4×6 Bandsaw Cart

This is the roll-around stand I made for my late 80’s Taiwan-made 4×6 bandsaw, which is almost identical to the one Harbor Freight sells.  It uses a Harbor Freight 3-shelf service cart with the top shelf turned upside down.  I was a little worried about it being top-heavy so I replaced the original 5-inch casters with 3-inch ones mounted on outriggers made from pressure-treated 2x6s.  Now it’s much more stable because the wheels are farther apart and it has a lower center-of-gravity.

The 16×30-inch steel cart was on sale for $50 and I used one of HF’s easy-to-find 20%-off coupons to save another $10.  The casters were also on sale.  I think they were $4 a piece.  My scrap bins provided the wood and the 1-inch aluminum angle I used to fabricate the brackets that attach the saw to the risers.  I splurged about $8 on a tube of Minwax “Crimson Red” Express Color stain so the wood would compliment the red color of the cart.  The stain was a lot quicker and easier to apply than paint.  I still need to find a suitable hook I can attach to the cart to store its extension cord.  As you can see there’s lots of room on the middle shelf for a coolant pump and reservoir, if I ever decide I need to add one.

The sheet-metal stands these saws come with are a major source of grief, so putting the saw on a another stand is a popular modification.  I learned about using one of these carts on the Yahoo 4×6 discussion group.  Another popular method is to mount the saw on top of a 2-drawer filing cabinet that has been mounted on casters.  If you browse the group’s photo archive you’ll also find some nifty designs for welded steel stands.

I’d wanted one of these bandsaws for a very long time but I didn’t think I had room for one.  For years Harbor Freight regularly had them on sale for $160, but of course once I needed one I found the sale price had gone up to $230.  I was ready to pay that but I decided to check Craigslist one more time.  I couldn’t believe it when I found this one for $50, which included a brand new Lenox blade which was probably worth at least $30 by itself.  I had to replace the power switch but it works great and I get very square cuts with it.

 

This photo shows how much I lowered the cart and moved its wheels apart by replacing the originals with smaller casters mounted on outriggers. Parts of my garage floor are badly pitted and I wanted to make certain there was no chance the saw could tip over.
A close-up showing how I mounted the saw to the cart.

 

3 thoughts on “4×6 Bandsaw Cart”

  1. I just bought a pair of these from eBay. Supposedly, one works and one doesn’t, but it also said the power switch was broken. I’m hopeful that I can get a second working saw out of the deal, and sell it to fund my purchase. If not, I still got a great deal on a saw.

    Naturally both stands are showing signs of rough handling. I’ll replace the one for my own use, and leave it up to the new owner as to the fate of the second.

    Reply
  2. Excellent! Let me know if you need a switch. I think I have a extra you can have. BTW, do yours shut off automatically after they cut through the work piece? Mine does, but it looks like some don’t.

    Reply
  3. I bought a bandsaw from ebay and I was disappointed about it, everything is almost damaged entirely. I suggest you buy from amazon.

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