Got one (HF 4"x6") - anything to watch out for?

Gaaaah! Went and tried to use the HF bandsaw today for the first time. I put in a 1" round 303 SS bar to cut in half. The saw was surprisingly quiet and seemed to be cutting fine albeit a little on the slow side. Don't know if it is the material I am cutting, the blade, or that's just the speed it will cut at. Doesn't matter as long as it works I guess, I'm in no hurry. ;)

The problem though, and it's a big one at the moment, is that it made it about 2/3 of the way through, I hear a "ping!", and the blade quits moving. Open it up and find the blade has jumped. Okay, put it back on, readjust, turn it on, and "ping!". Blade will not stay on for any length of time.

Suggestions?

Thanks,

-Ron
 
Sounds like the main wheels are out of adjustment. There are some jack screws on the bearing support that can be adjusted to control tracking. Somewhere, there is a thread on tuning up these ubiquitous little saws. And a Yahoo group or two, I'm sure.
 
Thanks Tony. I'm not too sure about the "supports" if that's what they are. It seems the wheels flop around quite a bit until you have a good deal of tension on the blade.

I will check that out when I go back to the office/shop.

-Ron
 
Ron, the drive wheel should only have what little slop the bearings allow. Almost none. The adjustable wheel is mounted on a bearing plate that is free to slide as you draw it away from the drive wheel, and there is another plate where you see the two narrow rectangular plates held by 2 bolts each that controls how tightly the bearing support plates fit the casting. At times they are loose, and allow the driven wheel to flop around. On the part that is between those narrow plates there are usually 2 bolts; one to hold the bearing on place, and one to adjust alignment with the drive wheel. If the bearing retaining bolt is loose, simply snug it up. If the other is loose, chances are that it needs to be moved in order to align the two wheels. You can do this roughly with a straightedge, after getting rid of the flop, and then with a blade on and saw running adjust it to just make the blade "walk" towards the shoulder on the wheel. Don't push it to bear heavily against the shoulder, or you will wear it off. Just enough to keep it riding against it. Then you can tighten the blade fully and recheck the amount of "walk" you are getting.

Oh, and the support I refer to is not the bearings that are set to twist the blade square with the work, but on the upper wheel support where the tension is set.
 
The advice about using a Bi-metal blade is very good. Cheap carbon blades will drive you crazy.
I have worked with quite a few of these saws. One common problem is that the blade does not drop straight down. It other words it tries to cut a vertical angle. Test this by setting a good square on the base and lower the blade so that it travels along the square (saw turned OFF of course). The blade should follow the square perfectly. If it does not, you may have to shim the hinge supports. After you have verified the vertical travel, then square the vice.
When you get tired of the flimsy sheet metal stand the saw comes on, build one of these:
http://homemetalshopclub.org/projects/sawstand/sawstand.html
 
Thanks for that Tony. I didn't have a chance to get to the saw today so not only is your advice useful, it's still timely. :) I've got some meetings tomorrow but hopefully I can squeeze in some time for the important stuff.

George, thanks for the link to that plan. I was cursing the stand last night as I went to move the saw while it was up in the vertical position. Learned real quick that was a delicate little balancing act. Once I get this saw working properly (and get some new blades from Enco, already have them in my cart) building a decent stand for it is pretty high on my list.

-Ron
 
Update: Using some advice I got on the internet "somewhere" :rolleyes: :) and was able to finish up the cut. I did notice, once the cut was done that the end of the bar/cut was angled. For now I will assume it was caused by the tracking not being adjusted properly. The next time I go to make a cut will be the real test.

Thanks guys,

-Ron
 
I have the Grizzly brand of the 4 x 6 saw. Bought it 7 years ago. Been through many blades since then! I perfer to use the bi-metal blades with the 10-14 tooth design. The only complaint I've had so far is the gear box gets hot from running.

Ken
 
The crooked cut can sometimes be blamed on lack of proper "set" for the teeth. If, for example, the blade rides too high on the drive or driven wheels, the set of the blades will be flattened out, leaving uneven set. This will cause the blade to pull over towards the side of the proper set. Toss the blade if this is the case. Hardly worth setting the teeth on a 64 1/2" blade, unless you have the machine for it. I've also seen blades from the factory with uneven set that won't saw straight for anything. The guides are always suspect, so check them first. They should ride pretty firmly against the blade. Make sure the blade is correct, 1/2" wide, or the bearings can also flatten out the blade set.
 
Blade it is then Tony. I already checked the guides and they are set properly. The blade is the correct 1/2" as well but it is the stock crappy blade that comes with the saw. I'll be putting in an order tonight for some new blades.

Thanks,

-Ron
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top