Mark Grogan
02-16-2009, 7:17 AM
Not long ago, i bought a used 12-inch craftsman band saw. Looking up the model number (102.01121), I wasn't able to find much - but it appears that the machine is from around 1938.
For its age the saw seems to be in pretty good shape. The main problems that I am having are blade tracking and vibration. First the tracking problem. I've checked and think that the wheels are pretty much coplanar, so I guess the problem here could be wheels out of round, old tires or tension. The tires look ok, but the band saw did sit in an unheated workshop for I think at least five years, so maybe the rubber has seen better days. Also, the tension seems rather low. I imagine that the assembly could use a new spring - but I don't know if the commonly available one for 14" machines will fit it.
So, is the standard spring likely to fit? Also, from the given information - I hope the tracking problem is just with the tires - does that sound right to anyone else?
Now the vibration issue. When the the bandsaw is running, the motor actually bounces around quite a bit. When I remove the drive belt, the motor seems ok. From this, I think that the problem is either with the drive belt or the pulleys. Unfortunately I don't know how to check either for faults. Any suggestions?
Thanks.
For its age the saw seems to be in pretty good shape. The main problems that I am having are blade tracking and vibration. First the tracking problem. I've checked and think that the wheels are pretty much coplanar, so I guess the problem here could be wheels out of round, old tires or tension. The tires look ok, but the band saw did sit in an unheated workshop for I think at least five years, so maybe the rubber has seen better days. Also, the tension seems rather low. I imagine that the assembly could use a new spring - but I don't know if the commonly available one for 14" machines will fit it.
So, is the standard spring likely to fit? Also, from the given information - I hope the tracking problem is just with the tires - does that sound right to anyone else?
Now the vibration issue. When the the bandsaw is running, the motor actually bounces around quite a bit. When I remove the drive belt, the motor seems ok. From this, I think that the problem is either with the drive belt or the pulleys. Unfortunately I don't know how to check either for faults. Any suggestions?
Thanks.