Bandsaw Problem?

[Devon Shannon]

I'm hoping someone with more experience might help me figure this out. I purchased this 14" Bandsaw new a few months ago, and ever since I've spent many nights trying to figure out whats wrong with it.

Last night I ran the the saw with the doors open and no blade, I found the lower wheel wobbling. Would this explain why the blade tracks in and out on the wheel (just a little), and the blade makes a ticking sound against the thrust bearing when it runs. Also, it cuts like crap.



I made a video last night of the lower wheel running and uploaded it to You tube. The link is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obz-SV_qydY

I'm trying to figure out if my problem is the, lower wheel, a bent drive shaft, or drive shaft bearing?

So far I have:
1. Sanded the tires,
2. Purchased new blades (Timberwolf)
4. shimmed the upper wheel out (attempt to make the wheels co planner)
3. Shipped the tool back to the manufacturer for repair. (they sent it back 2 days later).
4. shimmed the wheel (again)
5.taken off the lower wheel and set it on a flat surface.
6. Removed the belt and turned the wheel by hand on the drive shaft, there is still some wobble. So it's probably not the belt or pulley casting.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, Ive been struggling to figure this out for months.
Thanks,
Devon

[Andrew Nemeth]

It sure looks like a problem to me in the video. Did you measure the runout on the shaft? If you can rule out the shaft, it would be much easier to exchange just the wheel. I'll let others more knowledgable in the subject troubleshoot it for you as I don't want to lead you down the wrong path.

-Andrew

[Devon Shannon]

It sure looks like a problem to me in the video. Did you measure the runout on the shaft? If you can rule out the shaft, it would be much easier to exchange just the wheel. I'll let others more knowledgable in the subject troubleshoot it for you as I don't want to lead you down the wrong path.

-Andrew
I'm not sure how I would measure the runout on the shaft, until I get a dial indicator.
I'm looking to order one tonight, but i'm not sure how much to spend/which one to order.

[Darnell Hagen]

The wobble is probably a bent shaft or axle. I doubt it's the bearings, if it's new. What do you mean by "just a little", in regard to the blade movement? The ticking noise could be a funky blade weld.

You sanded the tires? I hope you didnt remove the crown, or your problems will get worse.

When you put the wheel on the flat surface what did you find?

[Andrew Nemeth]

I ordered a pretty cheap I dial indicator and a magnetic base with adjustable armature off of e-bay. The indicator seems accurate enough for my uses but I make sure to always pack it away in styrofoam when I put it down becuase it seems like a lightweight. The magnetic base with armature is kinda rickedy. All of the hardware at the junctions is plastic and there is a considerable amount of flex and play with it. If I had it to do again I would spend more on the magnetic base. As for checking the shaft without an indicator, if you can see or feel it wobble without the wheel on, is out of true and I would take the whole thing back. However, if it looks and feels smooth it still could be out of whack so I would not rule it out untill I verified it with a dial indicator.

Just curious as to the make and model of saw?

[Devon Shannon]

The wobble is probably a bent shaft or axle. I doubt it's the bearings, if it's new. What do you mean by "just a little", in regard to the blade movement? The blade tracks in the center of the wheel, but there is horizontal movement of the blade. This results in the blade contacting the thrust bearing for a second, only once in every full rotation of the blade. This results in a ticking sound.


The ticking noise could be a funky blade weld.
I purchased 3 blades and 1 came with the saw. I read that the ticking is usually a bad weld, so purchased 4 or 5 more Tiber Wolf blades. All of these blades tick so I don't think that's the issue.


You sanded the tires? I hope you didnt remove the crown, or your problems will get worse.
I hope I didn't remove the crown either, but sanding didn't seem to have any effect.


When you put the wheel on the flat surface what did you find? I could really see any bend or twist, but I'm going to do it again in the morning and try spinning it on a dowel.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Darnell,

For the record, some bandsaws are designed for and use tires with no crowns.

Most of the Italian made bandsaws are that way. My Mini-Max MM-16 has no crown.

[Devon Shannon]

I ordered a pretty cheap I dial indicator and a magnetic base with adjustable armature off of e-bay. The indicator seems accurate enough for my uses but I make sure to always pack it away in styrofoam when I put it down becuase it seems like a lightweight. The magnetic base with armature is kinda rickedy. All of the hardware at the junctions is plastic and there is a considerable amount of flex and play with it. If I had it to do again I would spend more on the magnetic base. As for checking the shaft without an indicator, if you can see or feel it wobble without the wheel on, is out of true and I would take the whole thing back. However, if it looks and feels smooth it still could be out of whack so I would not rule it out untill I verified it with a dial indicator. Thanks for the advise Andrew, several of the reviews on Amazon state similar complaints about the magnetic bases.

I'm going to take the wheel off in the morning, and hopefully I will be able to get this figured out.


Just curious as to the make and model of saw? Grizzly G0555

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Devon,

If this is only a couple of months old and you bought it new from Grizzly, I 'd be working with a Grizzly tech so that you get the warrantee you paid for and a record of the problem should it turn out the saw needs to be replaced.

While you might get some good advice here, you could possibly void the warrantee by not working with Grizzly.

[Victor Robinson]

Wait, so you sent it to Grizz and they sent it back saying it was fixed? And then it wasn't? Or did they send it back saying there was nothing wrong with it?

[Chris Parks]

You can see if the shaft is bent fairly quickly with a piece of stiff wire. Clamp, mount or whatever it takes to place the end of the wire as close as you can to the shaft and it stays there, turn the shaft slowly and watch the air gap between the two. If it is bent you won't need a DI to see it wobbling around.

[Devon Shannon]

Devon,

If this is only a couple of months old and you bought it new from Grizzly, I 'd be working with a Grizzly tech so that you get the warrantee you paid for and a record of the problem should it turn out the saw needs to be replaced.

While you might get some good advice here, you could possibly void the warranty by not working with Grizzly.
Ken, It's funny you should mention this, and thank you for the good intent of your suggestion. I have tried for months, with grizzly and it has been such a fruitless effort. I'm now trying to get help from my fellow wood workers on the Creek. I understand that the tool is under warranty, and Grizzly should honor that warranty, but the company has failed to live up to its reputation for great customer service.
I have already shipped the tool back once for repair/replacement. The company just shipped it back. They never called me, or wrote me an email saying the tool was coming back, or if it has been fixed, repaired. The reason I knew to be home to sign for it's delivery, Is a call from FedEx Freight. Grizzly didn't bother to call, or write. When it arrived, I called and asked what had been repaired. They couldn't really tell me, but it sounded like nothing was fixed. The tool was not fixed, they just over tightened all the bearings to stop the blade from tracking back and forth. They didn't even bother to shim the wheels while it was there, which where 3/32" out of plane.
So that's why I'm asking you guys for a little help.

[Devon Shannon]

Wait, so you sent it to Grizz and they sent it back saying it was fixed? And then it wasn't? Or did they send it back saying there was nothing wrong with it?

Actually they didn't say anything. They just shipped it back.

No calls, emails, letters, smoke signals, ect.

I was assuming i was getting a new saw, and they would fix the one I sent them, and resell it.

Instead, I just got the same piece of crap FedExed back to me again.
Believe me I'm not pleased. And I called the company and told them that.

I went in to it in a little greater detail above as a reply to Ken.

[Van Huskey]

Here is what you should do if you want the problem fixed correctly:

1. Restart the thread and use this or similar title for the thread: "unresolved problem wth new Grizzly G0555"

2. Include your problem including the video link, and your interaction with Grizzly just as you have recounted here

3. Don't make any further attempts to fix the issue yourself until Monday night at the earliest

4. I bet you this will be all it takes to get the problem fixed...

5. You can buy me a beer later. :D

[Charles Cannon]

I would go ahead and buy a dial indicator and magnetic base, there handy for a lot of tool setup jobs. Remove the wheel and setup the indicator on the shaft near the outside end of the bearing surface. That will tell you if the shaft is bent. Post the amount of run out in the shaft. If there is little or no run out in the shaft then the bore for the bearings in the wheel are probably not 90 degrees to the plane of the wheel. Remount the wheel and setup the indicator on the face and post the total run out. I can't think of anything it could be except the shaft or wheel or possibly both. I don't think you can shim the upper wheel accurately with the bottom wheel wobbling.
Cannon

[Joseph Tarantino]

FWIW, i agree with the comments regarding your warranty. you paid for a level of assurance that the tool would work properly. if they are not living up to their responsibilities, it's time to start marching up their chain of command until you find the individual with the authority to rectify what appears to be an obviously defective machine. i'd be very reluctant to try to fix their problem myself. i particularly liked the suggestion about retitling the thread. if i'm not mistaken, the head of grizzly occasionally posts here. i'm sure he'd find this interesting. this is the first time i've heard anything negative about grizzly's support. since i'm looking at moving up to a cabinet saw, i'll be watching this thread. good luck.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Devon,

That sure sounds out of character from what other members have experienced here.

I think Van's advice sounds pretty sage to me.

[Peter Quinn]

FYI, I have owned and set up several bandsaws, NONE have drive wheels that wobble like that. The cause of the problem? Don't know. Bad wheel, bad bearing, bad shaft, bad frame, who cares. You have a new tool under warranty, you have a reasonable expectation that it will perform at a serviceable level, push the issue with them until it gets resolved. They are known for their great customer service because they ARE NOT KNOWN for their flawless QA inspections. A new minimax BS has a problem and the whole world is scratching its head, because that doesn't happen a lot. But a Grizzly tool arrives in poor condition? I almost expect that. You didn't actually save any money, you have been just been hired as their final QA inspector, and will not be compensated directly. So do your job and reject that saw, make them fix it.

[glenn bradley]

Hold it! I'm with Van. " I have tried for months, with grizzly and it has been such a fruitless effort." There is so much wrong with that statement. I have heard occasional stories of poor support from Grizzly and can never figure out what is being handled wrong. That being said, Grizzly has an amazing track record of making sure the buyer is satisfied. Something here is very broken (besides the saw).

Devon should not be doing anything to fix the saw other than work with Grizzly and follow their support folks advice. If that advice is not satisfactory, ask to speak to that person's boss. The president of Grizzly is a member here and has more than once stepped in to resolve things.

Let's start over and see if this thing can't get resolved. There is no reason for something like this to take more than a few weeks.

[Howard Acheson]

I have the same saw and have no problem such as yours.

I will join the majority and say that what is shown in your video is a perfect indication of either a bent axle shaft or a bent or misbuilt lower wheel.

[Tim Lawson]

Did you buy the saw with a credit card? If so I'd check with the CC company to find out what their defective goods policy is. Some companies will pull the payment to the company. I'd spend a little time going down this route before trying to fix the saw - you'll drive yourself insane trying to fix what is obviously faulty in the first place. You may want to seek other forms of consumer redress too. Good luck.

[Alan Schwabacher]

None of the several Harbor Freight saws I've seen are as bad as that.

Forget about dial indicators for now, as that is a big problem that does not need precision measuring. Grizzly will be embarrassed to have treated you so poorly, and should fix it when you finally get their attention.

I'd follow Van Huskey's advice (especially the beer later).

[Shiraz Balolia]

Devon,

I am aware of this thread and will check into it on Monday. We will get you taken care of.

[Devon Shannon]

Devon,

I am aware of this thread and will check into it on Monday. We will get you taken care of.

Thank you.

[Joseph Tarantino]

so what, if anything, happened on thsi problem band saw? did grizzly come through or are you still experiencing the previously noted problems?

[Devon Shannon]

so what, if anything, happened on thsi problem band saw? did grizzly come through or are you still experiencing the previously noted problems?

To answer your question, I'm currently working with the someone from the Company and we are trying to fix the problem with the saw. If there is a happy ending, I will be sure to post about it. Thanks for asking, and I apologize for the belated reply.

[John Mark Lane]

What happened to the video? I missed this thread in the beginning but as I am in the market for a bandsaw I was kind of interested to see it.