Shopsmith Forums

I just wanted to share my success with yall. I bought a used SS bandsaw for $200. It had some condition issues. I bought new tires, bearings, and Olson saw guides for ~$100 in total. It took several hours to complete The worst was shredding the dry rotted tires and then picking off the glue with a box cutter. Cleaning the table with Brasso and a Scotchbrite pad was a close second.

But it turned out great! I cut up some thin pine tonight as a test and it is an order of magnitude better than my baby Grizzly bandsaw. Larger table and much more powerful. I’m looking forward to making bandsaw bowls, which I have had glued up and ready for some time. (https://youtu.be/KSuRwdlMagk)

Many thanks to the people on the forum who helped me and answered my questions!!!


My tips:
Remove the blade and table as soon as possible and replace them only at the very end.
When replacing the tires, put the wheel down on the bench with the THICKER RIM UP. Place the tires on slowly, adding clamps as you move around the rim.
Videos help. My growth rings has several, all helpful but I wish all his tips were in one spot. Jared Anderson also has a nice one.


https://youtu.be/UV9TpDjrKVY
https://youtu.be/YFBeGfdiIak

Notice the beat up table and worse tires.

Table refinishing

Finished repairs

First cut….like butter!

I see you added an access hole to adjust the tension of the blade like newer Bandsaw Covers have. It would also be useful to add the "window" (shown below) to be able to see the Tension Gauge. Owners have added the OEM part called the Bandsaw Clear Plastic Window for Bandsaw Cover SKU 522217 for $15.95 from Shopsmith. It is currently listed as out of stock but should be available in the near future. They report it as a fairly simple cut out of the cover to the size of the window. Something to think about to for your Bandsaw to be able to have the Blade Tension correctly set without removing the cover.
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I thought about that. I have some acrylic but I wasn’t sure how to cut the cover neatly to create a “window frame.” Any ideas on that?

I have not cut an opening for installing the window in an existing cover. The picture I posted is of a 2006 Bandsaw which already has the window. Others have done it with success. For the OEM Window it clips into the opening but for a homemade window you would have to plan for some kind of attachment.

Noticed the square in thy pictures. Have you held the square against the back of the blade?

DO NOT BE ALARMED if is is NOT square. The blade should tilt back about 2.5 (IIRC) degrees due to the auto tracking scheme.

JPG wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 11:09 pm Noticed the square in thy pictures. Have you held the square against the back of the blade?

DO NOT BE ALARMED if is is NOT square. The blade should tilt back about 2.5 (IIRC) degrees due to the auto tracking scheme.

Thanks. I was actually squaring it L/R and just left it on the table for the pictures. But I appreciate the tip on the front/back alignment.