Band saw for meat and bones: types, design features, review of the most popular models

What it is?

The devices belong to auxiliary equipment that is widely used in industrial production, catering and retail establishments.
Mechanical saws consist of 4 main elements:

1. Countertops.
2. Limiter.
3. Pusher.
4. Cutting saw.

The design of most saw models is based on the same operating principle. Meat blocks are cut without crushing bones. This prevents their small fragments from getting into the pulp of the processed product. All types of mechanical saws give an even cut. It does not spoil the presentation of the product and affects the length of its shelf life.

Neatly cut pieces of meat look attractive to buyers.

Band saw device for cutting meat and bones.

Principle of operation

With the help of limiters, the thickness of cutting pieces of meat is regulated. The raw material, placed in a tray installed on the tabletop, is fed by a pusher onto the saw blade, which is closed by means of 2 rollers.

During operation, it moves perpendicular to the bed. The cut pieces fall on the tabletop in different directions.

At the end of the operation, the pieces are sorted. Waste is separated from them.

Homemade jigsaw-heat cutter

A jigsaw is a very common tool. However, when working with it you have to face certain difficulties: the file either breaks or jumps out of the clamps; when cutting along a curved contour, it often twists, which makes it difficult to maintain the required direction. Much more convenient is a homemade electric thermal jigsaw, which allows you to cut parts of any shape, both from plywood (wood) and from organic glass, ebonite and other flammable or melting materials. Although it also has some disadvantages.

Kinds

Saws produced by manufacturers have different classifications.

According to their purpose, they are divided into 2 types:

1. Entry level . Used to equip meat processing plants. The devices are not designed for long-term operation. The body of this type of equipment is made of anodized aluminum.
2. Highly qualified . Designed for catering establishments and meat processing shops. The equipment can work without interruption for 8-10 hours. The equipment body is made of stainless steel.

Based on the type of cutting blade, saws are divided into 2 main types:

• Tape.

• Disk.

The saws are driven by electric motors. According to the installation method, the equipment is divided into floor-mounted and table-top. Each type of device has its own purpose. Circular saws are used for cutting carcasses in a suspended state and on a table. Table saws are compact in size and designed for catering establishments and shops.

Expert opinion

Levin Dmitry Konstantinovich

Floor-standing devices have high performance. They are intended for industrial production that processes large volumes of meat.

Design features, pros and cons

Band saws and circular saws have their advantages and disadvantages. It is difficult to determine which is better. Circular saws are available in manual and stationary versions. The simplest manual design consists of a disk-shaped knife, a housing and an electric motor. Such devices are designed for cutting small volumes of raw materials. Stationary equipment is used for cutting large carcasses.

The advantages of circular saws include:

• Possibility of cutting meat in any position.
• Ease of use.
• Low cost.
• Long service life.
• Easy to maintain.

The disadvantages of circular saws include:

• High degree of heating of the cutting edge.
• A large percentage of waste when cutting raw materials.

The size of the discs for cutting meat is selected depending on its type.

Have you ever worked with a band saw for meat and bones?

It happened! It didn’t happen

The main disadvantage of band saws is their high cost. The high cost of the equipment is compensated by its advantages.

Among them:

• Low noise level during device operation.
• Long service life.

• Smooth cut.
• Energy efficiency.

Expert opinion

Levin Dmitry Konstantinovich

When cutting bones with band saws, no small fragments are formed.

Preparatory activities

Before starting assembly activities, based on the drawing, you should prepare the necessary materials and tools. This will allow you, first of all, to determine whether you have everything you need for the job (you will need to buy what’s missing), and also not to be distracted by little things during the process.

Required materials and tools

To make a band saw, you will need the following materials and parts:

• boards or sheets of plywood (or chipboard) from which the frame, table, and pulleys will be made;
• sheet steel (for saw);
• channel used to create a support frame, or metal corners, or wooden blocks and slats;
• bearings;
• steel rod - for making pulley axles;
• electric motor;
• self-tapping screws, bolts with nuts and washers;
• polyurethane glue;
• rubber from a bicycle inner tube;
• textolite;
• bushings;
• V-belt;
• varnish or paint.

The recommended thickness of the boards is 20 mm. It is better to give preference to lumber made from durable and hard wood.

To work you will need the following tools:

• screwdriver (with drills);
• hammer;
• wrenches (the size of bolts);
• screwdrivers;
• pliers;
• Sander;
• Bulgarian;
• grinder;
• jigsaw

Power tools can be easily replaced with their hand-held counterparts. But in this case, assembly will require more time and labor. When using metal corners or channels instead of wooden blocks, you will also need a welding machine and electrodes. The use of bolted connections creates additional problems with the tight fit of parts.

Recommendations for choosing tape fabric

Making a cutting blade with your own hands is quite difficult. For these purposes, tool steel grades U8 or U10 are needed. The saw must be flexible. Its thickness for relatively soft wood is from 0.2 to 0.4 mm, and for hard wood - from 0.4 to 0.8 mm. The blade length of the assembled version of the machine will be about 1.7 m. You will need to cut the teeth yourself, set them correctly and sharpen them. To solder the tape into a continuous ring (end-to-end), you will need to use a gas torch and solder. The connecting seam must be sanded afterwards.

It is much easier and more convenient to purchase a ready-made cutting blade of good quality in a store, so as not to waste time on its manufacture . The width of the products ranges from 18 to 88 mm. In this case, you need to focus on the material that is to be sawed. Manufacturers offer the following types of saws according to this criterion:

• bimetallic, intended for performing work on metal (stainless steel and relatively strong alloys);
• diamond, with which you can saw marble, quartz, granite and other hard materials;
• carbide, allowing the processing of high-strength alloys;
• made from strips of tool steel used for sawing wood.

The last variety is quite often equipped with machines assembled in domestic conditions. This is due to its affordability and practicality. But if you have to work with hard materials, then it is better to purchase a more durable, wear-resistant and expensive saw to reduce the likelihood of the tape breaking to a minimum.

If you plan to make a figured cut using a band saw, then you need to select the width of the blade taking into account the radius of curvature. Some relationships between these quantities are shown in the following photograph.

Advice! For even longitudinal sawing of lumber, wide cutting blades should be used. They allow you to make a more even cut.

When choosing a saw for wood, you also need to take into account the pitch of its teeth (the distance between their centers). The hardness of the wood that can be sawed depends on this. The following are the most common tooth profiles, their markings and areas of application.

You also need to pay attention to the quality of sharpening of the teeth. The cutting edge must be sharp and smooth. You should also ask your sales consultant about the possibility of re-sharpening it and how many times this can be done. For your own safety, it is recommended to give preference to higher quality canvases.

Important! For installation on the machine, it is better to choose universal saws suitable for processing wood of different hardnesses. This will make it possible to change such blades much less frequently when replacing the material being processed.

Top 10 models of saws for cutting meat and bones

The line of popular equipment models includes devices costing from 30 thousand rubles, with varying power and performance.

FIMAR SE/1550 380B

Table type band saw. The equipment is produced by the Italian company FIMAR, specializing in the production of professional equipment for catering establishments and shops. The products are sold in various countries around the world and are very popular.

The FIMAR SE/1550 380B model is equipped with an emergency stop button and an engine brake. The pieces coming out from under the saw have a smooth cut. The painted saw body is made of anodized aluminum, and the saw guides and meat pusher are made of stainless steel. Work surfaces are washable.

• Advantages of the FIMAR SE/1550 380B model : compactness, stylish appearance, increased safety, high-quality meat cutting, ease of installation and maintenance.

• The disadvantage of the models imported to Russia is the absence of an emergency stop button.

The cost of the saw starts from 79 thousand rubles. Manufacturer's warranty 12 months.

Foodatlas JG 210

The meat table saw is manufactured in China. This is an inexpensive, reliable meat cutting machine designed for shops and catering establishments. The equipment body is made of stainless steel. The equipment set includes a push-button control panel and 2 canvases.

Meat is fed for cutting manually using pushers. The desktop is motionless. Access for washing to its working surface is not limited in any way.

• Advantages of the Foodatlas JG 210 model : low price, ease of maintenance.

• Disadvantages : one speed operating mode, manual feeding of meat for cutting, fixed cutting table.

The cost of the product starts from 36 thousand rubles. Manufacturer's warranty – 6 months.

PLM 240

The model is produced by Belarusian. It is a leader in mechanical engineering in the CIS countries. The PLM 240 saw is intended for catering, retail and medium-power processing plants. Equipment productivity – 500 kg/hour.

The saw body is made of stainless steel. For leveling on the floor, the equipment is equipped with 4 adjustable supports. To adjust the size of cutting pieces, a ruler with a gradation of 5 mm is installed on the movable table. The equipment set includes a device for cutting the last piece.

A special folding table is designed for cutting chilled meat. All work surfaces are easily accessible for washing. To operate the equipment, a network voltage of 380 W is required.

• Advantages of the PLM 240 model : simplicity of design, reliability in operation, relatively low price.

• Disadvantage : The equipment requires professional installation.

The cost of the model starts from 180 thousand rubles. The manufacturer's warranty period is 1 year.

PLM 160

The model has an external resemblance to the PLM 240, but its dimensions are much smaller. Equipment productivity – 300 kg/hour. PLM 160 is widely used in small meat and fish processing shops. The saw installation method is floor-mounted.

The case is made of stainless steel. It is installed on 4 height-adjustable supports. All working surfaces are available for processing.

• Advantages of the PLM 160 model : reliability and safety in operation, ease of maintenance, long service life.

• Disadvantage : installation of equipment must be done by specialists.

The cost of PLM 160 starts from 81 thousand rubles. The manufacturer's warranty period is 1 year.

KOLBE K800

The equipment is manufactured by the German company Kolbe Foodtec. The model is intended for large processing enterprises. It has 2 versions of desktops: movable and fixed. The case is made of stainless steel. The equipment set includes a special device for portion cutting of meat and fish. The equipment installation method is floor-mounted. The height of the saw is adjusted using anti-vibration feet.

The KOLBE K800 electric motor has thermal protection. The design has 4 emergency stop buttons.

• Advantages of KOLBE K800 : high productivity, ideal cutting quality.

• Disadvantage : the need for regular maintenance.

The manufacturer's warranty period is 1 year.

Kocateq JG 2020

The equipment is manufactured in South Korea by Korean Refrigeration Company Incorporated . The model is intended for processing industries of small and medium capacity. Installation method: floor. The case material is stainless steel.

The Kocateq JG 2021 electric motor is equipped with a protection system. It serves to block its operation in an emergency. The saws installed on the equipment are height adjustable. Push screens are provided to protect workers' hands.

• Advantages of the equipment : safety and reliability of the equipment.

• Disadvantage : Requires professional maintenance.

The cost of Kocateq JG 2021 starts from 116 thousand rubles. Manufacturer's warranty 24 years.

Airhot HLS 1650a

The equipment manufacturer is the Chinese company Airhot. She exports her products to 40 countries. The Airhot HLS 1650a model is designed for slicing meat and fish in catering and retail establishments. The design is easy to assemble and disassemble, which is convenient for cleaning. Installation method: desktop.

• Advantages : affordable price, ease of maintenance and installation.

• Disadvantage : low performance.

The cost of Airhot HLS 1650a starts from 37 thousand rubles. The manufacturer's warranty period is 6 months.

Hurakan HKN SE

The model is produced by the Chinese company Hurakan. It produces a wide range of professional equipment for catering establishments. The saw installation method is tabletop. For safe operation, the equipment is equipped with a pusher with a protective screen. The body is made of anodized aluminum.

• Advantages of Hurakan HKN SE : safety, ease of maintenance.

• Disadvantage : low performance.

The cost of equipment starts from 40 thousand rubles. The manufacturer's warranty period is 6 months.

Fama FSGM 106E

The equipment is manufactured in Italy. The working surface of the table is made of stainless steel. The body is made of anodized aluminum. The design is equipped with a safety switch and has a cutting thickness regulator. Installation method: desktop.

• Advantages of the model : affordable price, simplicity of design, safety of operation.

• Disadvantage : low power.

The cost of Fama FSGM 106E starts from 62 thousand rubles. The manufacturer's warranty period is 12 months.

Fimar 1550

The band saw with a painted body is produced by an Italian manufacturer. The model has a similar design to FIMAR SE/1550 380B. Available in 2 versions: with voltage 220 W and 380 W. The design of the model is equipped with an emergency stop button. The body is made of anodized aluminum.

• Advantages of the model : ease of maintenance, low price.

• Disadvantage : low performance.

The cost of equipment starts from 78 thousand rubles. The manufacturer's warranty period is 1 year.