More bandsaw woes - Need manual for RSBS14 bandsaw (PDF)

[frugal]

After buying a new motor for my old Record Select RSBS14 bandsaw it is holding the blade far to near the front of the top wheel and I think that the bearings on the bottom wheel have gone as the whole thing vibrates like a washing machine on spin cycle when the blade is on ;(

I can not figure out how to get the bottom wheel off of the chassis in order to check the bearings. In another post someone mentioned that they contacted Record and were sent a PDF of the manual for their RSBS12. Unfortunately Record are closed over the weekend so I can not call them up and ask for one until Monday and I would like to try and investigate this over the weekend if at all possible.

Does anyone happen to have a PDF of the manual for this model of bandsaw so that I can do some investigation over the weekend?

New Motor, new tyres, new bearings, new blade, and it could do with new roller guides... I am wondering if it would have just been cheaper to throw it away and buy a new one at this rate...

 

[RoyS]

Hi - I have the RSBS14 and its hard copy manual. There is no guidance in the manual on removing the wheels. The only thing that may help is the exploded parts diagram. This shows that there are 2 parts at the centre of each wheel - a circlip and a grooved ball bearing. The circlip is presumably the black bit that rotates (very technical!) and needs to be removed; the bearing should then slide off, followed by the wheel.

I have never done anything other than basic maintenance so this may be rubbish - if not, glad to have helped!

best wishes - Roy

 

[bob_c]

The circlip will hold the bearing in place usually .I assume there a nut or something else holding the wheel on as well?
Some bearings are not easy to remove without a press or puller ,the wheel and the bearing should slide off the spindle.The bearing is usually at almost at the same diameter as the hole in the wheel which can make them difficult to remove. An easy way of doing it on the cheap is using a piece of pipe and a long bolt.

 

[jjf]

I know this is an old thread but I've just stripped this machine down completely and so heres my reply... some years on.

Its an easy and straight forward machine, I would have liked it if there was some movement on the top and bottom shafts in terms of adjusting wheel alignment, mine has the band sitting too far forward on the lower wheel and this cant really be adjusted but in the scenario above you the only method of adjusting this beyond the tilt mechanism on the upper blade would be to remove the rise and lower mechanism and shim it on the four bolts thats used to mount to the sheet metal/frame, i believe thats the only way of forcing the top wheel forward. Of course the only way to remove the wheels is to remove the front clip, the wheels will then just wiggle off.

 

[Alexam]

I would urge anyone NOT to make adjustments of the wheels. That bandsaw will work well if you know how to tune it and by now the OP probably does. If you don't jjf, then please say so and I'm sure there will be many members to help, but anyone new to bandsaws can be helped with the following information.

THE BEST FROM A BANDSAW 'Alex Snodgrass of Carter Industries has an excellent video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU on a tune up method that works well, but if you want to get the best use of your bandsaw on an ongoing basis, then the Steve Maskery DVD's will show you far more and they are a real investment. http://www.workshopessentials.com/shop/ '.

For checking the tension of your blade - A Flutter test Video's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chyo9chuwJs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8zZuDosSy0


Carter blade guide supports video with Alex Snodgrass.
These items shows how well they work.
I suspect the back of the blade gullet is also on the centre line on the upper wheel as per his usual advice.

https://youtu.be/w_tv7cm0-VU

Malcolm

 

[YorkshireMartin]

I would urge anyone NOT to make adjustments of the wheels. That bandsaw will work well if you know how to tune it and by now the OP probably does. If you don't jjf, then please say so and I'm sure there will be many members to help, but anyone new to bandsaws can be helped with the following information.

THE BEST FROM A BANDSAW 'Alex Snodgrass of Carter Industries has an excellent video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU on a tune up method that works well, but if you want to get the best use of your bandsaw on an ongoing basis, then the Steve Maskery DVD's will show you far more and they are a real investment. http://www.workshopessentials.com/shop/ '.

For checking the tension of your blade - A Flutter test Video's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chyo9chuwJs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8zZuDosSy0


Carter blade guide supports video with Alex Snodgrass.
These items shows how well they work.
I suspect the back of the blade gullet is also on the centre line on the upper wheel as per his usual advice.

https://youtu.be/w_tv7cm0-VU

Malcolm

Malcolm, thats very strongly worded compared to your usual posting style if memory serves. Could I ask you to expand on your point a little? With reference to not adjusting the wheels.

The reason I ask is that I had to adjust mine significantly to get the blade to track correctly on the tyre. It took a fair amount of fiddling and a lot of turning them by hand, but it was almost an essential part of setting up the bandsaw. I do have Steve's DVD set now, but I didnt when I initially set it up and got the blades to track. At the time I had even less of a clue about setting up the saw than I do now.

This was on a 351.

Best wishes.

 

[sunnybob]

You should not move the lower wheel unless there is a major problem down there. The lower wheel should be left at factory settings, or youre in for months of heartbreak till you get it back to where it was.
The upper wheel does all the moving of blade position.

If you cant get the blade to track, adjust the top wheel tilt. Not all blade have to have the teeth gullets at centre, it depends how wide the blade is. As long as it tracks consistantly, its good. If you still have a problem inspect the tyres and replace if broken, dented, disintegrating.

You can check bearings without removing the wheels. Just remove the blade and grasp the wheel top and bottom and try to rock the wheel. The move to side to side grip and try again. if no movement is felt or heard, the bearings are fine.

 

[YorkshireMartin]

You should not move the lower wheel unless there is a major problem down there. The lower wheel should be left at factory settings, or youre in for months of heartbreak till you get it back to where it was.
The upper wheel does all the moving of blade position.

If you cant get the blade to track, adjust the top wheel tilt. Not all blade have to have the teeth gullets at centre, it depends how wide the blade is. As long as it tracks consistantly, its good. If you still have a problem inspect the tyres and replace if broken, dented, disintegrating.

You can check bearings without removing the wheels. Just remove the blade and grasp the wheel top and bottom and try to rock the wheel. The move to side to side grip and try again. if no movement is felt or heard, the bearings are fine.

Thats what I did in the end. Thanks to people like yourself, Malcolm and Steve et al. and all your posts

Sad thing is with 351/352, tyres aren't replaceable so it requires a whole new wheel at 90 quid a pop.

 

[Alexam]

Hi Martin, I see that sunnybob has beaten me to it.

When I started back in woodwork, only about 3-4 years ago, I was reading up on dozens of sites, books, videos etc, several of which were stating that the two wheels need to be co-planer and if not, you would have problems. I even tried to make changes to my first bandsaw, but it was not easy to get the lower wheel undone and so I left it.

Then there were some saying don't make changes to the wheels that had been set up by the manufacturer. That made me think that there must have been a lot of bandsaw owners that had already made changes and although they may feel happier, could have problems later.

It was not until I saw the Alex Snodgrass video, that I really understood, as he was saying that you should never have blade drift and co-planer wheels were not necessary, suggesting a call to the manufacturer who should know best about any problems you may have.It's all about tuning the blade correctly.

I have never had any problems since using his method of tuning and although it takes time and some people are not prepared to take their time and do the job properly, the results have always been good for me and I have never needed to remove the table, which may help wityh a small table-top type machine, but certainly not with a great lump of metal that the BS400 has. As sunnybob also says, the wider the blade, the less you will be able to get the lower part of the blade gullet in the centre .... common sense really.

Anyone new to bandsaws should not make adjustments to the machine parts without fully investigating the need to and thankfully, the UKWorkshop has several members who will endeavour to help. All you need to do is ask the questions and wait for the replies, or PM certain members directly

Malcolm

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Hi Martin, I see that sunnybob has beaten me to it.

When I started back in woodwork, only about 3-4 years ago, I was reading up on dozens of sites, books, videos etc, several of which were stating that the two wheels need to be co-planer and if not, you would have problems. I even tried to make changes to my first bandsaw, but it was not easy to get the lower wheel undone and so I left it.

Then there were some saying don't make changes to the wheels that had been set up by the manufacturer. That made me think that there must have been a lot of bandsaw owners that had already made changes and although they may feel happier, could have problems later.

It was not until I saw the Alex Snodgrass video, that I really understood, as he was saying that you should never have blade drift and co-planer wheels were not necessary, suggesting a call to the manufacturer who should know best about any problems you may have.It's all about tuning the blade correctly.

I have never had any problems since using his method of tuning and although it takes time and some people are not prepared to take their time and do the job properly, the results have always been good for me and I have never needed to remove the table, which may help wityh a small table-top type machine, but certainly not with a great lump of metal that the BS400 has. As sunnybob also says, the wider the blade, the less you will be able to get the lower part of the blade gullet in the centre .... common sense really.

Anyone new to bandsaws should not make adjustments to the machine parts without fully investigating the need to and thankfully, the UKWorkshop has several members who will endeavour to help. All you need to do is ask the questions and wait for the replies, or PM certain members directly

Malcolm

Thanks Malcolm.

 

[sunnybob]

Martin, this old thread might be of interest to you, especially pages three and four.
startrite-352s-bandsaw-motor-conversion-t30801-30.html

 

[Steve Maskery]

It's worth understanding WHY you should not fiddle with the bottom wheel unless you absolutely have to.

Imagine that you are wearing a cape. Oh, come on, we've all done it. How do you take it off? You move one shoulder back and then the other. The cape comes off. If the two wheels are not in alignment exactly the same thing happens, the blade is thrown first one way an one side of the wheel and then the other. It won't come off soon after start up, it will come off immediately after start up, during the first revolution of the wheel. And it will continue to do so until you get the wheel back to exactly where it was before.

If you do have to undo those bolts, because you really do need to remove the wheel, use a felt-tip pen to mark the top of each bolt, and undo each one the same number of turns, so you can get them back in place exactly the same when you are done.

Basically, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Martin, thanks for buying my DVDs, it's much appreciated. Spread the word!