Jet Bandsaw Issue - Tensioning Mechanism

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Ralrick

New User
Rick
My Jet 14" bandsaw (JWBS-14CSW) has been getting very difficult to adjust for tracking and tensioning. Doing some research on the web looks like there is a frequent problem with many 14" bandsaws where the hinge bracket on the tracking mechanism is bending. I think that is the issue I'm having with my saw and was hoping someone on the board has repaired this issue in the past and could confirm that my bracket is the culprit.

Assuming this part is the problem, my second question is about the replacement part - I found a part on Ereplacements that is a direct replacement but also read about a part from Louis Iturra that has been beefed up. I can find reference to this part on a number of older posts but cannot find a current link to the part or their catalog. Looks like a number of places sell the Iturra tensioning spring but I couldn't ever find a link to this hinge bracket/assembly. Anyone have any knowledge for how to order from Loius Iturra?

My current Bracket (worn or bent)?
IMG_5526_1_.JPG


Here is the tracking screw - I can no longer get enough leverage as the star handle is hitting the wing nut (and I've already trimmed the wings).
IMG_5528_1_.JPG


Let me know if you have some insight to repairing this issue.
Thanks,
Rick
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
I did find a telephone number but not sure if it is a home or office number for Louis Iturra. I'll try it in the am. 904-642-2802


 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Iturra does not have a web site, call and be sure to ask for a catalog.

I bought lots of repair parts from him before I got my Rikon, haven't needed any thing since then.
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
I did find a telephone number but not sure if it is a home or office number for Louis Iturra. I'll try it in the am. 904-642-2802



So I spoke with Louis today (great guy by the way) and it seems like the Jet saw is different than the delta and others in that it uses two pins to hold the mechanism in place rather than one long pin. The problem then becomes how to remove two press pins to get the bracket out? Does anyone have any experience in this area for how to pull two pins without destroying the bracket? If I can't remove the pins I can just replace the bent hinge $16 (Triangle shaped piece with axle)? If not, the only option is to buy the entire assembly for $120 . . . . not sure if that is worth it for this machine.

Here is the schematic - I'm trying to remove the two pins (parts 87) holding the arm hinge (parts 86/88)

My other thought is to just do a work around by getting a longer screw (part 91) that will give me the length needed to compensate for the bend/wear in the bracket? Any thoughts on this as a first step?

 

Wyatt Co.

New User
Bill
Part 86 looks like the axle shaft. You sure it's bent? Or has something in the fulcrum given way?

Your description of the problem confuses me.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I would drill the pins and use a screw extractor to remove the pins then replace the hinge and the two pins.
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Part 86 looks like the axle shaft. You sure it's bent? Or has something in the fulcrum given way?

Your description of the problem confuses me.

Parts 86/88 come together as one assembly. As for the problem, if you look at the picture of my part (the first pic) you can see the silver tip is worn and the entire triangle shaped part is slightly bent. Searching on the web, it seems this is a fairly common problem among 14" bandsaws (Jet, Delta and others). The Jet is the only one that uses two pins to hold this bracket in place and therefore removal is difficult. When I spoke to Louis, he had not heard of anyone that was able to successfully remove the hinge without damaging the bracket.

I just spent some time looking at the parts after speaking with Louis. not only is the part slightly bent but the screw that pushes this bracket out to adjust the blade tracking has dug into the bracket. Rather than spending $120 to replace the entire mechanism, I'm looking at epoxying a piece of metal on the bracket so the screw has a new surface to push against. I think it is worth a try.
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Or have a part made of steel.

Mike - funny you mention that but there is a 4 or 5 part video series on youtube where a machinist makes this part from a solid block of aluminum. I've never been in a real machine shop to use their CNC type machines but it was very impressive seeing how he milled this piece. Way more effort to build it than the $120 it would cost to buy the entire assembly but impressive to see someone with the skills do it anyway.

As for my repair, I decided to epoxy a small plate onto the arm trying to fix this issue without replacing the part. I can now see how this happens in that if you release too much tension on the tension screw, the bracket falls behind the edge of the bandsaw case. If you then try to adjust the tracking screw, it catches on the band saw case and the screw digs into the soft metal of the hinge arm.

Here is the repair
IMG_5530_1_.JPG


Learned a huge tip for adjusting a band saw . . . . remove the table. This made everything so much easier and I kick myself for not figuring this out on my own. I watched one of the videos from Alex Snodgrass and felt so stupid when he said it. Seems so obvious now - and it's only two screw handles to do it!
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
When you learn the motivation behind most engineering it makes you want to learn machining.

Reduce materials, reduce weight, lower cost...

Almost never "make the machine last several lifetimes".
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
As for my repair, I decided to epoxy a small plate onto the arm trying to fix this issue without replacing the part. I can now see how this happens in that if you release too much tension on the tension screw, the bracket falls behind the edge of the bandsaw case. If you then try to adjust the tracking screw, it catches on the band saw case and the screw digs into the soft metal of the hinge arm.

Here is the repair
IMG_5530_1_.JPG


Learned a huge tip for adjusting a band saw . . . . remove the table. This made everything so much easier and I kick myself for not figuring this out on my own. I watched one of the videos from Alex Snodgrass and felt so stupid when he said it. Seems so obvious now - and it's only two screw handles to do it!

WOW - what a difference in my Band saw. . . . . I've had it 10 years and it's never worked this good. Finally have it tuned properly and can actually get the gullet of the blade at the center of the wheel. It is cutting so much better and when I put the fence on it looks like I could actually do some resawing with this machine. PTL

Here's just a quick pic of a 2x4 I sliced. Nothing too impressive but after the first 3/4", the cut is perfectly symmetrical top to bottom and the surface would just need a quick sand/plane. Wow - so glad I finally have this working the way it is intended :gar-Bi:gar-La;:eusa_danc

IMG_5532_1_.JPG


IMG_5533_1_.JPG
 

ehpoole

Administrator
Ethan
Parts 86/88 come together as one assembly. As for the problem, if you look at the picture of my part (the first pic) you can see the silver tip is worn and the entire triangle shaped part is slightly bent. Searching on the web, it seems this is a fairly common problem among 14" bandsaws (Jet, Delta and others). The Jet is the only one that uses two pins to hold this bracket in place and therefore removal is difficult. When I spoke to Louis, he had not heard of anyone that was able to successfully remove the hinge without damaging the bracket.

I just spent some time looking at the parts after speaking with Louis. not only is the part slightly bent but the screw that pushes this bracket out to adjust the blade tracking has dug into the bracket. Rather than spending $120 to replace the entire mechanism, I'm looking at epoxying a piece of metal on the bracket so the screw has a new surface to push against. I think it is worth a try.

Just be aware when shimming this part that on these bandsaws the part is often made of pot metal (usually zinc) and it can be a very brittle part as the metal does not like to yield (repeated yielding often results in an accumulation of microfractures that eventually all connect very suddenly). The fact that yours has already yielded may very well suggest that it is close to a major failure. This problem usually occurs due to either overtensioning blades or using too wide a blade for the bandsaw. Generally speaking these bandsaws are not actually capable of properly tensioning their widest "rated" blade stock, so if the manufacturer says the largest rated blade is a 5/8", for example, then you can generally figure that trying to tension anything larger than a 3/8 " or 1/2" wide blade, depending upon required tension, risks damaging the tracking mechanism as the hinge mechanism just does not possess the structural strength to hold up to the much higher tension required by these wider blade stocks without eventually failing, especially if one tends to prefer to tension on the higher side to reduce barreling or wandering (you can not reliably trust the tensioning scales built into the saw as they are heavily influenced by blade length, which can vary a good deal between brands and blade to blade, just use them as a guide and adjust up or down from there depending upon the blade and job).

You can always go to a machinist to have a new part made of steel and which will be far stronger than the original pot metal part and that eliminates the risk of catastrophic failure down the road since steel is not subject to the same degree of brittleness. Such is not always as expensive as one might suspect depending upon the complexity of the part, so if you really want to save a cherished tool and improve upon it then that can be another option worth investigating since this is typically the weakest link in most 14" bandsaws.

Best wishes for you and your bandsaw.
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Thanks Ethan. I was considering upgrading the tensioning spring and the tension screw but now wonder if that would apply even more force on this failing hinge part? I would consider having the part made from steel but I don't know how I could get it out with the two press pins and not ruin the bracket? Just by doing some research on the web, it easy to see that this is a common problem but didn't know that it was from tensioning blades larger than the saw could handle. I think my largest blade is 1/2" but I'm not sure what the previous owner was running on the machine . . . and I think the problem was there when I bought it 10 years ago - I just didn't know it.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
OMG, cut and paste a $120 replacement part out of bits and pieces? You're call but the piggy bank will probably have less money at the end of the day after fiddle-farting.
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
OMG, cut and paste a $120 replacement part out of bits and pieces? You're call but the piggy bank will probably have less money at the end of the day after fiddle-farting.

so you're saying you would have spent the $120 and bought the entire assembly? I wasn't sure if this saw was worth the investment as I've never been able to get it tuned properly. I now know I couldn't get it tuned because I couldn't get the blade tracking to the right spot due to the failed part.
 

bowman

Board of Directors, Webmaster
Neal
Staff member
Corporate Member
Since you say the saw has never cut better with the quick repair, would it be worth the $120 for a replacement part to have when the part fails badly, taking out the blade and possibly one or both tires?
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
so you're saying you would have spent the $120 and bought the entire assembly? I wasn't sure if this saw was worth the investment as I've never been able to get it tuned properly. I now know I couldn't get it tuned because I couldn't get the blade tracking to the right spot due to the failed part.

Yes, I'd have bought the whole shebang but I also understand your reasons for a cheaper fix for a bandsaw with other unanswered questions. I don't have a bandsaw but your earlier statement suggests that this is not only a Jet problem, but common to all/many 14" bandsaws. :confused: It's strange that the major manufacturers haven't addressed this common problem.
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Well looks like the cheap fix was a bust. I thought the majority of the problem was the hole that the screw had worn into the cheap hinge part and therefore epoxying on a plate would solve the problem. It actually did solve it for the moment using the current blade. The problem is now I can't take the tension off the blade as the hinge is protruding out into the case of the band saw preventing the wheel from lowering. This is not just the thickness of the plate I added but instead it looks like the hinge has bent more that I originally thought.

Looks like it's buying the entire assembly if I want to use the saw. That or try and upgrade to a better machine and just leave this one set up for a 1/4" blade . . . . wonder what's on craigslist :rolleyes:

Here is a picture through the spokes of the upper wheel of the hinge protruding through the case. It does make you wonder why this part was never improved as looking on the web this failure has been fairly common for many years. My machine is about 10 years old so maybe it has been fixed in the current machines. (seems like every picture I post gets rotated . . . frustrating)

IMG_5535_1_.JPG
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Keeping this thread going just to potentially help others that have this problem in the future. Here is how I was able to remove the hinge so you are not forced to buy the entire assembly. There are hinges milled from solid stock available from Louis Iturra or on Ebay. One guy on Ebay has sold over 1000 so this obviously is a common problem.

For the Jet bandsaw, there are two pins holding the hinge into the tensioning assembly. The pins are meant to be a slip fit and not compression fit so they don't take too much effort to remove. I was able to easily drill into the ends of the pins and tap a few 8/32 threads. Once you insert a screw, it's fairly easy to get enough leverage to remove the pins. Once you remove the first pin, the second pin will just about come out on it's own but I did tap that as well and the removal was simple. Here is a picture of the pin - you don't have to worry about hitting the center of the pin, just don't damage the wall of the retaining bracket.

IMG_5538_1_.JPG


After I removed the bracket, I could really see how much this hinge had bent (I couldn't tell it was bent this much prior to removing it). There was no way I could get ever get the band saw operating properly with this much bend in the hinge and I'm sure it was only a matter of time until this piece failed completely as it is made from very cheap metal. There are plenty of pictures on the web showing where it fails. I'm looking forward to getting the new part installed . . . .

IMG_5539_1_.JPG
 
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