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Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...any good?
The "Craftsman Commercial" was a line of tools that Sears marketed for
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awhile. They were supposed to be a heavier duty tool that was priced down near the "Home Duty" by leaving out some of the "Glitter" such as more polished parts and other "Eye Candy" that didn't contribute to the longer life and strength of the tool. I was buying tools during that time and many of mine are the "Craftsman Commercial" line. For an example one of my tools has the more expensive roller bearings in place of bushings but the aluminum castings have a brushed finish as compared to the polished finish on the lesser tool. It sounds to me that tou have a very soundly designed saw and with a little work you will be able to identify the weaker points and cure what needs to be cured and keep an eye on the others. As for blades, I would go to a good saw shop had have them make your blades. I was thinking of getting a fixture and making my own blades but when I went to one of my local saw shops I found that the pay back time was so far in the future that it would have been a waste of time and money. I agree that the bi-metal blades are the way to go. WALT WARREN ----- Original Message -----
Wrom: DULHPQQWOYIYZUNNYCGPKYLEJGDGVCJVTL To: <4x6bandsaw@...> Sent: Friday, April 18, 2003 6:59 AM Subject: [4x6bandsaw] Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...any good? It is a 101.2290. I think this means it was made by Atlas for Sears. |
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Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...any good?
lkasdorf
It is a 101.2290. I think this means it was made by Atlas for Sears.
The weak link in this design, as I see it, is that the drive gearing is exposed, and just begging for chips to lodge in the teeth! At the moment, it has a problem where at one part of the rotation of the drive wheel, the gearing feels rough. When running, you hear a groan sound once per revolution. I have greased the gears and oiled everything I can see. I think it is possible that the drive wheel is a little warped. The roughness is what you feel when gears are too close- the teeth penetrate too far. It is possible that a chip is lodged in a tooth somewhere also, although i did clean the teeth pretty well. I'm sure a chip could embed itself in the ding-dang Zamak metal.. I'm trying to figure out a way to slightly move the small drive gear outboard slightly, thus providing a bit more clearance. I've not found a way to do this yet. Other than this design peculiarity, it is an extremely well made saw. Everything is cast iron. There is a very nice precision hydraulic lowering control that works great. All the knobs and hardware are top notch. If I can get these gears to run quietly, I think it will be a good saw, but I'll have to be careful to blow chips out of the gearing ffrequently. I'm thinking of using a dry gear lube like dry moly spray, or graphite, rather than chip-attracting grease. Thanks Lynn Kasdorf --- In 4x6bandsaw@..., "walter warren" <1erful@m...> wrote: DO you have a model number? This would help in identifing themachine. WALThorizontal 4x6band saw for $50. From his description, it sounds like roughly a stock,capacity. forangle iron, tubing, etc. I find my abrasive chop saw's efficiency tubing, though. |
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Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...I got it!
lkasdorf
I would like to find a cheap blade welder/brazer the only rig Ihave seen costs 150.00Here is a jig that Rockler sells for $30: Also, here is a page I found about brazing blades. You just need a suitable jig to align and hold the blades. This fellow doesn't bother with silver solder- he just brazes them together and has no problems. The butt-welder can be had for $150, as you mention. The one I saw uses a car battery. LK |
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Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...I got it!
Inexperienced metalworker, experienced blade-breaker.What kind of blade woudl you folks reccomend for general purpose The generic words of wisdom I have amount to two items. 1. As universally advised, locate use bi-metal blades. 2. Pay close attention to the "3 teeth in the work" rule. That is, a coarse tooth blade should not be used to cut thin wall tubing or angle-iron on edge. OTOH, a fine tooth blade is more likely to clog up, particularly when cutting Aluminum. So expect to buy at least two blades. I use an 18 TPI as my fine blade ( even though that's often not fine enough, that's as fine as I can find and have had no problems so far ) and an 8-14 (IIRC) for my "coarse" tooth blade. Alan -- Alan Rothenbush | The Spartans do not ask the number of the Academic Computing Services | enemy, only where they are. Simon Fraser University | Burnaby, B.C., Canada | Agix of Sparta |
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Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...I got it!
Clint D
Glad you got it without having to pay shipping. Scroll down for my comments
Subject: [4x6bandsaw] Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...I got it! I just got back from picking up the saw. It was only an hour drive Would like to see pics, probably an OK machine
The 1/2" is probably correct??? do you know the length it takes?
Would love to see them
I would like to find a cheap blade welder/brazer the only rig I have seen costs 150.00 I would say a bi-metal with 10-12 TPI, I am told the 6 TPI is good also, but I never have used one I do have various TPI blades however, but mostly use the 10 TPI Clint
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Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...I got it!
lkasdorf
I just got back from picking up the saw. It was only an hour drive
away. It is a "Craftsman Commercial" with the old crown logo. Color is light grey. I don't know the model num at the moment. It is not like many I've seen. The drive wheel has beveled teeth around its perimeter and is driven by a bevel gear attached to a sheave. The motor is in the base. The pivot point of the saw is coaxial with the drive sheave & gear. I'm used to seeing the saws where the motor hangs off the back and moves with the saw. I don't know if this design is better or worse. The teeth all looked good- I didn't see any chipped or missing. And he demoed it for me. At the moment it has a 3/8" blade and the guide bearings are ill- adjusted, so the blade falls off the guides. I think this saw wants a 1/2" blade. The wheels look to be about 9". I'll post pics soon. What kind of blade woudl you folks reccomend for general purpose steel cutting? And where to get? Maybe I shoudl invest in a cheap blade brazing kit and buy a roll of blade stock. I assume bi-metal is a good way to go? Thanks! --- In 4x6bandsaw@..., "lkasdorf" <lkasdorf@s...> wrote: I have an opportunity to pick up a Craftsman startionary horizontal4x6 capacity.stock, angle iron, tubing, etc. I find my abrasive chop saw's efficiencyfor tubing, though. |
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Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...any good?
Clint D
I would say it would at least the same quality, I would not be afraid to buy
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it for 50.00 as long as the worm gears are not stripped! This would all depend on how much it will cost to get it shipped to you, some on ebay are charging 112.00 for shipping them! If shipping is very much, you can get a new HF for 149.00 at their stores Clint ----- Original Message -----
From: "lkasdorf" <lkasdorf@...> To: <4x6bandsaw@...> Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 9:25 AM Subject: [4x6bandsaw] greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...any good? I have an opportunity to pick up a Craftsman startionary horizontal |
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Re: greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...any good?
DO you have a model number? This would help in identifing the machine.
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WALT ----- Original Message -----
From: "lkasdorf" <lkasdorf@...> To: <4x6bandsaw@...> Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 7:25 AM Subject: [4x6bandsaw] greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...any good? I have an opportunity to pick up a Craftsman startionary horizontal |
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greetings! Craftsman 4x6 for $50...any good?
lkasdorf
I have an opportunity to pick up a Craftsman startionary horizontal
band saw for $50. From his description, it sounds like roughly a 4x6 capacity. Are these craftsman saws any good? I have to think they will be at least as well made as an HF unit... I just need something for misc steel fabrication- cutting bar stock, angle iron, tubing, etc. I find my abrasive chop saw's efficiency drops radically on solid stock of 1/2" thick or more. It is great for tubing, though. I've never used a hor metal cutting band saw, so I'm hoping that I can't go too far wrong for $50. |
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Re: Howdy...
Clint D
Wayne
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Welcome, sounds like you a pretty good trader also!!! Nice find on the Sherline, etc. Will look forward to more posts from you in the future Clint ----- Original Message -----
From: "Wayne Wagner" <AA9DY@...> To: <4x6bandsaw@...> Sent: Monday, April 07, 2003 4:19 PM Subject: [4x6bandsaw] Re: Howdy... "Hi!" |
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Re: Howdy...
Wayne Wagner
"Hi!"
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Well, I'm not really new (joined May 2002), but I have only posted once since then. So, I guess I'm still new. I finally got around to getting a 4x6 from HF on sale for $150. No complaints. I see what people are saying about the flimsy stand. No biggie. I want to raise it a little higher and will do that with a stand mod. I also want to reinforce/mod the table for the vertical position and maybe add a coolant system later on... meanwhile, I'm just having fun cutting some stock for one of the truck assemblies on a 1.5" scale live-steam Shay Locomotive I have started on. Intro... I've been an electrical engineer (RF) working on cellular telephones for the past few years, after receiving my BSEE from the University of Illinois... and before that finished an eight year enlistment in the U.S. Navy, working in the nuclear propulsion field. I've been working on my MSEE in electromagnetics (namely microwave engineering). I recently got the bug to learn how to machine metal and am just overwhelmed by the number of things I could do with this hobby. One plan (long range) is to build a 1.5" scale live-steam Shay Locomotive. I have the plans and some of the castings. And as grad school wraps up for the semester, I'll jump into machining a little heavier. I am currently in a machine shop class at the local community college behind my house to learn the basics. Getting bored with the instruction because all I really want to do is "play" with the machines. In addition to the 4x6 bandsaw, I picked up a 9x20 lathe a couple months back and came across an estate sale, where I picked up an RF30 mill/drill and a butt-load of accessories (8" rotary table, end mills, etc. etc.). The coolest find in this estate sale was a Sherline Mini-Mill, marked as a milling attachment for $5.00. Had to snatch that. I estimate about $20 in repair/replacement cost to get it up to speed. Sorry this was lengthy... taking a break from studying at the moment and this was a good release. Well... back to the books... Regards, Wayne / AA9DY Grayslake, IL --- In 4x6bandsaw@..., "S. Foo" <sned1@y...> wrote:
I see we have almost 30 new members over the past week. Welcome to Thanks! |
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Gear Grease
popwri2002
I've had my Harbor Freight 4 x 6 Band Saw about 3 wks now and have
really given it a work out.I changed the gear lube today it looked like Gorilla Snot, metal chips in it, and what appeared to be sand. If a person doesn't do anything else at least get that old lube out of there. |
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Re: new 4X6
Paul
My initial impression is the "normal" $200 price is Ok, but for $150you can't go wrong. Motor seems to run a little hot. Last fall I purchased the 4X6 from Grizzly. Since then I have looked at the HF model. IMHO the extra $50 for the Grizzly model is worth it in fit , finish, features, etc. Thanks for the blade recommendations folks, I purchased a few bimetals at Grizzly and they seem great. My tennis elbow really appreciates the 4X6! Paul R |
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new 4X6
Hi y'all
Pittsburgh boy here...yesterday I took a cruize up to Youngstown (75 miles) to wallow in the Harbor Freight Tool bargains...picked up 4" ($15) and 2 1/2" ($5) drill vises, a 55 lb anvil ($30) and they had the 4X6 for $149...so I grabbed it. Taiwan version with the cast iron bladegrabberschnitchel. As per the advice I'd seen on this and other sites, first thing I did before plugging it in was look in the gearbox. I'm not sure what they use, but it looked like 500 wt booger grease with sparklies and sand. Cleaned it out good, and found the brass drive gear was mildly effected, but not too bad. I suspect the brass gear will wear in a bit so it's probably not a bad idea to change it again in 4-500 miles. refilled with pristine 80-90. stand needs reinforced yada yada yada... I saw one nice homemade stand using 1X1 square tube (I think it was on this site), but I'm thinking of using the provided stand with some additional beefing and a built in chip catcher...either galvenized duct stuff, or possibly aluminum...but with a magnet involved to keep the chips from straying far. If steel, the whole thing would attract chips, if aluminum (slanted) the vibrations and slant would deliver them to a single collection point (or chip drain/collection bucket). The beauty of the original stand is when using the saw in the vertical position, the bed is the work seat...granted not ALL that comfy, but with some leopard skin, track lighting, slippers... I've seen some posts about blades running off ect... Here's some thoughts: Putting a straight edge across the lower pulley (fixed) shows it's cambered out a tad at the top and ...which told me to keep the blade in position it wants to "stretch" the teeth edge by nature. So, to adjust the blade, first tension it fairly well then turn the top camber adjustment for the final tension as well as provide a similar angle to the lower pully. [MUCH exaggerated], the pullies would look like this (>). The real angle is only 1-2 degrees off true vertical. The blade will not fly off and the tension is killer. The point is the final tension is achieved by the camber adjustment, not the tensioner. Just make sure the blade isn't rubbing the lip on the blade pulley. As I suggested, the angle isn't that great...just a persuasive hint. If that top pulley is leaning out at the top, the blade never will track right. Blade guide bearings: side bearings should follow blade exactly, but the single follower bearing behind the blade should just barely touch it with no cutting load. They can even spin intermittently. The point is they should offer absolutely no incentive to extend the normal blade position off the pullies...but they should be right in position for when the cutting force wants to distort the blade back into them. added down force for encouraging a cut: I read some folks hanging weights and such on the end to make the blade dig and hasten the cut...I think bungies are a better idea. A weight is fairly unforgiving, while a bungie will add the desirable encouragment yet allow some forgivness should the blade dig/stall/ or what have you. I cut some wood for a test run, but until I get a bi-metal blade I'm not tempting fate. That "Elephant" drive belt it comes with between motor and gearbox looks fairly lame...but we'll see...and that plastic pulley guard abortion is on right now, but I'm not overly optimistic about that. My initial impression is the "normal" $200 price is Ok, but for $150 you can't go wrong. Motor seems to run a little hot. Having recently picked up a 7X12 lathe and a mini-mill, I'm not OVERLY impressed with the chinese stuff, but for the money and with some creative tweaking, I think it's adequate quality at a bargain price. Thanks for the previous advice and thoughts I saw here that influenced by buying decision...unless it breaks...in which case I take back everything nice I said. |
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Re: TPI?
gd230
Hello paul you might check on little machine shop the link is
As I read the chart the recomendation for up to 5/16" is 32 tpi and use a constant pitch. gary btw, I have had no trouble with the HF machine right out of the box. Cutting Square and the blade stays on. The motor seems to run on the warm side though. Have you had any problems?? --- In 4x6bandsaw@..., "Paul <proosta@p...>" <proosta@p...> wrote: I wish to cut 1/8" strip HR, how many TPI should I use? |
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Re: I'm new
Paul <[email protected]>
I bought one several months ago, I have no complaints. Fine finish,
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every thing works, good blade taack etc. Paul R --- In 4x6bandsaw@..., "rex" <rex@h...> wrote:
Any opinions on the Grizzly 4x6 saw? |
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