Bandsaw Tuneup Questions

[Ken Casser]

Just bought a Delta 28-203, sixteen years old, all in all in pretty good condition. It has the riser block installed. It's missing a couple of washers here and there, but I think I can get around that. I've read all the articles I could and searched all the posts, but still need help. Here are my current questions:

1) The blade is difficult to mount on the wheels. It seems very tight, even though I have the tension adjustment fully loose. The blade is a 1/2" 105" blade, so it should work fine. I really have to work it to get it on the tires. Is this normal? What could be hanging it up? The upper wheel is free and clear and I can move it up and down with no restriction. I don't see where there is any other adjustment that would make this happen. The wheels are not quite co-planar, maybe one or two washer thicknesses need to be added to the top wheel, but I wouldn't think that little bit would cause this problem.

2) The Guide Post is out of alignment in both planes. Per FWW, I lowered it completely and set the rear bearing against the back of the blade, and set the left guide block against the side of the blade. When I raise the guide post all the way up, the guide block is about 0.025 away from the blade, and the bearing is about twice that far from the back of the blade. According to FWW, there's nothing I can do about this because the frame is cast iron. Is that true? I thought I might be able to shim the upper frame on the riser block. Or should I just leave it and reset everything whenever I change the height of the guide? Are there any other possibilities?

Thank you for your help!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Hi Ken. Sounds like you need a longer blade. It should not be that tight, and forcing it on could damage a tire, or you might inadvertantly bend a blade. As for the guide post, I'd think you could shim, but before you go too far, how does it cut? It may cut far better than you think it should. If not, shim, if so, you saved a bunch of work, twice.

[Paul Demetropoulos]

Bandsaw blades most definitely vary in length, try a different one.

[Michael Wildt]

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tools/power/figuring-bandsaw-blade-length/

Will tell you how to calculate the correct size.

Michael

[Steve Vaughn]

I have a Delta just like that but in white (1998 I believe) and it has the riser block on it. I use 105" blades. With my tension released the blade is very loose. Something doesn't sound right. Was the 105" blade new in the package or do you think that maybe the previous owner put an old stock blade (93.5" I believe) in the package when they actually put a 105" blade on after installing the riser kit? Have you actually measured the blade?

Steve

[Ken Casser]

Good input!

It only came with one blade. I did measure it and it came to 105", but I didn't measure real precisely. I'm going to order some TimberWolves, and that should tell me something. The blade that came with it could have been the original blade. The guy said he never really used the saw that much (original owner). He bought it to make guitars and lost his enthusiasm. I'm not sure he was totally straight with me though, the saw has clearly been gone over a few times. The washers that are missing would not have been lost by someone who took it out of the box and used it for a while. At some point they must have removed the top wheel, and the lower guide carriage. The lower guide block looks like someone tried to fix it with a hammer, and it doesn't slide very well. Carter's are on the way.

My calculation comes to 104.96", so a 105 would be snug. I don't know if that means I should add an inch, but I'll ask Timberwolf when I call.

The saw cuts surprisingly well. I had to loosen the drive belt, it was really tight. And I had to put a key in the main pulley slot - somehow he must have lost that, too, and had been tightening the pully with just the setscrew. It's all bunged up. The pulley wobbles a little, but I think it's okay. I just would prefer to not have to readjust the guides every time I move the guide post, but I guess that's not the end of the world.

While I have your attention, I was going to put new Carter urethane tires on it because the old tires are chewed up a little. Has there been any resolution to the question of tire width? My wheels are 15/16 between shoulders whereas the tires are 7/8". Is this a problem?

[Steve Vaughn]

While I have your attention, I was going to put new Carter urethane tires on it because the old tires are chewed up a little. Has there been any resolution to the question of tire width? My wheels are 15/16 between shoulders whereas the tires are 7/8". Is this a problem?

I just put these on my bandsaw and they work fine.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5838&filter=tires

Steve

[Tony Ward]

At this page you will find a wealth of information to assist ~ Bandsaws and Blades information sites (http://www.tonyward.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=3&id=38&Itemid=90)

[Ken Casser]

Terrific - thank you. I have more study to do!

[Lee Schierer]

I have a Delta bandsaw and have four blades for it. All of them except the 1/2" blade are loose when I put them on. I suspect that the blade is a little shorter than it should be. Most likely the previous owner had similar problems getting the blade on and took things apart without really knowing what the problem was.

My under table guide roller assembly was loose when I purchased the saw new. After having a screw come loose several times, I finally lookd to figure out why I was having problems. If I tightened the screws, the roller would bind against the casting. I discovered there was an interference fit between the lower guide roller and the slide housing casting. I had a friend mill off a tiny bit of the casting and now everything works fine.

Note that shimming your upper arm to get the upper guide properly aligned will change your wheel spacing and may change your blade length. If you shim the upper arm casting you will need to realign the upper wheel with the lower one, which may not have been done in the first place when the riser was installed. If you take the saw apart, have the riser checked to see if the top and bottom machined surfaces are parallel to each other. If not get the riser fixed and you won't need shims. Milling the top surface parallel should take less than an hour by a good machinist.

[Ken Casser]

Thank you, Lee. Two (more) questions -

First, what is the distance between centers supposed to be? Mine is 30 1/2", and when I do the math, I come up with a minimum blade length of 104.9824 (my wheels are 14"). When measuring blades, I measure the outside dimension, which makes me think that a 105" blade is too short after allowing for the thickness of the blade. (I am going to remeasure the blade tonight)

Second, how do I get the riser block off? I don't know if I have a wrench big enough to fit the nut, and if I did have one, I'm not sure it would fit inside that housing. You're probably right, though, my problems may very well be caused by the riser block. I would like to check it out. Do you know what size wrench I would need - maybe I could borrow one from the body shop across the street.

[Lee Schierer]

Thank you, Lee. Two (more) questions -

First, what is the distance between centers supposed to be? Mine is 30 1/2", and when I do the math, I come up with a minimum blade length of 104.9824 (my wheels are 14"). When measuring blades, I measure the outside dimension, which makes me think that a 105" blade is too short after allowing for the thickness of the blade. (I am going to remeasure the blade tonight)

Second, how do I get the riser block off? I don't know if I have a wrench big enough to fit the nut, and if I did have one, I'm not sure it would fit inside that housing. You're probably right, though, my problems may very well be caused by the riser block. I would like to check it out. Do you know what size wrench I would need - maybe I could borrow one from the body shop across the street.

I'm at work so I can't measure my saw and I don't have a riser installed in mine.

[Ken Casser]

Thanks, anyway! Anyone else able to measure the distance between centers and advise me on how to loosen the riser block bolt?:D

[Ken Casser]

I've done some more searching, and found what may be an answer. The tracking hinge might be hanging up in its recess in the cover. I know it hits at the bottom, and that might be what is preventing the upper wheel from sliding all the way downwards.

Here's another question - The Delta exploded parts list shows a 'special washer' right under the hex nut that holds the upper wheel in place, and another 'special washer' behind the wheel. At ereplacementparts.com, their diagram does not show the washer under the nut. Do I need it or not? My saw came without one so I ordered one this morning plus a couple to use as spacers. Now I'm not sure I need it. Does yours (anybody) have a washer or not?

[Lee Schierer]

Thank you, Lee. Two (more) questions -

First, what is the distance between centers supposed to be? Mine is 30 1/2", and when I do the math, I come up with a minimum blade length of 104.9824 (my wheels are 14"). When measuring blades, I measure the outside dimension, which makes me think that a 105" blade is too short after allowing for the thickness of the blade. (I am going to remeasure the blade tonight)

My saw doesn't have a riser block and the wheel centers are 24-1/2" apart when fully relaxed. My wheels measure 13-7/8 + a bit for the crown on the tires.

[Alan Schwabacher]

Don't take the riser block off unless you have to. The tension adjustment sounds like the problem, and it may have been bent from excessive tension. If you can find an Iturra catalog, he describes this apparently common problem and he sells replacement parts. It can take a long time to get a catalog, but if you call him up and talk to him, you can get expert advice and order the parts you need without a catalog.

The major problem with Iturra is that he has no website, so you need to call (Iturra Design, 1-888-722-7078). But I think his 800 number may have been discontinued recently, from what I read on some forum. (904) 642-2802 should work.

[Phil Thien]

You can count the teeth on your current blade. Divide by the count by the TPI and you can a very precise measurement of the current blade.

[Quesne Ouaques]

Second, how do I get the riser block off? I don't know if I have a wrench big enough to fit the nut, and if I did have one, I'm not sure it would fit inside that housing.

Hi Ken:

FWIW, I have an older Grizzly saw with the riser block. The installation nut is recessed in a housing, like you describe. When I was installing the riser, I discovered that one of the sockets that came with my Craftsman "Mechanic's Tool Set" (metric and US) was just large enough to fit the nut.

I doubt that your current problem will require you to remove or adjust the riser. For future reference, however, I thought I'd let you know that the socket is not hard to find. You can probably even borrow it from someone on the Creek (like me).

[Ken Casser]

Thank you, everyone!

I don't think I'll remove the riser per your suggestions. It ain't broke, so... I'll look more carefully to see if something in there is bent, but I'm not sure what that might be. It's possible that there was too much tension, I know the belt to the motor was strapped much too tight. I'll give Iturra a call to see what guidance he can give me, and will at least order a new blade from him to get a catalog rolling.

Q - Thank you for the offer! I'm going to sit tight for the moment. By cutting out part of the back cover, it does now work fine. BTW, thanks to Amy at Suffolk Machinery who insisted that 105 was the right size, I didn't order a longer blade, but looked further to learn why the blade was tight.

Phil, that's a good method, if I could count that high :D

[Ken Casser]

Alan - you hit it on the nose! I just spoke with Mr. Iturra, and he very quickly illustrated the problem and gave me the solution. I bought his 'new and improved' tracking hinge which should solve several problems. The interesting thing is that he tells me it also comes with a shim kit which will enable me to position it so that the guide bar will be exactly parallel to the blade throughout its length, which is another minor problem with this saw. It will be nice to have everything worked out. :):)