Garrett Lambert
05-10-2003, 7:54 PM
I bought a 20" 3 HP bandsaw last Autumn and am generally quite satisfied with it. However, after 6 months of use, 2 things were bugging me. The solutions to both can be adapted to bandsaws of any size.
The first is that the bearing guide / guard post is adjusted by loosening a locking knob, lifting or lowering it with muscle, and then re-tightening the knob. Since the assembly is not only massive and heavy, but also a friction fit, it was proving awkward to adjust. Plus it was inelegant. After looking around, I saw that some other brands use all-thread and a cranking handle to move the post up and down. I liked that idea, but wasn't thrilled about all-thread since it's a lot of turns for a little movement. Acme thread such as used on a vise would have been a better choice. The next question was how to retro-fit my machine. I let this one work on itself in my subconscious for a while.
Several possible mechanisms came to mind. I looked at vises, but they were expensive and the screws were too short (I need at least 10" threaded). Then I looked at trailer hitch lifts since they crank weight both up and down. More expensive than vises, and very difficult to adapt. Finally, last Monday I went to an auto wreckers and found an unused scissor jack with a 16" screw of which 10" was acme-thread. Cost was $7. Next question was how to put it to use. I needed to figure out how to fasten the screw's "bearing" (1) to the body of the bandsaw, and the "nut" (2) to the moveable post.
It proved to be easy. I simply hack-sawed the screw and its ends away from the rest of the jack - the green lines leaving a piece of pivoting arm on each end.
<IMG SRC="http://www3.telus.net/GLI/Bandsaw%20Mods/Scissor%20jackcut.jpg">
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I drilled and tapped the top end of the post for a 7/16" x 20 bolt and fastened the nut end to it via the piece of arm. I drilled and tapped 2 holes for 1/4 x 20 machine screws in the block through which the post runs, and fastened the bearing end arm to that. Using the jack's handle - the bent chrome rod in the photo held onto the back of the saw by a magnet - the post now runs up and down smoothly and swiftly with absolutely no effort, and I can adjust it to exactly any position. I had intended to add a piece of tube to extend the crank end to a handle below the housing, but as is, the setup works so well and so quickly I'm going to wait and see.
<IMG SRC="http://www3.telus.net/GLI/Bandsaw%20Mods/JACKSCREW.jpg">
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<IMG SRC="http://www3.telus.net/GLI/Bandsaw%20Mods/Jack1.jpg">
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The second issue were the guides. The saw comes with very heavy duty ball bearing guides, and they work very well for normal use including heavy re-sawing. However, I often use this saw to produce round turning blanks from very large, lumpy chuncks of tree, and I ruined a couple of bands when particularly awkward pieces tipped enough to twist the teeth of the bands into the bearing guides which took the set out of the teeth. So, I made a bunch of maple inserts that replace the OEM guides, and pop them in whenever cutting rounds. If the teeth do twist a bit, they just cut the maple. (Since I keep a set of bands only for this roughing-out purpose, I'm not concerned about their subsequent inability to run straight.)
I was happy enough with the saw before these modifications, but I'm really pleased with it now.
Cheers, Garrett
The first is that the bearing guide / guard post is adjusted by loosening a locking knob, lifting or lowering it with muscle, and then re-tightening the knob. Since the assembly is not only massive and heavy, but also a friction fit, it was proving awkward to adjust. Plus it was inelegant. After looking around, I saw that some other brands use all-thread and a cranking handle to move the post up and down. I liked that idea, but wasn't thrilled about all-thread since it's a lot of turns for a little movement. Acme thread such as used on a vise would have been a better choice. The next question was how to retro-fit my machine. I let this one work on itself in my subconscious for a while.
Several possible mechanisms came to mind. I looked at vises, but they were expensive and the screws were too short (I need at least 10" threaded). Then I looked at trailer hitch lifts since they crank weight both up and down. More expensive than vises, and very difficult to adapt. Finally, last Monday I went to an auto wreckers and found an unused scissor jack with a 16" screw of which 10" was acme-thread. Cost was $7. Next question was how to put it to use. I needed to figure out how to fasten the screw's "bearing" (1) to the body of the bandsaw, and the "nut" (2) to the moveable post.
It proved to be easy. I simply hack-sawed the screw and its ends away from the rest of the jack - the green lines leaving a piece of pivoting arm on each end.
<IMG SRC="http://www3.telus.net/GLI/Bandsaw%20Mods/Scissor%20jackcut.jpg">
<BR>
I drilled and tapped the top end of the post for a 7/16" x 20 bolt and fastened the nut end to it via the piece of arm. I drilled and tapped 2 holes for 1/4 x 20 machine screws in the block through which the post runs, and fastened the bearing end arm to that. Using the jack's handle - the bent chrome rod in the photo held onto the back of the saw by a magnet - the post now runs up and down smoothly and swiftly with absolutely no effort, and I can adjust it to exactly any position. I had intended to add a piece of tube to extend the crank end to a handle below the housing, but as is, the setup works so well and so quickly I'm going to wait and see.
<IMG SRC="http://www3.telus.net/GLI/Bandsaw%20Mods/JACKSCREW.jpg">
<BR>
<IMG SRC="http://www3.telus.net/GLI/Bandsaw%20Mods/Jack1.jpg">
<BR>
The second issue were the guides. The saw comes with very heavy duty ball bearing guides, and they work very well for normal use including heavy re-sawing. However, I often use this saw to produce round turning blanks from very large, lumpy chuncks of tree, and I ruined a couple of bands when particularly awkward pieces tipped enough to twist the teeth of the bands into the bearing guides which took the set out of the teeth. So, I made a bunch of maple inserts that replace the OEM guides, and pop them in whenever cutting rounds. If the teeth do twist a bit, they just cut the maple. (Since I keep a set of bands only for this roughing-out purpose, I'm not concerned about their subsequent inability to run straight.)
I was happy enough with the saw before these modifications, but I'm really pleased with it now.
Cheers, Garrett