Stand and Accessories for a Portable Bandsaw

I have a little Ryobi cordless bandsaw. It might be the smallest bandsaw out there, but I find it really useful. I saw on Blondiehacks that people make stands for their bandsaw - a big metal plate to replace the stock plate and an angle iron to hold it in a vise. It looked pretty straightforward, so I made one.

It turned out that my little Ryobi posed several challenges. The smallest problem was that it has a trigger, not an on/off switch. This is easily solved by using a pushbutton clamp - saw can be turned off easily by hitting a clamp lever.

A bigger problem were a set of issues caused by the location of the mounting screws. Generally, the slot for the blade should be behind the blade. The mounting screws on my saw are more-or-less inline with the blade i.e., right where the slot would go, so the slot had to go in front. This meant that changing the blade required removing the mounting bracket but, more importantly, that the slot couldn't be cut on the bandsaw. The saw is small enough that the plate needs a cutout in the back, meaning you can't cut the slot and turn the plate around so the slot is in front.

I cut the slot using a table saw, but the table saw blade is much wider than the bandsaw blade, so the slot wasn't zero-clearance and I had problems with small pieces getting jammed. One more subtle problem was the one causing me most grief: mounting screws are not completely in line with the saw blade - there is an angle of 5 degrees or so (see the picture). This meant I couldn't use the edge of the plate as a guide for the stock and made it hard and finicky to get a reasonably accurate cut.

This Instructable shows the second stand I made to resolve these issues. Instead of mounting the plate onto the saw, I have an adapter made from an angle iron. The adapter is mounted so it's at right angle to the blade, so only the mounting holes for the angle have to be askew and any stand square to the adapter will be square to the blade. With the adapter, the slot can go in the back and the mounting holes for the plate can be brought far enough out so they are accessible with a screwdriver and don't need a hex key.

Since the new plate is square to the blade, I also made a crosscut sled an a fence like the one on my table saw. The fence is by far the most complicated part of the project.

The mounting adapter is specific to my Ryobi saw. If your saw has different mounting screws, you can either make a different adapter, or just mount the plate directly if the mounting holes are in the same direction as the blade or if you take care of any angle when mounting the plate. Both the crosscut sled and the fence can be used as-is, but you have to adjust dimensions if your plate is not 8"x8".

A note on measurements. I run a mostly metric shop, but I live in the US, so the metal stock and common tools like drill bits are in inches. The drawings are all metric, but some of the features reflect the tool dimensions e.g., a clearance hole for a M3 screw is 1/8 inch.

I enclose drawings that show details of all the parts. Besides PNG images you see, there are also PDF versions and the Inkscape SVG sources. Check out a folder on GitHub with additional sources.

Supplies

Supplies

Bandsaw mount:

1. 8"x8"x1/4" metal plate. You need a pretty rigid plate to minimize flex. A precision-cut steel plate is best, but I used just a regular aluminum plate that I had on hand.
2. 100 mm length of an 1.25 inch/32mm angle iron for the adapter.
3. 8" length of a 1.25 inch/32mm angle iron for the mounting bracket (can be a little shorter)
4. 6 M4 flathead machine screws, 10mm or longer
5. A short piece of thin metal bar, for determining the mount hole position. I used 2" wide, 1/8" thick aluminum.

Crosscut sled:

1. 245 mm length of a 1.5" aluminum angle, 1/8" thickness.
2. 220 mm length of a 3/4" aluminum angle, 1/8" thickness.
3. 4 M3 10 mm screws

Fence:

1. 8" length of a 1.5" aluminum angle, 1/8" thickness.
2. 215 mm length of a 1/8" steel rod.
3. 3" length of a 1" steel bar, 1/8" thickness
4. 2"x1" aluminum bar stock for other parts. I used couple of pieces recycled from a previous project and a number of smaller leftover pieces that I had on hand.
5. 5 mm precision ground stainless steel rod for axles. This will make two 8 mm pieces for handle axles, an 18 mm piece for the rod attachment axle and a 25 mm piece for the back paddle axle.
6. A reasonably stiff 3" long, 1/2" diameter spring. You can use a spring with a smaller diameter and different length, but you'll have to adjust the hole diameter of the spring stop and possibly the stop location. Don't use a bigger diameter spring, as the back piece that has a hole for the spring is too small to accommodate a larger hole.
7. M3 screws: 2x6 mm, 3x8 mm, 2x10 mm, 1x12 mm, 4x20 mm, 4x30 mm, 6x45 mm
8. M3 locking nut, 5 M3 washers, 2 M4 washers
9. 3D printer filament for handle, base and cover. I used PLA, but almost any filament will work.

Tools:

1. Drill press
2. 5 mm reamer drill bit (fence only).
3. M4 tap
4. M3 tap and die (sled and fence)
5. Countersink drill bit for a M4 flathead screw that can drill both steel and aluminum
6. Dremmel tool and handheld grinder come handy, as does a sander.
7. 3D printer for the fence handle and cover (optional, these can be made by hand)

Step 1: Make the Bandsaw Stand

We first make the adapter. The drawings show where the mounting holes are to make the adapter square with the blade on my saw, but it might be better if you follow the procedure here to determine the angle, since I don't know if the angle is the same from saw to saw.

Drill the mount holes in the template metal bar, 20 mm apart, at right angle to the bar. These are M4 clearance holes, I used a 11/64" drill bit (marked 4.36 mm in the drawings). Countersink the holes so the mounting screws are flush. Mount the bar onto the saw using the mounting screws from the saw and clamp a triangle to it so it shows a direction 90 degree to the blade close to the back edge of the bar. Scribe this line.

Remove 40 mm of what will be the vertical rib of the mount adapter angle iron. Put the template bar on the top of the adapter, so that the left edge is where you want the mounting holes to be. Align the scribed line on the template with the back edge of the angle iron and scribe the line at the left edge of the template. It's not a bad idea to move the template over the newly scribed line to check if the alignment is good. Mark the mounting holes on the line.

Drill the mounting holes. These are again M4 clearance holes. Countersink the holes, since the plate will go flush on top of the adapter. Mount the adapter and check for alignment. We're not looking for extraordinary precision here - the goal is to get everything aligned enough that we can use the edge of the plate as a guide.

Check how far to the right you have to go so that the holes are accessible with a screwdriver. Drill two holes 20 mm apart, at 90 degrees to the back edge. These should be sized to tap M4 thread - I used a 1/8" drill bit. Tap the M4 screw threads.

Cut out a 76x50 mm piece on what will be the left back corner of the mounting plate. You won't be able to use the bandsaw, but the cuts don't have to be precise. I used a table saw. Mark the position of the blade slot and cut it using the bandsaw. Install the adapter, slide the plate in place, make sure it's properly aligned to the blade and clamp it to the adapter. Turn the saw over and mark the mounting holes through the M4 holes in the adapter.

Drill the holes and countersink from the top. Mount the plate using two M4 flathead screws and check alignment. If you don't want screws to show on the top of the plate, you might choose to screw the plate in from below. In that case, don't cut the screw threads into the adapter. Once you mark the location on the plate, use a 1/8" drill bit and drill most of the way, but not completely through, the plate. Tap the M4 threads in the plate and widen the mounting holes in the adapter to M4 clearance diameter. There is no need to countersink the holes, but you do have to cut the screws to length. You can now screw the plate in from below. I don't think this is worth the trouble but, in fairness, it only occurred to me after the stand was done.

Drill the holes in the mounting bracket angle iron - see where they are marked on the plate in drawings. Pictures show the vertical rib being on the front side of the holes, but if you decide to make the fence, the rib needs to go on the blade saw side of the holes - otherwise the plate sits too far back on the vise and the vise interferes with the fence handle. Make sure the mounting bracket clears the saw blade.

You again face the choice of the mounting screw direction. Assuming you access the screws from above, like I do, drill and tap holes for M4 threads in the angle iron. Transfer the hole locations to the plate, drill and countersink M4 clearance holes.

If you plan to make the crosscut sled, take a moment to sand the edges of your metal plate. Rough-cut plates are exactly that and the sled won't slide on the rough saw marks.

Mount the bracket onto the plate using M4 flathead screws. Cut the two screws on the right side (looking from above) flush with the bracket so the bracket can sit flush with the vise. Mount the plate onto the adapter.

If you decide to screw the bracket in from below, don't tap the threads in the bracket. Mark and drill the holes in the plate using 1/8" drill most of the way through and tap the M4 threads. Two right holes in the bracket (looking from above) must be countersunk so the screw heads don't interfere with the vise. Use two regular and two flathead M4 screws and cut them to size. Since the mounting bracket is rarely or never removed, mounting from below might make sense but, again, it occurred to me only after the stand was all done.

Put the saw into the vise where you plan to use it. The adapter back rib likely prevents the mounting bracket from sitting flush with the vise. Mark the interfering part and remove it. It would have been simpler to use bar stock instead of the angle iron for the adapter, but we need every bit of rigidity we can get. I also threaded two M4 mounting holes in the remaining vertical piece, since I might at some point add a hinge mount.

The mount is now done.

Step 2: Make the Crosscut Sled

To make the crosscut sled, cut the 245 mm main piece and the 100 mm right hand piece. The left hand piece should be cut a little longer - we'll cut it to size later. Cut the vertical rib of the right hand piece to 8 mm so it doesn't interfere with the vise.

Drill the holes as indicated. Holes in the sled body need to be M3 clearance holes (I use 1/8" throughout), holes in the rails need to be M3 thread size - I used a 3/32" drill bit. Tap the M3 threads. You might make the clearance holes in the right rail one step larger, since your plate edge may not be completely straight and you may have to adjust the rails.

Assemble the sled and push it as far in as it will go. The left rail will impact the saw body before the sled hits the blade. Measure the distance from the blade to the sled. We want the blade to go a little past the vertical rib of the sled, so remove a little more from the left rail than the measured distance.

Assemble the sled again. Make really sure that the left rail is orthogonal to the sled body and tighten the screws. Then adjust the right rail until the sled slides smoothly, but without slop. The first time you push the sled in with the saw running, it will cut a slot in the sled wall, but not much further and the sled will remain rigid.

The sled is now ready to use.

Step 3: Make the Fence Front Lock

I adapted the fence mechanism from my table saw fence. It relies on two front hooks engaging with the plate and a moving back paddle that can be closed to lock onto the plate. The mechanism has the front lock assembly with the handle and the back lock assembly holding the paddle. The assemblies are connected by a rod. The spring between the paddle and the spring stop returns the paddle to the open position once the handle is released.

The front lock, described in this step, has five main parts. There are two outer fixed parts attaching the lock to the fence body. These parts overhang the fence body in front to provide space for rotating handle and space to attach the hooks.

Between the fixed parts go two rotating handle plates with the rod attachment in between. The mechanism has two axles. One axle is for rotating the handle, the other for attaching the rod. The attachment axle is above and to the front (handle side is the front side) of the handle axle. When the handle is up, the rod is pushed back and the paddle is released. As the handle is pushed down, the rod is pulled in and the paddle locks to the plate in the back. The handle goes until the attachment axle is slightly beyond the furthest point, so the pull from the rod locks the handle in place. There is enough elasticity in the system to make this work.

The handle axle can't be in one piece, since it would interfere with the rod attachment. We instead have two short pieces, each connecting moving and fixed parts on either side. With time and movement axles are prone to sliding out of their places. The attachment axle is held in place by two fixed parts. To hold the handle axle pieces in place, axles don't go all the way through each side and so can't slide out.

Start by cutting the rod and threading M3 threads on both sides. You should cut the rod a little long and have perhaps 5mm extra thread on what will be the back side to make sure it's long enough. It can be easily cut to size at the end.

Cut the two 8mm and one 18 mm pieces from the 5 mm rod for the three axles. Make the fence body by cutting the aluminum angle to size. You can use this body, or another piece, as a temporary fence by clamping it to the plate.

Make the fixed pieces by cutting two 1/2" thick (12.7 mm) slices from your 1"x2" stock. Cut out a 33 mm piece to make space for the handle assembly. This inner cut should be reasonably flat and smooth, since the handle needs to slide across. I used my "mock mill" drill press to smooth it out, but you can sand it as well.

Axle holes are the only place where precision is needed - holes in the handle, fixed pieces and rod attachment have to be in the same direction and the holes in the fixed parts have to be in the same location, otherwise the handle won't turn smoothly, or at all!

If you are skilled enough machinist with good equipment, you can measure the locations and drill the holes accurately. I took a safer route and drilled holes in pairs. Mark the axle spot on one of the pieces and put the pieces back to back in a vise on a drill press. Drill a 1/8" or similar hole through both pieces. This helps the alignment, but the hole is also handy to eliminate chips while drilling 5 mm axle holes part way through each piece.

Make the axle holes in each piece. From the inner side, drill slightly undersized hole - I used a 3/16" (4.76 mm) drill bit. Drill 5 mm deep, leaving 2 mm lip on the other side. Ream the hole to size using the 5 mm reamer bit. If you don't have a reamer bit, drill the hole using either a 5 mm or a 13/16" regular bit. Since regular drill bits cut slightly oversize, axle will fit such a hole, but the handle might be wobbly to some extent due to loose fit.

Decide which piece goes on which side. Drill 10 mm deep 3/32" hook attachment holes on the bottom and tap M3 threads 8 mm or so deep. Drill the two attachment screw holes. These are M3 clearance holes, 1/8". Fixed pieces of the front assembly are now done.

Cut two 6 mm thick pieces from your 1"x2" bar for the handle pieces. Again, make sure that the cut surfaces are reasonably smooth. Mark the locations of both axles on one piece and clamp both pieces in the drill press. Again, drill the handle axle hole using 1/8" drill bit. Drill the 3/16" hole for the attachment axle and ream it to 5 mm. Drill the two handle attachment holes using a 3/32" drill bit, since the right handle will have an M3 thread there.

Decide which piece will go to the left and which to the right and enlarge axle holes to 5 mm diameter reamed holes, 4 mm deep, for the axle pieces. Round the back part into a rough semicircle and cut out the front handle pieces. It helps to use the rod axle to hold both handle pieces together during operations, though it's not crucial that the final shapes match perfectly.

Make the rod attachment piece, drill and ream 5 mm axle hole and drill and tap a M3 hole to accept the rod. You can now put the handle together and make sure everything aligns nicely and the handle can turn.

Make the remaining handle piece. Drill and tap the M3 hole that will be used to attach the 3D printed handle. Drill two M3 clearance holes to line up with the holes in two handle pieces. Widen the corresponding holes in the left handle to clearance size. Tap M3 threads in the holes of the right handle.

Make the hooks by cutting the two pieces out of the steel bar, drilling M3 clearance holes as indicated and bending them as shown - hooks didn't fit on this drawing, so they are on the drawing in the next step. Holes are offset to make sure the hooks don't protrude inwards and interfere with the handle. You might have to re-drill the holes after bending to make sure the screws fit. Attach the hooks using M3 10 mm screws.

It remains to attach the handle to the fence body. Clamp the right fixed piece in position and drill through the mounting holes to the base using a 3/32" drill bit. Tap M3 threads in both holes. Attach the piece to the base using two 30 mm screws and two M3 washers. Washers are needed because the screws are otherwise a smidge too long and the fence bottom needs to be smooth.

Assemble the handle, using 20 mm screws to connect the three handle pieces and clamp the left fixed piece in place. Make sure that the handle moves freely but without slop. Drill one of the attachment holes through the hole in the fixed piece using a 3/32" drill bit. Remove the handle, tap the M3 thread in the hole and reassemble the handle. Attach the fixed piece via another 30 mm screw with washer. Take a moment to make sure everything moves smoothly, then drill remaining hole. Tap the M3 thread and screw in the remaining 30 mm screw with a washer.

The front lock is now complete.

Step 4: Finish the Fence Mechanism

The back mechanism has two parts, connected by a 5 mm axle. On the right side, axle is retained by the fence body wall. On the left side, the axle goes all the way through the fixed piece, since the moving piece has to be removable to access the mounting screws. We have an extra retaining screw to keep the axle from sliding out.

Start by making the fixed piece as shown on the drawing. Before cutting it to final shape, drill the hole for the spring. I used a 9/16" drill bit with a 1/2" shank so it fits into my drill press. Low RPM, copious WD40 as cutting fluid and patience are keys! And drill a succession of ever-increasing holes until you get to where the spring fits loosely through the hole.

Two vertical holes are M3 clearance holes, while the retaining hole is a M3 threaded hole. I threaded this for a 8 mm screw, but pretty much any length will be fine. As for the other axles, the hole for the axle should be reamed to 5 mm.

Make the moving paddle mount. It has a sloping back side with two M3 holes for attaching the paddle. They should have at least 6 mm of thread, but don't drill the right hole too deep, or it might drill into the axle hole. The axle hole should be reamed to 5 mm.

Drill two 3/32" mounting holes in the fence body as shown in the drawing. Tap M3 threads in both. Cut a 25 mm piece of the 5 mm rod for the axle. Attach the fixed piece to the fence body using M3 20 mm screws and attach the moving piece via the axle.

Make the paddle. Cut the paddle piece from the steel bar and make mounting hole and the slot for the rod. Mounting holes are M3 clearance holes, while the slot is wide enough for the rod. It's OK to make the slot longer than shown in the drawing, it will make the assembly easier.

Bend the paddle slightly in two places. First bend is at the bottom edge of the paddle mount to make the paddle more vertical. The second bend is below the fence so the paddle curves forward and grips the plate securely. Mount the paddle onto the paddle mount. Screw in the M3 8 mm axle retainer screw with a M4 washer.

Make the spring stop. Make sure that the hole for the rod is narrower then the spring you are using, but it needs to be larger then the rod diameter to account for the rod vertical movement as the lock is opened and closed. I marked the attachment holes for the spring stop on the fence body, but it might be safer to determine the location based on your spring.

Pull the rod through the paddle from behind and through the back lock mechanism. Thread on the spring and the spring stop, then thread the rod into the rod attachment piece of the front lock. You can now press the paddle with one hand and hold the spring stop with the other hand to see what is a good position for the stop. Drill and tap the two M3 mount holes. Attach the stop using M3 6 mm screws.

You'll notice that the rod goes aslant across the fence, since the middle of the paddle is not at the center of the body, like the front attachment. This makes no difference to the function and makes the construction of the back part simpler.

You'll also notice that in the pictures the paddle protrudes above the paddle mount. This is wrong, since the paddle interferes with the fence cover. The drawings show a paddle that doesn't protrude.

We are now ready for the final operations.

Step 5: Fence, Final Assembly

We still need a more comfortable handle and a dust cover. Bandsaw produces plentiful chips, so having a cover protects the mechanism. I printed both using PLA from the attached STL files. I also printed a base for the cover to make sure the mounting holes are in the right place and to guide the screws at assembly time.

If you don't have a 3D printer, handle can be made from wood and cover from thin sheet metal.

Once the parts are printed, clamp the base so the right edge abuts the vertical wall and the front abuts the front lock. The base back side has a shallow cutout for the spring. Drill the 3/32" mounting holes and tap M3 threads. Remove the spring before assembly, since it will interfere with the screws. You should also remove the paddle.

Fix the base in place with a dab of fast-setting glue. It helps to thread a screw through a mounting hole from below through a hole in the base to assure alignment. Attach the cover using 45 mm M3 screws.

Slide the spring back onto the rod and paddle after the spring. Press the paddle with your hand and attach it to the paddle mount with screws. Put a M4 washer, then a M3 washer over the rod and loosely screw on the M3 lock nut. This needs to be done carefully, mild steel rods are not really built for such abuse and bend easily.

Put the fence in place on the saw and gradually tighten the nut until, when the handle is down, the fence is fixed, but not too much force needs to be applied to open and close the lock. You'll probably have to hold the rod with pliers so it doesn't turn.

Cut off any excess rod.

Slide the printed handle onto the handle mechanism, screw hole on the bottom side, until the hole aligns with the M3 hole in the mechanism. Secure with te M3 12 mm screw.

I found that there seems to be a fair amount of force on the front hooks - the screws kept coming loose. I finally fixed them in place with Loctite 603 retaining compound, but I suspect glue would work as well.

The fence is now done.

Step 6: Final Thoughts

I've been using the bandsaw for a while and found it all very useful. I can, with patience and plentiful WD40, cut through 1" thick aluminum stock. Using Rapid Tap cutting fluid, I've also cut through 1" steel bar. It goes slowly and I wonder how long the little bandsaw will last with such use, but so far it works fine.

I find that chips accumulate below the mounting plate at the saw blade, especially if I use cutting fluid. Make sure you clean that spot carefully, it will help your saw blades last longer. On a related matter, my blades now last longer than when I was cutting freehand - the apparently blades don't like even small twists on a prolonged basis!

I can get reasonably precise cuts. Bandsaw is not meant to be a precision device, but the more precise the cut, the less machining needs to be done to finish whatever you're making. Since I rarely do precision work, the cuts are mostly fine for what I need with little deburring.

While the stand is rock-solid, the saw itself is pretty flexy and prone to moving while on, especially if the blade is not cutting.

This was a fair amount of work (the front lock design went through several iterations), but worth it, since I can now cut more easily and get better results. If you decide to make this project, I hope you have fun and also find the results useful!