Easier bandsaw blade depth adjustment

[paulrussell]

My hands are not as strong nor nimble as they once were and I find adjusting the forward/back of the blade guides a bit tough on the fingers. I've cleaned, de-burred, and lubricated it and it is still stubborn. Reading the forums it appears I'm not the only one.

I had the idea to adapt them to accept the 5/32 allen wrench, and over-engineered a solution. As it turned out, my adapter's mounting sleeve was all that was needed. Just this small increase in diameter of the adjuster makes a world of improvement!
Mine is printed, but I'm sure there are 100 other ways of achieving the same results.

20210226_142630.jpg (205.69 KiB) Viewed 964 times

[edma194]

I'll be installing Carter guides shortly and promised my self to look for a solution to this. Maybe a piece of plastic hose is all I need but I'm sure a good cleaning will loosen that up a little too.

[RFGuy]

Paul,

I like it. I was just looking this week at McMaster-Carr for something similar for the table system (floating, aux and main tables) threaded knobs on the underside. I think the replacement that I was looking at was called something like "comfort threaded knobs" and are supposed to be easier on the hands. I haven't decided on a replacement for it yet, but I like the idea of making more ergonomic, etc. controls for any tool. I get that the Mark V was designed 70 years ago (before ergonomics was popularized even though it had already existed for 100 years). Also for most owners this is a non-issue, but for anyone with arthritis, tendonitis, etc. in their hands I think any improvement is well worth it. Looking forward to see what other improvements you might come up with on the Mark V. Keep them coming...

P.S. If anyone has a good option for a more ergonomic replacement on the table knobs please let me know.

[paulrussell]

Another option I considered was removing the tensioning spring then drilling/tapping for a nylon set screw.

[dusty]

I'll be installing Carter guides shortly and promised my self to look for a solution to this. Maybe a piece of plastic hose is all I need but I'm sure a good cleaning will loosen that up a little too.

Is the positioning knob not already screw driver adjustable?

[dusty]

I'll be installing Carter guides shortly and promised my self to look for a solution to this. Maybe a piece of plastic hose is all I need but I'm sure a good cleaning will loosen that up a little too.

Is the positioning knob not already screw driver adjustable?

My error.

Yes, it is screw mounted but not intended to be adjusted that way. The adjustment knob is mounted with and travels on that screw. When I attempted adjustment using a screw driver I believe I loosened the screw which might have been locktited. Now, to do the adjustment I have to immobilize the screw and use the knurled knob. (No locktite in the shop. I must have purged when we moved.)