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Robert LaLonde
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As some of you might know by now my home hobby shop is also my day job. I have really come to rely on the little HF 4x6 bandsaw.
It has served me fairly well for several years. Today it quit working. When I opened up the gear box the oil was a solid gold metal flake color like the paint job on an early 80s low rider. Dang-It. Totally chowdered the worm gear. The screw appears to be just fine. So my options are:
1. Get ahold of Harbor Freight customer service and ask them to transfer me to parts where I can order the part which may show up anytime from a few weeks to a few months. Last time I had to get something through the parts department it took three weeks. Even three weeks without my saw would drive me totally bonkers. I am working on some press dies in 4140HT right now, and I needed to cut some 1x6 flat bar. After just two cuts with my old abrasive saw I was ready to throw that thing off a building. Preferably one next to some deep water with a deep muck bottom.
2. Gamble that the gear is the same size Grizzly saw is the same gear. They do have one in stock in Missouri and its "only " fifty bucks. Of course unless I wanted to double that price with red label shipping I wouldn't have it until next week, and there is no guarantee its the same gear. I do have more metal to cut, and I am not looking forward to spending an entire day burning up abrasive blades and breathing grit.
3. Look at picking up a Rage Saw. Home Depot has one in stock locally and its less then I paid for my abrasive saw. I'm not sure if the Rage blades are up to cutting 4140HT though. No I don't want to anneal it first. LOL.
Ultimately a horizontal bandsaw is the best option for me for severing stock if only because I don't have to stand there and run it while its cutting. I can lay it down and walk over to the sander to deburr parts, change a tool on one of the CNC mills, sweep the floor, carry out trash, or if its a big piece of stock I can walk in the office to do some CAD or CAM work. In the long run a bigger horizontal bandsaw would be the best solution, but I am in the middle of a big job and I want my band saw back in operation ten minutes ago.
The only "fast" solution to fixing the bandsaw saw is to make a new gear myself. The screw is either 5TPI or 5mm. Those two are so close if the gear is a little sloppy it doesn't matter which way I cut it. The problem is I don't have any bronze big enough to make the gear. (The original HF gear looks like yellow brass to me, but as you know the colors can vary depending on the exact alloy.) I don't even have to change gears to turn 5TPI on the lathe. Just flip a couple levers. I can make a screw out of 4140, (I do have some drill rod, but not big enough) cut some back grooves and reliefs to make teeth, heat treat, hope it doesn't warp to bad, and then use the bump and spin method to make a gear... out of aluminum. I have plenty of 6061 laying around. Its not quite as strong as brass, definitely not as strong as bronze, but it would get me going again. Of course I also need to grind a force broach for the keyway if I go that way... since I still haven't broken down and bought a set of keyway broaches. I could see making that gear taking up an entire day.
I just need the right gear to fall from the sky like manna from heaven.
Ok... enough griping and whining. Time to head into the house get some dinner and come back fresh in the morning.
It has served me fairly well for several years. Today it quit working. When I opened up the gear box the oil was a solid gold metal flake color like the paint job on an early 80s low rider. Dang-It. Totally chowdered the worm gear. The screw appears to be just fine. So my options are:
1. Get ahold of Harbor Freight customer service and ask them to transfer me to parts where I can order the part which may show up anytime from a few weeks to a few months. Last time I had to get something through the parts department it took three weeks. Even three weeks without my saw would drive me totally bonkers. I am working on some press dies in 4140HT right now, and I needed to cut some 1x6 flat bar. After just two cuts with my old abrasive saw I was ready to throw that thing off a building. Preferably one next to some deep water with a deep muck bottom.
2. Gamble that the gear is the same size Grizzly saw is the same gear. They do have one in stock in Missouri and its "only " fifty bucks. Of course unless I wanted to double that price with red label shipping I wouldn't have it until next week, and there is no guarantee its the same gear. I do have more metal to cut, and I am not looking forward to spending an entire day burning up abrasive blades and breathing grit.
3. Look at picking up a Rage Saw. Home Depot has one in stock locally and its less then I paid for my abrasive saw. I'm not sure if the Rage blades are up to cutting 4140HT though. No I don't want to anneal it first. LOL.
Ultimately a horizontal bandsaw is the best option for me for severing stock if only because I don't have to stand there and run it while its cutting. I can lay it down and walk over to the sander to deburr parts, change a tool on one of the CNC mills, sweep the floor, carry out trash, or if its a big piece of stock I can walk in the office to do some CAD or CAM work. In the long run a bigger horizontal bandsaw would be the best solution, but I am in the middle of a big job and I want my band saw back in operation ten minutes ago.
The only "fast" solution to fixing the bandsaw saw is to make a new gear myself. The screw is either 5TPI or 5mm. Those two are so close if the gear is a little sloppy it doesn't matter which way I cut it. The problem is I don't have any bronze big enough to make the gear. (The original HF gear looks like yellow brass to me, but as you know the colors can vary depending on the exact alloy.) I don't even have to change gears to turn 5TPI on the lathe. Just flip a couple levers. I can make a screw out of 4140, (I do have some drill rod, but not big enough) cut some back grooves and reliefs to make teeth, heat treat, hope it doesn't warp to bad, and then use the bump and spin method to make a gear... out of aluminum. I have plenty of 6061 laying around. Its not quite as strong as brass, definitely not as strong as bronze, but it would get me going again. Of course I also need to grind a force broach for the keyway if I go that way... since I still haven't broken down and bought a set of keyway broaches. I could see making that gear taking up an entire day.
I just need the right gear to fall from the sky like manna from heaven.
Ok... enough griping and whining. Time to head into the house get some dinner and come back fresh in the morning.
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