The Gingery Band Saw

One of the most useful shop items is the cutoff bandsaw. The imports, selling for about $200, are common, but many owners complain of their poor quality. Now you can make your own bandsaw that’s bigger, more accurate, and you can probably build it for less than the import version. Dave Gingery, known for his metalworking project books that include making your own lathe, mill, drill press and accessories, has just published Designing and Building a Metal Cutting Bandsaw. Written and illustrated by his son Vincent R. Gingery, this 168-page, 5 1/2×8 1/2-inch book takes you through the construction of the saw in typical Gingery detail. An improvement over earlier volumes is the use of typeset copy and CAD drawings, including 3-D assembly views. The saw has a 12″ -width capacity and a 6″-depth and uses a 94″-blade. Like its import cousins, it will cut both horizontally and vertically. Common angle and strap iron is used for its construction as well as hardware store items. Power comes from a standard 1725 RPM 1/2-HP motor, which produces a blade speed of 159 FPM. Some welding is required, and a lathe is needed to turn the blade wheels. Construction is broken down into sections, starting with the base and legs, followed by the vertical frame, drive system and blade guides.

Gingery Band Saw Bill of Materials List

Several folks have inquired on rcm about the Gingery band saw. Although I have not built the saw, I did make up a list showing the metal stock totals, a copy of which is below. This should help you figure out the cost of building the saw. This list does not include fasteners… it’s only for the metal stock and does not include other hardware and parts. I made up this list as Gingery lists each part as a separate item in the materials list, which therefore doesn’t tell you the total length of a given cross section you’ll need. The totals are in inches. A few caveats: I made this list for myself and have not checked for accuracy. There may be errors. The figures represent some rounding off yet do not include cutting allowances or factors for the length of the stock bars. The list includes only the metal stock, not fasteners or other hardware. The heading *side* is for angle stock that is not equal on both legs. There are only three cases of this. angle 1/4″ X 1-1/2″ X 1-1/2″ X 30.5″ angle 1/4″ X 2″ X 2″ X 73″ angle 1/4″ X 2″ X 1-1/2″ X 7″ angle 1/4″ X 4″ X 3″ X 72″ angle 1/8″ X 1″ X 1″ X 36.5″ angle 1/8″ X 1-1/2″ X 1-1/2″ X 371.25″ angle 1/8″ X 3/4″ X 3/4″ X 12″ angle 1/8″ X 2″ X 1-1/2″ X 3.5″ angle 3/8″ X 3″ X 3″ X 16.5″ channel 3″ X 64.5″ flat 1/2″ X 1/2″ X 45″ flat 1/4″ X 1-1/2″ X 18.5″ flat 1/4″ X 2″ X 22.25″ flat 1/4″ X 3″ X 3.5″ flat 1/4″ X 3/4″ X 35.5″ flat 1/4″ X 4″ X 9.5″ flat 1/8″ X 1″ X 38.5″ flat 1/8″ X X 1/2″ X 6″ flat 1/8″ X 3/4″ X 88″ flat 3/8″ X 1″ X3.5″ flat 3/8″ X 1-1/2″ X 46″ flat 3/8″ X 2″ X 25″ flat 3/8″ X 3/4″ X 8″ flat 5/16″ X 3″ X 17″ pipe 1-1/2″ X 3.5 pipe 1-1/4″ X 3.5″ pipe 8″ X 2.5″ round 1-1/2″ X 6″ round 1-3/4″ X 3.5″ round 1/2″ X 61.5″ round 1/4″ X 11″ round 5/8″ X 17″ round 7/8″ X 25″ sheet 12 ga. X 5-1/2″ X 3 1/2″ threaded rod 5/8″-11 X 14″ For Materials listed above: First, check your local scrap yards as a first source. If you are unable to locate anything from a scrap source, then, check with your local steel suppliers and ask them if they have any “drops” in the material and sizes you need. Many steal warehouses set aside short end pieces and scrap left over from miscellaneous jobs or orders. They are always anxious to sell those shorter pieces at lower than full-length price, rather than scrap the steel.