Euro 260 blade falling off !

[Washy21]

Update:

Well the blade fell off again!

I'm going to have to sell this machine and it will appear on the popular auction site later this week. I just think it needs an owner who is more experienced than I and has the time and patience to tune it. I'm in urgent need of a saw and because I'm only going to be a light user I'm going to invest in something new.

 

[ColeyS1]

Steve maskerys dvd might help you figure it out ......

 

[Washy21]

Thanks for the advice but I'm beside myself with it. I just think it needs to go to a new home with someone who has the time.

 

[rxh]

I've had a Euro 260 for years and never had any trouble with it. If you can post some photos I'll compare with my machine and see if there is any obvious difference that is causing your problem.

 

[ColeyS1]

Imagine the satisfaction of getting it running well though

 

[Washy21]

I'd have a street party and supply free beer to everyone.

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

Can't you find someone local who uses a bandsaw regularly to come and have a look? I am afraid that the same or worse could happen with a new bandsaw too! I feel like you have paid 90 percentage of the college fees and are about to throw the towel in. A bad blade will not help matters. Buying a new bandsaw for 500 quid will get you one that needs setting up just like the old INCA. A cheap machine will never run as well as the INCA once it is set up properly.

 

[ColeyS1]

I'd have a street party and supply free beer to everyone.

good to hear you've still got a sense of humour :lol:

 

[Washy21]

Hi Gerard

I don't know anyone locally I'm afraid. I have tried looking but to no avail. And i agree it does appear that I'm giving up but I actually need to be up and running as a matter of urgency and I have a feeling that some parts might be needed for the machine. It leaves me with a dilemna: do I struggle on and possibly get no further on (believe me I have 'been at it' for days) or do I chance a new machine which should work.

What I have achieved is to get the wheels in aligment using a proper straight edge. Then I tensioned the blade and adjusted the thrust bearings and guides as recommended and it still comes off. Now, I may be new to woodworking but I fully understand the concept of how these things need to be set up. To me it looks set up but it clearly isn't. Maybe it needs new tyres etc.

If someone wants to travel to Bolton and help me I'll furnish you with tea and club biscuits (hammer)
Cheers

 

[ColeyS1]

Any chance you could post some piccys of it ?

 

[Washy21]

Hi Yes

I can do on Tuesday as I am away on Monday. I'm going to give my head a rest and calm down about it. I have been reading Duginske's Bandsaw Handbook and whilst it seems that I have been doing everything right it may be that I'm just not getting the 'tracking' aspect quite right.

The book mentions that even when the wheels are in alignment the tensioning of the blade can send them off (clearly it does) and that's where the upper wheel tilt adjuster comes into play. I have tried adjusting this but I feel that I haven't quite grasped how it affects the tracking.

The fact that everyone is telling me that the Inca is more valuable than the the current offering is making me want to keep at it. I don't mind spending money on new parts either if it ends up being a good one.

Regards

 

[Bluekingfisher]

I have only read the front page but have you checked the tyres of the wheels (this may already have been touched on) they play a very important part of tracking and should have a slight crowning to them i.e slightly higher around the centre circumference than at the edges.

Also, have you backed off all guides and bearings? (both above and below the table) assuming your saw have these of course.
If your wheels are co planar then tyres and guides ar your next suspects. There should be a lot of ply on the tracking wheel (front to back) as the tension of the blade is enough to hold the wheel in the correct tracked position when the saw ir running undr normal operations.

You could also try another blade, there may be some warping or other defect causing it to slip off.

Worst case scenario, the frame could be twisted caused by excessive and continious tension applied to the blade by the previous owner.

Good luck

 

[Washy21]

I have only read the front page but have you checked the tyres of the wheels (this may already have been touched on) they play a very important part of tracking and should have a slight crowning to them i.e slightly higher around the centre circumference than at the edges.

Also, have you backed off all guides and bearings? (both above and below the table) assuming your saw have these of course.
If your wheels are co planar then tyres and guides ar your next suspects. There should be a lot of ply on the tracking wheel (front to back) as the tension of the blade is enough to hold the wheel in the correct tracked position when the saw ir running undr normal operations.

You could also try another blade, there may be some warping or other defect causing it to slip off.

Worst case scenario, the frame could be twisted caused by excessive and continious tension applied to the blade by the previous owner.

Good luck

Many thanks for this. I have performed all the above but this week I am going to get a new bladed and see what happens. The tyres on the Inca are flat by default and as such no crown exists. I'll be posting some pictures as well.

 

[Myfordman]

You can also turn the bottom wheel by hand and watch what is happening whilst making small adjustments to the tracking.

The adjuster on my old Startrite has many turns of the knob available but in reality +/- 1/2 turn take it between the extremes of tracking correctly. outside these settings it will throw blades almost instantly. I nearly gave up when I first got the machine but now it is well behaved without any modifications.

 

[rxh]

Here are some photos of my machine that may be useful for comparison with yours.

This may be a silly question but have you checked the length of your blade. It should be 73".

 

[Washy21]

Thanks very much for posting these pictures - will take a look in the morning and post some of mine. Yes the blades I am using are 73 inch but I suspect I need new blades because the one I am using could of course be faulty. I'll be back on the forum tomorrow.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

You can also turn the bottom wheel by hand and watch what is happening whilst making small adjustments to the tracking.

The adjuster on my old Startrite has many turns of the knob available but in reality +/- 1/2 turn take it between the extremes of tracking correctly. outside these settings it will throw blades almost instantly. I nearly gave up when I first got the machine but now it is well behaved without any modifications.

The above could also be very much true (providing no defects). I had an old Record DMB some years ago. Had the exact same issue. With so much travel it could be difficult to establish where your "sweetspot" is. As mentioned. set your blade on the centre,adjust by turning bottom wheel. Mark your adjuster in some way at your initial start point, felt tip marker against guide for example. Adjust in one direction from that start point and turn all the way to one end of the adjuster travel. If the blade keeps falliung off during the process re center and continue. If you get to the end and it still falls off then re centre blade and adjust back to your start point. If this doesn't center the blade on the wheel then the sweetspot will be somewhere on the other side of the mark you made. If you have very thin rims then only a slight variation may bring it to the desired line so take it slowly. Once you have found the spot mark it on both side of the adjusters for future reference.

You don't need a great deal of tension on the blade for this operation, in fact too much tension for this operation may be detremental. Just enough tension so the blade stays on the wheel while you turn it by hand. Once you get it tracked you may need to apply the appropriate tension for normal cutting and micro adjust from there to ensure the blade tracks under normal cutting conditions.

Good luck, don't give up, it's all a learning process, knowing how your machines work will prove beneficial when maintenance or repairs are required.

 

[Washy21]

Brilliant advice. I am waiting for a new blade to arrive in a few days so I will tackle this procedure as soon as it is here and report back. Thanks for the help up to now everyone.

Update:

The blade has arrived but I have had the offer of some help. Rather than put myself through more frustration I have decided to take the help which will not be for a few weeks. Rest assured I will update this topic with whatever comes to light because I intend to learn from the experience too.

I will also post pictures of anything that I feel will be of benefit to others.

 

[Washy21]

Edited because I had got some of the information wrong regarding the co-planarity.

 

[Washy21]

Hi Everyone,

Thought I would update this. Basically when I put on the new blade it seemed to all run a lot smoother. I guess the moral of the story is to not trust old blades for setting up.