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Looking for a SS Band Saw Table

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 7:10 pm
by guitarnut
Hello all,
I am in need of a used band saw table. Anyone have a junker laying around that they would sell the table off of?

I am striving to increase the throat of my SS band saw. I have performed the tweak from the SS website that removes material from the casting that holds the upper guides and roller bearing...that got me comfortably to 6.25". The before pic is actually after I had started removing material.

http://www.crenshawweb.com/guide-before.jpg

http://www.crenshawweb.com/guide-after.jpg

I need to pick up another .125 to .250 and I'm thinking I could remove some of the casting material from the table mounts to drop it down. I would then pack the head ean of the bolt with washers so eveything tightens up OK. I don't want to alter my fence without a backup.

http://www.crenshawweb.com/under-table.jpg

The reason for all of this is so I can resaw to 6.50" allowing me to resaw my own top wood for my guitars. I already designed plans for a resaw fence, I just need to get that extra .25".

PM me if you can help me out...

Peace,

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 8:18 pm
by JPG
guitarnut wrote:Hello all,
I am in need of a used band saw table. Anyone have a junker laying around that they would sell the table off of?

I am striving to increase the throat of my SS band saw. I have performed the tweak from the SS website that removes material from the casting that holds the upper guides and roller bearing...that got me comfortably to 6.25". The before pic is actually after I had started removing material.

http://www.crenshawweb.com/guide-before.jpg

http://www.crenshawweb.com/guide-after.jpg

I need to pick up another .125 to .250 and I'm thinking I could remove some of the casting material from the table mounts to drop it down. I would then pack the head ean of the bolt with washers so eveything tightens up OK. I don't want to alter my fence without a backup.

http://www.crenshawweb.com/under-table.jpg

The reason for all of this is so I can resaw to 6.50" allowing me to resaw my own top wood for my guitars. I already designed plans for a resaw fence, I just need to get that extra .25".

PM me if you can help me out...

Peace,
1) you need an aluminum table(not older cast iron).

2) Rather than modify a table, could you modify a set of trunions so as to encase the boss(increase holes in trunions)? These are cheaper to replace than a table.

3) The upper limit of travel of the blade guide is determined by a projection on the casting hitting the casting above. This can be filed down to gain almost 1/8"<<<<never mind you already did this!

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 8:35 pm
by judaspre1982
=====================

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 9:15 pm
by guitarnut
Thanks JPG
JPG40504 wrote:1) you need an aluminum table(not older cast iron).
Yep.
2) Rather than modify a table, could you modify a set of trunions so as to encase the boss(increase holes in trunions)? These are cheaper to replace than a table.
Interesting, but I'm not sure I would want this setup on the band saw all the time and from looking at the photo I posted, it looks like swapping out the trunions would be alot more trouble...it looks like the lower wheel would have to come off.
3) The upper limit of travel of the blade guide is determined by a projection on the casting hitting the casting above. This can be filed down to gain almost 1/8"<<<<never mind you already did this!
:D

Peace,

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 9:19 pm
by guitarnut
judaspre1982 wrote:Have you thought of fabricating a table yourself to suit your specific needs? Good luck-----Dave

Hi Dave.
I could go that way...seems a bed of osb and some t-nuts would do the trick. Maybe a thin masonite top. I could brace it around the edges so I could "tuck" the trunions up tight to the bottom. Hmm, I'm gonna look at that tomorrow.

Thanks!

Peace,

Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 2:52 am
by iclark
guitarnut wrote:I need to pick up another .125 to .250 and I'm thinking I could remove some of the casting material from the table mounts to drop it down. I would then pack the head ean of the bolt with washers so eveything tightens up OK.
if you go this way, you might want to take a close look at the bottom (in the hole sense) of the tapped holes first. I haven't had that part apart and it is possible that SS did not see a need to run a bottom tap on those holes. one way to check is to run a long bolt into the hole by hand and see where it stops. compare that length to the depth of the hole (you can use a broom straw to find the depth if you don't have anything better). if the difference is very small, then SS used a bottom tap. if the difference is 3-5 threads, they probably used a second tap. much more of a difference than that and you probably want to run a second tap before you run the bottom tap.

if the holes are not threaded all the way, using a bottom tap to extend the threads would be easier to do before you grind the metal away. if you are not used to bottom taps, be extra careful not to cross-thread and not to punch through the table.

you should also expect to use some jeweler's files to restore the start of the threads after you grind or file the material away.

Ivan

Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 10:57 am
by Ed in Tampa
guitarnut wrote:Hi Dave.
I could go that way...seems a bed of osb and some t-nuts would do the trick. Maybe a thin masonite top. I could brace it around the edges so I could "tuck" the trunions up tight to the bottom. Hmm, I'm gonna look at that tomorrow.

Thanks!

Peace,
How about a piece of phenolic material. No warpage, perfectly flat and very little of any flex. You could drill holes in it where the trunnion holes are, then using bolts (recess the heads_ and nuts to hold it to the trunnions. I would think you would pick up more than enough space.

Another thought is customed designed and shaped table from aluminum sheeting. Get some aluminum flat stock about 1/4 to 3/8" thick. Since you are only going to use it for resawing you can make it much longer and only as wide as you need to hit the trunion supports. I'm thinking of a table that is about two feet long and about 6 inches wide with a zero clearance cut.

Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 10:59 am
by JPG
iclark wrote:if you go this way, you might want to take a close look at the bottom (in the hole sense) of the tapped holes first. I haven't had that part apart and it is possible that SS did not see a need to run a bottom tap on those holes. one way to check is to run a long bolt into the hole by hand and see where it stops. compare that length to the depth of the hole (you can use a broom straw to find the depth if you don't have anything better). if the difference is very small, then SS used a bottom tap. if the difference is 3-5 threads, they probably used a second tap. much more of a difference than that and you probably want to run a second tap before you run the bottom tap.

if the holes are not threaded all the way, using a bottom tap to extend the threads would be easier to do before you grind the metal away. if you are not used to bottom taps, be extra careful not to cross-thread and not to punch through the table.

you should also expect to use some jeweler's files to restore the start of the threads after you grind or file the material away.

Ivan
Howsomever: IF you are ONLY using the modified table for tall guitar whatever, you COULD drill through the table and countersink from the top for flat head screws. This would eliminate the concern over threads.:)
Not pretty, but probably stronger.;)

Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 12:09 pm
by anmius
There is a used cast iron bandsaw table on Ebay scheduled to expire on May 7th. No bid so far. If you can work with the older cast iron table, this may be your answer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Shopsmith-mark-v-ba ... 1|294%3A50

Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 12:45 pm
by JPG
anmius wrote:There is a used cast iron bandsaw table on Ebay scheduled to expire on May 7th. No bid so far. If you can work with the older cast iron table, this may be your answer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Shopsmith-mark-v-ba ... 1|294%3A50
Hopefully THIS link will work better!