Cutting short stock in the bandsaw

[mklotz]

Like nearly every amateur metalworker, I have one of those ubiquitous 4 x 6 Chinese horizontal bandsaws. Also, like nearly every amateur, I'm cheap and like to use every last bit of material I have - it's not scrap until it weighs less than 5 grams.

I quickly discovered that using the bandsaw to cut slices off very short pieces of stock was problematic. There's just no good way to hold a tiny remnant in the saw vise.

So I came up with a solution that's been well received by friends and I'd like to pass it along here.

Take a cheap Chinese drill press vise and drill and tap the fixed jaw end so that it can be screwed to a board with some countersunk machine screws as shown in the first photo.

Grasp this board in the bandsaw vise so that the DP vise holding the short remnant stands vertically.

The small wooden stop screwed to the back of the board locates the DP vise so that the bandsaw can drop down over it and the sawblade is about 1/8" from the right edge of the DP vise.

It should be obvious that the DP vise has to be narrow enough to fit into the bandsaw frame opening. (If it isn't, you won't feel bad about butchering a cheap vise so that it does fit.)

With this arrangement I've been able to cut slices as thin as 1/16" from remnants only 1/2" long.

A further advantage is that short pieces can be placed in the vise with an angle block and angled cuts made without the need to disturb the alignment of the bandsaw vise.

[kbalch]

Thanks Marv! I've added your Short Stock Cutting Method to our Bandsaws and Vises categories, as well as to your builder page: mklotz's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Short Stock Cutting Method by mklotz

tags: vise, bandsaw, cutting

[Toolmaker51]

My recommendation is a simple addition. As many of these vises have no real control of parallel between solid and moving jaw, a simple jack-screw to insure clamping vs pinching the stock could be worthwhile.

[mklotz]

My recommendation is a simple addition. As many of these vises have no real control of parallel between solid and moving jaw, a simple jack-screw to insure clamping vs pinching the stock could be worthwhile.

See that hole in the upper left corner of the movable jaw ? Normally a piece of all thread with a handle goes in there to accomplish what you desire. It was removed to unclutter the photograph.

[Toolmaker51]

The real mystery; why aren't such vises fitted with a jack-screw in the first place?
Some here [HMT.net] posted versions with a quick nut, spring loaded like the clip for a Bridgeport quill stop screw. Another was just slotted out to major diameter of 3/8" rod or so. Attached to back of jaw poses no interference.
But at the same time, machine shops all over town, with talent-time-resources NEVER have one. Always hard to fathom, logic that can't trade a couple hours labor for a long-lived and handy device. And they ignore guys make-shifting with a clamping stud and flange nuts; over, and over and over....

If anybody fancies one of their own, use an ACME thread; V-threads collect chips that harder to remove.

[Saltfever]

Many Thanks . . . Great idea and it has triggered some other suggestions. So instead of wood, substitute a piece of aluminum or steel. Trig out the hole positions for a dowel at 30, 45, 60 degrees? Agree the angle blocks (if available) is nice for small stuff.