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Re: $^%&@% bandsaw piece of $#&^%@&@!!

To: Eric Murray <ericm@lne.com>
Subject: Re: $^%&@% bandsaw piece of $#&^%@&@!!
From: Eric Murray <ericm@lne.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 17:37:15 -0700
On Thu, Aug 24, 2000 at 04:09:14PM -0700, Eric Murray wrote:
> 
> I've got one of those $179 Harbor Freight (or Jet or Enco) metal
> bandsaws.  Since I've gotten it I've had a problem with the band
> jumping off the wheels.  There's an adjustment for setting the
> angle of the top (non-driven) wheel.  I've played with it and sometimes
> gotten it to stay on for a while.  I thought I'd finally figured it out
> recently when I managed to cut some PVC and then cut through a
> tractor PTO driveshaft without the band jumping off the wheel.
> 
> But today I went to whack up some 1x1 square tubing for a stand, and it's
> jumping off every 30 seconds.  $^#&%#!!!
> 
> I've got the guide rollers as close to the work as I can get them.
> I thought that helped, but I guess I was wrong.
> 
> Does anyone know how to adjust these infernal pieces of #&%#&% so
> they work right?


Ok, here's more info:

The bandsaw wheels both have rims on only one side.  I assume that this
is so you can easily install the blade.

The bottom drive wheel is fixed.  The upper wheel has both a tension
adjustment and an angle adjustment.  I can also adjust all
six guide rollers- three on the upper and lower guide arms.
The lower guide arm doubles as the mount for the table when
the saw is in vertical table mode.  I don't have the table installed
and I'm cutting in horizontal 'chop' mode.

I found the manual.  It has wonderfully instructive passages
like "to adjust blade tension, loosen the blade tension adjusting
knob, then tighten until proper tension is obtained".

What IS proper tension?  Cranked down really fscking tight, or
just sort of tight?

I set the top wheel angle so that the back of the blade touches the
rim of the wheel, and moved the bottom guide forward (towards the
teeth) so that the roller that supports the back of the blade
contacts the blade, as per the instructions.  And cranked
the tension really tight.

Now the blade pops off as soon as it touches the work.

ARRRGH!

Do better quality bandsaws do this, or is there some secret bandsaw cabal
that you have to be indoctrinated into in order to make this work right?

-- 
  Eric Murray http://www.lne.com/ericm  ericm at lne.com  PGP keyid:E03F65E5
                     Consulting Security Architect

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