# Best Homemade Tools >  Horizontal Bandsaw "mods"

## astroracer

I have used milling clamps in my H/V for years... Some set-ups are impossible to clamp with the original clamp. The T-nut slips right into the slot for the clamp slider. I have thought about drilling and tapping a few holes for the clamp bolts, just haven't had the need to do so yet. I can usually get most set-ups clamped using the existing slot.


With the milling clamps I knocked the corners off this stack in less then 10 minutes...

Mark

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almarghi (Jul 26, 2018),

Andyt (Mar 30, 2018),

baja (Aug 27, 2020),

dwbachor (Oct 22, 2017),

jere (Feb 13, 2015),

mwmkravchenko (Nov 13, 2018),

Paul Jones (Dec 21, 2014),

Sleykin (Mar 29, 2018),

Tule (Aug 27, 2020),

will52100 (Mar 29, 2018),

WinDancerKnives (Jul 25, 2018)

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## steve1001

Well, I'll be. I do exactly the same all the time, using the same milling clamp set. I've resisted drilling into the casting as I don't fancy weakening it, and like you I have always managed to get around it. I only use light pressure when clamping up in case the casting breaks.
One of these days I will add a stop, so the fence can be returned to 90 degrees quickly and easily.

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## astroracer

> Well, I'll be. I do exactly the same all the time, using the same milling clamp set. I've resisted drilling into the casting as I don't fancy weakening it, and like you I have always managed to get around it. I only use light pressure when clamping up in case the casting breaks.
> One of these days I will add a stop, so the fence can be returned to 90 degrees quickly and easily.



Yep, light pressure, just enough to clamp the parts, especially if they can be backed up by the fench.
I haven't added stops but I did put a heavy scribe mark @ 90, 75, 60 & 45 degrees. Works well for me.

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## Captainleeward

Hi Astroracer great post.:O)

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## Hotz

Astroracer..
great idea, thanks for sharing.

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## crazypj

I have a set of milling clamps but hadn't thought of using them on saw. I did fit a 'zero clearance' extension to the outside of vice block so cutting short pieces is safer

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## Captainleeward

crazypj Got a picture of that extension?

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## DIYer

Good tip, astroracer. Something to keep in mind.

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## crazypj

Here's fuzzy pic of the piece of angle I bolted to bandsaw to support thin material. Still need packing on 'back end' of vice when material doesn't reach to pivot bolt though.
I butted it against edge of back plate then used saw blade to cut the 'zero clearance' slot.
Swarf drops through underneath, even the plexiglass I just cut :Big Grin:

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WinDancerKnives (Jul 25, 2018)

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## GaryR

Hi Guys,
Had a couple minutes yesterday and decided to get the Jet bandsaw set to cut at 90 degrees as close as I could and drill a 1/4 inch hole through the back jaw and the base. Now I don't have to guess when cutting if I am at 90 or not. I can still pull the pin and move the back jaw. 
GaryR

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## astroracer

Thanks Gary, good idea. Post up a pic (in a new thread) and get your own builder page going..
Mark

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## GaryR

I had a really good cutting band-saw blade break on me a couple weeks ago. I had paid $45 for it, and being very Scot by nature, I wanted to get it back together again. I had tried to tig weld it and that didn't work out. I unfortunately burned up about 3/4" of blade trying to tig it so the blade is too short to mount in the Jet Horizontal/Vertical band saw. After finding a great explanation on Tom's Technique on "Silver Soldering Your Band Saw Blade" I built the jig to belt sand a scarf joint on the blade ends, and then hold the blade ends in position to solder them. I had never silver soldered before but it works out great. I cut it apart in a couple of new places for the exercise of getting some more experience soldering it back together. So I am ready should I break another blade. 
GaryR
ps. I got the paste flux and 45% silver solder at a local welding supply house.

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## Altair

Hi Gary. Any pics of your soldering jig?

Al

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## GaryR

Hi Al,
I built one very similar to the one Tom uses on his real good site "Tom's Techniques"
He has a good video using its use.
I couldn't find the toggle clamps, so I just mounted a couple 1x1/2 inch straps and bolted them to the jig to hold the band saw down. It works quite well. 
Hope that helps out.
GaryR

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## jere

Oh man one more thing I have to buy from harbor freight! Those clamps look extremely useful! Maybe remove the vise jaws completely and bolt some steel plate with holes predrilled for the clamps...

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## astroracer

Harbor Freight or Enco will have the clamp sets. I am building a brake line tubing straightener at the moment and had to do some wierd cutting on an old milling fixture I repurposed. Took the stationary jaw off and used one of those clamps to square up the fixture so I could cut the top 2 1/2" off.
Mark

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## kbalch

This thread has been moved to the Must Read subforum. Congrats (and thanks) to astroracer for making such a valuable contribution!

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## crazypj

It may be 'old news' to many of you but I came across a problem I hadn't seen before in ? years of using bandsaw.
Could not get a straight cut, blade veering off about 1/4" on a 2" dia bar from top to bottom
I told a friend who immediately told me to check side of blade
Turns out, I had been using saw vertical to rough out some circles in 5/8" thick stainless steel and it had flattened one side of teeth (haven't investigated fully, they could be worn away?)
Anyway, it was new to me so I thought I would post about it  :Lol:

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## Paul Alciatore

I have had to cut some pieces that were just too small and odd shaped to allow the standard clamp on my band saw to hold them. I drilled and tapped a couple of 3/8" holes a long time ago and made a strap to fit between them. That and a 3/8" clamp set has allowed me to solve a lot of cutting problems. 

Another thing that I did was to drill and tap a hole in the outer end of the standard clamp on the saw. I have a 6" long piece of threaded rod in it with a nut "knob" on it. That saves having to find a suitable scrap block when I am using it to hold a short piece of stock. I just adjust the threaded rod for the same or slightly greater distance than the thickness of my stock and I can clamp the short piece easily and firmly.

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## pfredX1

Yeah welding band saw blades is sketchy. I've had good luck just brazing them though. I read about it on the net. I cut both ends at a shallow 30 degree angle then feather each end on a grinder to get the maximum surface area contact between both ends. Then I clamp them up in this jig and braze them.http://i.imgur.com/7SrdP.jpg

When the blade breaks again it usually doesn't break where I brazed it, but rather somewhere else. As blades age after a lot of flexing they get fatigued and they tend to start breaking all over the place then. Plain old every day brazing rod has a tensile strength of 60,000 PSI per square inch? Something like that. It is pretty strong stuff.

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Paul Jones (Apr 1, 2018)

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## pfredX1

I've done 4 mods to my 4x6 band saw. Two I'd do again in a heartbeat. The other two sounded like a good idea at the time, but I could have done something better with my time. As I have not used either very much. The two winners are my speed jack screw mod, and my replacement blade stop. I put up an article on Instructables about my speed jack screw. Here's a link to that https://www.instructables.com/id/4x6...ise-Jackscrew/ The other mod I did I use the most. When I use the saw in the vertical orientation I don't bother with that flimsy sheet metal table that came with it. That thing isn't worth the time it takes to mount it. I used to always just cut stuff on the stop that came on the saw. But that thing is tiny, so it is not much of a table really. I made a bigger one, and just leave it on the saw so it is ready to go all the time. It is a huge improvement over using the original piece. Here's a picture of my enlarged saw stop that I use as a vertical cutting table on my saw http://i.imgur.com/aCbW2wX.jpg

I modeled it in cardboard first, blah blah. People that can fab should be able to figure out how to make one for themselves. I also lost the original stock stop so I made myself another one when I needed it one day. Not really a mod, more like a duh http://i.imgur.com/ZJOD8Db.jpg I eventually found the original but I do like mine a bit better.

The mods I did that didn't pay off were I tapped a hole in the base for a toe clamp like the guy is showing here, and I made a lip on the drop end to put a clamp there to hold pieces. A guy on the net made a persuasive case for it, so I did it, but I just don't use it. It was a real pain in the ass to make too. So skip that http://i.imgur.com/VxfY7wD.jpg

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Paul Jones (Oct 22, 2017)

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## dwbachor

Sweet! Never thought of using mill clamps. Will be doing this in the future.

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## will52100

Never thought of mill clamps, will have to give it a try. One of the things I have been setting up a rip fence and using my vertical bandsaw for is cutting mosaic tiles for mosaic damascus. Basically bringing the end grain of a pattern welded bar to the surface by cutting 3/4" tiles at a 45 deg. angle and flipping and forge welding. The more accurate the cuts and even the tiles, the better. Don't know why I never thought of mill clamps for this, should work great. Thanks.

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## Toolmaker51

PS: Mill clamps.
Milling clamps depend on leverage to work effectively. Two things assure this. 
1] toe of clamp should bear on the part at lowest possible angle, not flat. Setup of step blocks is easy, 1 tooth higher than part, especially when block[s] right next to part. I do it first without studs, clamps or anything in the way. 
2] Strongest clamp force at lowest torque with stud closest to clamp toe.

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Paul Jones (Apr 1, 2018),

PJs (Apr 4, 2018)

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## WinDancerKnives

Three great ideas 'shared' in a single post. Thanks to all!
Dave

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## meano

I made some few changes to my saw

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