KAKA INDUSTRIAL BS-150 Portable Metal Cutting Bandsaw,5.9x5.5in Variable Speed Bandsaw,Angled Cut From 0-45 Degrees,Bench Band Saw 110V-60HZ-1PH

I’m a professional metal worker, built stainless cable rails at my old job and now built custom tube rails for boats and other marine fab work. Needed a bandsaw which easily cut angles and made repeatable cuts without endlessly messing around with those stupid adjustable vices on most other saws in this price range. I have experience using the HEM saw 120XL which comes in at around $2000 bucks and is full of plastic cheap looking parts. This seems to be a far better saw for the money seems a lot better built to me. The motor is loud but you’re used to that if you work with metal.Out of the box I set the 90 stop and reformed the angle indicator to be closer to the readout which seems to be right on the money. You can cut an angle and then go back to square right away.The blade it comes with is pretty aggressive for most smaller jobs and tube work but it’s just what it comes withSaw will cut 60 degrees off 90 more than the 45 digress advertisedSaw is full of nicely made parts with a good bit of nice lathe work on the bandsaw wheels.

I can't believe I didn't buy this sooner! Goodbye cutoff saw. No sparks, quiet, accurate and easy to use! Well built and compact with a sturdy vice. Accuracy isn't a problem with this machine straight out of the box.

Kaka Industrial Metal Cutting Band Saw (BS-150)This saw is larger than a typical bench-top horizontal band saw and hence, the box it comes in is huge (see photo). It’s also quite heavy @ 75 lbs. and has a greater cutting capacity than most bench-top band saws.A 5.9" x 5.5" cutting capacity is advertised – that much capacity is possible by using a longer blade than other saws of this type. I.e., the factory blade is 68.3" long x 3/4" wide x .035" thick 8 tpi (teeth per inch blade) and is available via Amazon (search “BS-150 blade”). 8 tpi is fine for thick material, as it’s best to have 2 or three teeth in the piece being cut. However, cutting thin material with an 8 tpi blade will cause significant vibration (chatter). Based on my research, this is the only bench-top horizontal band saw that comes with or can use a 3/4" wide blade.This saw can also use ½" wide blades. One blade replacement source is bandsawbladesdirect dot com. You might choose, for example, the Lenox Diemaster, bi-metal, 68-1/4" x ½" x .025" in 14 tpi, or 14/18 tpi for thinner material; buying several at once to reduce shipping costs. This company custom welds all of their blades, so virtually any size blade is possible.The other bench-top horizontal band saws with similar cutting capacity also use 68-1/4" blades. They also cost up to four times as much as the BS-150 – e.g., commercial-quality machines such as the Dake SE-5x8, the Dake SE-5x6 RCT, and the HEM Saw NG160.The knob on the end of the cutting arm adjusts blade tension. Next to that knob, on the cutting arm, is a dial indicator showing blade tension. The mid point is where it should be. Release the blade tension when done cutting for the day.The BS-150 cutting arm stays wherever you position it. It neither falls nor raises on its own.When you first set up the saw, verify that the 0 degree stop is set properly. My saw was off by one degree. Stop points are adjustable using an Allen wrench.Although touted as “portable”, at 75 pounds, two guys might be needed to haul it around. The short chain at the very front of the saw hooks on the cutting arm to hold it down for carrying. Smaller horizontal band saws, such as the Grizzly G0885, weigh around 50 pounds – which make transport to a different site easier.My BS-150 is mounted it on the excellent Kreg KRS1035 Router Table Stand, bolted to a Shop Fox D2057A mobile base. Before securing the saw to a bench-top or table, make sure the cutter head in the full up position is unobstructed. My saw is secured with three 3/8" machine bolts, which prevents the saw from moving on the table. It can be rolled around the shop and stored in a corner when not in use. The 12.5" x 19" base is 0.132 thick, which is just under 10 gauge formed sheet steel – and thus is quite rigid. Overall quality of the machine is actually very good.Many of the most expensive saws of this type are semi-automatic. That is, you clamp the piece in the built-in vice, turn the saw on, lower it onto the piece, it makes the cut on its own using gravity and adjustable pressure control that you set, and then turns off on its own. The price of those high-end saws is justifiable for machine shops, a factory, or a serious metal worker. For anyone that only occasionally needs a horizontal band saw, the BS-150 manual approach is fine. On a BS-150, you control the cutting; clamp the piece, turn the saw on via the handle switch, hold that switch on, and hold a light downward force to start and finish the cut.With the saw on, a sound meter registers 89.7 decibels at one foot away, which is pretty loud for my tastes. I wear ear muffs when running this machine.Cuts can be made from zero degrees to 60 degrees; impressive.Issues:- Kaka’s Amazon ad, their web site, and the Chinese manufacturer all claim the motor draws 2000 watts, which would require a 20-amp circuit and would be equivalent to 2.7 hp. In fact, my Kill-A-Watt meter, which is accurate, shows that the Kaka actually draws 500 watts on low speed and 750 watts on high speed. 746 watts = 1 hp. Claiming the motor is nearly three times more powerful than it actually is, is false advertising. Kaka is the distributer, so they may not test these machines. Nevertheless, they should tell their supplier to stop lying and correct their specifications.- A 90 degree cut is labeled “0" on this saw. My machine would only adjust to 1 degree. It wouldn’t go to 0 because the “guard plate” (which protects you from the blade) would hit the vice. I.e., the back of that plate was bent 3/8" too far toward the vice. I used a Bessy Revo clamp to gently bend that part of the plate away from the vice – which allowed the saw to be set to 0.- The vice opens to 6.5". However, my machine’s flat cutting capacity was limited to 5-3/4", as the vice obstructed the cutting arm if opened any wider. I turned the machine over, loosened the six Allen screws securing the vice to the table and slid it backward 1/4" in the slotted holes, which was as far back as it would go. With that change, the saw’s capacity increased to a hair over 6" wide (flat) and 5-7/8" high at 90 degrees, which is greater than advertised and very impressive for a bench-top saw.- Cutting angle is adjusted by loosening the lock-down handle and sliding the cutting arm to the desired angle – except mine made a terrible grating noise when doing that. Turning the saw on it’s side and looking underneath revealed the problem. The carriage bolt’s head is too small to slide smoothly along the track cutout and would grab & release, grab & release, making scrapings noises – which would have eventually damaged the track cutout. I removed the carriage bolt, filed a square hole into a thick 3/8" stainless steel fender washer, polished the washer’s smooth side with 400 grit paper, placed the washer over the square part of the carriage bolt and reassembled it – greasing the track’s path on the saw’s base. The saw can now be set to the desired angle with a light touch from a little finger. A huge difference.- Although it’s extremely rare for me to need a spare part for any tool, it is a possibility. That could be a problem with this saw because Kaka Industrial, based on my attempts, doesn’t answer their phones or follow-up on voice mail. I’m aware of no way to contact them.Other:- You may want to remove the vice’s dust cover and slightly round off the sharp corners to save your hands from being poked.- My saw has no serial number and is labeled a “BS-6". The box it came in also says BS-6, which isn’t mentioned on the Kaka Industrial web site. The user’s guide still calls it a BS-150 and it appears identical in every way to a BS-150 as described on Amazon and Kaka’s web site.- If you ever need to replace the blade bearing, they are only a buck or so each on Amazon in bulk. Search “608-zz” or “608-2z” for those bearings – the machine uses eight of them. The user manual has a parts breakdown which lists each bearing type.Summary:Due to the erroneous motor specs, I considered returning it. Problem is, Kaka Industrial charges a 15% restocking fee ($105) for returns and I’d have to pay $200 to ship it back to Ontario California (FedEx) – money I’d have nothing to show for.Also, be aware that once any item is ordered from Kaka Industrial via Amazon, there is no provision for canceling that order. Be certain you want it before ordering. Once you click “buy”, it’s yours...One star off for the false motor watts. No stars off for the other issues, since they were easily fixed. Had they told the truth about the motor, it wouldn’t have changed my buying decision, and this saw would earn a 5 star rating – given that this is good quality and is the only “reasonably” priced high capacity bench top horizontal metal band saw on the market.

Well made cuts very accurately great to bring to the jobsite!!!!

I’m using this tho g to cut stainless handrail parts in the field. It does great angled cuts and keeps things nice and true.

saw cut fine for 6 month and now i have an expensive paper weight. They did send me a replacement gear after i had to diagnose it but since i was in warranty they sent me a new gear which also broke and is in the pic. I'm sure now the other gears are gonna be toast from eating the gear up. the don't have any replacements available now and won't return my calls or emails so i'm stuck with a $500 paper weight that i was using for my business. the 90 degree cut does have some play so it's not totally perfect square and the adjuster for miter will get in the way. long story short buy a better brand saw and make sure they have good customer support like HEM or just a straight portable and get good at cutting angles

A great space saver in my home shop. Cuts accurate miters, and fun to use. No piston based feedrate control, you have to pull the trigger and lower the blade by pulling down. it's got a smooth action. also has variable speed knob so you can turn it up if cutting brass/copper/alu. Overall I think this machine is best for small shops where space is limited.

The saw was packed well, arrived on time. Its construction is solid. I had to do a lot of adjusting to get a good 90 degree cut. It’s a small saw so some of the work and adjustment areas are tight. It’s much louder than my hand held Bauer saw. You have to pull down on the saw handle to cut. The weight of the saw does not assist in this.