Improving the BAS316 Bandsaw

[aesmith]

Hi,

My Electra Beckum bandsaw is easily my biggest tool disappointment. When I originally bought the BAS315 I thought I was getting a near professional quality machine, and it was supposed to be my "good" machine. In fact I struggled with it, with all the bits that were out of square, or not flat or bent. A bigwig in Electra Beckum persuaded me that I must have just got a dud, and swapped it for the newly released BAS316 which I must admit was better.

It was still never a good machine, and in hindsight I should have taken their offer of a refund, only at that time there was no obvious alternative.

Effectively I gave up on the machine, and for the last few years only use it where rough cutting is good enough.

Now I want to have another go, see if I can fix some of the problems and get it a bit more accurate. First is the top guide assembly, of which the castings are squint so the guides are at an angle to the blade. I hope the photo shows the problem.

My questions ...
Any suggestions on how best to reshape these castings?

Even better - has anyone been able to find decent guide assemblies that can be retrofitted? (The lower guide assembly is OK for alignment, but the adjustment is just about impossible unless you remove the table each time, and its so fragile that the slightest tweak an allen key will bust it)

Thanks in advance,

 

[maltrout512]

Axminster do some not sure that they would fit yours. Some mods will be required, but reviews seem good.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product....saw+blade+guides&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=0

 

[WellsWood]

I had the earlier 315 model for years, which is now owned by Wizer. I did quite a lot of fettling on it over the time I had it including fixing that exact problem, although your's is a bit worse than mine was. You should find that a bit of careful filing of the mating surfaces will enable you to square up the guide bearings to the blade. Take it easy and check your progress regularly, It's a lot easier to take a bit more material off than it is to put some back on :wink: DAMHIKT :roll: Also be wary of removing so much that you weaken the castings - you may have to settle for an improvement rather than perfection.

 

[aesmith]

Thanks for the comments. I was using the saw at the weekend, with a new Axminster blade and was doing alright.

Now that job's done I think I'll bite the bullet and take that top guide assembly apart - I'm sure I can get it better than it is at the moment. What doesn't show in the picture is that the two side guides are actually toed out which as you can imagine makes the bearings pretty pointless - the blade will bear on the hub of the bearing before touching the rim. Hopefully a bit of filing will sort that as well.

If only I could work out how to make the guide adjustments less painful. Its just a shame to think you're buying a woodworking tool, but to actually receive a metal working project.