Shopsmith Forums

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am still working on getting my bandsaw in usable condition. It is a green Magna, serial number 29109. I am not sure how old it is. Probably pre-1958, at least. It appears to be in excellent, fundamental condition. The casting is in great shape, all the parts are there, etc. Table is a little rusty but some elbow grease and some sort of rust removal solution should take care of that.
It is a great deal more complicated than the jointer and belt sander that I took apart,cleaned up, and got working. I reconditioned my headstock using Jacob Anderson’s videos; I did not have to do bearing just new belts, cleaned and lubed. My point is I can watch videos and read manuals and get basic stuff done.
With that in mind I have some questions I am hoping the institutional knowledge can answer as I get ready to make this bandsaw operational.
1. Am I wasting my time on a Magna bandsaw? I am assuming it is the same as the SS bandsaw and the parts are compatible? If I cannot get parts that fit then I do not want to waste my time and money.
2. Do I need the SS manual for the bandsaw with the cast iron table? SS sells a manual for the SS bandsaw with the cast iron table that I suspect is similar to my Magna, it costs $12 plus shipping. I downloaded the manual for the SS bandsaw with the aluminum table from some pirate site, it cost nothing. Reading the manual for the bandsaw with the AL table, the only difference I am seeing is the screw/bolt used for leveling the table. It is accessible from the top on the AL table but you have to go under to adjust it on the cast iron table. All the wheels and guides for the actual blade look identical to what I have. Even the trunnions look the same. I am worried about making sure I get the right parts when I contact SS.
3. Jacob Anderson has a video for rebuilding a bandsaw- $15 plus shipping. Is it worthwhile?
4. Should I install the BlueMax tires? I am going to need new tires. The SS orange urethane tires got really bad reviews. I do not really want to mess with gluing on the black rubber ones if I can avoid that. I used to do glue on bike tires when I was young and did bike racing; it is a big mess. Taking off the ones on there now will be bad enough. I found a thread in this forum in which the gentleman known as Dusty (the apparent SS guru bagrah) recommended the BlueMax urethane tires. Is that the way to go?
5. Will acetone get the black glue on tires off? I see a lot of comments where owners mechanically scrape off the glue. That scares me as it seems it might be easy to score the aluminum wheels.
6. Should I skip the metal guide blocks and go straight to the ceramic ones? cool blocks I think they are called. The comments seem mixed. I have to replace all four guide blocks as the previous owner seems to have had them adjusted incorrectly and they have gouges in the guide ends that look pretty unhealthy. I do not envision using a 1/16th blade any time soon, but I have one in the boxes of SS junk I bought. I would like to have the option if there is no downside.
7. I plan to replace the guide bearings anyway, but how do I know whether they are actually bad? How should they spin?
8. On the wheels, how do I know those bearings are good? I am an amateur bicycle mechanic and that experience indicates to me that they are good, but obviously a bicycle wheel bearing and a band saw wheel bearing are liable to be different.

Sorry for all the questions. Any response is appreciated.

Duckman

May help - http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewtopic.php?t=12208

Magna is de momma. Very little difference other than the things upgradable since it was created.

I will link to an adjustment thread in a later post(assuming I can find it).

For when it is reassembled - http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewtopic.php?t=8542

You are aware that Jacob Anderson also has video on bandsaw for sale? It's good too.

Everett

Duckman wrote:Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am still working on getting my bandsaw in usable condition. It is a green Magna, serial number 29109. I am not sure how old it is. Probably pre-1958, at least. It appears to be in excellent, fundamental condition. The casting is in great shape, all the parts are there, etc. Table is a little rusty but some elbow grease and some sort of rust removal solution should take care of that.
It is a great deal more complicated than the jointer and belt sander that I took apart,cleaned up, and got working. I reconditioned my headstock using Jacob Anderson’s videos; I did not have to do bearing just new belts, cleaned and lubed. My point is I can watch videos and read manuals and get basic stuff done.
With that in mind I have some questions I am hoping the institutional knowledge can answer as I get ready to make this bandsaw operational.
1. Am I wasting my time on a Magna bandsaw? I am assuming it is the same as the SS bandsaw and the parts are compatible? If I cannot get parts that fit then I do not want to waste my time and money.
2. Do I need the SS manual for the bandsaw with the cast iron table? SS sells a manual for the SS bandsaw with the cast iron table that I suspect is similar to my Magna, it costs $12 plus shipping. I downloaded the manual for the SS bandsaw with the aluminum table from some pirate site, it cost nothing. Reading the manual for the bandsaw with the AL table, the only difference I am seeing is the screw/bolt used for leveling the table. It is accessible from the top on the AL table but you have to go under to adjust it on the cast iron table. All the wheels and guides for the actual blade look identical to what I have. Even the trunnions look the same. I am worried about making sure I get the right parts when I contact SS.
3. Jacob Anderson has a video for rebuilding a bandsaw- $15 plus shipping. Is it worthwhile?
4. Should I install the BlueMax tires? I am going to need new tires. The SS orange urethane tires got really bad reviews. I do not really want to mess with gluing on the black rubber ones if I can avoid that. I used to do glue on bike tires when I was young and did bike racing; it is a big mess. Taking off the ones on there now will be bad enough. I found a thread in this forum in which the gentleman known as Dusty (the apparent SS guru bagrah) recommended the BlueMax urethane tires. Is that the way to go?
5. Will acetone get the black glue on tires off? I see a lot of comments where owners mechanically scrape off the glue. That scares me as it seems it might be easy to score the aluminum wheels.
6. Should I skip the metal guide blocks and go straight to the ceramic ones? cool blocks I think they are called. The comments seem mixed. I have to replace all four guide blocks as the previous owner seems to have had them adjusted incorrectly and they have gouges in the guide ends that look pretty unhealthy. I do not envision using a 1/16th blade any time soon, but I have one in the boxes of SS junk I bought. I would like to have the option if there is no downside.
7. I plan to replace the guide bearings anyway, but how do I know whether they are actually bad? How should they spin?
8. On the wheels, how do I know those bearings are good? I am an amateur bicycle mechanic and that experience indicates to me that they are good, but obviously a bicycle wheel bearing and a band saw wheel bearing are liable to be different.

Sorry for all the questions. Any response is appreciated.

Duckman

If Dusty told you that, I would like to see the link.

Dusty doesn't know the first thing about changing the tires on a Shopsmith bandsaw as he has never done that. He still has two Shopsmith bandsaws with their original black, glued on tires that work great even though one is getting hard and somewhat cracked.

Please provide the link so that it can either be corrected or deleted.

This is not to be taken as a statement against Bluemax tires.

IIRC the gentleman was Bill Mayo.(RIP)

My apologies to Dusty and the memory of Bill Mayo. I ran across a posting in which Bill Mayo appeared to endorse the BlueMax. I am new to the forum but both Mr. Mayo and Dusty seem to know what they are talking about and I conflated the two. Again my apologies. No excuse. duckman

Duckman wrote:My apologies to Dusty and the memory of Bill Mayo. I ran across a posting in which Bill Mayo appeared to endorse the BlueMax. I am new to the forum but both Mr. Mayo and Dusty seem to know what they are talking about and I conflated the two. Again my apologies. No excuse. duckman

No worries.

No apology required either. A simple whoops is sufficient.

Let he who has never made a mistake 'cast the first stone'.

Duckman wrote:My apologies to Dusty and the memory of Bill Mayo. I ran across a posting in which Bill Mayo appeared to endorse the BlueMax. I am new to the forum but both Mr. Mayo and Dusty seem to know what they are talking about and I conflated the two. Again my apologies. No excuse. duckman

No apology necessary. It is an honor to even be associated with Bill Mayo.