Wadkin B800 Bandsaw Modifications and best blades

marku · 3 Nov 2018

I have just bought a Wadkin B800 bandsaw so I can convert some larger timber into more usable sizes. I picked it up quite cheaply on Ebay but the blade guides where rubbish/missing and it didn't have a fence.

We have fitted new blade guides which we made with standard bearings and I have now nearly finished the fence, I managed to make everything with parts lying around the workshop which is good as it keeps the cost down.

Has anyone got any experience of these saws, I need to order blades for it and I am not sure what size TPI to go for, really only want it for ripping timber,

Any advice would be appreciated!

RobinBHM · 3 Nov 2018

If you are using it as a resaw, you want the largest blade with wide spaced teeth.

1" narrow bandsaw blade
https://www.gerrymet.co.uk/acatalog/1-- ... d-556.html

1.3tpi teeth blade
https://www.tuffsaws.co.uk/index.php?ro ... uct_id=448

marku · 4 Nov 2018

Thanks I will get a couple of blades ordered up on Monday, they are a bit cheaper than I was expecting which is good news!

Ttrees · 4 Nov 2018

Great job on fabricating the parts =D>
Are you going to enable a board to bolt on to the fence?
I have heard the luthiers say its a good idea to chamfer the bottom of the resaw fence, so that sawdust can have somewhere to
go as it can pose a problem.
I chamfered the bottom of my fence, but probably shouldn't have as it makes cutting thin polycarbonate troublesome...
I should have drilled some holes for adding another board so I could have chamfered that instead of the fence.

The saw looks beefy as...
If you haven't done so, I might suggest if not putting a power feeder on the beast, to make a block with embedded magnets for under the table so you can quickly f-clamp a square end stick to act as a featherboard.
The block will clear the webbing under the table and make clamping quicker as not as much travel will be required on the clamp screw.

Make sure to show us some more pics if you make some more wee things
Thanks for showing
Tom

marku · 4 Nov 2018

Tom

I wasn't going to fix a board to the fence but it would be fairly easy, the fence is fairly hefty I think it is 175 x 25 plate, although I could mill an angle on the bottom to give the sawdust somewhere to go. Very much work in progress at the moment, I will modify it as necessary.

I was thinking about adding a sliding mitre fence to the other side of the blade, there isn't a slot in the table so I might add another chrome bar (old hydraulic rams) to the side and make the fence slide down the bar on some bronze bushes.

This might useful for holding some featherboards to keep our fingers safe!, I will investigate a magnetic solution as well for the featherboards.

I am not going to add a power feed to the saw, I don't have enough work for the saw to justify the cost/work.

MilesH · 5 Nov 2018

Congratulations on the bandsaw and good job on your additions to it.
I knocked up this pressure roller gizmo from parts lying around my workshop. I find it quite useful when re-sawing on the bandsaw. I mount it to apply pressure at the point just before the teeth of the blade. If I find a magnetic v-block, I'll fix the post to that....