Harbor Freight 4x6 Band Saw Set-up Feedback

[ACHiPo]

I finally got around to getting a Starrett blade onto my new HF 4x6 band saw. I got the guides set up and the top wheel adjusted so the blade tracks fairly well.

I've downloaded the 4x6 set up guide from Yahoo Groups, but haven't gotten a chance to walk through it yet. I think my saw is usable as-is, but is no where near where I want it to be (using my Jet 14" steel woodworking band saw as a benchmark).

The first question I have is whether it's ok for the blade to only be halfway on the bottom (driven) wheel? The blade seems to run correctly on the top wheel, with the teeth just hanging over the edge, but the blade only has ~1/4" - 3/8" on the bottom wheel. I suspect that means I need to shim the bottom wheel over 1/4"? If so, that seems like an awful lot of misalignment?

Here's the top wheel for comparison:

The second question is that the gear box seems to make an awful lot of noise. I've seen some people's reports that the gears need filing, so I opened up the gear box, but the gears actually seem to mesh pretty well, and I didn't see/feel any rough spots. What suggestions do you have?

Thanks,
Evan

 

[francist]

Before you start thinking about how to shim the lower wheel, check that the bearing that runs along the back edge of the blade is not adjusted too far forward. Looks to me like you have room to set this bearing back a bit which should position the blade more central on the two guide bearings as well as allow the blade to track a little further on to the wheel.

-frank

 

[darkzero]

Don't shim the bottom wheel. You need to adjust the tilt of the top wheel. You need to tilt the wheel back a bit more (looking at your first pic, tilt the wheel closer to the tension screw side). There's a set screw on the other side that adjusts the tilt by the 2 sliding bolts. I forget as I sold my 4x6 but I believe you need to loosen one of those bolts before adjusting tilt. The manual should show how.

If you actually make a cut on something, the weight will push the blade back onto the wheel. But if you run it freely and the blade starts coming off the bottom wheel again you will need to adjust the tilt. It maybe be borderline about to fall if the tilt is not adjusted enough, bad things happen when that blade pops off.

 

[royesses]

I adjusted mine by first moving the back/side bearings up and away from the blade. I found the lower wheel had clearance and would move back and forth on the shaft. I made a spacer to take up the clearance and made a tighter key for the shaft. Then I adjusted the top wheel to get the best tracking I could and tightened it down. Tracking is almost equal on the wheels and not half off as your photo shows. It's kind of a compromise . Then I adjusted the side and back bearings. Then squared to the vise and table. Cuts pretty square now. I replaced the oil in the gearbox when I first got the saw. I cleaned out the dirt and grit in the gear box and filled it with fresh oil. No excessive noise.

 

[Surprman]

Tough to tell from the photo, but the Chinese like to paint things they should not. I picked- up my HF 4x6 used on Craig's List. It seems the original owner could not get the blade to stay on and gave it to his friend. He sold it to me for $50 (nearly brand new). There was paint on both wheels (on the outside where the blade makes contact) and it created a clay-like mess when the heat, paint and metal dust combined, probably leading to the blade slipping off. Do yourself a favor and scrape those contact surfaces with a razor blade to remove any paint residue.

Rick

 

[ACHiPo]

Before you start thinking about how to shim the lower wheel, check that the bearing that runs along the back edge of the blade is not adjusted too far forward. Looks to me like you have room to set this bearing back a bit which should position the blade more central on the two guide bearings as well as allow the blade to track a little further on to the wheel.

-frank

Frank,
Are you talking about the lower or upper blade guides? The upper blade guide seems like it's in the correct position when the saw is running. Currently the blade does not contact the lower blade guide--I slide the guide as far as possible forward, and the blade still doesn't make contact with it, which is why I suspect that the wheel needs shimmed.

Evan

 

[ACHiPo]

Don't shim the bottom wheel. You need to adjust the tilt of the top wheel. You need to tilt the wheel back a bit more (looking at your first pic, tilt the wheel closer to the tension screw side). There's a set screw on the other side that adjusts the tilt by the 2 sliding bolts. I forget as I sold my 4x6 but I believe you need to loosen one of those bolts before adjusting tilt. The manual should show how.

If you actually make a cut on something, the weight will push the blade back onto the wheel. But if you run it freely and the blade starts coming off the bottom wheel again you will need to adjust the tilt. It maybe be borderline about to fall if the tilt is not adjusted enough, bad things happen when that blade pops off.

DZ,
I had to adjust the tilt to get the blade to stay on. If I tilt it any more, the teeth will run on the top wheel, which isn't good. I haven't cut anything on it yet, so will try that before making any modifications.
Evan

 

[ACHiPo]

I adjusted mine by first moving the back/side bearings up and away from the blade. I found the lower wheel had clearance and would move back and forth on the shaft. I made a spacer to take up the clearance and made a tighter key for the shaft. Then I adjusted the top wheel to get the best tracking I could and tightened it down. Tracking is almost equal on the wheels and not half off as your photo shows. It's kind of a compromise . Then I adjusted the side and back bearings. Then squared to the vise and table. Cuts pretty square now. I replaced the oil in the gearbox when I first got the saw. I cleaned out the dirt and grit in the gear box and filled it with fresh oil. No excessive noise.

Thanks. I'll go through it this weekend.

 

[ACHiPo]

Tough to tell from the photo, but the Chinese like to paint things they should not. I picked- up my HF 4x6 used on Craig's List. It seems the original owner could not get the blade to stay on and gave it to his friend. He sold it to me for $50 (nearly brand new). There was paint on both wheels (on the outside where the blade makes contact) and it created a clay-like mess when the heat, paint and metal dust combined, probably leading to the blade slipping off. Do yourself a favor and scrape those contact surfaces with a razor blade to remove any paint residue.

Rick

Will do. Thanks.

 

[roadie33]

I think he means this wheel circled in RED.
It should be at the same height as the upper guide bearing.