4x6 bandsaw with issues - time to move on?

[rossn]

Hi,

I have a 4x6 harbor freight bandsaw I bought a couple years ago, and didn't get to the welding projects I had planned out of the gate. It saw some light use, and I wasn't impressed, but didn't have time to dig-in. Fast forward to now...

Spent half a day trying to true the saw, using the Pitkin procedure.

Issue 1: Turns out that the lower wheel face is not perpendicular to the shaft (or there is a bent shaft).... runout is about 0.039". I'm not sure if its the wheel or shaft, and would need to buy a puller to determine that.

Issue 2: I ended up shimming the upper wheel adjustment-guide-plates about 1/8", as prior to doing that, I would be able to get the blade near the flange of the upper wheel, but still 3/16" out on the lower wheel (and the center bolt at end of travel). The shimming seemed to address the issue.

Issue 3: Now, the blade will not fully cut through the material... I suppose this has to do with the shimming for #2. The blade is probably 3/32" off of the material, tapering to about 1/32". From what I can tell, to correct this I'd need to bash in the guard (where it is currently resting on the saw) and also lower the switch assembly.

Given the combination of issue #1 and #3, I'm getting the sense I should cut my losses in time and money and move onto another 4x6 saw (or possibly something like a hem saw, but that's not in the budget at the moment). Given these issues, do you all agree or have different suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Nutfarmer]

Your new import saw would most likely have issues that you will have to correct. That is the norm with them. So I would just fix what you have.

 

[homebrewed]

Hi,

I have a 4x6 harbor freight bandsaw I bought a couple years ago, and didn't get to the welding projects I had planned out of the gate. It saw some light use, and I wasn't impressed, but didn't have time to dig-in. Fast forward to now...

Spent half a day trying to true the saw, using the Pitkin procedure.

Issue 1: Turns out that the lower wheel face is not perpendicular to the shaft (or there is a bent shaft).... runout is about 0.039". I'm not sure if its the wheel or shaft, and would need to buy a puller to determine that.

Issue 2: I ended up shimming the upper wheel adjustment-guide-plates about 1/8", as prior to doing that, I would be able to get the blade near the flange of the upper wheel, but still 3/16" out on the lower wheel (and the center bolt at end of travel). The shimming seemed to address the issue.

Issue 3: Now, the blade will not fully cut through the material... I suppose this has to do with the shimming for #2. The blade is probably 3/32" off of the material, tapering to about 1/32". From what I can tell, to correct this I'd need to bash in the guard (where it is currently resting on the saw) and also lower the switch assembly.

Given the combination of issue #1 and #3, I'm getting the sense I should cut my losses in time and money and move onto another 4x6 saw (or possibly something like a hem saw, but that's not in the budget at the moment). Given these issues, do you all agree or have different suggestions?

Thanks!

Regarding issue #3, your two solutions seem mutually exclusive. If the problem is that the blade cover is coming in contact with the base & preventing the saw head from descending any more, messing around with the cutoff switch won't do a thing for you. You first need to determine exactly what's going on.

I have a 4x6 as well and the adjustments for blade tracking and blade alignment can be tricky. They interact in weird ways. Even the amount of tension you set the blade to has an impact, so it can take a lot of messing around to get it all right.

 

[rossn]

Your new import saw would most likely have issues that you will have to correct. That is the norm with them. So I would just fix what you have.

Would have adjustments, or issues? Is the lower wheel runout common?

 

[rossn]

Regarding issue #3, your two solutions seem mutually exclusive. If the problem is that the blade cover is coming in contact with the base & preventing the saw head from descending any more, messing around with the cutoff switch won't do a thing for you. You first need to determine exactly what's going on.

I have a 4x6 as well and the adjustments for blade tracking and blade alignment can be tricky. They interact in weird ways. Even the amount of tension you set the blade to has an impact, so it can take a lot of messing around to get it all right.

Said a different way, if I remove the blade cover, it will get closer, but still not complete the cut, due to the 'next interference' being the switch cover plate that projects about 1/2" from the cast part of the machine.

 

[markba633csi]

If the wheels were not machined accurately and you don't have a large enough lathe to turn them I guess I would cut my losses and
get another saw.
You really need to go thru these things when you get them and find the issues- some problems are too much trouble

 

[rossn]

If the wheels were not machined accurately and you don't have a large enough lathe to turn them I guess I would cut my losses and
get another saw.
You really need to go thru these things when you get them and find the issues- some problems are too much trouble

Thanks, markba633csi... no, I don't have a lathe that can turn them, and the machine shop costs would be more than it's worth, along with the risk. Yeah, I agree, but when building a house, it wasn't the highest priority.

Have you noticed if others had experienced similar issues with drive wheel runout, but not being a practical use or blade longevity issue? I'm sensing it will impact blade longevity.

 

[markba633csi]

I don't know how common the runout issue is. The machined surface the blade runs on should be perfectly concentric and perpendicular
to the shaft within 10 thousandths or less I would think, and of course the shaft should not be bent either
My rule of thumb is if you can see it with your naked eye it's too much
I don't think the factories scrap parts when they are made wrong- they either try to recut them or put a shim or put some chewing gum and
ship it out- nothing is scrapped or the worker loses his job

 

[rossn]

I don't know how common the runout issue is. The machined surface the blade runs on should be perfectly concentric and perpendicular
to the shaft within 10 thousandths or less I would think, and of course the shaft should not be bent either

Thanks. Fair enough. I'd need to go buy a $20 dollar tool to pull off the wheel to really tell what's going on, so just trying to be conscious about not just starting to put money into it if it's a bad apple I won't be keeping, anyhow.

 

[homebrewed]

Said a different way, if I remove the blade cover, it will get closer, but still not complete the cut, due to the 'next interference' being the switch cover plate that projects about 1/2" from the cast part of the machine.

Thanks for the clarification. On my bandsaw the sideplates on each side of the switch were causing a similar problem. I ground them down with my angle grinder. I also "refined" the corner of the base that might become a problem as well.