Thread: WIP Elektra Beckum bas316 modifications

Hi everyone,

I've alluded to this in a few other threads, but I thought I might put some photos up and a description of what I've been up to with my bandsaw.

The saw is an older bas316, and has been a reasonable machine but for the existing guides. We had already replaced the stock guides with some new ones, but the improvement was marginal.

So to try to improve the accuracy of the saw, I ordered some carter guides from the USA, from Rockler in the end so I could order a few other things and make that shipping cost worth the while. I ordered the Jet kit knowing that I'd have to make some modifications to make it fit, but it's actually been fairly easy so far. I also plan on one day upgrading to the jet 14 inch and selling the bas316, so I can simply put back the old guides and keep my nice new carter ones for the upgraded saw.

The new upper guide nearly fits without any modification. The sliding bar that it mounts on is slightly bigger than the original, so I'm arranging to have a new pin machined by a forum member as soon as I can get organised to go and see them. In the meantime I've wrapped a thin film of electrical tape around the existing pin to dry fit it (I won't run it like this, just want to make sure it's all smooth before I get the pin made).

The lower guide is a problem though. The old guide, shown removed here, is quite small and the new carter one is substantially bigger. So far the only issue though is that the guide pin for THAT one sticks out too far from the back, so I'm going to need to shorten it. At the current length it prevents the table from being remounted. The dish shaped part behind it in the photo is the mounting point for the table. It is also possible that once the lower guide is in, it may limit how much I can tilt the table, although that still remains to be seen. In any event this won't really cause a problem because I only use the saw for straight 90 degree ripping.

The next step is that lower guide. Once I shorten the bar, I can drill a hole into the existing framework and bolt the guide in. The existing hole from the original mount lines up perfectly with the guide housing for one of the bolts, but it does need a second for stability.

Anyway I hope this helps with anyone looking at perhaps modifying their saw. I'll keep updating this thread as I make progress, and of course with the finished product. Oh and for anyone who is interested, the blade is a 3/4 inch, bigger than the machine maximum rated blade should be. It fits the tyres, so I'm giving it a go. The guides are big enough to keep it in check, so long as the motor can keep up.