BS working great

Keye

Keye
Corporate Member
This would have been the perfect title 2 days ago. For a week I have been cutting 6" thick cherry, with no burn marks, and walnut. It was like I was cutting hot butter. I am using a 3/8" 10tpi blade. Two days ago I was ready to cut the BS on so I lifted the Carter quick release handle. Or should I say I tried to lift the handle. It was locked in place. I have had it stick a little since the first day I installed it. They said I had broken a gear. Not sure how they new this. I have only been using this for a couple of months and thought it would be covered with a warranty. Nope warranty good for only 30 days. I turned one bolt about 2 degrees and the handle worked fine. Took it apart and all the gears look good. I do see what I would consider excesive wear markings in more than one place. To say my phone call with Carter was less than pleasant would be an understatement. Enough about Carter for the time being. The release is off my 14" Delta BS.

I have the BS back together and thought I was ready. The tension system is really quite simple but I am not able to tension the 3/8" blade. The wheel is as high as it will go but the blade is still to loose. Is it possible a weak spring is my problem. The BS is over 25 years old. I am a retired mech. engr. but I find I am ignorant when it comes to springs.

Once the issue with the release and Carter is resolved I will tell my experience from day one.
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
IF the blade worked before, it should now.
There's got to be some glitch maybe in the location of the square nut that goes below the spring. The factory spring is plenty strong for that saw. That whole upper carriage is lightweight pot metal and will only stand so much before failure.

The first photo shows a Powermatic 141 upper assembly beside the Delta. The square nut on the Delta assembly is out of its channel on this photo.
1 28-200 - 1 (1).jpg1 28-200 - 3.jpg
 

Keye

Keye
Corporate Member
Thanks for the reply. The square nut is in the channel and is moving up and down. At first I thought the nut could not go any higher because it had reached the upper end of the threads. When I look at the wheel the shaft that supports the wheel is as high as it will go. The Delta tension indicator is located at the tension mark for a 3/8" blade and the indicator will not go any higher. It is impossible to turn the knob any further.

The wheel can go up and down to increase or decrease the tension. The wheel can tilt to adjust the tracking. The spring can compress or release. I do not see any other functioning parts.

I did not want to post this because I am going to feel like an idiot when someone points out to me what I am not seeing.

When I decided to start using this BS again I took it apart to the last nut, bolt and screw. I replaced anything that even looked like it might need to be replaced. It all worked great until I found out the existence of drift. Finally figured drift out and all was good until the quick release locked up
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
Here's some cropped shots of various band saws under tension. The proportions seem about equal. If these proportions are about like your saw, then there's got to be some little thing there that we're missing.
The saw #5 does have the square nut out of its slot and under the carriage.

1 28-200 1 - 1.jpg1 28-200 2 - 1.jpg1 28-200 3 - 1.jpg1 28-200 4 - 1 (1).jpg1 28-200 4 - 1.jpg1 28-200 5 - 1.jpg
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
It could be the blade is too long, most have a length tolerance that is quite liberal. match it up the other blade that you know tensions properly.
 

Keye

Keye
Corporate Member
I was using this blade before adding the quick release. I used it with the quick release. I put it back on after removing the quick release. When I try to tension the blade now the indicator moves up to the 3/8” blade mark and will not move any higher. The blade is not tensioned correctly. It is to loose. Will post pics when I return home.
 

Keye

Keye
Corporate Member
In an earlier post I said the wheel arm was up as far as it would go. This is not correct. I returned to my thought of the nut being at the top of the threads. This is correct. I checked the nut, threads and spring and could not find anything wrong with them. I looked at the exploded drawing of he BS to see if I had left something off when I removed the quick release. Can not see anything missing. I cut a small block of wood and placed it under the tension rod. I increased the tension to the point where it was stopping and it did not stop. As the nut continued to rise and the spring compressed the tension increased. I could use a half inch blade and have the right tension to resaw.

I hope someone smarter than me can tell me what is happening.

I was going to post pics but my email is blocking pics from my phone, go figure.
 

Keye

Keye
Corporate Member
Here's some cropped shots of various band saws under tension. The proportions seem about equal. If these proportions are about like your saw, then there's got to be some little thing there that we're missing.
The saw #5 does have the square nut out of its slot and under the carriage.

View attachment 194642View attachment 194643View attachment 194644View attachment 194645View attachment 194646View attachment 194647
Thanks for the pics. They help reassure me I have not turned something upside down :D
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
IF the blade worked before, it should now.
There's got to be some glitch maybe in the location of the square nut that goes below the spring. The factory spring is plenty strong for that saw. That whole upper carriage is lightweight pot metal and will only stand so much before failure.

The first photo shows a Powermatic 141 upper assembly beside the Delta. The square nut on the Delta assembly is out of its channel on this photo.
View attachment 194634View attachment 194635
Is the tension nut bottoming out on the threads? Looking at right photo is the axle at right angles to the tracking adjustment arm? Without blade does upper assembly move up and down smoothly?
 

Keye

Keye
Corporate Member
My internet provider is having email problems which is not allowing me to download pictures to my computer.

The sliding bracket and hinge look just like you picture. Without the block under the rod the nut reaches the top of the threads on the rod. The spring, rod, nut, hinge and bracket move up and down smoothly. With the wheel off I noticed the travel of the hinge is stopped when it catches on the bottom of the opening in the rear guard. If I remove the two bolts on each side of the opening and pull the guard forward a little the whole assembly slides further down. Do not know if this means anything or not. I do not see any bent metal or anything else wrong.
 

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