Quick questions on replacement saw blades for mini portaband saw

[Broccoli1]

If HD is close just buy from there- they have decent prices and the blades good enough.

I would price a $40.00 item at a store for $39.99. Merchants have figured out the psychology for pricing items and that 3 instead of a 4 makes a difference

And who carries cash around anymore at a store?

Flea Markets I'd price at $50.00 and then haggle down to $40.00- people just feel like they're getting a deal then

[A_DAB_will_do]

When cutting you want as many teeth on the material as possible- I forgot the minimum teeth for contact.

So when cutting flat stock don't cut on the edge, start on the flat part so more teeth are in contact with the material.

I love my Portaband

I think it's a minimum of 3 teeth in contact with the material. So, for a 14/18 TPI blade the material or cut thickness should be about 3/16" thick minimum.

[psacustomcreations]

EQ,
I am going to attach a few pics of the table I made. Before I do, I will have to second what DSW says about charging for your items. Please start charging at least enough to cover your material cost even if it is family unless it is something like a Christmas gift. I post a lot of my projects on my Facebook page and have ended up with quite a few orders that way. Your friends and family will like your items but really not understand how much time, energy, and cost goes into making an item, especially if it is made from scrap.
If you are unsure how much to charge, just ask them to pay the equivalent of that pack of blades, a can of rods, gloves, etc. This way even if you use up one blade making one project, your "profit" is the other two blades. Another option is to trade material for finished projects. If a friend has a junk pile, tell them you will make item "X" for them if you get enough material to make two or three other projects. A third option is to ask the person to buy you a tool like a grinder or gift card to your local store.
Make sure you devote some time to "your" work or projects. If you don't do that, you will slowly find that it becomes a chore or less enjoyable. I am not trying to brag and I am never going to be as good as people like Kevin Caron, Dhem, and the guys that do this for a living, but I have sold 490 items worth $35,000 online, at craft shows, and through Facebook in the last two years. I do this a hobby/side job and tell people it is so I can buy more tools. I keep track of everything I spend and file as a business. This allows me to purchase the tools I want and has really improved my shop to the point I was able to buy a Dynasty 200DX, Bridgeport milling machine, stomp shear, slip roller, etc. Now that the Christmas rush is over, I have spent the last two weeks working in my shop cleaning, rehabbing tools, re-arranging, etc. A couple of hours or a day spent improving your shop may save a lot of time and energy when you start making items for everyone else.

Back the topic at hand, the portband table. I bought a cheap Harbor Freight portaband because I knew I would be modifying it as a small chop saw or table saw. Once you put on a good blade, it works pretty well, just noisy as heck. I made this table out of left over aluminum square tube and 1/8" aluminum plate so my materials cost was virtually zero. I elected to drill two holes in the guide and then two holes in the frame to hold the saw. Like DSW, it takes a few minutes to put on or take off. The table is approximately 16"x18" so it is easier for me to move a piece of stock on it. It isn't pretty and there are probably better designs but it worked for me well enough over the last year.

[bigb]

I gained a bit of blade comparison knowledge just today. I've been running Milwaukee 10-14 blades on my portabands for a while and thought I'd try some Starrets after I heard all the praises. Put a new 10-14 Starret on one of them today and did not notice any difference as far as cutting compared to a new Milwaukee. I did however notice the weld, it is quite bulky and really makes a lot of noise while cutting,,,schew schew...schew...while the Milwaukee welds are barely noticeable. Time will tell if it lasts.

[maxpat82]

cheap HF portaband stand look a bit like mine..but mine is removable:




like psacustomcreations said : it's loud..so earmuff is a must! (don't forget glasses(I prefer faceshield) and leather glove )

[psacustomcreations]

cheap HF portaband stand look a bit like mine..but mine is removable:
like psacustomcreations said : it's loud..so earmuff is a must! (don't forget glasses(I prefer faceshield) and leather glove )

I think I saw yours during my searches on here for ideas. I wasn't too worried about it being removable or I would have copied your design.

I have started wearing old ski goggles when I do some grinding, sawing, engraving, etc. since I have had two pieces of metal removed from my eyes this year. The second occurred when I was wearing my reading glasses and a piece of metal bounced off my cheek into my eye. I am looking at purchasing one of the Uvex Bionic face shields so I can wear my reading glasses when I work

[DSW]

They do make safety glasses with "readers" both in bifocals and with just magnification. I want to say I saw some at either Depot/Lowes a while ago, but it might have been Graingers. I though about them because for some things my standard prescription is too powerful, but I need more magnification than I get without glasses for some things.

[maxpat82]

It would have kinda been an honored that my design would be copied...I'm a fairly noob at metal working.
I inspired myself from the swag offroad unit.

this is my faceshield:

nothing special, plain old faceshield available at any hardware store....shield replacement cost about nothing on those.