Thread: Hafco BP-16A Upper guide twist

Originally Posted by TTIT

Looks like the whole guide assembly needs moving Squirrel. (I think!)

TTIT,
I tried to do that first, even elongated those holes thinking I could create adjustment options.
But I found that the upper guide was firmly in the corner. (I even tried to grind the casting to give me a gap, to no avail)

I don't know why I didn't try moving the whole top wheel assembly as suggested by arose62. In hindsight it might have saved a lot of time.

Will look at this next week.

Squirrel

My philosophy is that if I have to elongate holes etc on this kind of equipment, it usually means I should call the supplier for more info or a warranty issue.

Oh I spoke to Mark at Henry Bros. and while talking about ordering the blades he asked me a simple question, what length ?

Well then I find out that even though the blade should be 2950mm sometimes they vary. So off I go and measure mine, yep 2950mm but it now explains why I have to go to the stops to tension, they are a little long (maybe).

Anyone else come across this and if so what lengths do you get ?

and I also need to watch that video on recoiling the blade

Originally Posted by meerkat

My philosophy is that if I have to elongate holes etc on this kind of equipment, it usually means I should call the supplier for more info or a warranty issue.

Oh I spoke to Mark at Henry Bros. and while talking about ordering the blades he asked me a simple question, what length ?

Well then I find out that even though the blade should be 2950mm sometimes they vary. So off I go and measure mine, yep 2950mm but it now explains why I have to go to the stops to tension, they are a little long (maybe).

Anyone else come across this and if so what lengths do you get ?

and I also need to watch that video on recoiling the blade

yep, first thing i did was to order shorter blades at 2940mm. They fit on but are a little difficult, so now I order them at 2945mm.

Hi All,

I have been reading this post with great interest. I have had my BP-16A for about 2 months now and although I haven't used it that much I haven't found any great problems with it. A couple things i did adjust was where the blade was running on the upper wheel and the table alignment to the blade. The blade(original) still wants to run on a slight angle i.e. the timber will pull to the right when cutting. I ordered 3 new blades from henry bros and fitted one of them and notice a marked difference in the quality of cut and the lack of drift from the fence.

However i'm sure there are things I should check to make sure all is aligned and tight. I want to do this before I start resawing and cutting expensive timber.

Is there a logical set of steps to tuning/adjusting this machine. i.e. first step start with coplannar wheels, 2nd step............. etc. People seem to be doing things randomly only to discover that something else has changed etc.

Michael.

Hi,
Just following the posts on the 16a guide problems with the upper thrust bearing wearing a grove in the face, as I do not have a 16a I didn't know if it was possible to rotate the thrust bearing away from vertical, so rang H&F and spoke to a chap who went and had a look at the saw and yes it can be adjusted or rotated, if this is the case rotating the bearing away from vertical will fix the problem, it may be possible to rotate it enough so that the blade will fully cover the width of the thrust bearing face, would somebody who has one of the saws with the new guide please have a look and see if this is possible and post the results.........Peter

Michael,
Here's a few links which could help. They were posted in the bandsaw section a while back, thanks to another member

I'm no expert, but I say if you have coplanner wheels, correct tension, a bees whisker between the blade and guides (tally-ho), square guide post to the table, square blade to the table, correct cutting height, then all should be sweet.

http://www.owwm.com/files/PDF/FAQ/110124076.pdf

http://home.vicnet.net.au/%7Epwguild/i-bndsaw.htm

http://www.americanfurnituredsgn.com...20Dec%2003.htm

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/i...n=Custom&ID=19

http://www.allbandsawblades.com/blade_width.htm

Peter,

The thrust bearing can by rotated but would prove no good. It can only work in a vertical plane. I think the only solution here is for the user not to force the timber through - be patient and let the blade do the work.

If this doesn't explain properly let me know and I'll take some pic's.

any pics would be good

thanks

Sorry about the pic quality.

What can I say.... ....the thrust bearing rotates (actually screws) in and out depending on blade thickness and must run vertical as shown.

Hi All,

When i got home this afternoon i decided to have a closer look at my saw to see if any of the problems mentioned here were happening to mine. I discovered that the upper guide does twist anti clockwise depending on how far the shaft is raised or lowered. A variance of 3-5mm in some cases.

So I pulled the Upper guide off and removed the Shaft and winding mechanism. I discovered that on the back of the winding mechanism is 2 grub screws(i think thats what they are called) anyhow they were not screwed in far enough allowing the shaft to twist back and forth. Once i tighten these screws all is good. Bolted it back on, aligned the shaft to the table and no more twist.

Hi All,

Update on twisting in upper guide. WHat i thought had solved the problem had only solved it to a certain degree. By tightening the grub screws the shaft is harder to wibd up and down and on closer inspection there is still a 1-1.5 mm twist anti clockwise.

The photo shows the real problem. The Locking screw hole and the V grove in the shaft are not properly aligned. It is out by about 1-2mm. There when you screw the locking nut up it forces the shaft to twist in an anti clockwise direction.

Would this be a warranty claim.

Thanks

Michael.

I probably won't win any friends with this post, but here I go.

When the thread started I was not familiar with the H&F range of bandsaws and I assumed that the BP16A model must have been at the lower end of the range. I have now checked the H&F website and find that the BP16A is listed at $829.00. So I was then surprised that there have been so many posts trying to correct inherent problems with the bandsaws that have been delivered to a number of forumites.

The posts have mentioned drilling holes, elongating and grinding. I would have thought that for $829 I would have assembled and used. Not spent hours trying to correct fundamental assembly errors.

So why have I bothered to post. It doesn't both me, I don't own a H&F bandsaw, and everybody seems happy with the warranty service provided by H&F. Their warranty service should be good. They appear to get so much practice.

But we then get the post like

Originally Posted by Designsync

But, it is chaiwenese (typical plastic handles etc) - same as all 14" & 16" saws around the same price.

and

Originally Posted by woodbe

Iain, it's a price/performance tradeoff. The BP16A is a particularly capable machine at a very good price. You can pay a little bit more and just get more of the same, quality wise. If you want a lot better, you have to spend at least 2-3 times the money and get into one of the low end european machines or similar.

So, most BP16A owners have a few teething issues. The good thing is that they also know their machines better than one that works out of the box as it were. I'd buy one again.
woodbe.

No they are not the same as all of the 14" & 16" bandsaws for around the same price.

I have two Jet 14" bandsaws. One, the original model, has a 1hp motor and I have it fitted with a 6" riser. Depth of cut now 12" compared to the BP16A at 2hp and 230mm (9") depth of cut. The throat widths are comparable 343mm (13.5") to 380mm (14.9"). OK, so the hp is lower, but I have never cut to 12" and, in all honestly, when was the last time that a BP16A owner cut to 9".

My other Jet is the 14" Deluxe, 1.25hp. I run it with a 1/8" blade and the other with a 1/2" blade. Will take 3/4", but what is the range of the BP16A. By the way I have a bearing guide assembly but run cool blocks on both bandsaws.

My point is that you should not categorise all 14" and 16" bandsaws as Chinawanese prototypes. Both of my bandsaws were taken out of the box and assembled. Ran smoothly. No fiddling about. No drilling. No elongating. No grinding. No fixing screws that were loose in assembly.

Come on this is how it should be with a piece of equipment that you have paid $600 to $900 for. None of this rubbish that it is learning about your bandsaw. Come out and say that the bandsaw does not meet the normal mechandising criteria. That it should do the job that it is designed to do without having to be corrected by the purchaser or refered (frequently it appears) for warranty rectification. We are only hearing about the ones owned by forumites. Who else is having problems. Be honest. You should not have to say that the retailer is providing good warranty service.

Why am I on my highhorse. Because others are looking to buy bandsaws and you are posting that everything is sweet and that you should expect these problems. The truth is that you should have unpacked, set up and used.

Originally Posted by martrix

I have all the bits to make up my own guides that will hold blocks of Lignum Vitae and also when I get around to buying them, Cool Blocks.

Martrix, you have probably realised that the guide assembly on the BP16A will not accept cool blocks. Some form of adaption/expense will be required.

By the way Designsync, I am not trying to be a smart@rse but, the thrust bearing is the one at the back of the blade and not the guides at the side of the blade.

Ok shoot me down now, but at least I have said what I truly feel. Quality is in the testing and you should expect good quality for good money.

John, couldn't agree more with your sentiments. The amount of remedial work required/attempted by owners of this bandsaw is truly amazing.

Some weeks ago there was a lot of discussion regarding the availability of an "upgrade" for this bandsaw, at a price. When I commented that owners should not be required to pay to make this machine "fit for purpose", my comments were not received all that well.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...010#post430010

So, prepare yourself.

Personally, I am glad I decided against the BP16A and bought the BAS350, never looked back and never had a problem.

Originally Posted by baxter

I have now checked the H&F website and find that the BP16A is listed at $829.00.

I only paid $699 for mine.

Originally Posted by baxter

I have two Jet 14" bandsaws.

So how much does the Jet Deluxe 14" Bandsaw cost including the 6" riser kit and the bearing guides and a fence?

Originally Posted by baxter

One, the original model, has a 1hp motor and I have it fitted with a 6" riser. Depth of cut now 12" compared to the BP16A at 2hp and 230mm (9") depth of cut. The throat widths are comparable 343mm (13.5") to 380mm (14.9"). OK, so the hp is lower, but I have never cut to 12" and, in all honestly, when was the last time that a BP16A owner cut to 9".

That was the first thing I cut on it after setting it up and just checking that the wheels were coplanar. 9" x 16" x 3mm thick veneers from some pretty dense and gnarly Coolibah Burl, and that was with the bog standard blade that came with it.

Originally Posted by baxter

My other Jet is the 14" Deluxe, 1.25hp. I run it with a 1/8" blade and the other with a 1/2" blade. Will take 3/4", but what is the range of the BP16A. By the way I have a bearing guide assembly but run cool blocks on both bandsaws.

I think it was Termite that says he happily runs a 1" 3tpi skiptooth band on his BP. Can you do that on your Jet?

Originally Posted by baxter

Martrix, you have probably realised that the guide assembly on the BP16A will not accept cool blocks. Some form of adaption/expense will be required.

2 sealed bearings and a stick of Lignum $60. Some cutting, welding, drilling and tapping. Maybe a days work, and it will be stronger and more accurate than a Chinese made one. When I make the new guides, they will be more compact than the current ones giving me another 30mm in height. Take off the cast table and add a false table and I now have 12" of resaw, now, how much was that riser kit that is apparently only good for resawing soft timbers?
By the way, all Jet machinery is now made in China.