Dave,
If I were you I would steer clear of a saw like this for the kind of material you want to cut. A 3.5 amp motor would take you all day to cut something 1/4". I'm not sure but you may not be able to get metal cutting blades for it anyway. We have a HF here and I have looked at this particular saw. IMO is is of pretty low quality.

I would check out the Jet HVBS-56M. It has horizontal/vertical capability, 3 metal cutting speeds, a screw vice to hold the material between 90 and 45 deg, a 5" X 6" cutting capacity, and is built pretty solid (the new version anyway). The motor is 115v but can be wired for 230v and draws 9 or 4.5 amps respctively. Stay away from the older version of this saw, you'll know it by the 2 piece sheet metal leg assembly (not very stable). The newer saw has 4 legs out of 14ga. material (much more solid). It is around $250 but you will be infinitley more happy with a saw like this IMHO.

I've had mine for 6 mo. now and with a good bi-metal blade it will cut thru everything that I have asked of it (steel, Al, brass, rebar, etc.). It cut square right out of the box and has ever since.

Check out Jet's website for other specs.

Hope it helps!

Best regards,

Kevin

Ahhhhhh!!!! Take the 120 plus dollars and just burn it!! you would be better off looking for something used. I don't know what your budget is, or your space constraints, but look elsewhere. But, be careful, as a machinery repairman I can tell you that band saws are often the most neglected machines in the shop, and parts can be expensive. But I guarantee you will wind up throwing that one out of a window if you try to cut 1/4".

good Luck,
Boring

Concentrate on buying a good welder before you try pricing anything else.

Thanks for the replys, folks!

Would this type (not necessarily this brand) be a better choice?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37151

Regards,
Dave