Thread: Does anyone have an Elektra Beckum Bandsaw - Model #BAS 500 WNB

Does any know were I might source a ''T'' Slot Mitre Gauge for the table of this bandsaw, thank you.....

Hi crowie, my son has one that I use from time to time.

The first thing is to check the tyres are OK, otherwise replace them with tyres of the same material - rubber or neoprene I think they are. Tyres need to be clean and smooth too. I find Oomph ( Bunnings cleaning section) good for removing gunk build up, but make sure you wash it thoroughly afterwards, as it is a mild citric acid compound.

Make sure the brush in the lower cabinet is working to keep the tyres clean. While down there, check the condition of the main pulley drive belt, and make sure the belt is set for the speed to match your application.

Some will say to check that the two main wheels are co-planar, but Alex Snodgrass has strong views on that - see below.

Next thing is to make sure the table is flat, as the table comprised three large aluminium extrusions joined together, and sometimes the joins are not flat.

Next check that the trunnions under the table are properly fastened. I have found it a bit of a problem to tighten them, which means the blade may not be correctly oriented to the table.

Check the condition of the upper and lower guide bearings, and the thrust bearings, and set them correctly to get proper tracking

That done, get hold of the Alex Snodgrass video on tuning the saw - a properly tuned bandsaw, with the bottom of the gullet of the blade on the crest of the tyre, will not have any drift. Follow the steps given in this video and you can't go wrong. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

After doing all this, test for drift by using a long piece of timber (about the length of the table) with a straight line drawn on it, and follow that line by freehand ripping. Rip the board until the cut is half way along the length, stop the bandsaw and check to see if the position of the board is exactly parallel to one of the join lines in the table. If not, then use the little hand wheel at the rear of the upper cabinet to re-position the blade on the tyre until you get it right i.e. no drift, then lock it in position.

Make sure the blade is correctly tensioned too.

Get some new blades of the right width and pitch to match the work you want to do. I find Henry Bros very good, quick, knowledgeable and reasonably priced. Just tell them about your application you want to do, and they will make a recommendation. If you are going to be resawing timber, I have found their 1/2" bimetal blade with 3 tpi to be excellent. Check put their website for the range of blades available.

I ended up making my own sliding timber guides out of jarrah for the mitre slot, with the table saw and the router table. Because each guide piece is so small, I suggest using the Gripper jig for safety. It is definitely an odd size mitre slot.

Also , when resawing, I found that a double decker finger board by Rockler, from memory, is excellent for holding the timber against the fence, but you still need to have the home made sliding timber guides instead of the ones that come with it for a standard 3/4" x 3/8" mitre slot. Make sure that you don't force the workpiece, or the blade either bows or starts heading off track. You should be able to find a comfortable speed for the timber you are cutting, and keep to this speed throughout the length of the cut.

I also made two fences for the most common timber sizes I was resawing, 130 mm high, and 200 mm high, and clamped then to the table. When resawing, make sure the upper guides are almost touching the top edge of the workpiece. Use a push stick for the end of the cut.

Hope this helps. I found it to be a pretty good bandsaw for resawing, my main application.

It also helps to get hold of the User Manual online. Be aware that this bandsaw is now considered obsolete by Metabo / Elektra Beckum, and they do not keep parts for it any more, but their tech support guys both here and in Germany are very helpful.

Finally, make sure you use a dust collector on both 100mm ports of the bandsaw, esp when resawing, which produces a lot of the very fine dust that is so damaging to our lungs. Refer to BobL about this if in doubt. So it is smart to wear a dust mask also when doing this operation, but sadly you never see pics of people doing this. It is also smart to save your hearing by wearing hearing protection. It can get fairly loud and uncomfortable when resawing hardwoods.

There are a number of safety issues with bandsaws, and Lonnie Bird in his Bandsaw book gives them a good airing.

This video from Grizzly is also worth viewing : http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rxfZphxj2eM

Thank you heaps Dengy, much appreciated....the "you tube" videos are downloading as I type. Cheers crowie

No problem crowie, glad to be of assistance. I particularly liked this video too. Great way to cut keys for mitred boxes and for cutting other small stuff safely. I find they can fly around the workshop using the tablesaw

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eeFsqDCZgSE

Has anyone used Australian Bandsaw Company at Seven Hills in Sydney?????

This is there website - Home

Hi crowie, please find attached a drawing showing the profile of the mitre slot on the EB500 bandsaw, and a couple of pics of the runner I made to suit. It is made of jarrah, and works quite well with the Rockler featherboard shown here with the 1/4" T-bolt that comes with it. Tightening the knobs on the featherboard pulls the runner up against the top lip of the mitre slot, and is quite effective, despite there not being much metal to play with, as seen in the profile.

I think if I was doing this again, I would replace the T-bolt with a countersink head bolts and make a runner that spread out against the sides as the knob tightened

The overall thickness of the runner is the 8mm, with the base of the T-bolt recessed into it, and the overall width is 13.5mm

I have not added the 2nd fingerboard and spacer to it to make a double fingerboard for this picture, but you can see an example of it here



EB500 mitre slot_01 (Large).jpgEB500 mitre slot_02 (Large).jpgEB500 mitre slot_03 (Large).jpg

Originally Posted by Dengue

Hi crowie, please find attached a drawing showing the profile of the mitre slot on the EB500 bandsaw, and a couple of pics of the runner I made to suit. It is made of jarrah, and works quite well with the Rockler featherboard shown here with the 1/4" T-bolt that comes with it. Tightening the knobs on the featherboard pulls the runner up against the top lip of the mitre slot, and is quite effective, despite there not being much metal to play with, as seen in the profile.

I think if I was doing this again, I would replace the T-bolt with a countersink head bolts and make a runner that spread out against the sides as the knob tightened

The overall thickness of the runner is the 8mm, with the base of the T-bolt recessed into it, and the overall width is 13.5mm

I have not added the 2nd fingerboard and spacer to it to make a double fingerboard for this picture, but you can see an example of it here



EB500 mitre slot_01 (Large).jpgEB500 mitre slot_02 (Large).jpgEB500 mitre slot_03 (Large).jpg

I have just bought a Elektra beckum 500 WNB, maximum cut states 300mm, 12 inches, yet my max cut (Top to bottom is 9 inches. the ratchet system then hits the door cut out switch which is about 2 inches from the top. So don't know how or where you could cut to 12 inches, when you clearly can get only 9 inches. ???
Comments most welcome, thank you.
Ibbo

Originally Posted by ibbo

I have just bought a Elektra beckum 500 WNB, maximum cut states 300mm, 12 inches, yet my max cut (Top to bottom is 9 inches. the ratchet system then hits the door cut out switch which is about 2 inches from the top. So don't know how or where you could cut to 12 inches, when you clearly can get only 9 inches. ???
Comments most welcome, thank you.
Ibbo

G'Day & Welcome "to the Great South Land" & to a top forum "Ibbo".
There are quite a few members from UK and the UE on the forum as well as across the rest of the world..
You'll find a heap of helpful & knowledgeable blokes & ladies on the forum and for most very willing to assist.

Tomorrow it's our 100yrs ANZAC Day commemoration with Dawn Services & Memorial Marches across the country; my day starts at 4.45am for the local dawn service at 6am then back to town for 10am for the march. I exRAN and had 2 grandfathers at Gallipoli in WW! and my dad in WW2 so I wish to honour their service along with all the fallen. If you don't mind I'll have a look at what my bandsaw can do on Sunday our time.

Make sure you show off your handiwork as everyone loves a photo, especially WIP [work in progress] photos with build notes.
Enjoy the forum.
Enjoy your woodwork.
Cheers from On Top DownUnder, crowie