Bandsaws For Luthiers

[Bruce Johnson]

Yes, I watched a couple of videos yesterday. It doesn’t look too hard. One guy even made a block out of oak or maple hardwood. Even just an inch would bring that to 7” so I could resaw for a 14” top which would cover a lot of body shapes. So does adding a 1” riser mean I would need a blade that’s 2” longer or how does that math work?

Yes, that's basically it. If you raise the upper half of the saw up 1", then you need a blade 2" longer.

For the riser block, I recommend aluminum over hardwood. From places like Speedy Metals, you can order a chunk of aluminum bar stock cut right to the dimensions you specify. Order some 1" x 2" 6061 aluminum bar stock, sawed off to 3 1/4" long, for example. There's your block. Drill two holes in it and get some longer bolts.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Thanks @speyer and @Bruce Johnson. I didn’t mean I was planning on making a riser out of wood just that someone else did it and it seemed to work. Good information on Speedy Metals. I’ll post some other pictures if I pick it up.

 

[chinjazz]

Yes, that's basically it. If you raise the upper half of the saw up 1", then you need a blade 2" longer.

For the riser block, I recommend aluminum over hardwood. From places like Speedy Metals, you can order a chunk of aluminum bar stock cut right to the dimensions you specify. Order some 1" x 2" 6061 aluminum bar stock, sawed off to 3 1/4" long, for example. There's your block. Drill two holes in it and get some longer bolts.

You may end up needing a longer guide post (hex or round), and those can also be made to order from these metal shops... .

 

[speyer]

Well here she is... in rather fine shape actually! Walker Turner 10” driver line band saw. Just needs a good cleaning and a motor base/box built for it and she’ll be good to go. Stoked!

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Well here she is... in rather fine shape actually! Walker Turner 10” driver line band saw. Just needs a good cleaning and a motor base/box built for it and she’ll be good to go. Stoked!


View attachment 3518488 View attachment 3518489 View attachment 3518490

That's great! The same exact machine as mine. It's from 1937-1939, and they are pretty rare today. As you saw a few pages back, I mounted mine on top of a small wooden cabinet on casters. I'm going to be hanging a motor off the side of the cabinet. I haven't gotten to that yet.

We'll keep in touch as you get it up and running.

 

[chinjazz]

The design of this saw really looks perfect for cutting body shapes (among other things).. Nice score!

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Congrats to @speyer on the new bandsaw. In that same vein, this came home with me last night. I believe it’s 50’s or, maybe, late 40’s. A modicum of online research indicates the Power King name was sold to Atlas (I think) in the 50’s or very early 60”s and this one doesn’t say Altas on it. Bunch of blades with it also including some that still have the guards on the teeth. I think the 3/4” ones may be a bit much for this saw but I’ll set it up and test. It’s listed as a 12” saw but, as it sits, the max height of the guides is about 6” so I’ll probably add a riser block eventually but I will wait until I need to because that means buying all new blades also. Should be fun!

 

[BishopJP]

So, I picked up this little bandsaw recently, hoping to get a little advice on a couple issues... (sorry for lousy pics)

First issue is the tire on the upper wheel. Though the wheels appear aligned and the blade is tracking straight (when I spin the wheels by hand), when I turn on the saw, the tire starts to work its way off the wheel, quickly. With the blade off, the tire seems to be a loose fit.

Oddly enough, the blade still seems to centered and tracking straight.
Do I just need to replace the tire? Maybe using the splicing tape method described earlier in this thread?

This saw is in pretty good shape, aside from the wheel issue. It only has a 1/2HP motor, but I think that should be good for cutting out bass bodies and whatnot.

Some of the moving parts need a little lubrication; does anyone have any recommendations for what to use? I was concerned that any oil (I normally use Tri-flow) would gather sawdust and gum up the works. Is a dry lube a better bet? Something with Teflon?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dwizum]

I had that same Craftsman saw, it was my first "real" power tool about 20 years ago. I eventually gave it to a relative. It will certainly work fine for bodies and anything else under maybe 2 or 3 inches thick. I kept a 1/4" 6 tpi blade on it.

I would just try a new tape tire. No idea on the lube, interested to hear what others suggest.

 

[rudy4444]

So, I picked up this little bandsaw recently, hoping to get a little advice on a couple issues... (sorry for lousy pics)View attachment 3648498
First issue is the tire on the upper wheel. Though the wheels appear aligned and the blade is tracking straight (when I spin the wheels by hand), when I turn on the saw, the tire starts to work its way off the wheel, quickly. With the blade off, the tire seems to be a loose fit.

View attachment 3648499
Oddly enough, the blade still seems to centered and tracking straight.
Do I just need to replace the tire? Maybe using the splicing tape method described earlier in this thread?

This saw is in pretty good shape, aside from the wheel issue. It only has a 1/2HP motor, but I think that should be good for cutting out bass bodies and whatnot.

Some of the moving parts need a little lubrication; does anyone have any recommendations for what to use? I was concerned that any oil (I normally use Tri-flow) would gather sawdust and gum up the works. Is a dry lube a better bet? Something with Teflon?

Thanks in advance!

I would replace the tires with a new set of urathane tires. That would set you back about $50, but it's worth it not to have to mess around with stop-gap measures that would serve as temporary replacements.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

I would replace the tires with a new set of urathane tires. That would set you back about $50, but it's worth it not to have to mess around with stop-gap measures that would serve as temporary replacements.

My "tape tires" trick doesn't seem to be temporary at all. (Starting on Page 3 of this thread, post #57). I have them on two of my bandsaws that get nearly daily use. They've been on my steel cutting Bridgewood for about 7 years, and the upper wheel of my 20" Davis & Wells for three years. They aren't showing any signs of wear or cracking or any other problems. I have to say they'll probably last about as long as a set of urethane tires.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

So, I picked up this little bandsaw recently, hoping to get a little advice on a couple issues... (sorry for lousy pics)View attachment 3648498
First issue is the tire on the upper wheel. Though the wheels appear aligned and the blade is tracking straight (when I spin the wheels by hand), when I turn on the saw, the tire starts to work its way off the wheel, quickly. With the blade off, the tire seems to be a loose fit.

View attachment 3648499
Oddly enough, the blade still seems to centered and tracking straight.
Do I just need to replace the tire? Maybe using the splicing tape method described earlier in this thread?

This saw is in pretty good shape, aside from the wheel issue. It only has a 1/2HP motor, but I think that should be good for cutting out bass bodies and whatnot.

Some of the moving parts need a little lubrication; does anyone have any recommendations for what to use? I was concerned that any oil (I normally use Tri-flow) would gather sawdust and gum up the works. Is a dry lube a better bet? Something with Teflon?

Thanks in advance!

Yes, those particular Craftsman 12" saws are very popular with homeshop hobby woodworkers. Here in the LA area, there are always several for sale on CraigsList, usually for $100. We've had two of them here in the Lab, which other guys had in their shops. Both of those guys eventually up-sized to 14"-16" saws, and we had no trouble selling off the Craftsmans.

They are decent quality little saws. A size and weight that you can carry home in a car and move around by yourself. They are low-powered, 1/2 HP, and there's not much point in putting a bigger motor on it. But with a sharp blade, it will saw around a 1 3/4" body blank. 2" thick maple is about its limit for clean cutting. Thicker than that, and you have to go real slowly to avoid slowing it down and burning the blade.

The main bearings are sealed ball bearings. You should never need to lube them. If they are actually dry and making noise, you can take them out and force-pack some automotive wheel bearing grease into them. But usually, at that point, you just replace the bearings. Standard ball bearings aren't very expensive these days.

For other parts on machines that slide or turn slowly, my favorite lube these days is Liquid Wrench Chain Lube. It's in a spray can with a straw nozzle. It's a fairly thick oil that's sticky. Almost a light grease. A little squirt gets into tight areas, and it stays there. It doesn't run out and make a mess. I use it on most of my woodworking and metalworking machines as a general lube.

 

[BishopJP]

Thanks guys, appreciate the help!

While I'm not against spending money on tool or upgrade if it is necessary, I bought this saw with the understanding that all it needed was a little "tlc"; $50 additional would put it into the "not-such-a-good-deal" category.

I bought a roll of Temflex for $3, if that works I will be good to go!

As far as oiling the parts, all the bearings are fine, what needed help was the carriage(?) where the upper wheel is mounted. The mechanism for tensioning the blade and for adjusting the tracking needed a little help. I used a penetrating oil, but that was just to loosen it up. I have some thicker oils in my bike shop that I may try as more permanent treatment.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Thanks guys, appreciate the help!

While I'm not against spending money on tool or upgrade if it is necessary, I bought this saw with the understanding that all it needed was a little "tlc"; $50 additional would put it into the "not-such-a-good-deal" category.

I bought a roll of Temflex for $3, if that works I will be good to go!

As far as oiling the parts, all the bearings are fine, what needed help was the carriage(?) where the upper wheel is mounted. The mechanism for tensioning the blade and for adjusting the tracking needed a little help. I used a penetrating oil, but that was just to loosen it up. I have some thicker oils in my bike shop that I may try as more permanent treatment.

Is the urethane tire still reasonably flexible and stretchy? If so, try this: Slip the tire off of the back of the rim. Put down a single layer of the Temflex on the rim, with a nice clean joint where the ends meet. Then see if you can stretch the urethane tire back over top of the Temflex. That may keep the tire in place and give it some more life. If the tire cracks and breaks, well, then it's done. Put down more layers of Temflex to build up a new tire. Top coat it with regular electrical tape, as we described before.

 

[rudy4444]

Thanks guys, appreciate the help!

While I'm not against spending money on tool or upgrade if it is necessary, I bought this saw with the understanding that all it needed was a little "tlc"; $50 additional would put it into the "not-such-a-good-deal" category.

I bought a roll of Temflex for $3, if that works I will be good to go!

As far as oiling the parts, all the bearings are fine, what needed help was the carriage(?) where the upper wheel is mounted. The mechanism for tensioning the blade and for adjusting the tracking needed a little help. I used a penetrating oil, but that was just to loosen it up. I have some thicker oils in my bike shop that I may try as more permanent treatment.

Checking the urethane tire pricing it looks more like $30, but that's still 10 times the price of rubber splicing tape.
In any case it will end up being a nice saw.

 

[BishopJP]

So, I took the old tire off; still flexible, not brittle or cracked. I stuck on one layer of tape, put the tire back on, works great! No further issues!

I may look into new tires at some point, depending on how well this fix works, over time.

Who knows, I may get the itch to upgrade to bigger saw sooner rather than later. With the few test cuts I've done, I can already see the limitations of this little machine.

Time to make sawdust!

 

[Basshappi]

I have the same Craftsman saw. It is a workhorse and I appreciate it.
However, I am looking forward to the day when I can acquire a large, production saw.

 

[BishopJP]

So, I threw a tire on the upper wheel the other day. Blade stayed put on the layer of tape under the tire.

Rather than re-installing the tire, I put an additional layer of splicing tape and electrical tape and I am up and running again! I used the saw to cut out me neck shape yesterday with no issues.

Separate issue, I am getting some burning in the cuts. Possibly just from a dull, old blade?
From earlier posts in this thread I have gleaned that a blade with a lower tooth count might help clear the cuts better, reducing friction, heat. If I get a new blade, I will probably look into that.

Is there anything else that could be causing the burning?

 

[Beej]

Feeding at too high a rate can lead to burning, deflection of the blade in a cut can too. Dull blade may the the culprit though. Blades are cheap in the long run.

 

[TerribleTim68]

So the shop I'm using has one of these old Craftsman model #113.243440 12” bandsaws in it (photos for reference, not the actual saw) -

Man, me and this saw DO NOT get along. Like, we're not even friends, borderline I don't even want to talk to it. Honestly, if this thing called and wanted to buy me dinner, I'd probably say "New phone, who dis?" and hang up.

So here's the issues I'm facing and maybe someone way smarter than me can go "Hey Tim, here's where you went wrong...."
Every time I've tried to use it I get a ton of blade drift. Like really excessive if you ask me. There was a couple points when rough cutting the back of my neck blank that the drift almost got away from me. I've noticed that the blade drift gets more excessive the higher up the blade guide is positioned. I try to stay well away from my line, like maybe on the heavy side of 1/4", maybe even closer to a heavy 3/8". I see guys just ripping through stuff a mere 1/16" off the line and just think "How tf....?" With the amount of blade drift I get from this thing, I'm way too scared to try resawing lumber on it. But I've got a pretty nice piece of flame maple that I want to bookmatch for a top, so I need to have a "come to Jesus" talk with this saw.
The other issue I had was that the blade doesn't seem to stay in the top guide. Looking at this photo on the Rockler website -

It appears that the top guide "mechanism" should have two roller wheels that the blade "passes between" and one roller wheel that the "back edge" runs down, correct? I don't think this is the case. What I recall observing is that the "back" wheel is somehow allowing the blade to slip over to the side of it. I've also had it catch on the wood and if you pull the wood back toward you, the blade would basically come out from between the two side rollers. I'm guessing there's some serious setup issues here?

So here's the TL : DR -

• What's the difficulty on getting these roller wheels positioned where the blade stays "on track" like it should? Is this a major issue?
• Am I doing something wrong on my end that is causing excessive blade drift? Or is this just really bad setup here?
• What is the recommended blade for resawing on this thing? Or am I wasting my time with this machine?