HF bandsaw manuals question

[CRSinTN]

I recently picked up a used Clarke Metalworker bandsaw. I went to their website, but they don't have a copy of that saw's user manual available, and I can't find one elsewhere.

The saw looks like most other Chinese horizontal bandsaws, so I figured the manual from Harbor Freight would work. When I went to HF's site, they have 4 different user manuals for what appears at first glance to be the same saw. Can someone give me the cliff's notes version of why HF has these different owner's manuals?

 

[silence dogood]

It's common for HF to have two different model numbers for the same item. They carry the 4"x7" or the 7"by12". Pick the one size that fits yours. Go to a HF site on the net and you should be able to download for free.

 

[C-Bag]

Not to be a smart Alec but the only useful thing I’ve ever gotten out of the many HF manuals I’ve gotten with the tools is the parts breakdown. The rest is basically useless.

 

[CRSinTN]

Well, now that I have gone through all 151 pages of bandsawmanuals.com, I feel like I asked a rather stupid question.

And C-Bag, I agree, but they have been a starting point with some of the stuff I have had. I'm still not even to a starting point with this saw.

 

[silence dogood]

After reading your comment, I just check through that bandsawmanuals.com. No luck Got a Wilton model 3061. Even called the factory some time ago. Unfortunately, they threw out anything made before 1980. Again Nice people to talk to though. However, with some tweaking and new lube and new blade, cuts great. Not a stupid question. sometimes, you just got to work in the blind.

 

[C-Bag]

I always thought it was just me that didn’t even look at the manual until I got in a bind and then found it was useless. But then it turned out after we moved here the woman next door was working for a co’ who made user “manuals”. She can’t hardly fix breakfast much less a machine. Manuals are for liability not hardly anything else. If you are lucky you might get what the proper oils are or how to do a basic setup but most the silly little blurbs I get don’t even have that. I keep them if they have a parts breakdown because they tell me 95% of what I need. Like if anything is missing and often how it comes apart.

But the reality is there are hundreds of these little places(I hesitate to call them factories) that bought castings and made these machines for a while, then were sold to some importer here who put a sticker on them and sold to a distributor. I’ve had more luck with Harbor Frieght and Grizzly because they most times still have parts if needed. But I know they are constantly having to deal with their “suppliers” going under, changing hats, reorganizing, changing countries like from Taiwan to China etc, etc.

I got used to it long ago when being a wrench and finding out that those racks of big Chilton and Motors manuals were mostly useless. I find asking a question here or doing a good Google search far more helpful as amongst the 30,000+ members somebody either has a fix, has run into the same problem or one of the Google-fu masters will find the relevant info that I can’t . It’s why I’m a member.

 

[silence dogood]

C-Bag, you hit it right on especially about that tech manual writer. An exploded parts diagram is very useful. An oil/grease chart is useful. Some machines need to be adjustment and/or calibration charts is useful. The gear box on my bandsaw uses a grease not oil. But what kind? After much research ended up using Corn head grease made by John Deere. Yeah, I know, weird. But so far after a couple of years, it works just fine.