band saw and water

[Proprietary]

I am going to buy a band saw soon. My house doesn't have a garage...can I leave my band saw out in the open? Will rain damage it? 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

No. Yes.

[Proprietary]

Just now, Lady Fitzgerald said:

No. Yes.

Yea... what should I do though... Should I buy a shroud that covers it when not used?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

1 minute ago, Proprietary said:

Yea... what should I do though... Should I buy a shroud that covers it when not used?

If you don't have a dry, indoor place to keep it, don't buy it. Even if you get a cover for it, the humidity will kill it.

[Proprietary]

1 minute ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

If you don't have a dry, indoor place to keep it, don't buy it. Even if you get a cover for it, the humidity will kill it.

Seriously? Even the humidity will damage it? My indoor space is limited, but I have a backyard... its not that bad right?

[TempestCatto]

12 minutes ago, Proprietary said:

Seriously? Even the humidity will damage it? My indoor space is limited, but I have a backyard... its not that bad right?

My dad's band saw has a cast iron table. Even sitting in a shed most of its life has fucked the cast iron table. I don't know what yours will have, but that is a factor. Let alone the blade and blade guides.

[Beerzerker]

2 hours ago, Proprietary said:

Seriously? Even the humidity will damage it? My indoor space is limited, but I have a backyard... its not that bad right?

A bandsaw was never intended to "Live" in a humid enviroment - That's a piece of equipment NOT MEANT for really humid/damp enviroments period, if it's metal on the saw it can be affected quickly and badly by it all.

The motor certainly won't like it either.

 

If you're going to get one, keep it and use it indoors in as dry of a place as possible if you want it to live.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

7 hours ago, Proprietary said:

Seriously? Even the humidity will damage it? My indoor space is limited, but I have a backyard... its not that bad right?

Seriously, it will be that bad. Even if it has an aluminum table (which is the sign of a low quality bandsaw, btw), the guide blocks and/or bearings, the blade, motor parts, etc. will suffer in pretty short order. I live in a desert and I wouldn't keep one outside.

[Proprietary]

4 hours ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

Seriously, it will be that bad. Even if it has an aluminum table (which is the sign of a low quality bandsaw, btw), the guide blocks and/or bearings, the blade, motor parts, etc. will suffer in pretty short order. I live in a desert and I wouldn't keep one outside.

Do you think putting it indoor (where the only ventilation is through the windows) will cause some health hazards? I know band-saws have dust ports and things, but are they enough?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

51 minutes ago, Proprietary said:

Do you think putting it indoor (where the only ventilation is through the windows) will cause some health hazards? I know band-saws have dust ports and things, but are they enough?

If you just store it indoors then move it outdoors only while using, you won't have any problems. That's what I do with my portable power tools and will be what I will do with real dust makers--table saw, router table, planer, spindle sander, etc.--once I have the ability to store them indoors and easily move them in and out. While bandsaws do generate dust, it's not nearly as bad as other dust makers and the vast majority of that can be corralled with just a shop vacuum connected to the dust port (for heavy use, a cyclone type dust collector should be connected between the dust port and the vacuum).

 

Small, cheap bandsaws, such as the ones sold at home centers, are small and light enough to lug around so storing one inside is easy and can be fairly easily carried outside by even an old, handicapped broad like me, then clamped or bolted onto a bench or stand. Medium sized saws can be mounted on wheeled stands that can be tipped back like a hand truck. Good, larger bandsaws will need a permanent home indoors.

 

What do you plan on doing with the bandsaw?