Recomend a Band Saw for cutting Metal blade stock?

Most band saws seem to be geared towards wood working. Can someone recommend a band saw that is up to the task of cutting metal blade stock or medium sized metal pipe. I realize that a different blade type is used for metals than for cutting softer materials. Can someone recommend a model for the serious hobbyist but less than an all out industrial unit?

Grizzly.

the blade will do the work. I picked up an old standing unit from a pawn shop for peanuts. works fine.

The blade does the work, but the saw speed should be slower.

JohnnyDemonic said:

The blade does the work, but the saw speed should be slower.

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I guess my question was a bit too vague. Proper blade aside, should I be looking for a certain HP motor, or other features that would stand up to heavy cutting tasks? Precision features? I don't want to wear out a $300-$500 hobby model just to find out that I should have bought a $1000.00 with various features lacking on the others.

nortac said:

I guess my question was a bit too vague. Proper blade aside, should I be looking for a certain HP motor, or other features that would stand up to heavy cutting tasks? Precision features? I don't want to wear out a $300-$500 hobby model just to find out that I should have bought a $1000.00 with various features lacking on the others.

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If you plan on doing a lot of cutting buy a purpose built metal saw. Check around locally or on craigs list, you could probably find a used one. As with anything, you buy the proper tool for the job. Not sure on hp ratings, look at the specs of the Grizzly metal saws compared to their wood saws. Metal saws cut slower for a reason.

Harbor Freight offers a ridiculously cheap metal cutting band saw. It works quite well actually after a little tuning. The stand is a *** and will topple easily, but I just built a frame out of 2x4's with some lock castor wheels to move it around easy and it is very solid now. They are on sale quite often for like $170.

I work these little bands saw to death. If you are using them very little a Harbor Freight or one of the other knock offs will do In my latest version I bought a "King Canada" version I wanted a Jet http://www.jettools.com/us/manufacturing/en/product.html?node=4638&product=273682but they are no longer in Canada. Jet was ten times the machine easy to fix, but rarely needed to be repaired. They were just plainly better made and they didn't cut corners. I can't speak for them today but the old machines were great, the ones from Japan were the best and if you can find a used one from Japan I'd buy at a drop of a hat, even if it needed a rebuild. Taiwanese made tend to be better than the ones from China and India. Almost all them have poor tables for vertical cutting work so I make one out of 1/4 plate. For blades I use bi-metal and the brand I get are Lenox but I'm sure there are many other equally good brands, I cut dry on this size of saw and still get good blade life.

I should also mention that Grizzly may also be a good brand I'm just not familiar with them.

Thanks for all of your input.

Ditto what Trenton said. Mine came from Northern, for around $200, as I remember. The Grizzly is probably made in the same Asian factory. Ditto Harbor Freight. Bimetal blades are the best. I use mine for all kinds of metal cutting. They come with a table for free hand cutting, as well as a vise for drop cutting. Unless you are in major production work, this is all you need.