Drip oiler for bandsaw

[Evan]

I use oil on my bandsaw blades as it speeds the cut and lengthens the life of the blade. It doesn't take much but requires babysitting the saw on long cuts. I have become tired of that so I put together a drip oiler for the saw. It has a needle valve (I made) that will meter from none to a stream and very even drip rates. A key feature is that the oiler is mounted so that when the saw is lifted upright it stops oiling. It also makes it easy to refill. The drip hose (windshield washer hose) has a piece of 14 gauge wire inside as well as the outer wrap to help with placement .

[slim_jim]

Looks good.
Dose the oil cause the blade to slip on the wheel?

[Evan]

No, it never slips. The saw I have seems to be one of the better ones. I have compared it to other brands and some are no more than pretend bandsaws. I have been doing a LOT of sawing with this saw lately making all the iron work gates, stairs and railings for the new decks and fence.

[BadDog]

Very nice. Where did you get that can? Looks familiar for some reason. I use wax quite successfully on mine, but I could use a can like that for a similar project.

[carlquib]

Evan,

What kind of oil are you using? Too, what drip rate seems to give the best results? I have looked at putting flood coolant on my bandsaws, but balked because of the mess it would cause. It is still on my to do list but has been moved down because I will have to build new stands with a drip tray under the whole saw frame. This may be a good interim solution.

-brian

[Evan]

BadDog,

That is a fuel can for camping. I bought several about 30 years ago but they have a tendency to leak and I use Sigg bottles instead. They have been sitting on the shelf all this time waiting for a purpose in life. It's the ideal shape for this application and already has the outlet fitting in threaded brass which used to be the vent. Because of the location of the filler it also won't leak or overflow in use.

Brian,

I use water clear hydraulic oil, ISO 32. It's the cheapest oil on the shelf at about $8 per gallon.

Drip rate isn't fussy as long as there is some oil on the blade. Maybe a drop every few seconds or so.

[carlquib]

Evan,

Have you tried any of the water soluble cutting oils? Most of the time that is what I am using, dispensed with a mister. I usually mix it about three times the recommended rate to help slow down the rate that the crud starts to grow. I also use distilled water for the same reason. I haven't used it on the saws though, because I don't have any air plumbed to that room nor does it have an exhaust fan like the shop does.

-brian

[BadDog]

Thanks, guess I'll have to find another source. I don't have any desire to put drip lube on the saw as I am happy with the wax stick (for my purposes anyway). But I do want to do almost exactly the same thing on my lathe for use with certain materials and processes. Basically I will mount it on a cheap spare Chinese mag base (I now have a Noga for main use, WOW!) and stick it to the saddle when needed. That mag base is going to get a sort of quick change mechanism for mounting various things including an oiler...

[Alistair Hosie]

Evan is that your kitchen looks rough man .Alistair

[oldtiffie]

Good idea

Deleted/edited-out

[Evan]

I have no complaint. The saw was properly adjusted as received. I use Lennox bimetal blades which I believe are the best available. They certainly do last well. The saw has been trouble free for a couple of years since I bought it. As for the saw cutting straight, have a look.

[sandman2234]

I looked at the picture of your oiler can and wondered why you didn't have the can removable so you could fill it. Almost impossible to fill from a side angle like that. Then I realized... DUH... that all you have to do is raise it up and it is ready to fill.
I think I need to wake up this morning!
David from jax