Jim C Bradley
Member
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Hi,
Some time ago, in one of the posts several people asked me to send photos of the bandsaw tensioning rig I made. I'm learning this photo stuff so I have been slow. I cannot find the thread with the questions so I am assuming it was lost in the crash.
Enclosed are three photos: 1) the lever on the BS, 2) a closeup of the ball between the threaded rod and the BS frame, and 3) a pic showing the drilled dimple in the end of the rod and the ballbearing.
The dimple in the end of the rod was made with an ordinary twist drill. I did put one small drop of oil on the end of the rod just prior to placing it on the ball.
Someone asked how I kept the ball in place. Even with all tension removed from the bandsaw blade---in fact even so loose the rod is ready to be removed---there is still the weight of the threaded rod resting on the ball keeping it trapped in the dimple.
Oh yes, the coupling has no more significance than the fact I did not have a piece of threaded rod long enough to use and I did have the parts to make it this way.
The wood part of the handle rotates freely. That is part of the reason it is so easy to use. I can take one finger and twirl the handle to bring the blade up to proper tension for a 1/2" blade. Normally I back off 10 full rotations to release pressure and crank 10 back to tension. That way I never have to look at the scale or twang the blade to know where I am. I read somewhere about someone else who did basically the same thing. That person backed up only 5 rotations.
I shouldn't admit this, but I have not checked to see how loose the blade is with 10 rotations.
The bandsaw is an old Delta which runs like a dream.
If the photos don't come out well in the real world, I will try again.
Some time ago, in one of the posts several people asked me to send photos of the bandsaw tensioning rig I made. I'm learning this photo stuff so I have been slow. I cannot find the thread with the questions so I am assuming it was lost in the crash.
Enclosed are three photos: 1) the lever on the BS, 2) a closeup of the ball between the threaded rod and the BS frame, and 3) a pic showing the drilled dimple in the end of the rod and the ballbearing.
The dimple in the end of the rod was made with an ordinary twist drill. I did put one small drop of oil on the end of the rod just prior to placing it on the ball.
Someone asked how I kept the ball in place. Even with all tension removed from the bandsaw blade---in fact even so loose the rod is ready to be removed---there is still the weight of the threaded rod resting on the ball keeping it trapped in the dimple.
Oh yes, the coupling has no more significance than the fact I did not have a piece of threaded rod long enough to use and I did have the parts to make it this way.
The wood part of the handle rotates freely. That is part of the reason it is so easy to use. I can take one finger and twirl the handle to bring the blade up to proper tension for a 1/2" blade. Normally I back off 10 full rotations to release pressure and crank 10 back to tension. That way I never have to look at the scale or twang the blade to know where I am. I read somewhere about someone else who did basically the same thing. That person backed up only 5 rotations.
I shouldn't admit this, but I have not checked to see how loose the blade is with 10 rotations.
The bandsaw is an old Delta which runs like a dream.
If the photos don't come out well in the real world, I will try again.
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