Harbor Freight Portaband Saw Stand With On/Off Lock Bar
Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 10:46 am
So I've got this build buried up in my TIG n00b welding journey thread. I started out with some plates, and after about 3 weeks decided it was time to build something to cut more test plates, begin cutting parts for my future projects, and have them all cut evenly without having to vice things up or stand in some awkward position as you try to navigate a saw that wants to jump a bit weighing in at 16 Lbs and achieve a perfect straight cut.
I saw Jody's video about the portaband saw stand and borrowed some of his ideas. Out of all the ideas I've seen so far I just saw gundog's after I finished mine and am kinda jealous at the elegance and simplicity.
Gundog's build is here:
http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... and#p68948
Our guide Jody's build is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4kTUPB4HZM
My project is 100% TIG with a few cuts from a plasma.
So I built mine out of 1 1/4 with 1/16 wall square tube and 3/8 rod that I bought. The rest was scrap pieces I bought from the metal yard when I first started with Stick. A $20 sampler/learner pack they sell
The frame is basic and stout and the saw slips in and snugs up evenly with little effort. I considered heat distortion when putting this together which did pay off for the uprights, and not so much on the base extensions (where I started and first time w/ 1/16 welding).
The guide plates are an even 90 degrees with the saw blade which is about the most important thing I coulda done The guide plate is attached to 1 1/2 with 1/16 wall square tube so it slips over the front upright and again sits flush with the blade resting on the tool guide bar that came with the Harbor Freight saw so no need to remove it.
The best part about this build is the bar and cable setup for the trigger. The Harbor Freight saw does not have a trigger lock so I used some 3/32 stainless steel cable and some ferrules. I created a loop that I can fit a ferrule stopped cable through to create a noose and loop it around the trigger. Once looped around the trigger, I run the cable through on eye-hook that is almost parallel to the trigger on the rear stand in the far corner. The cable then runs up and the final cable stop sits on the other side of 1/8 plate with a groove for the cable to slide into so the cable can be removed i.e. the whole saw can be used as it was originally intended.
Then there's the 3/8 bar that I bent with a slight handle that sits in a hole I drilled just below the front upright. I autogenously welded two small pieces of 3/8 bar to the main bar so they sit horizonal to earth and then grinded and smoothed a path for the cable to sit in and have plenty of side to side movement. Finally there is the lock bar which points out from the side of where the cable stop rests in to create the tension. The lock bar has a groove for the on/off bar to rest in and points slightly downward but not too far that the floor would stop you.
So now I can just push the control bar down, bring it back and the saw is on and I can lock the saw in the on position and use both hands to cut. OR I can just use my foot to press on the control bar or just the cable and operate it that way. If anything goes wrong, the lock bar kicks out easily if you hit it.
I'll add a larger plate on the top with some drill points and pegs for it to lock into for larger pieces but will keep it removable since these plates are more than enough for most things.
I'll add some folding legs too, perhaps with extension legs that slide/lock into place on the future legs so I can double the height but still fold it all up and keep it the same floor space size it has now. Fun stuff!
I saw Jody's video about the portaband saw stand and borrowed some of his ideas. Out of all the ideas I've seen so far I just saw gundog's after I finished mine and am kinda jealous at the elegance and simplicity.
Gundog's build is here:
http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... and#p68948
Our guide Jody's build is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4kTUPB4HZM
My project is 100% TIG with a few cuts from a plasma.
So I built mine out of 1 1/4 with 1/16 wall square tube and 3/8 rod that I bought. The rest was scrap pieces I bought from the metal yard when I first started with Stick. A $20 sampler/learner pack they sell
The frame is basic and stout and the saw slips in and snugs up evenly with little effort. I considered heat distortion when putting this together which did pay off for the uprights, and not so much on the base extensions (where I started and first time w/ 1/16 welding).
The guide plates are an even 90 degrees with the saw blade which is about the most important thing I coulda done
The guide plate is attached to 1 1/2 with 1/16 wall square tube so it slips over the front upright and again sits flush with the blade resting on the tool guide bar that came with the Harbor Freight saw so no need to remove it.The best part about this build is the bar and cable setup for the trigger. The Harbor Freight saw does not have a trigger lock so I used some 3/32 stainless steel cable and some ferrules. I created a loop that I can fit a ferrule stopped cable through to create a noose and loop it around the trigger. Once looped around the trigger, I run the cable through on eye-hook that is almost parallel to the trigger on the rear stand in the far corner. The cable then runs up and the final cable stop sits on the other side of 1/8 plate with a groove for the cable to slide into so the cable can be removed i.e. the whole saw can be used as it was originally intended.
Then there's the 3/8 bar that I bent with a slight handle that sits in a hole I drilled just below the front upright. I autogenously welded two small pieces of 3/8 bar to the main bar so they sit horizonal to earth and then grinded and smoothed a path for the cable to sit in and have plenty of side to side movement. Finally there is the lock bar which points out from the side of where the cable stop rests in to create the tension. The lock bar has a groove for the on/off bar to rest in and points slightly downward but not too far that the floor would stop you.
So now I can just push the control bar down, bring it back and the saw is on and I can lock the saw in the on position and use both hands to cut. OR I can just use my foot to press on the control bar or just the cable and operate it that way. If anything goes wrong, the lock bar kicks out easily if you hit it.
I'll add a larger plate on the top with some drill points and pegs for it to lock into for larger pieces but will keep it removable since these plates are more than enough for most things.
I'll add some folding legs too, perhaps with extension legs that slide/lock into place on the future legs so I can double the height but still fold it all up and keep it the same floor space size it has now. Fun stuff!
I prefer Jameson for the general go to but Maker's Mark does a wonderful job. I'm still questioning consumption simply because it offers only a degree of comfort and has little help in my mechanical/welding career but when it comes to coding/analysis it has it's ups but still plenty of downs. Regardless there's not a much of a bad reason to wind down after a successful completion of a job with a lil post courage shot 