Useful 4x6 Mods.

[RJSakowski]

My 4x6 bandsaw actually can only cut a 5" wide piece due to the placement of the front vise jaw. I replaced the front jaw with a 6" length of 3/4" x 3/4" hot rolled bar and gained an extra 1-1/4" of capacity. The bar is mounted with two 5/16-18 socket head cap screws in two new threaded holes on the saw table. This leaves the OEM vise jaw still usable for when I need to make angled cuts.

Another useful trick is to use step clamps for clamping work to the table. My 9/16" T nuts fit nicely in the slot for the back vise jaw. This enables cutting short pieces which would otherwise be difficult to clamp with the OEM vise jaw. Two step clamps can be used to clamp irregular work.

 

[C-Bag]

My 4x6 bandsaw actually can only cut a 5" wide piece due to the placement of the front vise jaw. I replaced the front jaw with a 6" length of 3/4" x 3/4" hot rolled bar and gained an extra 1-1/4" of capacity. The bar is mounted with two 5/16-18 socket head cap screws in two new threaded holes on the saw table. This leaves the OEM vise jaw still usable for when I need to make angled cuts.
View attachment 405025 View attachment 405024


Another useful trick is to use step clamps for clamping work to the table. My 9/16" T nuts fit nicely in the slot for the back vise jaw. This enables cutting short pieces which would otherwise be difficult to clamp with the OEM vise jaw. Two step clamps can be used to clamp irregular work.
View attachment 405026 View attachment 405027

Thanks for that mod on the vise jaw. I’ll have to make me one of those. I‘m trying to get to making a new side gate which will entail cutting some large rectangular tubing that will be probably just outside the limits of my old 4x6. I was also looking at maybe grinding down the inner web of the wheel frame so it would give me more vertical throat clearance. Amazing how an 1” or two the right spot makes all the difference. I had that 4x6 for forty years and not until the last couple of years decided to mod the things that have always irked me. The major reasons I think is now i have a lathe and mill which made those mods possible.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I did something similar to extend the capacity of my saw. I learned the hard way that moving the blade guide back too far was not a good idea. I was cutting a piece of 1x8 0-6 tool steel. It was taking quite a while and I went of to do something else. When I came back I found that the tight twist angle between the drive wheel and the guide caused the blade to curl across the 1/2" dimension. It hung in the cut, which stalled and cooked the motor.

Use caution.