Shopsmith Forums

Does anyone have a source for the black plastic knobs that hold the bandsaw cover?

I have a broken one I’d like to replace.

If you are just wanting to replace the knobs and don't care about SS brand find out what size it is bu screwing a nut on. Take that to HD or ACE, etc. to find out what size knob you need. You may find some at ACE and you certainly will find many online. Probably cheaper, faster and better than ordering from the mother ship which may be docked in outer space.

I believe these from Rockler would fit. Double check yours to verify.

https://www.rockler.com/1-3-8-round-knob-for-shop-jigs

--Keith

Edit: My 1990 band saw knob fits a 5/16-18 bolt.

Hobbyman2 wrote: Mon Dec 12, 2022 3:38 pm https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/par ... ttable.htm

Wrong knobs Hobbyman2. The OP is looking for the cover knobs, which thread onto a bolt. They aren't used on the new band saws anymore, at least according to the exploded view.

A 1991 BS manual lists the part as 514426, "Cover Knob." That PN is shown as available on the mothership's website ($4.95) but the description says both "Cover Knob" and "Upper Saw Guard Insert for M7, 520, ..." Makes little sense. 514426 does not show up on the service parts for the Upper Saw Guard. I suspect it is the correct part for the bandsaw, but I'd probably confirm with Customer Service before ordering. They should have access to the drawings, and I've had them email drawings on one occasion so I could look at what she was looking at.

When looking at this I was tempted to order three knobs and three studs to replace those screws, etc. in the current design. (Which I don't love.) The studs are evidently not available.

- David

I did not realize the bandsaw cover knobs were changed, other than cost savings I wonder why the change was made. I would hate the new method! Seems Shopsmith took a huge step backwards on that one.

Ed in Tampa wrote: Tue Dec 13, 2022 10:23 am I did not realize the bandsaw cover knobs were changed, other than cost savings I wonder why the change was made. I would hate the new method! Seems Shopsmith took a huge step backwards on that one.

Ed,

Yeah, I agree. I saw this change a while back on the website. I believe the new bandsaws come with screws that use the 5/32" Shopsmith toolkit to hold the cover on. It is a step backwards compared to the original cover knobs.

Ed in Tampa wrote: Tue Dec 13, 2022 10:23 am I did not realize the bandsaw cover knobs were changed, other than cost savings I wonder why the change was made. I would hate the new method! Seems Shopsmith took a huge step backwards on that one.

Yes, Shopsmith does make changes like this with NO NOTICE and for no apparent reason other than a cost savings "for Shopsmith".

The studs could be made using nothing more than a hacksaw but why?

It appears that the replacement part for the knob is nothing more than a cap screw of proper size and a washer BUT would it not be nice if we could see images of these parts rather than just a nomenclature and SS P/N.

The way Shopsmith markets hardware and the price they charge makes me believe they really do not want to sell bolts, nuts, washers, etc but at the same time they with hold descriptive information required to buy it elsewhere.

I think it has to do with sales outside the US. I remember asking Mike Young about a similar issue years ago. I can't remember the exact issue but it involved a safety issue and something SS changed for no apparent reason. The BS cover is really a safety shield. The issue was rules somewhere outside the US require that safety covers can not be too easily removed (i.e. you need a tool to remove the item). I suspect the BS cover was changed for that reason.