Ryobi bandsaw conversion

[pop-pop]

Earlier this year, I purchased a Ryobi BS904 9" bandsaw with the intent of converting it to a scrolling saw and selling my scroll saw to make room for it in my small shop. It came with a 1/4" blade.

Recently I ordered a RYO1 Stabilizer from Carter Products and it installed like this. The Carter stud was a tight fit into the plastic Ryobi bracket but it looks like a tapped hole for a screw was missing.

I contacted Carter and got a prompt response that explained Ryobi had recently changed from a metal bracket with a threaded hole to a plastic bracket with a through hole and the RYO1 would not work. My options were to return the part or tap a hole myself. I chose to tap an M5-0.080 hole in the RYO1 stud since there is no alternative to the Carter stabilizer that I know of.

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Now the RYO1 stud is secure in the D hole in the Ryobi bracket using the original screw. The threaded hole location in the stud was biased toward the back since the stud will move forward when I replace the 1/4" blade with an 1/8" blade soon.

 

[bobby g]

Great idea to use the 9” Ryobi Mike. Hope you post an update after you use the 1/8” blade.

 

[pop-pop]

Great idea to use the 9” Ryobi Mike. Hope you post an update after you use the 1/8” blade.

The standard 1/8” blades that I got are 14 TPI thus not much sawdust room in the gullets. This kinda limits the wood thickness one can saw. Yesterday, I saw that 1/8” and 3/16” skip-tooth blades with larger gullets are available and I plan on trying some.

 

[tvrgeek]

Seems woodworkers need to be tool and die makers too.

 

[pop-pop]

Seems woodworkers need to be tool and die makers too.

For instance, this mitre gauge bar has 1/32” slop in the track. I was going to make a wider bar but methinks a wooden sled would be “more better”. Then I could get support much closer to the blade.

 

[tvrgeek]

Yea, why those tables are so sloppy I don't know. Same on my sanders.

 

[pop-pop]

Whilst waiting for glue to dry on something else, I made a little crosscut sled for the 9” Ryobi bandsaw.

I don’t expect to do many precise crosscuts with this bandsaw, but I want them right if I do. This blade had a lot of drift when it was centered on the upper wheel and I am of the school where one adjusts the upper wheel to correct drift rather than adjust the fence to the drift.

The blade ended up tracking here and the crosscut is nice and square. Note that the Carter bearing is adjusted to push the blade 1/8” forward so that affects the tracking geometry. I adjusted the drive (lower) wheel to center the blade on it.

 

[tvrgeek]

Gummy wood

 

[pop-pop]

Great idea to use the 9” Ryobi Mike. Hope you post an update after you use the 1/8” blade.

After using this saw for a bit with a 1/8” 14tpi blade, I’ll give it my WaS (worth a sh*t) rating. It’s handy for cuts like I was doing today. Easy to follow a line.

The Carter guide makes blade changing (a weld broke today) easy since it is the only guide. One downside is it gets in the way sometimes plus it’s pricey at nearly a C-note. The Carter guide does transform this little bandsaw into a very handy tool.

The detensioning handle was a disappointment. It works great for blade changes but is too coarse for detensioning. If you move the handle more than say 10-15% of its travel, the blade falls off the wheels. So, I only use it for blade changes.

 

[tvrgeek]

I wonder if some fingers or brushes could keep the blade close enough when released?

I just added some ZCI tape to my throat plate as I was forever having little cutoffs fall below the plate. That Ryobi has a huge hole around the blade.

 

[pop-pop]

I wonder if some fingers or brushes could keep the blade close

Interesting idea. Maybe a U-shaped retainer?

 

[tvrgeek]

Exactlly. Something soft like plastic.

 

[pop-pop]

Great idea to use the 9” Ryobi Mike. Hope you post an update after you use the 1/8” blade.

As Scott (@tvrgeek) noted above, a ZC throat plate is necessary. I don’t plan on tilting the table so I made it as tight as I could.

Previously I described the crosscut sled and I recently added a rip fence.

I scratched my head for quite a while to figure out how to do this. I had a scrap of t-track and that became the basis for this fence.

It clamps under the rear of the table like this:

Here is walnut cut using the crosscut sled.

And here is a rip cut. I did stone the band a bit which made the cuts a little smoother.

This setup has proved useful since I seem to make a lot of parts that fit in my hand. Also, I can cut smallish parts easily and avoid the temptation of using the chop saw when that is not safe.

 

[Hmerkle]

That is awesome @pop-pop you turned a ~$200 so-so tool into a useful addition to the shop!

I wanted a Rikon 10-306 but it was a little too big to wrestle around since I keep the little one "put away" and @Raymond offered me a SMOKIN' deal on his old Delta 10" (28-195?) (which is easily brought out for a job...) I bought tires for it off Amazon and it is a pretty good addition so-as not to have to pull a blade off the big bandsaw... now if I pony-up and do the @pop-pop upgrades.... hmmm???

 

[Hmerkle]

Question @pop-pop you just put in an upper stabilizer, right? (nothing on the lower?)

 

[pop-pop]

Question @pop-pop you just put in an upper stabilizer, right? (nothing on the lower?)

Yes. The back of the band rides in the bearing groove. No bottom guide.

Starting with the band centered on the upper wheel, the bearing is adjusted forward about 1/8”. Then tilt the upper wheel to recenter the band.

 

[pop-pop]

That is awesome @pop-pop you turned a ~$200 so-so tool into a useful addition to the shop!

I wanted a Rikon 10-306 but it was a little too big to wrestle around since I keep the little one "put away" and @Raymond offered me a SMOKIN' deal on his old Delta 10" (28-195?) (which is easily brought out for a job...) I bought tires for it off Amazon and it is a pretty good addition so-as not to have to pull a blade off the big bandsaw... now if I pony-up and do the @pop-pop upgrades.... hmmm???

I leave a 3/8” blade on the 14” BS and the 1/8” blade on the small BS.

The 1/8” blade will cut thick stock albeit slowly. This walnut is over an inch thick.

 

[pop-pop]

There is a subtlety in the rip fence clamping. The thumbscrew is at 45 degrees thus the reaction pulls the head against the back of the table to square it and also pulls the fence to the table.

 

[JNCarr]

Great series of upgrades. The fence is very well done.

 

[pop-pop]

Great series of upgrades. The fence is very well done.

Thanks Joe. I discarded a lot of ideas before coming up with a strong enough design that did not require any mods to the BS table.