Thread: Bandsaw blade tension release issue

Is it THIS ONE?

If so the blade tensioner is the handwheel on the TOP of the saw. The handwheel on the back that you can see in the picture is for raising and adjusting the blade guard. The knob on the back which isn’t shown in any of the pictures is for adjusting the blade tracking and will have a locking feature as well. If you’ve fully disconnected that you may need to remove the upper wheel to gain access to the tracking mechanism to put it back together again.

yes it is that one
i have released the big knob on the back - which disengages a cog on the wheel.
i have turned the knob on the top all the way up, and down - not making any change to the blade tension.
the nut on the back which i think is for tracking is currently locked, i havent messed with that one.
i have moved the blade guard up and down - that all works fine.

Ok; I watched the video which does show the controls on the rear.

Firstly pull the big lever all the way down; that is the blade tension quick release. When your blade tension is correctly set that lever alone should allow the blade to be removed. Pull that lever up and down a few times while watching the spring mechanism; you should see it move up and down.

Next; turn the handwheel on the top anti-clockwise that is your tension adjustment. While you’re doing that use your free hand to pull down on the upper wheel to overcome any slight stickyness in a new machine.

If those two steps don’t achieve anything then the only other explanations I can think of are that either the tension assembly has seized in position or the supplied blade was slightly too small. I personally would remove the iron table; raise the guard to it’s max height and then grabbing the blade by hand I would rotate the wheel while pulling the blade towards me; essentially walking the blade off by hand. Once the blade is removed if the upper wheel can’t be pushed and pulled up and down by hand the mechanism has seized and the seller needs to rectify this. If the wheel now moves fine then the blade was too short to begin with.

I must admit I don’t like the blade tracking adjustment where you need a spanner and a hex key to make any changes.

hmmm

i have done the thingy on the back, and the tension knob on the top. but i havent pulled the upper wheel down... i was wondering if there was some kind of shipping bolt holding it in place as it hasnt budged - but perhaps a good yank will help.... if that doesnt work, is it worth undoing the tracking adjustment thingy? that is rock solid and i am guessing will need the bolt to be undone before i can adjust it.

Hangfire,

We have one of these saws - well, the previous model but very similar indeed. As the Chief says, you shouldn't need to touch the tracking bolt. To release the belt we simply use the quick release large lever on the right side. If you open the top door and look through the wheel you can possibly see how the quick release mechanism works. The top wheel is the tension adjuster proper but once set for a particular blade we don't have to adjust it.

The wheel on the right hand side of the machine towards the front is just to lock the height column in place once you've set the depth.

Certainly we never had to undo or remove any packing bolts.

Regards,

Brian

Have you touched the tracking adjustment at all since you bought the machine? If not then at this time leave it alone. Just give that upper wheel a good yank down but don’t hit it with anything.

i can see how the quick release lever works - it definetly disengages the tension thingy - it means that the tension thing is not even in contact with the wheel etc.
but the wheel doesnt move as a result of that.
a bit concerned that it could be siezed up in some way if there is no shipping bolt to remove.
i will be giving it a good yank tomorrow morning and hoping that i can fit my skinnier blade afterwards...

ok - i undid the nut locking the tracking adjustment knob in place.
the wheel dropped about an inch.
blade will come off easily now.
very frustrated with the instructions which make no mention of backing off the tracking nut while adjusting tension. hoping i havent warped something by applying pressure against that nut.

Something’s not built right then; you shouldn’t have to unlock the tracking adjustment to adjust the blade tension. If you are local to Timbecon I would head down there and inspect another machine and get them to demonstrate the tension adjustment and tracking and take lots of photos of their machines components so you can compare it with yours. As it stands I wouldn’t accept your machine as being fit for purpose but hopefully it’ll be something really simple and easily fixable.

If they try to persuade you “that’s normal” invite them to specifically demonstrate that no other bandsaw on their showroom can release the belt tension without first unlocking the tracking adjustment.

A bit of WD40 in the slide should solve the problem. Sounds like the faces have stuck together. Maybe cracking the alighnment nut loosened them up.

Another “brand new” machine with problems, why does this repeatedly happen?

Originally Posted by Hangfire

i will be giving it a good yank tomorrow morning and hoping that i can fit my skinnier blade afterwards...

This will be the problem, I had the same issue with my Laguna saw, releasing the tension lever didn't mean the tension actually released. A yank on the upper wheel should cause it drop a few mm and your tension is gone. Had to do that for the first few times and then the lever worked as expected. Maybe something siezes up a bit in storage/shipping?