Bandsaw tune up... Upper blade guide bearing post questions

fitzhugh · Post by **fitzhugh** » Wed May 21, 2014 7:34 pm

I'm confused by the mount for the upper blade guide bearing post. There are two screws that adjust the pressure on the sliding vertical post and also make sure it is vertical. They have jam nuts on them and press against the square cross sectioned trough that the can lock bar sits in. Then there is the single bolt or screw that also sets the pressure on the sliding vertical post by controlling how hard the black flat metal bar it goes through presses against the can bar. Wow, I hope a photo is more clear!

[ATTACH]25096[/ATTACH]

The two screws with jam nuts shown in photo and the single screw (end with added slot shown)seem to have overlapping functions. How do I adjust it right? It seems more kludged than other ss stuff I've seen.

Also, the screw that holds the bar on that I refer to above seems an is choice. On my older cast iron table bandsaw that screw is a countersunk screw in a non countersunk hole in metal. It might be a user replaced part but it does have the slot in the opposite end for adjusting and that slit doesn't look user made. Any ideas why it would be countersunk? Just curious about that part.

Thanks,
Fitzhugh

rcplaneguy · Post by **rcplaneguy** » Wed May 21, 2014 7:55 pm

This is an excellent guide:

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=8542&highlight=Bandsaw+Blade+Tracking+Adjustments

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed May 21, 2014 7:56 pm

I cannot begin to tell you how to perform this set of alignments. I can barely get mine aligned while reading the manual.

You do have the manual, right.

fitzhugh · Post by **fitzhugh** » Wed May 21, 2014 7:59 pm

OK, i'm trying to follow the great thread here about bandsaw adjustmenthttp://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthread.htm?t=8542

The first photo in post 6 shows a screw to take up slop in the above mechanism. Oddly, my part has the extra metal in the casting for the screw but no screw, or even a hole for it. Just a curiosity I guess. If it gets sloppy I can always drill and tap
[ATTACH]25097[/ATTACH]

fitzhugh · Post by **fitzhugh** » Wed May 21, 2014 8:02 pm

Edit... I seem to have skipped a section of that thread trying to read it on my phone. I'm off to do my homework! I'll ask again in this thread if still confused.... End edit

Ah, thanks. I forgot to mention I'm looking at that thread and was posting the above to add that when you beat me to it. I'm still confused but not so confused it won't work, just feel there is probably a reason I'm overlooking for the two adjustments with similar functions.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed May 21, 2014 9:00 pm

fitzhugh wrote:Edit... I seem to have skipped a section of that thread trying to read it on my phone. I'm off to do my homework! I'll ask again in this thread if still confused.... End edit

Ah, thanks. I forgot to mention I'm looking at that thread and was posting the above to add that when you beat me to it. I'm still confused but not so confused it won't work, just feel there is probably a reason I'm overlooking for the two adjustments with similar functions.

Not all have the 'anti-slop' screw. Some here have added it. It needs to be nylon IMHO.

The functions are not duplicated, although they do interact.

Before you are done you will curse those screws with locknuts. They align the post and the slotted screw(do not know why flat headed) is to adjust the clamp tension. Keep all adjustments of those cursed screws small and always in opposite direction(loosen one, tighten the other) and keeping the tension the same. Check results at both the top position and the bottom position of the post after each tweak with the post clamped.

I agree this is the most contrary non-intuitive pita adjustment in all of SSdom. But when you do get it right, a pleasure to use. If not right the opposite is true.

BuckeyeDennis · Post by **BuckeyeDennis** » Wed May 21, 2014 11:46 pm

Mine, an older one, does not have the anti-slop screw. But VERY careful tweaking of the casting with a bench vise yielded good results.

reible · Post by **reible** » Thu May 22, 2014 12:00 am

See this post

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=8361

Go to post 32 and the next few for this modification.

Ed

fitzhugh · Post by **fitzhugh** » Thu May 22, 2014 7:59 pm

JPG, thanks for confirming that it is kludgey and not just me. I wondered if I was missing something obvious! Well, I was, as mentioned below in reply to Ed, but nothing that made it seem like a good design.

Dennis, I'll give that a gentle gentle try first since I don't have a tap. If it seems like it won't work without problems I'll go buy a tap.

Ed, thanks! That was a huge help all around, not just because of the nylon bolt addition.

In fact, I think the part I liked most was seeing various people who seem to know so much ponder their way through the stuff I'm working my way through now

I'm kicking myself for not thinking of your approach to setting the crazy slotted jam nutted adjustment screws on the upper guide assembly mount: you adjusted it first in the middle of the vertical range, THEN worked it on the top and bottom. That simple step is why you took only 15 minutes or so, when I took a couple hours trying to get it set. That sounds crazy but one of the aforementioned knowledgeable types that commented on your thread mentioned taking "literally hours" on it as well. Names withheld to protect the innocent.

It was that kind of hint I was hoping for, so thanks.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu May 22, 2014 11:34 pm

fitzhugh wrote: . . .

I'm kicking myself for not thinking of your approach to setting the crazy slotted jam nutted adjustment screws on the upper guide assembly mount: you adjusted it first in the middle of the vertical range, THEN worked it on the top and bottom. That simple step is why you took only 15 minutes or so, when I took a couple hours trying to get it set. That sounds crazy but one of the aforementioned knowledgeable types that commented on your thread mentioned taking "literally hours" on it as well. Names withheld to protect the innocent.

It was that kind of hint I was hoping for, so thanks.

See post 60
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=8361&page=2