johnnyb
Established Member
as part of my general shop improvement i am thinking of trying to improve my bandsaw. my idea is to stiffen up the frame as much as poss. the original frame seems reasonably stiff along the blade but vibrate badly side to side. by this i mean the top and bottom of the frame are twisting. a fillet has been welded but it doesnt stop this torsion. it is also noticeable on cutting. unlike cast bandsaws the blade tensioner doesnt have a spring shock absorber i am assuming this is normal on steel fabricated bandsaws as they sort of act as there own shock absorbers. should i stiffen the frame up or leave it as is i am thinking of welding a thick sheet between the wheel spindles also some fillets to stop the twisting. has anybody done anything like this before? when the books say the wheels should be in the same plane how can that be when the tracking control alters the upper wheels angle? i have stripped it down and it all seems in place but very poorly made. another area i would like to alter is the upper blade guide replacing it with a steel square section with a solid peice as the moveable part., if possible. my plan is to just use brass blocks as guides ijnstead of side bearings.
any thought on all this.......sell it and get a decent one.
by the way do any companies produce a cast frame bandsaw in the uk they seem common in the states.
any thought on all this.......sell it and get a decent one.
by the way do any companies produce a cast frame bandsaw in the uk they seem common in the states.