Steel cutting saws? Heavy-ish duty?

Work has a surprising lack of fabrication tools.

We want to get a vertical bandsaw.  Cut 1" A36 steel at the thickest, but mostly stuff under 1/2".  Probably dont need a super wide throat, 15" would be enough for most of what we have to work with, and I'd bet that the other capabilities we need will push that well past that depth.  We have 120V available already, but could probably get 240V run if need be

What specs should I plug in at my local interwebs?

Edit: gonna repeat, Vertical saw.  Not horizontal. We have a horizontal.  We need something so we dont have to break out the torch every time.

https://dakecorp.com/products/horizontal-bandsaws/standard-duty-bandsaw-se912/

We have one of these, it works.

https://www.rollinsaw.com/ef1459

I like these.

Vertical saw, guys.  We have a horizontal for material chopping.  Need to be able to cut curves and such.

I have a vertical and a horizontal at the shop.  Both are unbranded chinesium.  The vertical sucks, but the horizontal is super bulletproof.  I wouldn't hesitate to go that route again.  As long as you have good, firm, positive stops for the bearings, and as long as the wheels turn the blade, they're a bit hard to screw up.

Now, if you're doing really precision work that needs to be done with super detail, Maybe a Jet or a Delta is in order.

15 inches of 1/2" steel is some serious cutting.   Are you planning to push the steel through the saw when trying to use a vertical saw?

I installed vertical saws so big on one of our projects that they required their own foundations and a work platform all the way around for the "operator" to have any chance of seeing/reaching his "work" (looked to me like he just landed things from an overhead gantry crane, pressed a button to clamp it, and typed E36 M3 in before hitting a big green button that seemed to take over from there, while not totally automated, it didn't look like he had to do a lot of fine adjustments.)

They were all Marvel saws, and from my recollection they delivered on-time and nothing arrived broken, so there's that. I'm sure they make something that would suit your needs.

Edit: googled it, they're now called Amada: https://amadamca.com/

Do-all. 
 

There is one name in vertical saws. 
 

https://www.doallsaws.com

theyre hq is also in savage mn across the river from Minneapolis/bloomington. 

Fueled by Caffeine said:

Do-all. 
 

There is one name in vertical saws. 
 

https://www.doallsaws.com

 

theyre hq is also in savage mn across the river from Minneapolis/bloomington. 

Different building for same client we put 6 fairly small (by industrial manufacturing standards) DoAll vertical band saws in a "tool room" for them. They came LTL and because of a security gate thing we ended up taking them in one at a time on the bed of my Chevy 1500 work truck I had at the time. 

Poor truck didn't think the "small" saws were very small. 

Sure you don't want a plasma cutter?

Purple Frog said:

15 inches of 1/2" steel is some serious cutting.   Are you planning to push the steel through the saw when trying to use a vertical saw?

As you noted, vertical saws that cut 1/2 (and up) steel, for 15" are big stuff. Not gonna do it on 120VAC. 
And definitely ain't gonna cut curves. Well, at least not intentionally - sometimes they can be hard to STOP cutting a curve 

CNC Plasma cutter for a bit more than big enough bandsaw, if curves are needed in 1/2. 
Better yet, a CNC water jet!  Most versatile machine I've ever run!

But cubic dollars. 

How do you manage to do welding and fabrication with only 120VAC available?  

I'd spend the money on upgrading that electric service and consider whatever plasma cutter the remaining funds could afford. 

Guys.  C'mon.  I appreciate the thoughts, but I legitimately know the requirements of what we need to do.  I just dont know how that translates into a saw and the saw's requirements. 

Our weld shop has plasma cutters.  Has 3 phase 240V, all the toys. This is going in the building immediately next to our weld shop where I dont know the power drops.

Yes, we are going to be pushing that thick of material through.  Currently we need to trim 3/16" off a couple pieces that are roughly 4" long but an awkward shape.  Plasma is unsuited for this.  As soon as we fabricate a jig for this we will do it on the horizontal bandsaw.  As we dont have a bandsaw right now we are grinding it off, which is why we started talking about a vertical bandsaw.

99.9% of what we do is dropped off to us in bundles of lasercut steel.  We very emphatically do not do fabrication, we do assembly. 

Not to be an shiny happy person, but what else do you guys want to second guess?

In reply to Mr_Asa :

Just call do all. Seriously. They will help you. Then your grandchildren can use the saw. 

In reply to Mr_Asa :

I wasn't second guessing your needs. I just asked if you were sure you didn't want a plasma cutter.  Looks like you are. 
 

I've never seen a bandsaw capable of cutting 1" thick material with a 120VAC motor. 
 

Call Doall.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

I'm very used to the folks on here not reading what someone posts, when asked specific things. 
But, with the specific requirements you detailed there is a simple answer: Nothing. 
There are vertical band saws that will:

cut 1/2 and thicker steel. 

run on 120

cut curves. 

But not all three. 
So, the answer to your first post, is: Nothing. 
They have made suggestions, much closer to your needs than most EVER get. 
Not one single person has told you to buy an LS yet. 
What you actually need, despite not being what you asked for, is a DoAll. And all of you responses have reinforced that, despite you not liking the answer. So that about sums that up.