Vertical Band Saws

The best speed for cutting aluminum on a vertical bandsaw typically ranges between 1,000 to 3,000 Surface Feet per Minute (SFPM), depending on the alloy thickness and your blade setup. Unlike hard steels which require very slow gear-reduced speeds (50 to 150 SFPM), aluminum is a soft, non-ferrous metal that can handle much higher speeds—often overlapping with standard wood-cutting speeds.

Yes, you can cut metal with a vertical bandsaw provided it is equipped with a slower variable speed gearbox (or a dedicated metal-cutting transmission) and a fine-tooth bi-metal or carbide blade suited for ferrous or non-ferrous metals.

A horizontal bandsaw is designed with a dropping gravity-fed head primarily used for cutting long stock and metal bars to length, whereas a vertical bandsaw features a fixed upright frame where the operator pushes the material manually through the blade for contouring, intricate curves, and sheet resawing.

Freehand Contour Cutting: The narrow blade width allows you to cut tight curves, irregular shapes, and intricate internal cutouts that horizontal saws or traditional table saws cannot reach. Exceptional Versatility: By simply swapping the blade type and adjusting the variable speed gearbox, a vertical bandsaw can seamlessly transition from slicing thick hardwoods to cutting structural steel, aluminum, and plastics.

A vertical bandsaw is the premier tool for cutting vertically, featuring a continuous loop blade traveling straight down through a flat work table to let you guide sheet metal, plate stock, and thick lumber by hand with high precision.

Among what we carry, our Baileigh BSV-18VS-V2 and variable-speed BSV-18VS-220-V2 are excellent vertical metal bandsaws, offering adjustable speed control for cutting a range of metal thicknesses and alloys.