Hello, I'm new to this group. I've had a YouTube channel for a while (Winky's Workshop) which is mostly metal working although I include some woodworking. For several years I used a power hacksaw I restored and then decided to upgrade to a bandsaw. I bought a Harbor Freight saw and while I didn't expect top quality I was somewhat disappointed. Anyway, I used a little intuition and did some reading and watched a few videos on setting up a horizontal saw. Oddly one of the best info was from Grizzly. They did a good video on one of their high end saws but what they said about blade tracking also applied to any horizontal bandsaw.?

Anyway, basically the problem with my saw was the blade guide set up. The blade guides were deflecting the blade too much downward. Ideally the guides should only twist the blade to vertical and the back bearing should just kiss the back of the blade unless you are actually cutting. So the guides don't have enough adjustment to achieve this setting but I was able to get much closer.?

THE PROBLEM: Moving the blade guides up created a depth of cut issue. Adjusting the down stop helped but then the blade cover hit the base. I removed the blade cover and then it hit the switch. I ground the upper casting around the switch a bit and got more travel but still not enough. Then I added a spacer plate (elevating plate) under the vise and everything works perfect now.?

Anyway, this is manufacturing issue. Perhaps the machining was slightly off where the wheels mount of perhaps the pivot point for the head was off some (or a combination of both).? I have no idea how many saws are effected but I'm guessing there could be a large amount. My saw is less that a year old so I'm guessing all the new saws are effected.??

I got a quote for laser cutting 20 Elevating Plates out of 1/4" steel and it was a good price. I'm hoping to be able to sell them for less that $30 each (hopefully including shipping in the US). I still need to get a price on the steel but I'll know soon.?

The QUESTION: How many have this problem and how many would be interested in buying a plate. Let me know if you are interested based on a cost of less than $30.?

Also watch these videos. They will give you a clear idea of this problem. There are 3 parts.

1) Bade tracking

2) Making an Elevating Plate and

3) A very cool Quick Change table option.?

Thanks, Mark

Links??https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz2A001hMBoQjJrC268cd6IzjxXQYZJEk

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Hello, I'm new to this group. I've had a YouTube channel for a while (Winky's Workshop) which is mostly metal working although I include some woodworking. For several years I used a power hacksaw I restored and then decided to upgrade to a bandsaw. I bought a Harbor Freight saw and while I didn't expect top quality I was somewhat disappointed. Anyway, I used a little intuition and did some reading and watched a few videos on setting up a horizontal saw. Oddly one of the best info was from Grizzly. They did a good video on one of their high end saws but what they said about blade tracking also applied to any horizontal bandsaw.?

Anyway, basically the problem with my saw was the blade guide set up. The blade guides were deflecting the blade too much downward. Ideally the guides should only twist the blade to vertical and the back bearing should just kiss the back of the blade unless you are actually cutting. So the guides don't have enough adjustment to achieve this setting but I was able to get much closer.?

THE PROBLEM: Moving the blade guides up created a depth of cut issue. Adjusting the down stop helped but then the blade cover hit the base. I removed the blade cover and then it hit the switch. I ground the upper casting around the switch a bit and got more travel but still not enough. Then I added a spacer plate (elevating plate) under the vise and everything works perfect now.?

Anyway, this is manufacturing issue. Perhaps the machining was slightly off where the wheels mount of perhaps the pivot point for the head was off some (or a combination of both).? I have no idea how many saws are effected but I'm guessing there could be a large amount. My saw is less that a year old so I'm guessing all the new saws are effected.??

I got a quote for laser cutting 20 Elevating Plates out of 1/4" steel and it was a good price. I'm hoping to be able to sell them for less that $30 each (hopefully including shipping in the US). I still need to get a price on the steel but I'll know soon.?

The QUESTION: How many have this problem and how many would be interested in buying a plate. Let me know if you are interested based on a cost of less than $30.?

Also watch these videos. They will give you a clear idea of this problem. There are 3 parts.

1) Bade tracking

2) Making an Elevating Plate and

3) A very cool Quick Change table option.?

Thanks, Mark

Links??https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz2A001hMBoQjJrC268cd6IzjxXQYZJEk

Hey Mark,

Can you post some pictures of your issue?? ?I haven't ever heard of this before.? ?

Maybe you need to adjust your saw body by loosening the bolts on the rear, left hand side (I'm looking at the vise handwheel).? ?This is the casting that goes from the pivot shaft to the main saw frame.? ?IF you move his, you'll change the angle of the saw body w.r.t. the table casting.

Dave

Yeah...? the left side arm is a good option if the saw body need to be lower on one side but my saw needs to be lower on both sides. Fortunately the pivot on my saw was dead on square. Watch this video and you will see what I mean. This is part 1 of three videos. It doesn't show the elivating plate (that's in part 2) but it explains the problem well.?

I know some of these saws are made correctly but I'm fairly certain other saws have the same problem as mine. I guessing some people also adjust the blade guides to compensate which is not the best option. My saw was set up like that when I got it. Aside from eating blades it cut well. With the guides set up correctly I can cut with full pressure and never knock the blade off.?

?

https://youtu.be/SzjqDqpWRCA

Hi Mark,

I don't fully load my blade - I probably only load my blade to 5 -6 lb.? ?I believe that the bow weight should not exceed 8 lb (as measured by the force to support the saw on the end of the saw frame).? ?I added a hydraulic down feed cylinder which helps significantly in keeping the blade cut rate pretty constant.? This helps blade life alot, especially if you are sawing a piece that has significantly different cut thickness.? ?With my hydraulic down feed cylinder, my blade life is fine.? I use a 14 TPI blade.

I watched your video.? ?I weld my own blades, but I take a dremel tool and try to get the blade body as uniform in thickness as possible.? ?This may help you get your blade to a more uniform thickess.? One thing you may want to try is to set your guide roller gap by using a feeler gage.? I think you should have slight blade drag when you try to rotate the rollers by hand.

My blade guides are slightly changing the alignment of the blade from the wheels.? ?I am just leaving it alone.? ?My problem is that my pivot shaft isn't parallel with my table.? ?I had to make a new shaft for the shaft to bushings gap was too large.? ?Now, that is good, but my shaft is still not parallel with my table so I cut a taper in the vertical axis.? ?I'm trying to fix this by hand filing my table.? My table was fairly cupped before I started, now it's flat to better .002".

I only watched your first video this morning.? ?I see that you have three videos posted on this topic.

Could you add a link to the Grizzly video?

Dave

Yeah...? I don't fully load the blade unless I'm cutting 5-inch bar or the likes.?

A feeler gauge works well for the blade guides but I have mine set good. The weld is slightly thick and I had to back it off slightly.?

>My blade guides are slightly changing the alignment of the blade from the wheels.

Yeah...? mine are too, primarily because they are at the limit of adjustment but a little deflection is okay.

Fortunately the pivot on mine is aligned perfect even if it is too high. The saw will now cut perfectly square.?

I have looked and looked for the Grizzly video and can not find it. Basically it confirmed what I showed in the first video about twisting the blade and not deflecting.?

Mark?

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Hi Mark

Sorry I haven’t weighed in on this discussion earlier, I was in a place with no cellphone coverage.

You correctly surmised that the blade should run from the wheels and only be twisted long the neutral axis (middle) of the blade by the guides with the blade-back just skimming the rear roller, but that this then ‘buried’ the blade too deep within the sawframe casting to complete the cut, and no amount of adjusting the depth stop would make it work.

Your fix and modified blade guard do the job very well, but I wonder what the initial problem was. ?

I suspect that the sawframe casting was not machined down enough on the back where the chromed guide bars bolt on (min 3:55 of Video 1), pulling the whole axle assembly including the top wheel too far into the hollow of the sawframe.

A quick fix would have been to put a few 5/8” ID washers in between the blade tension guide block and the extension of the axle through the tilt adjustment block that’s pinned to the axle. See the attached picture.? The axle locking bolt and the tilting adjustment setscrew might need to be replaced with a longer ones.

This would shift the whole top wheel + adjusting mechanism out, according to how many washers you put in.? Because the lower guide is quite a way up the blade, shifting only the top out would also shift the blade out at the lower guide too. It’s unlikely that the bottom wheel is also shifted back, but if that was the case, lengthening the spacer behind the bottom wheel with some of the same washers would fix it. - jv ???

>>I suspect that the sawframe casting was not machined down enough on the back where the chromed guide bars bolt on (min 3:55 of Video 1), pulling the whole axle assembly including the top wheel too far into the hollow of the sawframe.

Basically I agree although I think I'd probably have to shim both wheels. Unfortunately, shimming the wheels with washers would also shift the blade to the left. Currently both my blade guides are adjusted to the limit to the left. They are close enough but to be in the optimum position they need to go slightly further left. So basically after shimming both wheels I would also have to modify both blade guide significantly.?

At least for me the plate was an easier fix.?

I agree, yours is an elegant solution to the problem you faced.
It actually allows an additional mod. that the standard vice does not - you now have the strength in the vice base to tap a series of holes to fit the studs from your milling step-clamp set, so you can clamp irregular shaped objects directly to the vice table.? This is esp. handy for cutting angles >45deg or mitering work too wide for the std vice opening, if you remove the movable vice jaw.? The std vice base is too thin and the cast iron too weak to do this - jv