DaveH6
A bandsaw story
My 14" bandsaw is a 1991 Grizzly and was expected to resaw the Cypress with miminal wood waste. The pictured part has two threaded knobs and has ears that ride up and down in slots on the main casting. This part puts tension on the blade and aligns the plane of the top wheel thus the tracking of the blade on both the bottom and top wheels.
This part was purchased two months ago to replace the original part which cracked. The saw has endured little use since I purchased it 20 years ago so I was surprised that the part cracked.
I called Grizzly for a replacement part and was informed that the part is no longer available so I figured I may have to go to a machine shop and have a replacement part fabricated...$$.
Two months ago I'm shopping in Harbor Freight and for grins checked out their 14" bandsaw and what device puts tension on the blade. Their part is identical to the one in my Grizzly. Next time I'm in Home Depot, I check out their Rigid 14" bandsaw and find the identical part for putting tension on the blade. Using a Rigid parts schematic, I order the part for $17 plus shipping.
Makes one wonder who manufactures tools and what the real difference is besides price? So, when equipment breaks and the OEM says no parts available, do some detective work and perhaps save yourself some serious $.
I discover that the ears on the replacement part are not sliding properly in the slots on the main casting. Seems the slots in the main casting were not machined properly when originally manufactured so the original sliding tensioning device was binding and cracked when I tightened down on the blade tensioning knob. Using my angle grinder, I fixed the slots in the main casting and the part now slides without binding.
Continuing my love hate relationship with my bandsaw, the motor with no load on it now growls and will not start so perhaps the start capacitor is gone.
Machines can hate you. I once had a 10 year old clothes washing machine that would periodically vomit soapy water on the floor. Never could find the problem and after the last and most significant flood, I put the machine in my driveway and using a sledge hammer and reciprocating saw, I killed it. A neighbor came over and asked Ann if I was ok. I wasn't, as I was putting out a Banzai scream with each blow of the sledge hammer.
I knew that if I threw the machine intact in the dump it would live on and return to haunt or infect the replacement washing machine. It was like killing a vampire...drive a stake through its heart.
The bandsaw may be next.
A bandsaw story
My 14" bandsaw is a 1991 Grizzly and was expected to resaw the Cypress with miminal wood waste. The pictured part has two threaded knobs and has ears that ride up and down in slots on the main casting. This part puts tension on the blade and aligns the plane of the top wheel thus the tracking of the blade on both the bottom and top wheels.
This part was purchased two months ago to replace the original part which cracked. The saw has endured little use since I purchased it 20 years ago so I was surprised that the part cracked.
I called Grizzly for a replacement part and was informed that the part is no longer available so I figured I may have to go to a machine shop and have a replacement part fabricated...$$.
Two months ago I'm shopping in Harbor Freight and for grins checked out their 14" bandsaw and what device puts tension on the blade. Their part is identical to the one in my Grizzly. Next time I'm in Home Depot, I check out their Rigid 14" bandsaw and find the identical part for putting tension on the blade. Using a Rigid parts schematic, I order the part for $17 plus shipping.
Makes one wonder who manufactures tools and what the real difference is besides price? So, when equipment breaks and the OEM says no parts available, do some detective work and perhaps save yourself some serious $.
I discover that the ears on the replacement part are not sliding properly in the slots on the main casting. Seems the slots in the main casting were not machined properly when originally manufactured so the original sliding tensioning device was binding and cracked when I tightened down on the blade tensioning knob. Using my angle grinder, I fixed the slots in the main casting and the part now slides without binding.
Continuing my love hate relationship with my bandsaw, the motor with no load on it now growls and will not start so perhaps the start capacitor is gone.
Machines can hate you. I once had a 10 year old clothes washing machine that would periodically vomit soapy water on the floor. Never could find the problem and after the last and most significant flood, I put the machine in my driveway and using a sledge hammer and reciprocating saw, I killed it. A neighbor came over and asked Ann if I was ok. I wasn't, as I was putting out a Banzai scream with each blow of the sledge hammer.
I knew that if I threw the machine intact in the dump it would live on and return to haunt or infect the replacement washing machine. It was like killing a vampire...drive a stake through its heart.
The bandsaw may be next.