14" Delta/Rockwell Bandsaw-How to operate the gear box?

Janderso

Janderso

Jeff Anderson
H-M Platinum Supporter
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Messages
8,645
Hi,
I'm getting acquainted with my new to me mid 70's series 28-300 band saw.
I see there are interlocking collars on the inside and outside the housing. I assume the knob is pushed and pulled to activate the gear reduction.
On mine, there is no movement when I push in or pull out. I can see a brass sleeve inside the outer shaft that would allow for a sliding motion.
Is it just gummed up?
Does it need a tap with a brass hammer?
I don't want to hurt anything. I don't think the gear box has ever been used or if it has, it's been a while.
To change the oil I need to remove the saw from the stand to gain access to the plug?
Thank you,
Jeff
 
mickri said:
I would drain the fluid. Fill with your favorite solvent and slosh it around to see if that frees things up. Go from there depending on what you find.
I found a parts list on Vintage Machinery. http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1141/2460.pdf and a manual http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1141/1077.pdf
Click to expand...
I'll give it a shot.
I've never used a saw with the gear box so I wasn't sure if I missed something.
The manual says to push the knob in for slow speed and you may need to turn the pulley a bit to allow for the cogs to lock in. I'm paraphrasing.
 
I have the same saw which I purchased from a wood worker who had never used the slow speed. I also found it difficult to engage the gear reduction on mine.

After fussing with it I realized the pin that engages the slow side had slipped down blocking full movement. It’s a roll-pin if memory serves.

I planned to change to something less prone to moving from vibration, but have not as yet.
 
ConValSam said:
I have the same saw which I purchased from a wood worker who had never used the slow speed. I also found it difficult to engage the gear reduction on mine.

After fussing with it I realized the pin that engages the slow side had slipped down blocking full movement. It’s a roll-pin if memory serves.

I planned to change to something less prone to moving from vibration, but have not as yet.
Click to expand...
Awesome, I'll check it out.
I did notice the knob is not in the correct position so I moved it out to the detent spot.
I think I'll play around with it some more tonight, maybe i'll be to get it freed up. I hate to take the gear box off. It doesn't leak and it looks like it's never been tinkered with. The belt is for wood only obviously.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5134.jpg
    IMG_5134.jpg
    52.8 KB · Views: 1,269
  • IMG_5135.jpg
    IMG_5135.jpg
    51.6 KB · Views: 519
  • IMG_5133.jpg
    IMG_5133.jpg
    50.8 KB · Views: 505
  • IMG_5132.jpg
    IMG_5132.jpg
    68.9 KB · Views: 700
After looking at your images, yours looks exactly like mine. They really are exceptionally well crafted machines.

Unfortunately, I had to pack my saw away owing to an unexpected move and can't go look at how I made it work and post a pic. Soon, soon.
 
I'm in the process of rebuilding a slightly older version of that saw. Yes that knob should be mounted near the end of the shaft. Push in for slow/metal cutting pull out for wood. With the knob mounted where it is you will not be able to engage the slow clutch and disengage the fast.

The shaft that the knob controls has two roll pins that drive the 2 clutches in and out. The "Hi-Pro" style keys actually drive the clutches for turning.

When I got mine a previous owner must have used a hammer or something to drive it in because both roll pins were sheared or mangled. It was a real problem to get it apart. Be gentle! The roll pin for the external fast clutch is accessible from outside, you would need to disassemble the gearbox, pull the lower wheel off and pull the shaft to access the internal fast clutch.

Manuals are available on the Vintage Machinery website. There a handful of versions covering different years.

My guess is this manual is a close match to the machine you have:
http://www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=2459

There are lots of posts about these saws over on the owwm.org website.
 
Last edited:
I just finished up my similar 28-300 saw. As Rich said, the 2 roll pins are likely your problem.

That knob is held to the sliding inner shaft with a set screw. The sliding inner shaft has both clutch disks pinned to it, so when you push the knob in, the clutches are supposed to slide on the main shaft to engage the gear reduction. Pull it out, and you only engage the wood pulley.

Not sure if mine was messed with by the PO, but my roll pins/holes were metric (4.4 mm). McMaster sells them. One of my pins were sheared off, other was missing. I had it all apart, so ended up drilling them both out for press fit with 3/16 dowels. If you go in, the 2 clutch disks slide in/out on keys on the main shaft. Both of my keys had about .010 steps, and were hard to notice, so was east to reverse the step. That caused the roll pin or dowel to bind on slot inside the main shaft, so hard to shift.
 
Your knurled knob has been pushed forward on the shaft, locking the saw in high.
Undo the setscrew and slide the knob so it's flush with the end of the shaft and lock in place.
Now see if you can finesse the saw into low as you turn the pulley by hand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top