HF band saw malfunction

[supermanotorious]

I just cut an engine plate which represents the "longest" vertical cut I've made with the saw. The plate looked "off-square" when I picked it up and the carpenters square confirmed. I placed the carpenters square in the table vise and sure enough, the blade moves away from the piece as it cuts. Basically the table of the saw is not perpendicular to the travel of the arm. Has anyone experienced this problem? Is there an adjustment for it? I dont imagine there is an adjustment since it really comes down to the hinge that the arm pivots on.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8VN5pdmfnA

 

[firemanjim]

Shim the vise, maybe? We had a small saw like that at work that would do that. It had a bad bushing in the pivot, and it wasn't holding it up square with the table.

 

[supermanotorious]

shim would be tough to get exact, I'll look into the bushings though, thanks for that bit, any other thoughts fellas?

 

[itsid]

If I have the correct manual.
I see no way to adjust the pivot angle to the table... *shrugs*

So what's left is -as Jim said-.. the bushing (looks like there's just ONE for some odd reason)

'sid

 

[supermanotorious]

I see what you mean, part #23

 

[supermanotorious]

This forum thread has some info I need to check out later today.

 

[machinist@large]

The first bandsaw I had was a throw away 4×6 that the owner had that exact same problem. I was able to fix the vertical travel squareness by opening up the fixed pivot hole in the head frame (not the base), and shim the L shaped pivot bracket. On that one the head traveled from left to right.

I also found that the adjustable blade guide rail wasn't machined square to the direction of it's travel. That one I solved by basically opening the guide up all the way and adjusting the blade guide bearings so that the blade tracked to both the base and the back jaw of the vise. I know, in a perfect world you're supposed to adjust the moveable guide to match your work piece size; we're only talking about a gap of 6" though. If you pay attention to the counter balance spring tension though, you shouldn't have a problem. The 9×19 saw that maintenance and I use at work normally has the moveable guide set at ~an 8" gap and we don't have any problems.

 

[supermanotorious]

You drilled out the hole in part 26, not the grooves at the top correct? Any chance you can show a pic of how you went about putting a shim on it?

 

[machinist@large]

You drilled out the hole in part 26, not the grooves at the top correct? Any chance you can show a pic of how you went about putting a shim on it?

The slot's in the top of 26 were OK. The shims went in between the slotted top end of 26 and the main head frame. The hole I filed out was in the head frame itself where the pivot shaft (#24) located in it after the shaft passed through the saw base frame.

Based on the diagrams you posted, it looks like yours has another small bracket on that side? On that saw it was cast as part of the head frame. As for pictures, the last time I laid eyes on that unit was when I helped a friend pack for the big move to Alaska........

 

[supermanotorious]

I've improved accuracy with cuts by marking the side of the tube, not the top:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrAI35r-9Y8