Tai Fu
08-17-2021, 6:26 AM
463149
I just bought this 26 inch bandsaw for about 1000USD. It is made in Taiwan, but what's weird about this machine is the tensioning mechanism. Unlike most bandsaws where a screw would raise and lower the upper wheel, and a spring is between the upper wheel and the frame for shock absorbance (some saws do not even have a spring, instead relying on the stretch of the blade itself for shock absorbance), this saw has a screw which raises the upper and lower wheel, however in addition to this, there is a lever behind the upper wheel, connected to the mechanism that raises or lowers the upper wheel. The lever has a weight attached to it and the weigh puts tension on the blade, using mechanical advantage to increase the force put on it.
463150
This picture gives you an idea what I mean...
The wheel rim is also flat, there is no crown. The saw itself is a beast however, not exactly completely stable without vibration but the weight of the machine is enough that it doesn't really matter. It cuts through wood, assuming sharp blade, like a lightsaber.
Anyone seen this kind of tension mechanism? It does prevent its use as a horizontal sawmill because it relies on gravity to tension the blade.
The only downside is the table does not have a miter slot... I'm going to check the cast iron thickness on the table and see if I can mill a slot into the table to allow for a miter gauge.
I just bought this 26 inch bandsaw for about 1000USD. It is made in Taiwan, but what's weird about this machine is the tensioning mechanism. Unlike most bandsaws where a screw would raise and lower the upper wheel, and a spring is between the upper wheel and the frame for shock absorbance (some saws do not even have a spring, instead relying on the stretch of the blade itself for shock absorbance), this saw has a screw which raises the upper and lower wheel, however in addition to this, there is a lever behind the upper wheel, connected to the mechanism that raises or lowers the upper wheel. The lever has a weight attached to it and the weigh puts tension on the blade, using mechanical advantage to increase the force put on it.
463150
This picture gives you an idea what I mean...
The wheel rim is also flat, there is no crown. The saw itself is a beast however, not exactly completely stable without vibration but the weight of the machine is enough that it doesn't really matter. It cuts through wood, assuming sharp blade, like a lightsaber.
Anyone seen this kind of tension mechanism? It does prevent its use as a horizontal sawmill because it relies on gravity to tension the blade.
The only downside is the table does not have a miter slot... I'm going to check the cast iron thickness on the table and see if I can mill a slot into the table to allow for a miter gauge.