Central Bandsaw 14" Question - Round Blanks

Dan Mosley

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Location
Palm Springs, Ca
Questions for the gang out here on cutting blanks with a bandsaw

Went to a garage sale a week ago and saw a band saw a guy wanted to get rid of (Central Machine - 14"). He is a welder and said he got it as a present from a family member but never used the saw as it was not strong enough to do the work he does with metal....the machine was still packaged in some type of plastic wrap and not a mark on it.......so i went back home and looked it up on the web and seen that Harbor Freight sells them for around $300 plus shipping. Speeds: 3000 FPM
Capacity: 6''
Motor: 1 HP, single phase
Volts: 115/230
Amps: 9/4.5
Table: 13-1/2''
Read some reviews about it and noted that it is a low end tool but seemed to do the job of Turning Blanks from logs and with a few modifications could cut thicker blanks. It can cut a thickness of 6" max stock.......so i looked to see what i could do to it so i could cut thicker blanks for wood turning. (kids included from the neighborhood)

Modifications that would be needed: Riser block kit, and new saw blade
Riser will increase height to 12"
New blade - OE is a china knock off and a junky blade


I went back and he still had it and offered him $100 for it which he took.
The riser block kit is $58.00 and the new blade was $18.00 both with shipping included. So im into this now at $176. The blade i bought (skip tooth) was from Lou Iturra who is a expert on bandsaws and blades and is a great help in answering any questions about these saws that you have parts, blades etc- (866-883-8064).

Question: Has anyone put one of these riser block kits on ? wondering how much difficulty it will be
Question: Was told it would require some tweaking and adjustments after all is installed.......anybody know what the tweaking is and how i can find instructions or video on how to "Tweak" it.........LOL
Question: read where you can put another motor on it when this one burns out......good idea? what size? anyone know where to look for these motors?

Thanks Dan
 
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As long as you are not doing high volume and are not in a hurry, it should do OK on the larger sizes. I have the Grizzly G0555, 14" bandsaw. It is also a 1 hp. When cutting up to 6" hardwood stock, I definitely must not force and just let it cut at it's own speed. Only 1 hp is wanting for heavy work. At 12", you are asking a lot. But, for what you paid, you are ahead of the game. BTW, for heavier cutting/resawing, I use a 3/4"X4 tpi Timberwolf blade. Tried 3 tooth but got too many catches.
 
Question: Has anyone put one of these riser block kits on ? wondering how much difficulty it will be
Question: Was told it would require some tweaking and adjustments after all is installed.......anybody know what the tweaking is and how i can find instructions or video on how to "Tweak" it.........LOL
Question: read where you can put another motor on it when this one burns out......good idea? what size? anyone know where to look for these motors?

Thanks Dan

I'll take a shot at a couple of these...

I haven't done the riser block before, but may want to have a second person to help lift and stabilize the top half or a cherry picker for lifting.

The tweaking would probably be for alignment of the blade and wheels. Do a internet search for "bandsaw alignment" and you'll find plenty of info (i.e. http://www.owwm.com/files/PDF/FAQ/110124076.pdf).

Not sure on the motor, someone will chime in here.
 
Riser blocks are nice in that you can do up to 12" blocks of wood. Put a good timberwolf blade 3/8" 3 tpi and it should do fine. Call Suffolk Machinery and they will help you pick a blade for what you want to do. They are very good. Don't get in a big hurry cutting thick wood and the 1 hp will do fine.
 
I own that saw, with a riser block, which is how I got it. Initial impressions from doing a little resawing support exactly what Franks says, take it slow, you'll do OK. It isn't a minimax or laguna, don't horse it, use the right blade.
 
I have the same saw Frank does (funny how that works, as we're both famously cheap... ;)

I have a riser on mine. Works great. The only fiddling you'll need to do is wheel adjustment (so the wheels are coplaner and track correctly), and some blade guide adjustment you need to do every time you change blades anyway.

I broke mine a while back trying to properly tension a 3/4" blade. So now I don't go beyond 1/2". I've got a 3/8" blade loaded on there right now, and it can easily and cleanly rip an upright 2x4 all the way right down the middle. Takes way less than two minutes to do the whole 8 feet. Don't ask me how I know... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
Congrats on the new saw, Dan. You've done well for under $200
Question: Has anyone put one of these riser block kits on ? wondering how much difficulty it will be
Not too much difficulty at all. I put one on my Shop Fox band saw, and got the help of a neighbor for about 5 minutes to help lift and hold the upper wheel while I inserted and tightened the two bolts. If there are any gross irregularities on any of the mating surfaces, you might need to file or grind them down, but I expect things will be pretty ready to go out of the box. Mine was.
Question: Was told it would require some tweaking and adjustments after all is installed.......anybody know what the tweaking is and how i can find instructions or video on how to "Tweak" it.........LOL
Darren's right (or wright) about the tweaking. The wheel alignment would usually be needed on any new saw, and blade guide adjustment gets done any time you switch blades anyway, so you shouldn't have any insurmountable problems. As Darren said, you should be able to find a number of articles on bandsaw adjustment, and making the actual adjustments is pretty easy. (But worth the time spent.)
Question: read where you can put another motor on it when this one burns out......good idea? what size? anyone know where to look for these motors?
I kinda doubt you'll be needing to replace the motor, but if you do, it's a real common motor and configuration, so there are plenty of options available out there. You can find motors on eBay, or all sorts of retail sites like www.surpluscenter.com. Horsepower-wise, I think I'd stick with something in the relative range that you've got now...1 to 1.5 HP.
 
I imagine it is similar to my Grizzly G1019 which they don't make any more. I replaced the 3/4 HP motor with a 1725 RPM 1 1/2 HP motor I had whoowee what a difference. Save your short blade guard it will allow you to squeak by on a little deeper cut if you should need to. The long guard only goes up into the top wheel housing just so far before it runs into the inside of the housing.:)
 
I think you've already gotten some good suggestions, but I'll add here. I have a ridgid BS1400, which is just about the same thing. I put on a riser block from a grizzly saw, which was about 1/3 what Ridgid was asking for theirs, and it fit just fine. I replaced the really poor quality metal guideblocks with coolblocks that are graphite, replaced the rubber tires with orange urethane tires, and replaced the joke that was supposed to pass for the factory spring with an iturra one. Also, the Ridgid saw came with a 3/4HP motor, which just didn't "cut" it for me. Pun intended. I found a Baldor 2HP motor on ebay that was an equivalent match, and replaced the belt with a fenner powertwist.
It is no powermatic or laguna, but it cuts just about anything I need to cut, and will PROPERLY tension a 3/4" blade when I need it to. The factory spring was completely compressed before you could get to the tension mark for a 3/4" blade before. Most important of my "upgrades" was to make a big cart stand for it (got the plans from FWW magazine), to increase the footprint---these 14" import bandsaws usually come on similar stamped metal stands, which are pretty wobbly, and become VERY VERY topheavy when you put a mobile base under them.
 
I think you've already gotten some good suggestions, but I'll add here. I have a ridgid BS1400, which is just about the same thing. I put on a riser block from a grizzly saw, which was about 1/3 what Ridgid was asking for theirs, and it fit just fine. I replaced the really poor quality metal guideblocks with coolblocks that are graphite, replaced the rubber tires with orange urethane tires, and replaced the joke that was supposed to pass for the factory spring with an iturra one. Also, the Ridgid saw came with a 3/4HP motor, which just didn't "cut" it for me. Pun intended. I found a Baldor 2HP motor on ebay that was an equivalent match, and replaced the belt with a fenner powertwist.
It is no powermatic or laguna, but it cuts just about anything I need to cut, and will PROPERLY tension a 3/4" blade when I need it to. The factory spring was completely compressed before you could get to the tension mark for a 3/4" blade before. Most important of my "upgrades" was to make a big cart stand for it (got the plans from FWW magazine), to increase the footprint---these 14" import bandsaws usually come on similar stamped metal stands, which are pretty wobbly, and become VERY VERY topheavy when you put a mobile base under them.

I forgot to mention the base upgrade, Big difference in the 'solidity' factor when you lose the stock steel base.
bandsaw.jpg


the guy whom I got this saw from once removed (long story) built this base for mine, and put the grizzly riser kit in it, plus upgraded the tensioner handle, and added what is now sold as the Kreg fence.
 
I bought the HF Central Machine bandsaw about two years ago. I odered the riser block online. Installing it was a little confusing until i realized that the photos in the installation guide were backwards. Once I figured that out it wasn't so hard to do. However, I thought I read somewhere that HF no longer carries the riser blocks.
Email me if you need help!
 
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