# Dewalt Bandsaw DW739 Setup and Maintenance



## jimi43 (8 Dec 2009)

I am slowly going through my workshop tidying things and cleaning power tools and setting them up ready for a project and I am now up to my trusty DW739

I have a couple of questions if someone can assist I would be grateful.

Firstly the top wheel and tensioner assembly has always for me been a weak point of this saw. I took the tensioner assembly apart to try to see if it could be set better and the washer, bearing (thin), washer, spring assembly fell apart and dropped on the floor. 

Looking at the parts list I think I know how it goes back together...basically the thin bearing goes between the two flat washers at the bottom of the plastic knob around the tensioner shaft and above the spring...am I right?

Secondly there is some crud and wear on the rubber/plastic wheel tyres and I thought these could be tidied up or replaced but it looks like you have to buy new wheels COMPLETE! Is this true? At a total of £140 for the wheels I might as well get a new saw!!! Can something been done or should I just leave them as they are...they doesn't seem to be drive problem!

Thirdly I feel that the flat bevel blade guides have always been a poor second to bearing guides seen on other saws. Can this be modified?

and lastly...are there any aftermarket fences that can be recommended for this model at the fence could do with changing. I am fed up with lining the thing up square!

Any other tips from other owners on tuning this (otherwise great) saw would be most appreciated.

Cheers

Jim


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## 9fingers (8 Dec 2009)

Is this diagram any better?

http://www.mtmc.co.uk/prodtype.asp?PT_I ... istory=cat

If the blade tracks ok and does not slip then leave well alone.
Yes bandwheels for most saws are disgustingly expensive. You can make new tyres out of flat rubber belts and trade cost for labour if you wish.

Guides on this class of saw are pretty poor design. There has been a discussion on another recent thread of blocks Vs ball races and you might be able to get an aftermarket kit or just make something to suit whatever guide system you favour. I get the impression from other threads that you work metal as well as wood so this should be no problem to you.

HTH

Bob


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## jimi43 (8 Dec 2009)

Hi Bob.....

Yes you are kinda confirming my view on the wheels. I thought that they may be replaceable but alas, it looks they are not.

I have had the saw for quite a time and it does get quite a workout...it was a 50th birthday present so difficult to upgrade if you catch my drift!

It might sound that I am disappointed with it and I am certainly not...(voted my best machine tool) because it opened up a new spectrum of ability for me in the workshop. It has its downsides though and the fence and guides are definitely two areas.

I can get cheap bearings and it will be a simple job to fabricate a holder from some stock brass or aluminium....I was pondering that solution before. I could probably do the same with the fence but the bits will usually cost more than an aftermarket job like a KREG... 

I don't want anything complicated...just something that latches at 90 degrees every time and with a micro-adjuster. I may modify it to be like my INCA table saw fence...that is simple and works well.

Many thanks for the link and advice

Jim


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## 9fingers (8 Dec 2009)

Bear in mind that even a bandsaw in a good state may well cut in a straight line but this line won't necessarily be at 90 degrees to the table edge and it will vary from blade to blade. This is particularly true with the lighter types of saw.

Your fence will need to be adjustable to cope with this.

Bob


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## jimi43 (8 Dec 2009)

9fingers":1g1fh6q1 said:


> Bear in mind that even a bandsaw in a good state may well cut in a straight line but this line won't necessarily be at 90 degrees to the table edge and it will vary from blade to blade. This is particularly true with the lighter types of saw.
> 
> Your fence will need to be adjustable to cope with this.
> 
> Bob



I was thinking of that in my plans. I have some extruded aluminium which was from a JET fence I believe...it even has a ruler on it....I'm thinking of putting an INCAesque L-bracket at the front and back and then cut slots in this extrusion. That would give me a slide adjustment.

I usually use a very straight piece of hardwood up against the actual fence to run against anyway and use this to run against.

Thanks again for the tips and interactive discussion.

Jim


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## jimi43 (9 Dec 2009)

The cleanup progresses...

Firstly the gunk came off the tyres rather well...and I have adjusted the brush that keeps the dust off the bottom wheel so that it is more effective.

I have removed the induction motor and variable speed pulley and realise that there could be a problem right from day one with this.

I need to ask if anyone knows how the variable speed mechanism actually works. Is this spring deformed or has it jumped out?







The official DeWalt blow-up parts diagram (as your link above Bob) shows an unclear part but the part appears to be a straight spring....

I therefore wonder if it has jumped out one spiral?

Any help gratefully received before I pull all this apart for no reason.

Cheers

Jim


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## 9fingers (9 Dec 2009)

I see no need for anything but a simple coil spring to keep the two pulley halves pressed together. This is a perfectly standard variable speed drive. 
I'd take it apart (without dropping it :lol: :lol: ) and with a couple of pairs of pliers, bend the spring back to its original cylindrical shape.

hth

Bob


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## jimi43 (9 Dec 2009)

AH!! I see now Bob...the V pulley is in two halves! Of COURSE!

DOH!!  :roll: 

So it isn't working properly because when I turn the variable knob the two halves DON'T separate at the moment...rather they stay locked in closest together position and the belt just becomes loose!

NOW I know what is wrong with it!.....

Oh well.... a homemade curry and Top Gear and I will be on the case!

Cheers mate!

Jim


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## jimi43 (9 Dec 2009)

I took the pulley halves apart and sure enough..the inbound half was jammed solid on the shaft. Hence turning the speed knob just bent the spring into the position shown above.

I have successfully straightened the spring out in a wood vise and it looks the same both ends now...although I guess it may be compromised but that is a cheap part.

The motor shaft had some but not deep corrosion on it..I think this is caused by water ingression in a damp workshop (when I first built it) in between the shaft and the bronze bushing on the inbound pulley half.

I have removed this with progressive grits of micromesh down to 12000 which is smoother than Marylin Monroe's bum now...and the pulley slides on the shaft beautifully.

I blinkin' well dropped the spring and associated washers when I released the pressure!!! DOH! But I think I have them back in the right order from the diagram!

Now all I have to do is sever my left arm for one side to tighten the motor mount while using the other arm to hold the motor up....

  

Watch this space and THANKS Bob!!

Jim


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## 9fingers (9 Dec 2009)

Sounds good Jim apart from dropping it !!!

Write out 100 times
"I must learn not to fling critical parts on the floor when dismantling machinery"

Don't be tempted to lubricate the sliding pulley and this will A) attract dirt and jam up and B) fly out onto the belt and risk slipping.

Bob


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## jimi43 (9 Dec 2009)

Ok Bob it is all back together now and my arms are sewn back. :wink: 

Bob...I have a NEW saw now....I tell ya...it NEVER worked like this from new. I think the inner pulley half NEVER moved...indeed I guess it was corroded or stuck in there from day one...and in those days I knew no different...heck...it was just a bandsaw and took over from hours of painful sawing without one.

Now it goes from 330 rpm to 800 rpm and I can control the cut. I have never understood why...even with a proper metal blade..I could not cut brass....NOW....well I can't wait to try.

Another thing I have done is fix the tensioner which never really worked well either....and the blade runs much more consistently....

Boy..I tell ya....it is always worth revisiting a piece of kit that you get when a dumb git using a new toy...and...with the SUPERB logic and experience which permeates this forum...service it into a NEW toy.

Thanks mate!

Jim


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## jimi43 (10 Dec 2009)

Just tried my bandsaw out on a piece of oak scrap and it is like a new tool!

The blade does not wobble...I can set the speed to optimise the cut without any burning...and it cuts really straight and true....











I am amazed that such a simple thing can have such an adverse effect on the accuracy and workings of a tool....

Thanks again for your help mate.

Jim


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## Alf (10 Dec 2009)

A happy result, Jim. I've had the Elu-badged version of this saw for years and it's an excellent saw as you say, apart from the fence and blade tension. I never did solve the first, but for the latter it's worth replacing the nut in the tensioning knob with a connecting/double nut instead - it spreads the load on the threads. From experience I can heartily recommend getting in another pair of hands to make the job of reassembly considerably less painful. Oh and fwiw, for the blade guides I replaced the metal blocks with lignum vitae - works a treat.

Cheers, Alf


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## jimi43 (10 Dec 2009)

Well I didn't want Bob to think I am a TOTAL numbnuts mate....I did actually find out the hard way that under the (deceptive) tension of the plastic knob there was a rocket waiting to fire and a wheel waiting to fly off and smack you in the chops!!!!

Indeed, yesterday....I said "what complete twot designed this piece of horse do do" (edited for lethal reasons) about twn times over that...the springing pulley on the motor and the nightmare that is motor reinstallation!

Thanks for the tips on the tensioning bolt. Mine hasn't actually lost the threads yet...although I can easily see it might!

Have you had the same problem with the variable split pulley...?

I am looking forward to fitting a new blade now...with it cutting like that with a worn(ish) blade...I am hoping to be amazed with a new one!

Actually.....what blades do you use? Since you must get through many more than I, I thought you may have found some keepers?


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## Alf (10 Dec 2009)

Mine's the two speed version, so no pulley issue, thank goodness. (At least iirc - it's a while since I've actually _seen_ it since it was entrusted to the old man's tender mercies). As for blades, last ones I got must have been DureEdge I think; they've gone kaput now as far as I'm aware. That's the problem with buying in quantity - by the time I've (slowly) worked through them the market's changed and I have to start the hunt for a good blade all over again. #-o


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## jimi43 (10 Dec 2009)

Hi Alf.....thanks mate...I thought it was strange as I just did your excellent "Workshop Tour" and there - lo and behold - was a large 16" Axminster! I guessed you must have upgraded at some time.

Was this a technical improvement or just a capacity upgrade...how does the Axminster fare in comparison with the Elu. If I remember rightly...most Elu badged DW stuff was better made...i.e. the plastic/nylon bits were metal...was this true?

Loved the shop tour by the way...your evolution and trials and tribulation of ergonomic storage and use closely matches my own! I must get around to putting a tour up on my website....to frighten off anyone interested in wood!!!  

My biggest fault is trying to put stuff in spaces where stuff was cleared to create a space to use stuff in the bit that was cleared in the first place!

Do you catch my drift...? :wink: 8) 

Oh and if that is a Norris or Spiers in the drawer can you leave it to me in your will please....pretty please!

Jim


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## 9fingers (10 Dec 2009)

jimi43":34lj0w11 said:


> Well I didn't want Bob to think I am a TOTAL numbnuts mate....I did actually find out the hard way that under the (deceptive) tension of the plastic knob there was a rocket waiting to fire and a wheel waiting to fly off and smack you in the chops!!!!



Hi Jim, I hope my feeble attempts at humour over your plight with flying mechanical parts did not lead you to think I was being judgemental. Sorry if that was the case  
I'm only too happy to spend a bit of time trying to help others out whilst browsing this forum. 

Glad to hear your saw is much improved after your efforts.

Bob


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## jimi43 (10 Dec 2009)

9fingers":2c9x7g1i said:


> jimi43":2c9x7g1i said:
> 
> 
> > Well I didn't want Bob to think I am a TOTAL numbnuts mate....I did actually find out the hard way that under the (deceptive) tension of the plastic knob there was a rocket waiting to fire and a wheel waiting to fly off and smack you in the chops!!!!
> ...



Hi Bob!

LOL!!!! No mate...I was equally being humourous...I guess I am still very new here...you will realise soon I have a dreadful sense of humour!

Your help has been invaluable and thanks for taking time out to help others..you certainly did with me!

Cheers mate!


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## Alf (10 Dec 2009)

Yeah, I upgraded - it was a capacity thing. I was pushing the Elu to the limit more often than not, and it was asking a lot of it. The Axminster (really just a re-badged Jet) is built like the proverbial brick structure and has taken everything I've thrown at it, so yes, it is an improvement over the Elu, but only what you'd expect given the increase in size and cost. For what it is, the Elu is still a lovely bit of kit. Can't honestly say I've been conscious of fewer bits of plastic though! Maybe when it was DeWalt badged _before_ becoming Elu? Dunno. It's quite reasonable plastic though, except perhaps the table insert - pretty sure I made a few replacements for that over the years and kept the original just for bevel cutting.

And sorry, no Norris or Spiers for anyone in my will - I intend to take it all with me. :wink: :lol: 

Cheers, Alf


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## yebaws (27 Mar 2014)

Very old thread, but you never know. I recently bought a dead dewalt dw739 on ebay and have got it going by buying a new stator for the motor. Howeve, I'm not sure I've put the pulleys together properly. It goes, but makes a lot of noise and lacks power. Maybe I've not put them together right or maybe I'm missing some washers. If you're still subscribed to this thread Jim (can't see here how to pm) and still have your bandsaw, I'd be really grateful if you could post a close up pic of the pulley with drive belt attached.

Thanks!


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## jimi43 (27 Mar 2014)

yebaws":kba422ui said:


> Very old thread, but you never know. I recently bought a dead dewalt dw739 on ebay and have got it going by buying a new stator for the motor. Howeve, I'm not sure I've put the pulleys together properly. It goes, but makes a lot of noise and lacks power. Maybe I've not put them together right or maybe I'm missing some washers. If you're still subscribed to this thread Jim (can't see here how to pm) and still have your bandsaw, I'd be really grateful if you could post a close up pic of the pulley with drive belt attached.
> 
> Thanks!



Hello

Yes...I still get notification for this thread and happy to help if I can but if you can post a picture of your setup with some indication as to what you want me to photograph on mine I shall be happy to do this for you.

Cheers

Jimi


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## yebaws (28 Mar 2014)

Hello Jimi,

That's great thanks. Please see pics attached. One with the motor at its closest to the wheel and one furthest away. Basically, the way it is set up, the outer pulley wheel, furthest from the motor, is fixed. The innermost one is pushed towards the outer one by the spring. With the engine running, the two wheels don't run parallel to each other - they are further apart from each other on the side where the drive belt is. This means that they bang against each other as they go round and it makes a lot of clattering. Maybe this is normal (I've never had a bandsaw before) and the polish on the pulley wheels implies that they have done a lot of banging or rubbing against something in the past, but it seems an odd setup to me, and it means the drive belt is prone to slip and sometimes doesn't start without the wheel being given a spin by hand. When I got the bandsaw, the motor was burnt out, so I worry that it may not be running as smoothly as it should be. All of the expanded parts diagrams I have found are pretty unclear, but they show 3 washers in the pulley assemblage - one one the side closest to the motor, one between the pulleys, and one between ouside pulley wheel and the retaining nut. I have just this last washer, but can't honestly see what difference the other 2 would make. A close up of your pulley assemblage, with and without the belt on would might give me some clues as to whether I'm missing something...


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## jimi43 (28 Mar 2014)

Hi

This is the variable speed mechanism. Basically as you swing the motor further way from the main wheel the moving "half" of the pulley pushes against the spring and moves outwards allowing the belt to dig deeper into the "V" thus altering the speed.

Conversely, if you adjust the motor towards the main wheel...the pressure on the drive belt is lessened and the moving half of the pulley is able to be pushed in towards the fixed part by the spring pressure and thus creates a bigger effective "V" pulley thus reducing the drive ratio and slowing the machine down.

In order for this to work there has to be two critical things happening.

1) The spring must not be weakened and still be strong enough to do its job

2) The shaft against which the moving half of the V pulley runs must be well lubricated without getting this lubrication on the inner surface of the "V"

What I suggest you do is ignore the spring for the moment and take the pulley halves apart and clean the shaft and the inner hole of the moving part really well with alcohol or other solvent and get everything nice and clean. Put a LIGHT coat of oil on the shaft and spring and then reassemble. 

You need to adjust the motor spacing so that the outer fixed part of the pulley lines up with the bandsaw wheel so they are co-planer (in the same plane when you look down the two). The moving pulley must not rub against the back casing when the spring is fully depressed i.e. fastest speed....motor moved fully away on the rear adjuster.

Without power to the machine and with the blade removed, rotate the bottom wheel by hand and at the same time slowly adjust the rear speed control. 

The belt should force the rear moving V plate back against the spring and the belt should sit further down between the two halves.

As you adjust the speed controller the other way...make sure the reverse happens and the spring is able to push the belt to ride higher on the two halves.

If this works manually and there is no fouling of the back plate against the chassis and the mechanism works as it should you can then add the blade...adjust the tension and power up the machine.

Bandsaws have a very specific order in which they need to be adjusted and aligned and this is only one part of many which could cause the problems you are experiencing. 

I wholeheartedly suggest you purchase the DVD by fellow UKW Forumite Steve Maskery " BANDSAW ESSENTIALS...it's worth ten times the cost of the DVD in the time it saves you and the "new" bandsaw that you will acquire by following the tips therein.

Also...get a TUFFSAW blade or three for it...from another grand master of the UKW..Ian. TUFF SAW BLADES.

These two things will transform your non-working machine into a machine you will love...trust me or trust the others who have found this out over the years UKW Review on Workshop Essentials DVD

Try this out and if you are still having problems come back here and report and I will strip mine down and take suitable pictures.

Cheers

Jimi


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## yebaws (28 Mar 2014)

Hello Jimi,

Thanks for that. Can't be sure without any pics, but I guess that I have the pulleys assembled correctly and with all of the pieces....

Will try some adjusting and lubricating and see if it runs more smoothly. New blad might help also...


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## jimi43 (28 Mar 2014)

Ok...apologies up front for the poor quality of the pictures but I just grabbed these on my phone as I am rather busy in the observatory at present.

This is the variable speed controller at the back of the chassis above the motor:






Once you have stripped the pulley from the motor shaft and ensured it is clean and free of any corrosion or burrs etc...lightly oil and reassemble.

Put the belt back on but not the blade so you have the bottom wheel free to turn by hand using the spokes.

First set the knob (above) towards the slow setting and this should move the motor along the rack towards the bottom band wheel.

This will cause the belt to be loose and therefore the rear pulley half gets pressed towards the fixed half and push the V-belt to the outer edge of the V:






WHILE ROTATING THE LOWER BAND WHEEL CLOCKWISE....reach round and turn the adjuster knob to slowly move the motor to the fast position...away from the band wheel.

This will cause the belt to tighten and push the moveable part of the pulley against the spring and the V-belt will sink into the V:






Note how the two halves of the pulley are now much wider apart. By moving the belt to an effectively smaller pulley size you increase the ratio between the diameter of the pulley itself and the lower band wheel. This makes it go faster. 

This is similar to the Variomatic gearbox of a car.

This is a closeup of the nut holding the fixed part of the pulley onto the end of the motor shaft. You need a new locking nut for this to absolutely ensure that it does not work loose but I hardly ever bother if it looks in good nick.






Here are another couple of things that can improve the performance of your saw:






Firstly you can take that plastic rubbish out of the table insert and throw it in the bin but not before measuring the thickness and get a piece of thin plywood and make a zero clearance insert (ZCI). Mine is a bit worn but you make it and use the blade to carefully cut the slot and then insert it where the old plastic one was and that way the blade and stock have a much better support which aids the cut.

Secondly..see the blade guide..the old steel ones are removed and copied in Lignum Vitae wood offcuts which is wonderful. It is will quieten down the machine hugely and also it has natural oil which will lubricate the blade passing across it.

There is one on the other side too...






....and two on the bottom.

Again...I hope you can make out what's going on from these rubbish pictures but I didn't have time to get the DSLR out and set up.

Cheers

Jimi


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## yebaws (28 Mar 2014)

Hi Jimi,

Thanks for that - very helpful and I appreciate your time taking the pictures (perfectly good quality). Will take your advise about the insert (there's not much left of mine anyway) and I'll have a look at the guides, although I have to confess that Lignum Vitae is a new one for me (wonder where I'll get hold of some of that - ebay I suppose...)

Re the pulley wheels - I see in your pics that yours run parallel to each other, unlike mine that are at and angle to each other. I think this is my problem as they pinch the drive belt, which means that there's often not enough power in the motor to start the thing up, although once running it goes more or less fine. I think this must be something to do with me having something missing (washers?) in the pulley assemblage. I may just go and buy a new assemblage. Having shelled out for a new stator for the motor, I don't want to burn it out again by jamming it...


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## jimi43 (28 Mar 2014)

yebaws":39g5foq9 said:


> Hi Jimi,
> 
> Thanks for that - very helpful and I appreciate your time taking the pictures (perfectly good quality). Will take your advise about the insert (there's not much left of mine anyway) and I'll have a look at the guides, although I have to confess that Lignum Vitae is a new one for me (wonder where I'll get hold of some of that - ebay I suppose...)
> 
> Re the pulley wheels - I see in your pics that yours run parallel to each other, unlike mine that are at and angle to each other. I think this is my problem as they pinch the drive belt, which means that there's often not enough power in the motor to start the thing up, although once running it goes more or less fine. I think this must be something to do with me having something missing (washers?) in the pulley assemblage. I may just go and buy a new assemblage. Having shelled out for a new stator for the motor, I don't want to burn it out again by jamming it...



Hi....

There is something seriously wrong other than just missing washers as the two halves of the variable speed pulley are on the same motor shaft and therefore should run parallel to each other throughout the speed range.

Looking at your pictures again more closely..I can see what you mean. Also I see that the moving pulley half appears to be very highly polished and somewhat thinner at the outer edge which would seem to mean that the belt is slipping badly on it and polishing the surface.

Can you take the motor out again and take it all apart which you will need to do anyway to check and lube...and then take a few photos of the various parts.

I can then get a better impression of what's going on and perhaps advise you what is needed.

Cheers

Jimi


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## yebaws (28 Mar 2014)

Hi Jimi,

Some more pics:

All the bits:





And in the order they came off the spindle:





Close up of the innermost pulley wheel. To me the inside of this looks as though it is worn and perhaps should be narrower (which might help to keep it parallel to the other one on the spindle), but without knowing what it should look like I don't know.





The spindle before taking off the spring cup:


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## jimi43 (28 Mar 2014)

Hi

Yes...there is the remains of a bronze bush in the hole of the moving half which appears to be extremely worn.

This is made of soft bronze so that it is self lubricating when it moves in and out but I think something happened to yours and it's basically destroyed.

You will need to replace the pulley or get a new bronze bush machined and pressed in.

I will dismantle mine to confirm later but I'm pretty sure that's the problem.

Sorry....

Jim


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## jimi43 (28 Mar 2014)

Ok...I finished the installation I was doing in the observatory a little faster than I thought...so I got a few spanners out and took mine apart to show you how it fits together...I had quite forgotten what a BAR STEWARD the design is on these things but it's good because it needed lubricating anyway so you did me a favour!

Here is the train laid out from left to right...first off to last off....






So what do we have...






Going from the left...

Remove nut but hang on to the outer pulley and push down on the spring otherwise you will get the whole lot in your face at high speed!

Take the outer two washers off...there is a silver one for the nut and a strong black one below for the pulley...

Holding on to the inner pulley half push down so that you can lift off the outer pulley half.

SLOWLY release the inner pulley taking the spring pressure off and remove the plain silver washer sitting on top of the inner pulley above the bronze bush. This washer is important to separate the two halves when running a tad.

Remove the bottom pulley half and then you can lift out the spring and the spring cup.

Now you can examine the motor shaft...which should be clean and shiny...






You're not worried about the thread (although it's nice that this is clean too..!) but the critical bit is the inner fatter part of the shaft which the bronze bush of the inner pulley half slides on.

Mine is worn and is no longer a good fit but acceptable for now. There should be little play if you dry fit this back without the spring.

If you can offset the inner pulley on the shaft a huge amount...that bronze bush is shot. You need to replace the inner pulley and bush or get a new bush pressed in by a local machine shop.

Reassembly:

Ok here is the sequence of reassembly:

Sit the motor on its end and put the spring cup back so that the tiny flange on it locks into place....you have to hold this in place to ensure it stays there throughout the assembly process...don't let it fall out of lock!






Now put the spring back in the cup and turn anti-clockwise and you will see the end of the spring coil will lock into a little indent inside the cup.






Now the difficult bit!

You have to locate the bottom pulley half on the shaft and push down hard on it to compress the spring and hold it there without the cup going out of it's flange.






_*I took the photo above just before inserting so that you can see the thickness the bush should be with little play. Clearly you insert the pulley the other way up!*_

Once it is completely compressed you put the plain washer on the shaft and it sits high on a shelf of the thicker part of the shaft.

Then still holding the whole thing you have to add the outer pulley half and spin to locate that in the cutout on the threaded part and it drops right down. 

Now you have to hold this down so that the whole thing keeps the spring compressed while you grab the thicker black washer...the thinner silver washer and finally the nut and put them on in that order and tighten the nut hand tight. 

NOW you can release the assembly and it won't spring out again.






Obviously I couldn't take pictures of the assembly and hold the spring down so I hope you get the instructions.

Similarly, I couldn't photograph testing the spring action so I put a bit of wood in it to take this picture:






As you can see...you should be able to push the inner half of the split pulley down against the spring and it should go down smoothly and parallel to the outer half.

I took the opportunity to put two drops of machine oil on the shaft before I inserted the inner pulley.

Again...the pictures aren't as clear as I would have liked but I hope this helps you somewhat.

Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

I did manage to get some help putting the CCTV in the observatory so that's probably how I managed to catch up...ALFIE helped me!!!






:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: 

Jimi


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## yebaws (29 Mar 2014)

Hello Jimi,

Thanks for all of your time taking that to pieces. I'm sure it was much quicker to put together with help from Alfie...

You've confirmed my suspicions that the problem was with the inner pulley wheel - my brass bush is almost non-existent - hence the wheels not running parallel to each other, clattering together and pinching the drive belt. Don't know anybody locally who could set a new bushing for me but it's about £15 for a spare pulley wheel, so not too bad, and I can get the missing washers at the same time.

Noticed further up the tread that you were considering re-coating your running wheels. Did you ever do that?

Thanks again,

Justin


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## jimi43 (29 Mar 2014)

yebaws":31bdxytp said:


> Hello Jimi,
> 
> Thanks for all of your time taking that to pieces. I'm sure it was much quicker to put together with help from Alfie...
> 
> ...



Indeed...as I said...the bush on yours looks shot to pieces but it's difficult to tell from photographs.

I wouldn't bother getting a custom made insert...£15 for a new pulley is nothing compared with the labour cost to even contemplate refurbishing the old one. And in any case there seems to also be some wear damage to the aluminium part of the wheel as well where it has seized.

In the end the rubber tyres were fine...it was the rubbish blade which was causing my original problems and once I got a new Tuff Saw blade, everything worked fine.

A worn or cheap blade is a major cause of performance drop with these things. You'll be surprised how beautifully it cuts with the right sharp blade.

I don't actually use this saw very much now. Since getting the little Burgess, I tend to just pick that up and use it around the workshop wherever it's needed and it is a surprisingly good saw...again..with the right blade and a tune-up. All the tips I got were from Steve's DVD and I have to say...getting a bandsaw working to it's top performance is difficult without this sort of logical, sequential setup.

Let us know how you get on...

Jim


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## joemcerlane (8 Oct 2017)

Hi Guys

I realise that this an old thread but I've a similar problem and need some advice as I have never taken this type of motor apart and not sure what to expect. My spring looks like the one in the pics in the thread. I've the motor out but cant see how to remove the plastic cover to get at the shaft to sort the spring? As you have realised I dont have a clue about this but my saw is not working and I really need it to be so any help would be really appreciated. I'm not sure if I can attach pics but I'll try. 

Thanks

Joe


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## jimi43 (9 Oct 2017)

joemcerlane":2cr46qkc said:


> Hi Guys
> 
> I realise that this an old thread but I've a similar problem and need some advice as I have never taken this type of motor apart and not sure what to expect. My spring looks like the one in the pics in the thread. I've the motor out but cant see how to remove the plastic cover to get at the shaft to sort the spring? As you have realised I dont have a clue about this but my saw is not working and I really need it to be so any help would be really appreciated. I'm not sure if I can attach pics but I'll try.
> 
> ...



Hi Joe

Not sure what plastic cover you mean but if you mean the plastic cover on the other side of the motor then you don't take that off.

Go back through the pictures and follow the disassembly instructions taking care to take pressure off the spring as stated and remove the separate parts of the automatic pulley from the INSIDE side of the shaft.

Hope this helps

Jimi


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## joemcerlane (14 Oct 2017)

Hi Jimi

Many thanks for replying! I dont know how but I missed the page with the pics and instructions and only caught on after I made my post and by that time I was too busy cursing the design of the bandsaw to reply!

I followed your pics and got it back together and back in...eventually. All was well for about an hour then a noise and spring out again!

I'm kinda happy enough with the speed its stuck at and will leave it for another while before I could be bothered to do it again although it should be pretty straight forward as I know what to do now.

Your pics and instructions were bang on and once again thanks for replying. I'm sure this thread will be used many times for this bandsaw.


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## jimi43 (15 Oct 2017)

joemcerlane":1khbxq0y said:


> Hi Jimi
> 
> Many thanks for replying! I dont know how but I missed the page with the pics and instructions and only caught on after I made my post and by that time I was too busy cursing the design of the bandsaw to reply!
> 
> ...



Hi Joe

Glad to be of help..

Just make sure that everything is very clean...and the internal (not the faces of the pulley!!) are properly lubricated with white grease and then it should work well.

Unfortunately the design needs regular maintenance as the dust gets in and fouls it all up again.

Dust extraction from the port is key to ensure that dust that ends up inside is reduced quite a bit...if you haven't already fitted extraction you need to consider this...you only need a standard wet and dry vacuum cleaner...cheap one from Rutlands is usually enough....or a secondhand VAX from eBay.

Cheers

Jim


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