Einhell TC-5B 200/1 bandsaw?

[Jonzjob]

I am helpijng to set up a Men's Shed and we had an Einhell bandsaw donated. It was advertised as spares or repair, so I didn't expect too much. After a nice drive out to Salisbury we got home and I had a look at it. A little 2 wheel saw with pion type blade guides and a bearing back stop. BUT, the guides are only just touching the back of the ¼" blade when the blade is running in the centre of the wheels. They aren't doing anything even if the blade is adjusted as far back as it will go without falling off the wheels and the back stop bearings are about 3/16" away from the blade. This is with both the guides and bearings as far forward as they will go.

I noticed that there is a 'notch' in the lower plastic door which shouldn't be there so the blade is running far to far forward. I have had both wheels off to see if they could have been put on the wrong way around, but even if they were they are symmetrical so it wouldn't matter. I have spent several hours trying to sort this out but to no avail. Einhell have been no help either. The only people who know anything about it are the repair team who operate in the wharehouse and I couldn't get through to them without going through the help people. I didn't get any help at all!



Anyone got any ideas please? I can now see why it was 'donated'.

 

[Jonzjob]

I assume that nobody has any ideas about this problem?

 

[SkinnyB]

Attach some photos you may get a better response. Might just be the quality of this brand of saw.

 

[Jonzjob]

The back stop bearing is as far forward as it will go and you can see just how far back on the blade the guide is

Sorry but it won't show the second photo unless you click on the 'icon' that should be the photo? The guide is touching the back of the guide

 

[HamsterJam]

Have you checked the manual/specs?
could it be that the saw is designed only to take wider blades?

Edit: i just looked the manual for TC-SB 200 Online and specs say 7mm blade (max 8mm) so not that.

Are the tyres OK?
Where does the blade sit on the tyres? - according to manual the teeth should be at the front of the top tyre - hard to see how they could be much further forward without the blade coming off.
Is there the same issue with upper and lower guides?
is the blade guard assembly straight and fitted correctly?
is the frame straight?

 

[Jonzjob]

The blade is running in the centre of the top tyre and both tyres are in good knick

Both top and bottom guides are straight and they can't really be fitted wrongly as the short shaft they are mounted on has a tapped hole for the locking screw and a short slotted hole in the black assembly in the top photo. To adjust the guides that allen screw is loosened and is now at the extream front of the slotted hole.

As far as I can tell the frame is straight and the blade runs in the centre of both wheels and the problem is the same for top and bottom.

Don't take any notice of the blade on there. It's one of 2 that came with the saw and you could start a fire with it if you try to actually try to cut anything Well, I suppose it could cut butter?

 

[wally7]

don't understand why the back bearing cannot be moved forward without seeing it. either Your blade is in the right place.
Your bottom bearing should also nearly touch the blade. you can't use it like that as the blade will move back and then the cutting teeth will foul the side guides. In circumstance like this I kind of ad lib. Two possible solution -mac

 

[wally7]

cont. machine /drill bracket to give more movement to it. We did this by extending slot and maybe machining another guide piece. Another (don't laugh) way is use bigger diameter bearing? Or only use wider blade. I am an old time maintenance engineer going way back, anything is possible remember. You have to keep the distance between back bearing and side bearings such that it can be adjusted correctly
Without seeing it , I'm guessing it maybe a design fault so you can't use 1/4 blades. Or it was machined wrong in manufacture. Who knows? I'm also in men in sheds in spelthorne. I had to make a new guide on our bandsaw as the cheap aluminium alloy started to break up. I made adjustments to old design and now it works much better so it can be done. Where are you? If near I could drop in.

 

[wally7]

Sorry, I should've checked you're in French France so too far for me. Looking at the photo again. There's something drastically wrong if you can't move bearing closer then that. But again as a last resort and if no other problem found I would make bearing guides that do fit correctly Einhell are usually pretty good machines but who knows the machine's history?

 

[HamsterJam]

Here are a couple of images from the manual on the Einhell website.
Does your guide set up look like this and is your blade sitting in the same place?
(The pictures seem to suggest only part of the sideways guides contact the very back of the blade.)

 

[Jonzjob]

Not in France any more Wally. Juat about 100 miles way from you and near Malmesbury Wilts, so still toooo far mate, but thank you for the thought. I am a retired IBM mainframe hardware eng, so foairy handy with a hammer, etc. The shaft that the rear bearing is on is as far forward as it will go without falling out and right on the edge of safety. It's got a small flat that the adjusting screw sits on and is right at the end of the shaft, so a different setup to the side guides.

As you noticed HamJam that picture shows the guides at the read part of the blade, but it says

6.4.3. Adjusting the upper guide pins (28)
• Undo the Sockethead screw (35)
• Move the mount (36) of the guide pins (28) so
that there is a gap of approx. 1 mm between the front edge of the guide pins (28) and the
gullet of the blade in front.

• Re-tighten the Sockethead screw (35).
• CAUTION! The blade will be rendered usel-
  ess if the teeth touch the guide pins while the
  blade is running.

Fully forward there's still about 4mm of the blade behind the gullet not supported. That allows it to do its own thing and wander at will.

 

[wally7]

yes a bit far from me, shame as I'm sure I could help; I have even had to 'adjust' our axminster bandsaw guides and they are usually very good. Without seeing the einhell setup it's difficult to see what's needed, but methinks some machining will be needed. Our men in sheds has a myford 7 lathe and old milling machine so if you need some machining I'm sure we could help. For now, as you cannot use it with a 1/4 blade, could you not put a wider blade on that fits until you sort out problem? good luck

 

[Jonzjob]

That's very kind of you Wally, but I think it may just be chucking good money after bad?

There is a 5/16" blade with it too. It looks as knacked as the ¼", but when I get time I will have a look at it. The 5/16 would only mean an extra 1/32" further back for the blade to still run in the middle of the wheels. It would also mean that the teeth were nearer the steel gaurd on the left hane blade path and if any wood was pulled forward it would knack the blade in a second or two! There's going to be inexperienced people using it aren't there and either me or one of the other blokes who know bandsaw's may not be looking at the time? We may well be able to get a few bob for it as spares?

I think that I'm going to advise getting a new saw. That way we will have the assurance that it's all there and also have the warranty.

 

[wally7]

That's very kind of you Wally, but I think it may just be chucking good money after bad?

There is a 5/16" blade with it too. It looks as knacked as the ¼", but when I get time I will have a look at it. The 5/16 would only mean an extra 1/32" further back for the blade to still run in the middle of the wheels. It would also mean that the teeth were nearer the steel gaurd on the left hane blade path and if any wood was pulled forward it would knack the blade in a second or two! There's going to be inexperienced people using it aren't there and either me or one of the other blokes who know bandsaw's may not be looking at the time? We may well be able to get a few bob for it as spares?

I think that I'm going to advise getting a new saw. That way we will have the assurance that it's all there and also have the warranty.

the best idea, I think-sell for spare and get new one

 

[Ttrees]

Guessing there's not simply an eccentric shaft for the thrust guide?
Is the mount for the side guides adjustable?
Could it be that someone got fed up with trying to set them up within the chassis,
or used only wider blades for it,
and instead shimmed the upper wheel out...
Did any wider blades come with the saw?
If so, might want to inspect the tensioner screw and carriage.

 

[Jonzjob]

The mountings for the guides, side and rear, are very simple and it appears to be the blade that's too far forward. Both wheels are solid on their bearings and I have had the top off and adjusted the carriage for the top wheel as far back as it will go, in fact I have adjusted it right through its range both back and forward.

There's no way that I can see that that saw has ever been set up properly and that's probably why it's gone through two sets of hands before mine. I check the set up on mine regularly and after 27 years the only thing that I have had to change is the start capacitor and the blades.

 

[HamsterJam]

That's very kind of you Wally, but I think it may just be chucking good money after bad?

There is a 5/16" blade with it too. It looks as knacked as the ¼", but when I get time I will have a look at it. The 5/16 would only mean an extra 1/32" further back for the blade to still run in the middle of the wheels. It would also mean that the teeth were nearer the steel gaurd on the left hane blade path and if any wood was pulled forward it would knack the blade in a second or two! There's going to be inexperienced people using it aren't there and either me or one of the other blokes who know bandsaw's may not be looking at the time? We may well be able to get a few bob for it as spares?

I think that I'm going to advise getting a new saw. That way we will have the assurance that it's all there and also have the warranty.

Sounds like a ‘Friday afternoon’ tool with everything at opposite ends of tolerances so it never worked properly. I think cutting your losses is a reasonable option unless you want to get involved in remaking the guides, especially so if this is going to be used in a men’s shed.
It might make a good project for someone.

 

[Jonzjob]

I agree HJ, but not for the lot we have me-thinks. They have to be shown how to dismember a pallet! Plus, we don't have the kit or the room for it in the container that's our shed.

If we get the grant that is being asked for then a new saw will be by far the best bet.