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Troubleshooting and tuning the no-name band saw

April 5, 2011 By

My friend Joe in Europe sent me the following photograph; it shows the location of the set screws used to adjust the position of the guide post column, and to remove any slop in its movement:

If anyone has a problem adjusting the guide post position after it is moved up or down, use the set screws in your band saw. It is likely to solve any positioning problems you are experiencing. You might have to remove globs of fusion-bonded (or other) paint to get to the set screws.

Thanks, Joe, for following up and sending this photo. I hope it will help someone reading the blog!

Previous posts on troubleshooting the no-name band saw:

— Al Navas

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Filed Under: Band saw, Blog, Tools Tagged With: ,

The band saw problem has been solved

March 30, 2011 By

The guide post alignment problem with no-name European band saw has been solved. You will remember that Joe was having very real issues with the guide post every time he moved it up or down; he was completely unable to reposition the post without having to re-adjust the position of the guide bearings. This was a total pain in the behind.

Joe found the problem. Totally frustrated, he removed the entire guide column bracket, and disassembled it. While doing this he noticed a large glob of fused powder coating in some areas, which he chiseled away. BINGO! Hidden behind these globs of paint were the set screws that allow proper alignment of the guide column. He adjusted the set screws, and noticed that the column not only moved up and down very smoothly, but now the guide bearings stayed in place relative to the back edge of the blade!

Thank you, Joe, for letting us know how you solved this bothersome issue! I am sure that some readers of the blog will also be thankful, as they find they can also adjust their band saws a little better.

For those who wonder what the guide column bracket looks like, here is a photo — if you are having similar issues with your band saw, remove the box from the band saw, and take a look inside:

Guide column bracket in the no-name band saw.

This entire episode showed me how well we can work together across long distances, connected with the common interest of woodworking and using the Internet. I look forward to helping others, no matter where in the world you might be located.

In addition to solving the guide post alignment problems, Joe also found that the band saw table was not flat. So he commissioned a local machine shop to grind it perfectly flat:

Grinding the band saw table.

Finally, he tricked out the band saw by getting a Laguna DriftMaster fence, which he will use with a power feeder:

DriftMaster fence on the no-name band saw.

Joe reports flawless resaw cuts of the premium rosewood using his band saw. Congratulations, Joe! I look forward to the results using the power feeder on this band saw and 20-inch slabs of your premium wood.

— Al Navas

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Filed Under: Band saw, Blog, Tools Tagged With: ,

A reader needs our help with his band saw

March 13, 2011 By

I hope someone reading this will be able to help a fellow woodworker and reader of this blog. Here is the problem with his new band saw:

  1. He adjusts the guide post that holds the blade guides to resaw a 4-inch thick piece of wood, and is able to make perfect cuts.
  2. Then he changes the work piece to resaw an 8-inch tall piece. The blade guide is way off — it is so far off that he must re-adjust the blade guides, to provide proper support for the blade.
  3. He tests the guide post, and it is “sloppy” in the steel enclosure.
  4. He thinks that the guide post bracket is too short at about 5 inches, and requested I measure mine, including a photo. Here is mine — the one on my band saw is between 4″ and 4-1/2″ tall (for visual reference, the wooden gnomon is exactly 6 inches tall):

    Grizzly band saw guide column.

  5. I tried to move the upper guide column on my 17-inch Grizzly band saw with my hand; it is very tight in place, and cannot be moved except up and down using the crank located outside the wheel cover.
  6. In addition, when I move the guide column up and down, the entire blade guide assembly stays true, and does not require any adjustment.

With my limited troubleshooting, now I believe that our friend and reader has two problems:

a) First, the “slop”, or play in the guide column must be reduced to close to nil. Will this require some shims, or machining of a new part? And

b) The vertical alignment must be fixed using the bolts accessed from outside the upper wheel case

Request: Although I have good working knowledge of the band saw, I am not certain I am 100% correct in my assessment of this problem. Therefore, so we can better help our fellow woodworker, I request that YOU, the readers of the blog, provide additional feedback either in the Comments section below, or via e-mail to me at sandal_woods@bbwi.net. Thanks!

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Band saw, Blog, Tools Tagged With: , , ,

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