DW876 Bandsaw

[Harbo]

Using my DW876 bandsaw this afternoon I was reminded of what a load of **** it is!!
It is probably the worst thing I have ever bought and that includes my cheapo Perform Belt & Disc sander (which cause more damage than good).

Has anybody managed to tweak one so that it will behave like a half decent machine?

Rod

 

[DaveL]

Rod,

I don't have a DW bandsaw, but if you tell us about the problems your having with it we may be able to suggest what to do. :-k

 

[Harbo]

Basically IMHO it is a flimsily constructed machine made from thin section steel.
The cut wanders both vertically and horizontally - this is despite carrying out the usual setting up techniques like offsetting the fence etc. etc.
For cutting out turning blanks its OK but anything remotely accurate is a no no!
I have not replaced any of the parts apart from trying out different sizes and makes of blades. I bought it new and it has not had that much use that parts would have worn out?
I have watched Mark Duginske's video (Mastering Your Bandsaw) and read his book on Mastering Machines and followed his advice without any success.
I wonder if anybody has tried stiffening the guide post (which probably the cause of a lot of its problems) and/or changed the guide assembly's for some better made ones?

I thought I was buying a decent machine because of it's name (DeWalt) - a big mistake in this instance?

Rod

 

[Scrit]

Rod

What type of guides does the machine have? Some older DW bandsaws had stupid soft plastic guide blocks which were worse than useless. One of the tweaks was to bin them and plane-up some hardwood blocks (I used lignum vitae, but oak or even Tufnol plastic would do).

The other thing is what sort of blade is in it and how wide is the blade? With a small, light machine like this you need a thin blade, the lightest gauge you can find, and probably no wider than 1/2in, although I'd suggest setting-up with a 1/4in blade first, then you might be able to get enough tension in the blade to "debug" the machine. I used to have the prdecessor to the DW738 at one time and found it incapable of adequately tensioning anything wider than 3/8in blades

Scrit

 

[Gary M]

Rod, hopefully the pics will work,
i have a dewalt DW876, and i have no problems at all with anything i throw at it.
they didnt work !!

 

[Gary M]

oh dear !!

 

[Gary M]

Me knows this probably isnt how to post pics but it works !!

 

[davy_owen_88]

You are just posting links, so there is no need for the tags. If you want the pictures to show up you need to use the direct link to the image.

Click on the links you just posted and right click on the image - select 'view image' and then copy the link shown in the address bar. That link is the one to use.

[img]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p1f18b21bac31adee8a15b33cfecfeecc/e96be9a4.jpg

And without the spaces:

Hope that helps.

 

[Gary M]

Rod, This is my trusty little Dewalt DW876 happily resawing 26"x7"x2" elm today for the top of a chunky hall table. As you can see this was no problem.

I find the most important thing as my dear friend Scrit has mentioned is, this machine can't tension anywhere near the stated max blade width of 16mm !!
the blade i am using is a half inch 3teeth per inch HD blade from dragon saws
and the tension is cranked up to where the 16mm mark is or maybe even further !!
recently i have been cutting a lot of 6"x4" oak sleepers that are a tad wet, before i cut the elm today, with the same blade!!
As the pics show the saw is about half an inch of its stated max of 8", normall standard guides, angled fence adjusted for drift, blade tracking aligned to the centre of the wheels, dust extraction a must, bit of candle wax on the sides of the blade and away you go !!

Rod as im sure you know there are sooooo many things that can compound together and muck up your cuts, a bit more information on your blade type, how you tension it ect would help,
the are many older and wiser members than me who can also help
(eh Scrit) :lol:

 

[Gary M]

Many thanks Davy !! :wink:

 

[Gary M]

perfect !!!

 

[Harbo]

Well looking at those photos I might have to take back what I said ?

I am currently using a 12mm 6tpi from Trucut but have never cranked up the tension to those levels ( I have only been cutting some ply and 25mm oak boards at the moment). I do use 3TPI for thicker sections.
I have also tried blades from Richard Barry in different sizes and TPI's.

I will try cranking up the tension and if that does not work will try one of your blades?

Thanks

Rod

 

[NW]

I have had this model for about two years, when I originally purchased it (from Machine Mart) the cut was fantastic, and very accurate.

I changed the blade for a metal cutting one, and my problems started...

My understanding is that it HAS worked fine, so my changes must have caused the settings to cause the blade to wander.

It has metal guides (two above & two below) and a roller bearing.

I see that advice is to consider putting more tension on the blade than the manual says, I will try this.

In the meantime, I will go and get a new blade (thin as possible) and set the machine back up.

Are the guides meant to stop the blade from wandering ? How far from the blade should they be?

 

[DaveL]

Hi NW,

Welcome to the forum.

With a band saw the quality of the blade is very important, also what the blade has been used for, you should not cut curves and then expect that blade to cut a good straight line. The guides are just off the blade, a thin sheet of paper could be used to set the clearance.

The two suppliers that are considered by the forum to make and sell the best blades are Dragon Saw and Dure Edge, a search will find their contact details.

 

[OPJ]

While I cannot comment on this particular bandsaw, I do agree wholeheartedly with your comments on the Perform belt and disc sander machine!

The table's nowhere near flat, the fence is twisted, the casting which houses the lock for the belt sander's anger broke within a week, the plastic guard on the belt broke also... I plan to get a lathe at some point and make a large disc sander attatchment to fit that instead. If I can find the space of an oscilating spindle sander, I can do without the belt sander as well.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi NW

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[NW]

I wont be out and about today getting a new blade (of any make), management have decided that I need to finish off the room that I laid the oak flooring in on Friday/Sunday, so door to shave at the bottom, edges to make good and furniture to put back...

Bah Humbug !

 

[Bud]

Hi all need advise on a small bandsaw for my workshop.I am new to this site but wondered if anyone can help me choose.My hobby is furniture restoration contempory and reclaimed wood pieces.

 

[woodpig]

Hi all need advise on a small bandsaw for my workshop.I am new to this site but wondered if anyone can help me choose.My hobby is furniture restoration contempory and reclaimed wood pieces.

Probably best if you start a new thread. Entitled something like "Which new Bandsaw". :wink:

 

[pike]

I've just read all about the dw876 and was about to make some suggestions until I realised how old the original post was That's 2 minutes of my life I won't get back..