Band saw cutting fluid recomendations???

[bx24]

I am upgrading from a 5x6 horizontal band saw (no coolant pump) to a 7x12 with a coolant pump.

Can anyone share their opinion of what is a good cooling fluid to use as well as a source for where to buy it (also in what quantity .... should 1 gallon be enough?)

 

[Renze]

I have a 7x12" also. I just had to install my own coolant pump and reservoir because they were missing... I just picked the cheapest, smalles water pond jet i could find and it works great.

Just dont add engine oil to it as it makes skins like cooked milk, which plug up the jet pump and kill it...

I use a standard cutting oil from the industrial grocery, since the skin incident i use it pure. I just have to add water every month or so, to make up for the evaporation.

 

[sandman2234]

Be careful which ones you pick, as some get to smelling sour after they have been around a while. Depending on what your cutting and how fast, you might be able to run dry. I have never been a fan of a blade coolant system, simply due to the mess they make as the coolant runs down the piece of metal and drips on the floor. Special considerations can stop it, but you might as well figure it is going to happen. Just how much you need to start and how much you will loose during cutting depends on your system and how much drips on the floor. Have you considered a mister?
David from jax

 

[bx24]

I have not thought about a mister.

Am I correct in assuming there are two schools of thought here:

1- Oil based (like or the same as pipe thread cutting fluid)

2- Water based (the "milk" used in larger machinery milling operations etc)

I guess I just assumed that this type of band saw was made to use the milk .... that is the first I have heard of it getting "sour"

 

[digger2]

I know where i work they use the water base stuff,and when it gets old,it does stink.Its not the kind of smell you want to be around all day.
If somebody did'nt know any better they would think you just finished your shift working "sewer repair".
digger2

 

[yomax4]

Greetings.. The Lenox Saw co. Makes a product called an Atomizer. It sprays coolant or cutting fluid so fine that you can not see it. Costs a lot but lasts a long time.

MM.

 

[GuglioLS]

BX24 -

Try the Syn-Kool from Enco it's water based - will not get rancid so it never stinks. I've been using it for over a year now and have only had to top it off every now and then. The longer life you get from the blade is well worth what little mess it makes. Just set the coolant flow valve to a slow rate so the mess is less and loss of coolant is small. Mine never goes on the floor.

Which saw did you get?

Here are some action shots of my 7X12 saw using the Syn-Kool coolant, notice the coolant is not going on the floor? The steel is 12" wide (max cut) X 3/4" thick.





CLICK HERE -> Syn Kool



Larry

 

[DieselPower]

Not all water soluble cutting fluids are the same. Some will have bacterial growth and stink to high heaven and the better formulated oils will have a good anti-bacterial additive package that will prevent it. One of the major advantages of water soluble cutting fluids is that they cool much better than oil only fluids. The heat is wicked away in the water soluble fluids in the form of steam, the evaporation of water. Tends to improve blade and cutter life because the cutting edge does not run as hot. What fluid to use, I'm partial to TRI-X-100 from TRC. Might have something to do with being a lube consultant for them though. Use it on my lathe, mill, saw and shaper and works great.

 

[Renze]

I said since the "milk skin" incident i use the cutting oil pure:
That means i use cutting oil with water, ant NOT mixed with old engine oil.

 

[sandman2234]

Hey Larry,
What happens when you cut a long rod in half? Does the fluid travel down the rod and drip on the floor then? When cutting something shorter than the drip pan, it isn't hard to keep the fluid in the pan.
David from jax

 

[bx24]

Larry-

I have seen a lot of references to Syn-Kool on eBay and other places .... I think I may go that route. I also picked up the saw on eBay for just over $500 (new). As far as I could tell, almost all of the saws I looked at (HF, grizzly etc) seemed to be identical with the exception of the paint. I use my small one a bunch, hopefully this one will work out good.

 

[bx24]

I have to do some more searching online (and possibly locally at Grainger or other). All of the things I just pulled up on eBay come with outrageous shipping quotes. More searching to come .....

 

[GuglioLS]

Hi David,

What happens when you cut a long rod in half? Does the fluid travel down the rod and drip on the floor then?

No 'cus I put a can to catch it before it hits the floor
Oh yea forgot about that.

I've not had any fluid travel down the outside while cutting long rods. However, when cutting hollow tubes, sometimes a little fluid will travel down the inside of the tube and out the end, so I place a bucket or something underneath to catch it.




You mean in situations something like this: Or this?

Does yours drip on the floor? Perhaps consider using a drip can?

Larry

 

[GuglioLS]

Larry-
........ As far as I could tell, almost all of the saws I looked at (HF, grizzly etc) seemed to be identical with the exception of the paint.

BX24 - You noticed that too? Like you, I've seen that 7x12 in every color of the rainbow and prices all over the planet. I think that they are all made in China now. Even so, it's still a good saw and I am pleased with mine, and I think you will be pleased with yours.

Larry-
.............I use my small one a bunch, hopefully this one will work out good.

That's exactly what I did, The little one ~ 6 X 4" ? worked great till the size of my projects out grew it's capacity. So what I did was to set up the little one in vertical mode and use the 12X7 for the larger projects with liquid cooling. When do you expect to receive it? What are some of the projects you have lined up for it? The extra size, weight and adjustable hydraulic cylinder will take some getting used to, but over time, like anything else you will soon master it's capabilities. Congratulations on your new saw.

BTW the Syn-Kool is diluted 1:25 (one gallon of Syn-Kool will make 25 gallons of coolant / lubricant) It's a synthetic polymer with algaecide and biocide. You can use it for all ferris metal cutting, drilling, milling, turning, grinding, etc.


Larry

 

[sandman2234]

For solid pieces, you can put a rubber band around them just inside the drip pan, so the coolant will stay in the pan. For hollow ones, a rubber band around a baggie at both ends will stop that problem. The times we had problems were when we were cutting a bunch of pieces at the same time, and the coolant liked to ooze between them, on it's way to the floor. The drip pan works, but you still have to keep an eye on it because when that heavy piece of steel drops off, it turns the bucket over, lol!
David from jax

 

[GuglioLS]

For solid pieces, you can put a rubber band around them just inside the drip pan, so the coolant will stay in the pan. For hollow ones, a rubber band around a baggie at both ends will stop that problem. David from jax

Now that is a really good idea - thanks!

.................The drip pan works, but you still have to keep an eye on it because when that heavy piece of steel drops off, it turns the bucket over, lol!
David from jax

Yea, not only that watch out for you toes too

Should I not ask how you know that ? I think I've smashed a few drip catch pans myself

David - Great ideas that work,

Larry

 

[Arbo]

For most home hobbiests, these saws can be run dry with no noticable effect on blade life. The biggest broblem with these saws seems to be the el-cheapo blades that come with the saw, and the same blade that most people use for a replacement. I have found that Lenox brand blades are some of the best on the market. They can be found through several on-line retailers in the sizes you need.

That being said. If you wish to use coolant on your saw, a readily available and cheap alternative is windshield washer fluid. In an unheated shop, it will not freeze, it is non-corrosive, and the alcohol content does a good job of cooling through evaporation. It also does a fine job of flushing chips from the cut. I find this benifit more important than the actual cooling. Keeping the chips out of the path of the blade helps the blade to work more efficiently, therefore creating less heat in the first place. In any non-abrasive cutting of metal, the object is to direct the heat of the cut into the chip, and keep the heat out of the work-piece. It leaves no oily residue, and can simply be wiped off with a dry rag and ready for welding.

 

[bx24]

Arbo-

You bring up a point that I was wondering about with the Syn-Kool .... At what temp does the Syn-Kool solution freeze?

To be accurate, I try to work in a heated shop, but when I am not working there, it will be just as cold as the outside temp (down to zero F). The bug-juice solution seems intriguing to me.

 

[bx24]

OK, I just google'd the freeze point of Syn-Kool and not much surprise, it seems to mirror the freeze point of water.

I guess at this point I am looking at either:

1- No cutting fluid
2- Oil based (which I would expect to get thick in the winter months)
3- Bug-Juice

Am I missing any other options? (besides buying things already built!)

 

[bx24]

GuglioLS

To answer you question about next projects ...

Transform the FEL into a quick release FEL bucket
Build some quick connect front forks
Cut up some train rails for various ballast applications
Finish re-furbing / customizing a Meyer snow plow to fit the Kubota
Re-furb / customize a 3-point snow blower to work with the Bota
Build a cab for the tractor
Build a cable plow to plow in some Romex and a sprinkler system
Build a dump trailer

To avoid boredom, I hope to line up some more projects for after x-mas!