https://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopi ... 9&t=145325
Back in 2014 I posted this conversion where I made a new table mount for my combination horizontal and vertical band saw. Most of the companies that sell the small portable band saw but sell them only as horizontal bandsaws which does not have the platen for vertical bandsaw use. I bought mine in the early '90 from Grizzly but they don't seem to be carrying them now days. I have seen pix of them around but haven't found anyone who carries them now. I am pretty sure a platten should be fairly easy to make. I was going to enlarge mine but the neck of the band saw limited some of that. Mine is so old that new replacement parts don't exist for it.
There are two main problems with these light weight band saws with the first one is that they keep wanting to spit the blade off the two wheels. Proper adjustment of everything including the two bandsaw heads by where you are cutting is important as they can go out of adjustment if you don't adjust the spring tension rod to the proper setting. The moving of the guides up and down is also somewhat limited.
The other part of this fix is to adjust the top idler wheel (a knob at the top) tight and I mean tight! While it is still possible for a tooth to snag something and cause the saw blade to be spit off the tightness does help and it also help keep the bandsaw blade from doing it's nasty inanimate object thing.
The other thing about these machines is the wimpy mounts they have that can allow some movement while cutting which is why I made the new stand which does help a lot! If I wanted, with some mods I could add a lube oil nozzle with drain and catch bottle if I deemed necessary. So far not but the thought is still there.
Anyway getting to the subject:
I started to make 4 of these (thing since may have changed) and posted them on my black buggy build string (viewtopic.php?f=28&t=113703&start=1560) where a comment was made. It really was a simple thing to do if you thought about it ahead of time anyway.
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=113703&start=1560
I bought a 4' length of 1' x 0.06 wall tube for the outer piece and have another piece of tube that fits inside the 1" tube snugly.
I then reset the clamp to 45°and used to to make the cuts. Both sides of the cut would (should) match. If you notice that I had numbered both sides so I would be sure they were matching each other (assuming my 45° was correct anyway).
The simple part is if you take a straight tube and cut it at 45° then rotate the two angles you have matching angles that add up to 90°. The first cut was at a measured distance from the end but since I was making two of them off the same piece of tube I flipped the tube end for end then cut the tube 45° there at the same distance.
Once the end cuts were removed I then reset the bandsaw clamp back to 90°, then used the matching ends to cut the other side to length. I did that to both ends.
It wasn't skill more like planning ahead.
Deburr and off you go.
Lee
How I did it
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Ol'fogasaurus
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How I did it
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Tom in PA
- Posts: 639
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Re: How I did it
Nice work. You make it sound easy but you need to pay attention. It's easy to get it wrong. It's quite easy to measure from the wrong end of the 45 when cutting for final length, mis-set the angle, etc. You need to have your saw set up properly in the first place as mentioned in your above article (esp with import saws). Thanks for the write up. Some of us would make the project more complicated than it needs to be...
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Ol'fogasaurus
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Re: How I did it
I spent several hours in the garage today trying to make this kind of butt fit but had several dis-ASS-ters 
but did find out some things. First was that although I did (had to) make a hole in the corner shaped brackets...
... not using the drill bit in the pilot hole while it worked it really wasn't that good of an idea when using tube.
This is what I accomplished today but it is slightly off-center but, if it were proper length, I would be able to use it. In this case I was using a short length of scrap 1" tube.
I tried to do it w/o using the pilot hole and all the hole saw wanted to do was walk all over the tube or have the teeth jam and move the drill's platen from side to side when the teeth caught. I also ran into some other aw-$#its that I am not mentioning but they ruined a few things and sure changed the location of the hole saw vs. the tube. I tried several arm pressures but it did what it wanted to do. One other things I should mention was that I had to add a double inside the 1" tube to keep from ovaling the tube when tightly clamping it in place.
I finally drilled a small pilot hole but when I got the the back side the bit broke as it was sliding around on the inner oval. I then realigned everything and, using the previous pilot hole I drilled a larger one but that was smaller than the hole saw's bit. I then started to drill the 1" hole using the hole saw (I don't have a 1" dia. drill bit... just about everything else but not that. One thing about the saw is that the 1" hole it cuts is a shade larger than 1" so the 1" tube slide in and through the hole after deburring.) and did get it to travel through the tube completely but there was an off-set that I had thought I fixed; not much of an off-set but just enough that the hole was not completely centered.
A couple of other things I learned:
Draw a center line on both the top and the bottom surfaces of the tube. One of the things I do is to put the tube in one of the V-shaped locating tools then align the tool with the band saw blade and make a notch on the two surfaces (the tool has a centering mark for the bandsaw already). then, using a length of angle I slide the tube in it then locate the edge with the top mark on the tube and draw a line on the top for the center. Repeat for the bottom side of the tube.
Where you plan on putting the pilot I also recommend flattening out the area where the pilot hole will be drilled then make a centering mark there. This should help limit the chance of the drill bit from walking around.
I then mark the center of the hole to be drilled then put the tube in a circular device so I can turn the tube and make the center line to align top and bottom (so you can pilot and/or drill from both sides if you need to.
Lastly, don't get riled or irritated! Mistakes are often made worse that way.
Lee
but did find out some things. First was that although I did (had to) make a hole in the corner shaped brackets...... not using the drill bit in the pilot hole while it worked it really wasn't that good of an idea when using tube.
This is what I accomplished today but it is slightly off-center but, if it were proper length, I would be able to use it. In this case I was using a short length of scrap 1" tube.
I tried to do it w/o using the pilot hole and all the hole saw wanted to do was walk all over the tube or have the teeth jam and move the drill's platen from side to side when the teeth caught. I also ran into some other aw-$#its that I am not mentioning but they ruined a few things and sure changed the location of the hole saw vs. the tube. I tried several arm pressures but it did what it wanted to do. One other things I should mention was that I had to add a double inside the 1" tube to keep from ovaling the tube when tightly clamping it in place.
I finally drilled a small pilot hole but when I got the the back side the bit broke as it was sliding around on the inner oval. I then realigned everything and, using the previous pilot hole I drilled a larger one but that was smaller than the hole saw's bit. I then started to drill the 1" hole using the hole saw (I don't have a 1" dia. drill bit... just about everything else but not that. One thing about the saw is that the 1" hole it cuts is a shade larger than 1" so the 1" tube slide in and through the hole after deburring.) and did get it to travel through the tube completely but there was an off-set that I had thought I fixed; not much of an off-set but just enough that the hole was not completely centered.
A couple of other things I learned:
Draw a center line on both the top and the bottom surfaces of the tube. One of the things I do is to put the tube in one of the V-shaped locating tools then align the tool with the band saw blade and make a notch on the two surfaces (the tool has a centering mark for the bandsaw already). then, using a length of angle I slide the tube in it then locate the edge with the top mark on the tube and draw a line on the top for the center. Repeat for the bottom side of the tube.
Where you plan on putting the pilot I also recommend flattening out the area where the pilot hole will be drilled then make a centering mark there. This should help limit the chance of the drill bit from walking around.
I then mark the center of the hole to be drilled then put the tube in a circular device so I can turn the tube and make the center line to align top and bottom (so you can pilot and/or drill from both sides if you need to.
Lastly, don't get riled or irritated! Mistakes are often made worse that way.
Lee
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Ol'fogasaurus
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Re: How I did it
Continuing on with what I was doing I decided to add some additional info for those of us who have minimal tools an skills. Working on design and then making the tools and using them to make the design are two quite different things.
This is how I often find and mark the centerline of a tube. Angle iron with the tube set inside then the line drawn becomes the decision point.
Using the centering and cutting jig I made this is how, using the above centerline I find the centerlines on both sides of the tube.
Back to the build.
Lee
This is how I often find and mark the centerline of a tube. Angle iron with the tube set inside then the line drawn becomes the decision point.
Using the centering and cutting jig I made this is how, using the above centerline I find the centerlines on both sides of the tube.
Back to the build.
Lee
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Tom in PA
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Re: How I did it
Cool, simple idea. Hadn't thought of it.
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Ol'fogasaurus
- Posts: 17760
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Re: How I did it
Had a brain fart and wounded myself so be sure to keep your mind on what you are doing and... if you know something is going to happen but go ahead and do it anyway... my sympathy is not as much as it should be! 
If you are careful this works for a mark around a tube. I don't recommend it if it is a critical marking... do it right.
I started adding the thumb screws to this joint. I have done thumb screws many times for many reasons. On some of the work tables or stands that I may want to raise or lower for several reasons this is what I do. I also have had them work not so good when I got too much heat involved so that has to be taken into consideration.
Also, because of the weight that could be put on an object I was building I used two thumb screws (bolts in this case).
I located where I wanted this thumb screw taking into consideration all the other thumb screw locations that could or will be used. I recommend marking everything before you get too anxious to make your first mistake .
As shown, I did the small pilot hole then enlarged it to where the thumbscrew would fit in the hole tightly but not too tightly.
Final fit check.
In doing thumb screws one of the problems is getting too much heat into things and either the screw swells, the nuts shrink or the finish get soft and sticks the screw into the nut I backed the screw off some.
Also I use a nut inside to keep the screw pretty much perpendicular but the same problem as above can happen here causing the nut to be attached to the tube so I add a washer as a minimal contact spacer. That will help me get the inside nut out easier and it did... kinda! The tube is a small dia. the nut is tall and my fingers are fairly large so take that into consideration also. The inside nut should be finger tight not clamped in. Remember, the outside nut is not going to be your friend when it gets abused.
The finished article tied to the same dia. tube it will be working with.
Lee
If you are careful this works for a mark around a tube. I don't recommend it if it is a critical marking... do it right.
I started adding the thumb screws to this joint. I have done thumb screws many times for many reasons. On some of the work tables or stands that I may want to raise or lower for several reasons this is what I do. I also have had them work not so good when I got too much heat involved so that has to be taken into consideration.
Also, because of the weight that could be put on an object I was building I used two thumb screws (bolts in this case).
I located where I wanted this thumb screw taking into consideration all the other thumb screw locations that could or will be used. I recommend marking everything before you get too anxious to make your first mistake
.As shown, I did the small pilot hole then enlarged it to where the thumbscrew would fit in the hole tightly but not too tightly.
Final fit check.
In doing thumb screws one of the problems is getting too much heat into things and either the screw swells, the nuts shrink or the finish get soft and sticks the screw into the nut I backed the screw off some.
Also I use a nut inside to keep the screw pretty much perpendicular but the same problem as above can happen here causing the nut to be attached to the tube so I add a washer as a minimal contact spacer. That will help me get the inside nut out easier and it did... kinda! The tube is a small dia. the nut is tall and my fingers are fairly large so take that into consideration also. The inside nut should be finger tight not clamped in. Remember, the outside nut is not going to be your friend when it gets abused.
The finished article tied to the same dia. tube it will be working with.
Lee
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Jadewombat
- Posts: 1447
- Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2002 12:01 am
Re: How I did it
Maybe I missed it, all of this is to get around using a tubing notcher? Had mine for 15 years and it still works great:
https://pro-tools.com/collections/tube- ... w-notchers
https://pro-tools.com/collections/tube- ... w-notchers
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Ol'fogasaurus
- Posts: 17760
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:17 pm
Re: How I did it
YES!Jadewombat wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 8:18 am Maybe I missed it, all of this is to get around using a tubing notcher? Had mine for 15 years and it still works great:
https://pro-tools.com/collections/tube- ... w-notchers
It was intended as a way to show options or ways on how to do certain things; maybe not always the best way but options of ways things can be done and options/fixes when they fail and potential ways around when things don't work. The idea was not to give up but try and learn.
The wife is getting tired of me buying tools and spending money on my buggy (while she is a good wife, she is not mechanical and doesn't think that way) and wants the buggy gone so to keep it (it keeps my mind sharper than doing gardening work which I can't do anyway due to physical limitations) I have to make due with what I have.
While I am aware of what you have but another couple of hundred "Globnicks" can by a lot of parts, materials and hole saws. Cost adds up quickly and quietly so I had to make choices. Remember, when you retire your income might slightly increase but not as much as the cost of living;I have been w/o a job for almost 20 years now.
Thanks for posting it as another option. By-the-way, it shares some of the same problems (dealing with short tubing) and the clamping of tubing so as not to "oval" the tube as the drill press method has.
"Globnicks" are an old (maybe local" slang term for money I picked up when I was a kid. I just looked the word up on the web and there are a couple of my posts using the word there.
Lee
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Jadewombat
- Posts: 1447
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Re: How I did it
OK. Yeah, I'm all about making your own tooling when possible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikIXnRyYDAY&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikIXnRyYDAY&t=1s
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Ol'fogasaurus
- Posts: 17760
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:17 pm
Re: How I did it
I did watch the video.Jadewombat wrote: ↑Sat Jun 06, 2020 12:30 pm OK. Yeah, I'm all about making your own tooling when possible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikIXnRyYDAY&t=1s
Sometimes, when you are making your own tools specialized designs you also can learn about, or figure out, other things or ways of doing something at the same time. Sounds silly but it does happen and more often than one thinks.
When I am done with the thing I am working on now the small parts will be boxed and put away and the long tubes will be tied together and stored as you never know when and if some of it can be used at a later time.
Lee