Bandsaw Window Upgrade

[horologist]

Whenever Shopsmith has had their bandsaw sale I have considered purchasing the upgraded cover with the window. To make a long story less so…


I mentioned this to my dad and he said, “ I have a couple of those windows somewhere…” So we skipped the next rifle day and instead had bandsaw upgrade day. A few notes on the procedure, sorry I didn’t think to take any pictures until after we were done…


I made the attached template from a sheet of cardboard and used a sharp awl to scribe the cut lines for the window. The pdf scan has a scale included so you can verify the printout is sized correctly.


With a nice collection of piercing saws, it has been years since I have used a coping saw and a quick trip to Ace Hardware was required. Four small holes in the corners of the cut area allow the blade to make the turn. A large file to clean up the edges and the window snaps in nicely. I would recommend laying a towel on the bench so you don’t scratch the bandsaw cover while cutting the opening. (Sorry dad)


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View of template in place.

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To locate the center of the hole, line up the edge of the template with the top edge of the window. Notice the elongated hole, the first version seemed perfect but missed the correct center. The next one worked perfectly on my dad’s cover. The Shopsmith cover has a slot that extends to the edge, I prefer to leave this material intact.

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The line should be even with the edge of the cover and the right hand edge even with the top of the window as shown above. Use an awl to mark the hole center and drill with a ½” bit.



The template, be sure to check dimensions as it was used to modify two covers before it was scanned.

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Troy

[RobertTaylor]

nice job guys. (you and dad). would like to find a source for the window to do my cover. thanks for sharing.

[judaspre1982]

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[horologist]

The windows came from Shopsmith and are the exact ones used in the current saw covers. I took a quick look at the parts page and didn't see them listed. Best bet would be to call Shopsmith and see if they are still available.

Troy

[8iowa]

The Shopsmith part # is 522217 @ $5.05

[RobertTaylor]

thank you very much for the info, bob

[jmoore65]

The Shopsmith part # is 522217 @ $5.05

Just checked - part is now $10.25

[RobertTaylor]

Just checked - part is now $10.25

wow, you are correct. i checked 4 days ago after 8iowa's post and he was correct at that time. seems that after some interest they more than doubled the price.

[cityslicker2]

I upgraded my bandsaw a year or so ago and simply used some of the heavy clear plastic packaging material that comes with so many products today. this worked well and the cost was right! Just another option. Steve

[Gene Howe]

10 yrs ago, I simply cut a 3" hole in the cover. Thought about gluing in a piece of plexi. Never got around to it.
while I was at it, I notched the cover and permanent back shield to accept the Allen wrench. Makes life a little simpler.