Attacking the 4x6 bandsaw

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RodW:

--- Quote from: vtsteam on May 14, 2013, 05:53:25 PM ---And here is the final mod -- a couple of holes in the base to fit studs for using milling clamps -- they were drilled and tapped 3/8-16.

I like this a lot, and think I will add some more holes further away from the blade to give a lot of clamping positions.

--- End quote ---

Who needs anything else when you have done this mod? Great Idea!
I might add that my vice was too big to fit in the vice jaws and it was looking for a purpose in life. Sounds like my mounting method fixed a problem I did not know about (the back edge lifting).

RodW:
I thought I'd give a bit of an update on this topic. Just when I thought I had my bandsaw cutting accurately, I found it was way off when I wanted to cut down steel for my lathe stand. :doh:

Anyway, it took a while to sort out

Here were my learnings from this experience which took about an hour or so before I could get going

1. If the blade is not perfectly perpendicular to the work, it will wander off course.
2. Observe the blade from directly above while cutting. If it seems to be wandering from side to side, add more weight to the cut. This might be caused by a slight kink in the blade but I did not investigate.
3. Holding a steel ruler in the guides to set the blade is a good idea. It gets you close but not close enough. Make sure you check both ends for squareness.
4. The guide at the driven (motor) end is the most critical to straight cuts. I did not touch the other guide after the ruller setting
5. Reduce blade tension before adjusting guide angle so you are not fighting the spring from the blade
6. Realign the back guide to the blade with a set square after adjusting the guide angle as it will affect the angle.

Then I could get on with the job.

I was surprised how long it took to cut this down but it was worth it in the end to have square cuts. Still need to weld this up.

PekkaNF:
I'm having a trouble with my trusty old (something like 18years) cheap bandsaw. It has been maintained and not much modified. It used to cut very square.

Last weekend I noticed that it is cutting 2-3 mm skew on 30*80 mm hot rolled slab. Ok, I though that I had too small pitch blade and I changed I changed more coarse blade. Same results.

I wiggled the saw, it was pretty solid, the pivot axle has been refitted and trued. Actually the axle was replaced, but alignment was checked.

Then I checked that the blade is straight and tracks nicely try square that is on the vice. It does track.

Odd. I thought.

Then I had a look on wheels....well the idler wheel (non driven) looked othervise fine, but the blade was sitting few mm too deep. :doh:

The upper wheel has been rolling the blade set on the inner side, no wonder cut wanders outside :doh: :doh: :doh:

Very deliberatly I took biggest file I had, eyesighted the correct angle and run the bandsaw. I enlarged the chamfer slightly.

The upper wheel is loose fit on axle.

1) How much play/missaligment is alowable for the upper wheel?

2) How you have been fixing the upper wheel play. Looks like boring the wheel boss and fabricating oversize steel shaft would be the answer.

Thank you VT and LEW! I remembered this thread, just took a little searching to find.

Pekka

vtsteam:
Thank you too, Pekka!

I actually forgot I had put tapped clamping holes in the saw table -- I could have used those a month ago on some tricky stuff -- reverted to a hacksaw instead. Ahhh age....:doh:

RodW:
Since I posted above, I wore my bandsaw out! The motor went and the gear box was worn out too so it was not worth repairing. I upgraded to a Tiawanese saw which turns the whole saw assembly to do mitre cuts. It has cut dead straight from the very first day. I will say the old one did a lot of work! I used to cut down 8 metre lengths of 50mm SHS down into 55mm long pieces. I made up a stand on wheels for it. Had to make it low enough to squeeze in under my mill table.

The stand it came with was quite nice too but I needed it to be in wheels. This is a class above the 4x6" and weighs twice as much.

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