Graham

| " I need a small upright bandsaw that I can use to cut wood and metal "

Don't we all ! I've been unable to find anything that fits this spec. (at any price that I'm prepared to pay anyway).

In the end I had to think about what I need most. The bulk of my metal cutting is on small steel or brass so the ubiquitous hacksaw is OK. As far as wood / plastics go though a bandsaw IS very useful ( and quick). I picked up a really nice little INCA saw S/H some years ago and it has often proved a godsend – everything from making perspex templates for my wife's patchwork hobby to cutting up lighting wood for the woodburner! Recently disaster struck and the motor failed. I won't bore you with the details but in the end repair was not economic. I felt I needed a replacement and settled on THIS I'm very pleased with it.- It is surprising just what it will cope with if you take it easily. If I ever need to cut large metal sections often then I guess one of the small metal cutting bandsaws would figure but I would still keep the little wood saw.

Norman

I think the ones sold as metal cutting developed as a progression from power hacksaws so are oriented so that the swarf falls down away from the works. Some of the 4 in size come with a very small table that can be fitted when the saw is swung vertical. This could be improved by an engineer.
Ones for wood don't mind the sawdust falling into the guides so can work upright. Speed control is normally by different sized pulleys though I imagine they will now be moving to cheap electronics as the price of the tiny bit of alluminium in a 3 step pulley rises.

John although the Reeves Drive, spring loaded half pulleys, style of varispeed drive looks simple there is a good deal of engineering subtlety involved in producing a systems that works reliably for a decent period with good power transmission and long belt life. Its easy enough to knock up something that will initially work but proves to fail depressingly quickly with either a torn up belt, grooved pulleys or both. What really hurts is that there are regions where an essentially un-engineered "looks right" solution will be quite satisfactory for undemanding use yet a small change in size or something will toss you straight into an area where it needs to be figured out properly.

Some of the smaller three wheel bandsaws used an absurdly simple friction drive system with a drum on the motor shaft driving direct onto the inner side of the bottom rear blade wheel. No good for high powers but clearly enough for a small woodcutting saw.

It would seem quite practical to produce an additional drive drum suitably sized for a metal cutting speed and arrange for relatively easy drum swops. The motor mount would need to be operated on too so that both sizes of drum could be bought into contact with the blade wheel. Longer mounting slots on fixed plate perhaps or maybe a pivoting mount with suitable spring loading could be arranged.

I have a 13" (ish) Birch branded saw sitting in the white elephant / do something about it corner which uses this drive system. An unwise E-bay purchase it looked to be a decently solid, steel bodied, machine a couple of cuts above the usual consumer imports. When new it probably was a very effective machine but this one had clearly been rescued and subject to refurbishment by a person whose creativity was clearly far in advance of their engineering ability. The blade wheels have been replaced by sack truck wheels, complete with treaded tyres. The drive roller is a nylon castor wheel bodged onto the good quality compton parkinson motor. The adjustable roller guides has a superficial correctness rather spoilt by an inability to be adjusted into any position capable of useful guiding. To my complete amazement it ran well on test and cut quite effectively given the blade was completely unguided. Fixing work got as far as buying a set of roller guide assemblies from Axminster before a nice Startright Rapier varispeed metal / wood cutting saw turned up at an acceptable price and the poor Birch got relegated. Too much potential to scrap but not good enough to sell. Anyone within striking distance of Crowborough want a project?

Clive