419
3rd September 2023, 01:26 AM
WARNING: This comes from someone with no experience with big bandsaws, and not much with little ones. My previous experience is limited to buying an el cheapo Aldi bandsaw as a starter and never actually cutting anything on it due to following the instructions (yes, I confess I read them, but only because I had no experience with bandsaws) to adjust blade deflection to between 1 and 2mm at the table, which I did to precisely 1.5mm. It wouldn’t work after that as I had twisted the head by applying the necessary tension. Fortunately I kept the receipt and got a refund, which I applied to buying a ‘new in box’ old Ryobi 9 inch which I chose because it looked it like it had a much more substantial frame than I could twist just by tightening the blade to the correct tension. The following success may just be a case of idiot’s luck, so use your own judgment in deciding whether to attempt something similar.
I bought a severely abused but seemingly essentially sound 16” bandsaw a while back. It was in a large caravan factory and looked like it had been used by clumsy apes with limited vision who paid no attention to anything but, judging by the swarf in it, ramming mostly aluminium through it and never servicing or adjusting it properly. They wouldn't be selling it if it was still capable of making money for them, so that was a red flag for a less adventurous, or much better informed, buyer than me. But used and cheap 16” bandsaws don’t come up too often and those that do always have problems, but I thought I could deal with this one’s problems.
I formed the view about apes and lack of adjustment and service by the state of the broken top saw guides with missing side guides and the remnants of the seized thrust bearing on the top guide and the seized thrust bearing on the bottom guide. Also the damage on the face of the largely intact thrust bearing on the bottom guide, which looks more like it was facing the blade teeth.
530210
Anyway, the machine overall seemed to be of more substantial construction than most new modern ones I’ve seen and I couldn’t justify or afford buying a new one. I figured that if it could stand up to the poor treatment it had received which damaged the guides but still appear to work properly otherwise then it was probably basically sound. Much the same approach as I’ve taken to selecting and renovating houses that look like crap but are largely cosmetic problems. The difference is that I know a little bit about judging crappy houses.
The internet let me down as there wasn’t anything on it to show me what the destroyed top saw guides looked like when new. This is what they looked like when I got it. The top bit clamps the shaft of a right angle leg which holds the thrust bearing. I’ve re-used that leg in the new guide in a hole drilled for it and holding the shaft with an Allen screw. The slots on the right were ‘repaired’ at some stage by epoxying a piece of thin galvanized steel to the underside and then drilling a single hole through that plate, so that the adjustment needed by the slot was lost. Obviously something was forward of and below the fractured bits on the left to hold the side guides, but what?
530211
I figured I could make some top guides and adapt the 14mm diameter bottom guides to take 12mm diameter Olson Cool Blocks Cool Blocks band saw blade guides | Olson Saw (https://www.olsonsaw.net/shop/zona-hand-tools/lubricants/cool-blocks-band-saw-blade-guides/) And so it came to pass.
I made some sleeves from scrap 12mm internal diameter aluminium tube with outer wall sanded down on belt sander for an interference fit for existing 14mm bottom guides.
Top guide made with aluminium scrap; my Ryobi 9 inch bandsaw; drill press; and my WOFTAM mill Overhead router, metal mill or just another WOFTAM? (https://www.woodworkforums.com/f44/overhead-router-metal-mill-woftam-256658) , but which WOFTAM slots could have been done a lot quicker with a drill press and file. Spacer block between guide foot and original cast part attached to guide post was necessary to drop foot below front of guide post as original casting is stepped down to allow clearance.
530212
530213
Odd thing is that the foot of the top guide isn’t parallel to table, but it’s square to the guide post to which it’s bolted. The part holding it to the guide post is the original part which mates to a grooved part on the guide post (see first picture of new top guide above). Doesn’t matter much as the cool blocks will adapt to the not quite parallel faces to the blade.
I set it up according to Alex Snodgrass’s system, which had cured the drift problems with my little Ryobi. Many thanks to various members whose posts allowed me to discover his system.
I used a ¾” inch 3 TPI blade recommended and supplied by Mc Diven’s bandsaws in Williamstown. McDiven Saws P/L specializes in all types of bandsaws (https://www.mcdivensaws.com.au/) . Excellent advice.
Ever the adventurer, I thought I’d test (or hopefully not destruction test) my not very high confidence in my work by making the first cut with the top guide at the limit of its travel above the red gum test piece with a temporary fence clamped to the table. Don’t ask me why I did that. Just seemed like a good idea at the time. No blade drift. Came out dead straight and square.
530214
530215
Lowered top guide for next thin cut which came in at a pretty consistent 1.2mm thick, which is by far the thinnest cut I’m ever likely to make on this saw. Could no doubt do better with a proper fence on it.
530216
I’m happy with this performance, especially as I only want it for resawing red gum and other hardwoods. Actually, I’m very surprised it turned out to meet my ambitious hopes and greatly exceeded what I thought were realistic expectations.
What needs to be changed, if I can be bothered when it’s cutting fine now anyway, and for anyone else using this for ideas on making their own guides.
1. - Allen screws on bottom of blocks need to be changed to an end so that the guide can be lowered closer to the workpiece. I didn’t think that through when I was making it.
2. - If you have the same problem with the foot not being parallel to the table or the side guides parallel to the blade, shim out the top connection to the guide post to get the guide foot parallel to the table and cool blocks initially better aligned parallel to blade.
3. - Allen screw on top of block holding thrust bearing leg to move to side of block to allow clearance for Allen wrench to turn it. Need to use needle nose pliers for current location on top. Something else I didn’t think through when making it.
4. - If I was making it again, I now know where there are other minor adjustments and improvements that could be made for greater precision, but I’m not sure that the factory made top guide on this was any more precise or accurate than I managed. And, of course, I could make it in a fraction of the time now that I’ve worked out how to solve various issues that came up in the couple of versions I made before the one you see here. Starting with not making the WOFTAM!
I bought a severely abused but seemingly essentially sound 16” bandsaw a while back. It was in a large caravan factory and looked like it had been used by clumsy apes with limited vision who paid no attention to anything but, judging by the swarf in it, ramming mostly aluminium through it and never servicing or adjusting it properly. They wouldn't be selling it if it was still capable of making money for them, so that was a red flag for a less adventurous, or much better informed, buyer than me. But used and cheap 16” bandsaws don’t come up too often and those that do always have problems, but I thought I could deal with this one’s problems.
I formed the view about apes and lack of adjustment and service by the state of the broken top saw guides with missing side guides and the remnants of the seized thrust bearing on the top guide and the seized thrust bearing on the bottom guide. Also the damage on the face of the largely intact thrust bearing on the bottom guide, which looks more like it was facing the blade teeth.
530210
Anyway, the machine overall seemed to be of more substantial construction than most new modern ones I’ve seen and I couldn’t justify or afford buying a new one. I figured that if it could stand up to the poor treatment it had received which damaged the guides but still appear to work properly otherwise then it was probably basically sound. Much the same approach as I’ve taken to selecting and renovating houses that look like crap but are largely cosmetic problems. The difference is that I know a little bit about judging crappy houses.
The internet let me down as there wasn’t anything on it to show me what the destroyed top saw guides looked like when new. This is what they looked like when I got it. The top bit clamps the shaft of a right angle leg which holds the thrust bearing. I’ve re-used that leg in the new guide in a hole drilled for it and holding the shaft with an Allen screw. The slots on the right were ‘repaired’ at some stage by epoxying a piece of thin galvanized steel to the underside and then drilling a single hole through that plate, so that the adjustment needed by the slot was lost. Obviously something was forward of and below the fractured bits on the left to hold the side guides, but what?
530211
I figured I could make some top guides and adapt the 14mm diameter bottom guides to take 12mm diameter Olson Cool Blocks Cool Blocks band saw blade guides | Olson Saw (https://www.olsonsaw.net/shop/zona-hand-tools/lubricants/cool-blocks-band-saw-blade-guides/) And so it came to pass.
I made some sleeves from scrap 12mm internal diameter aluminium tube with outer wall sanded down on belt sander for an interference fit for existing 14mm bottom guides.
Top guide made with aluminium scrap; my Ryobi 9 inch bandsaw; drill press; and my WOFTAM mill Overhead router, metal mill or just another WOFTAM? (https://www.woodworkforums.com/f44/overhead-router-metal-mill-woftam-256658) , but which WOFTAM slots could have been done a lot quicker with a drill press and file. Spacer block between guide foot and original cast part attached to guide post was necessary to drop foot below front of guide post as original casting is stepped down to allow clearance.
530212
530213
Odd thing is that the foot of the top guide isn’t parallel to table, but it’s square to the guide post to which it’s bolted. The part holding it to the guide post is the original part which mates to a grooved part on the guide post (see first picture of new top guide above). Doesn’t matter much as the cool blocks will adapt to the not quite parallel faces to the blade.
I set it up according to Alex Snodgrass’s system, which had cured the drift problems with my little Ryobi. Many thanks to various members whose posts allowed me to discover his system.
I used a ¾” inch 3 TPI blade recommended and supplied by Mc Diven’s bandsaws in Williamstown. McDiven Saws P/L specializes in all types of bandsaws (https://www.mcdivensaws.com.au/) . Excellent advice.
Ever the adventurer, I thought I’d test (or hopefully not destruction test) my not very high confidence in my work by making the first cut with the top guide at the limit of its travel above the red gum test piece with a temporary fence clamped to the table. Don’t ask me why I did that. Just seemed like a good idea at the time. No blade drift. Came out dead straight and square.
530214
530215
Lowered top guide for next thin cut which came in at a pretty consistent 1.2mm thick, which is by far the thinnest cut I’m ever likely to make on this saw. Could no doubt do better with a proper fence on it.
530216
I’m happy with this performance, especially as I only want it for resawing red gum and other hardwoods. Actually, I’m very surprised it turned out to meet my ambitious hopes and greatly exceeded what I thought were realistic expectations.
What needs to be changed, if I can be bothered when it’s cutting fine now anyway, and for anyone else using this for ideas on making their own guides.
1. - Allen screws on bottom of blocks need to be changed to an end so that the guide can be lowered closer to the workpiece. I didn’t think that through when I was making it.
2. - If you have the same problem with the foot not being parallel to the table or the side guides parallel to the blade, shim out the top connection to the guide post to get the guide foot parallel to the table and cool blocks initially better aligned parallel to blade.
3. - Allen screw on top of block holding thrust bearing leg to move to side of block to allow clearance for Allen wrench to turn it. Need to use needle nose pliers for current location on top. Something else I didn’t think through when making it.
4. - If I was making it again, I now know where there are other minor adjustments and improvements that could be made for greater precision, but I’m not sure that the factory made top guide on this was any more precise or accurate than I managed. And, of course, I could make it in a fraction of the time now that I’ve worked out how to solve various issues that came up in the couple of versions I made before the one you see here. Starting with not making the WOFTAM!