted it for woodworking. 

I have the Bauer portaband, and I made a plate to mimick the Swag Off-Road table, but bench mounted. It does fairly well. 

In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :

Hi, do you recall what size blade the IMS saw took or maybe your buddy knows? Trying to get a confirmation of the blade size before I purchase a custom one. Thanks!

Can't you just wrap some string around the pulleys and then measure it to figure out the blade size?

I'm not sure if he has actually gotten a blade yet. It's in his woodshop, but he hasn't had time to work down there. String trick should work though.

In reply to stuart in mn :

I did the string trick, but I had never done it before and not sure it's 100% accurate. Was hoping someone knew the exact measurement. It's not a standard blade size. Can't find a manual online anywhere either.

In reply to ryt_choyce13 :

You might do the string measurement at both ends of the tension adjustment to get a feel for how much the blade length could vary.  I haven't done that with my horizontal/vertical saw, but I'm guessing it would be enough of a difference that you could be comfortable getting a blade in the middle of that range and have confidence it would work.

In reply to pkingham (Forum Supporter) :

Hmmm, that's a good idea. I will try that. Thanks.