When to give up on the 4x6 horz'l bandsaw? (2022 Update)

Got a gear shaft (the one between the lower pulley wheel and the brass worm gear) you want to get rid of? Mine snapped just past the bearings.

Jon

I have a 1989 Delta 4x6 which was well made and cuts square. Someone didn't like it because I bought it from a pawn shop for ~$120 in the mid 1990's.

The worm gear/shaft attaches to the stepped belt pulley. That can't be removed, at least not by me -- wonder how they got that in there, cuz the worm gear is not pinned to the shaft. I don't think that worm gear is brass.

The shaft for the blade pulley connects to a "regular" brass gear. I got a cupla of those (shaft+brass gear) in varying conditions. Those can be pounded out, altho in pounding them back in, not sure how that will affect seals, etc.

This guy use to be a lawyer. The detail he goes into is painful at times to watch but if you really want a serious understanding of how to tune and modify a bandsaw it's worth it. His DVD is almost 8 hours of beyond anal retentive information exclusively on bandsaws.

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Nice site, guy seems to really enjoy his craft. The rec.woodworking peeple would proly appreciate this as well. I have to post my home-moaners travails of spray painting over there (HF pressurized paint pot), I'll give them the link.

Is the spares back up from the suppliers poor in the US? When I needed a new worm and wheel for my 4x6 here in the UK I just went and asked the supplier MachineMart

and they had them in stock and I had the new items in a couple of days for about £17 total which I thought was very reasonable. That was about 7 years ago and the saw was about 7 years old at the time and the parts fitted fine. When I first got the saw the worm and wheel mesh was very tight and had to be adjusted and at sometime subsequently moved again and eventually wore the wheel badly, I suspect as the tops of the worm teeth were very sharp. I fitted 4 new ball bearings to support the bits as at least one of the originals had a bore about 0.005" over size so not a good fit with the shaft. On the few occasions I have gone to MachineMart for spares they have always had them in stock and delivered quickly so might be an option although shipping to the US would add some to the final price.

Chicom bandsaws are of "variable quality". Shrug

Some will work very nicely..others..need serious tweaking. Which is the reason I have (2) Emerson 7x12s and a bigger Spartan saw.

There are many good online sources for data on tweaking these saws.

Hunt..and ye shall find the answers to the Universe!!

Gunner

The methodology of the left has always been:

1. Lie
2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
6. Then everyone must conform to the lie

"Existential Angst" wrote in news:50ba480f$0$1222$ snipped-for-privacy@cv.net:

How did you fare from Sandy? I figured your basement would be completely underwater.

Ah, you are correct, it has been a few months since mine went south.

Funny thing about it is that the hole drilled for the pin is off-center; I don't know if they are all off center, or if it just depends on who is running the drill press that day:

Jon

Thanks for the tip, David. I bought mine from an outfit called Harbor Freight, and I'm pretty sure they don't have parts available.

Nice to know there is at least one place that still does that!

Jon

I have a larger hobby size - 7x11 with fluid spray and hydrologic feed. I put a hydrologic oil filter - a Parker on the flow tube and it extends the life of the blades and improves the cut as well. I have a nice M42 blade for it, but the carbon blade keeps cutting and cutting. I finally broke some teeth off it and replaced it with the last carbon. Figured I'd keep the M42 tip for a special use or a later day.

The parker filter happens to be a common one and the oil in the oil bath soaked the paper within and lasted and lasted. I finally rusted it when the mix got old and watered down to much. That took 8 or 9 years just like the last carbon blade. I have two more filters in the cabinet.

Martin

Hey, nice of you to ask, but no, I'm on a hill, bone dry. I lose power all the time, which is why I'm x'ing off the days on my calendar until my 15,000 W nat gas genset arrives.... Didn't lose power during Sandy, but since I bit my fingernails to the quick, I figger next time, with a genset, I at least won't have to bandage all 10 digits... LOL

Said hill, however, means I can't get to my house when it snows.... :(

Indeed, under Customer Svc, they have a Parts Dept.... what a revolutionary concept.... altho over here, Sears always had a good parts network, for their stuff.

In terms of wear in the gearbox, sometimes these saws are shipped almost bone-dry, with a shitty li'l dollop of grease, that can't poss. get to the gear teeth or bearings.

So what I do -- which may not be the best application of lubrication science, but it beats a dry gear box -- I put in gobs of axle grease, a gob of lithium grease, and *fill* the box with 20W-50 or gear oil.

Filling the whole box with oil also makes sure the bearings stay lubed, as well. Everyone with a 4x6 should pop the cover off, and fill up that gear box.

Regarding parts from Harbor Freight: I have never been disappointed when I needed parts from them.

-Simply go to their website.

-Search for the item you have

-Somewhere on that page will be a link to the "Manual".

-Open it up and you will find the parts list toward the back of the manual

-Locate and write down the numbers of the parts you need.

-Write down the model number of the product.

-Call Harbor Freight tech support (or customer service if you can't find the tech support number) and tell them what you want to order.

You will be surprised at the wide variety of parts that they do have in stock. Sometimes, though, I have had to wait several weeks for a part, but they tell you that up front. This can happen when you need a part that isn't normally called for.

I don't work for HF, and I do realize that you get what you pay for. HF works for me, with the above in mind.

Now, here's my dirty little HF-as-a-parts-source secret: Since the Chinese rip off many, many tool designs, the parts they use are often exact copies of the original designs. I go there to get parts for the original machines when the price for a "real one" is 'way too high for me. Example: I needed a 12" long tool rest for an old Delta wood lathe. Ebay price for a used one was about $50, if you could find one. HF has a similar size lathe, obviously very cheaply made, but with a cast iron tool rest, just like the original. I copied down the model number, went home and looked up the manual. Price brand new: $7.00!

Pete Stanaitis

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NEVER MIX different types of grease!

lithium added too most others equals crud / rock that jams whatever you were trying to lube

For many years I had a customer with a machine I serviced in their lab.. they had a large chart on the wall with details of whats compatible.

lithium isnt compatible with much of anything,,,,,,

[snip]

Thanks for that information, Pete, I wouldn't have guessed that they were able to order parts. I'll give them a jingle tomorrow and see what they have to say.

Jon

Great info.

Hmmm.... I'll check the box in a cupla days, report back. Fort'ly, the dollop of lithium grease wadn't as big as any of the other dollops.... lol

Actually Harbor Freight is pretty good about supplying parts. They have been known to strip parts from a brand new good machine to make sure the customer is taken care of. Parts that make the brand new machine no longer usable to any degree.

Gunner

The methodology of the left has always been:

1. Lie
2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
6. Then everyone must conform to the lie