How to make a Harbor Freight 4x6 band saw perform: fix and tune up. Bandsaw repair and modify

[@calebmoore5316]

What a coicidence, the man that took me into his Custom welding and Fab shop and taught me all that I know is Named Don as well. I really apreciate this video, as I have one of these, and I was getting close to scrapping it. Im going to pull my wheels off and turn them in my lathe. Thank you for the great video!

[@anthonymarino4260]

Thanks for sharing

[@peterkolovos3079]

Excellent tutorial.

[@donsengine3158]

Thanks Peter. Just had a brain blast of an idea for an upgrade on this. May be an upcoming project. Don

[@joell439]

Well….. you did it again 😂. Every episode draws me in deep and I can’t wait to watch and learn more. Your years of repairing equipment really sets the stage on how to efficiently approach and repair the problems found. Keep up the great content. Meanwhile, I have so many more episodes to catch up on….. but I’m getting there. 👍👍😎👍👍

[@donsengine3158]

Thanx Joel.... Been taking a breather with the heat.. We'll get cranked back up soon. Don

[@geckoproductions4128]

Interesting video, thanks

[@donsengine3158]

Thanks Gecko.. appreciate it. Don

[@patmcbride9853]

I considered milling the vise jaws to tilt in slightly to counter the natural tendency they have to be loose at the top when tight at the bottom.

[@donsengine3158]

Since I milled the nut that slides the rear jaw, I haven't really had that issue. I think that now with the jaw riding flush to the table instead of being moved up an down by the nut makes a big difference. Don

[@patmcbride9853]

@@donsengine3158 Sounds good. Never checked mine, but tightening it down locked the movable jaw, so I assumed the nut didn't have the same issue. Being loose enough to move gave it too much play.

[@donsengine3158]

@@patmcbride9853 Ya. I thin bringing these Asia machines into tighter tolerance like THEY should have done will help.

[@mathewmolk2089]

We have had one of these things for going on 40 years and the absolute best thing we ever did was to put water on it. Just a used coolant pump,a catch pan and Rust Lick oil. Easy 5x or better increase in blade life. The second best thing was a hydraulic feed damper. Another increase in blade life and an easy +/- .015 against a stop in full production 8 hour shifts. And I have union IronWorkers running it at times and they can screw up a crow bar. These little saws can take it. I know the cork sniffers sell these little non "name brand" saws short, and granted we are on our 3D worm and wheel and 2d motor and misc. other wear parts, but guess what? - The big Kalamazoo saw is out in the storage shed and only brought back in when there is a lot of big structural to cut to length. (We use the PLAS if there are only a couple of cuts) The little saw is the go-to all other times. OH,,,One more thing I see already done on yours is bring it up so you don't have to stand on your head to use it. Except for the Marvel power feed verticals can anybody tell me why all horizontal cut off saws are 2' off the ground? Cold saws are not on the floor, are they? - Run a steady diet of 1-1/2" 4140 round bar all day and you will look like a question mark when it's time to go home if you don't ditch the flimsy sheet metal stand and get it up to normal man height.

[@donsengine3158]

Love that comment. Thanks. Ive been thinking about running coolant and a Hyd damper on it. Were actually my first two wanna do's, but had to go with the need to's out the gate. I use the heck of this saw saw since I got it. It actually surprised me how valuable it made itself. Thanks for watchin. Don

[@LetsRogerThat]

Some good mods that I need to do here Don. Tks. Gilles

[@donsengine3158]

I hindsight, I should have just bored the casting (wheel) and bushed it back. But time constraints can sometimes push you in the wrong direction. Just thought. Thanks for watching. Don

[@petermacdonald4955]

Great video although I don't see the relevance of measuring the off cut as two crooked cuts (parallel) will give you uniform thickness but doesn't mean the cut is Square?

[@kenclaro1806]

I saw how you adjusted the tracking on the bandsaw mine doesnt have those bolts coming through to the outside theres no allen screw for track adjust no through bolt for the pulley center no bolt for the tension setting I wonder could I replace that whole block so I have the adjustability?

[@donsengine3158]

Thats odd, are you sure its the same saw? I've never seen one of these HF saws without a way to adjust the blade tracking/tension. Could you shoot me a picture on my email? Don

[@kenclaro1806]

@@donsengine3158 what is your email I'll send ya a pic

[@donsengine3158]

@@kenclaro1806 Its on my page in the ABOUT section. Click box "email" to get it. Don

[@tommccully2109]

Cut a notch on the "top"- just above the switch -where it lowers down at/over the switch.

[@plasmaguy5]

Great video Don. Question? I have one of these a year now and cant seem to get it to cut straight from top to bottom, whats the best way to adjust this and whats the thickest blade we could run on it? Thanks Joe

[@donsengine3158]

Hi Joe, I'm running the typical 1/2 inch blade. I don't know what the thickness is on it, but the guide wheels are adjustable enough that you could probably run the thickest one available. If its not cutting straight through, use a machinists square and check through the length of the blade running between the guides at full retraction. They can be loosened and swiveled to get them to run straight. Again, check the blade from the bed upright across the blade. The previous adjustment should have it running true. If not you can fine tune it there. If your still having issues, et me know. I can do a short vid on this and post it mid week If all else fails send the kids to grandmas and cuss it out for being a cheap chineses piece of $#/&...... Don

[@EitriBrokkr]

Do you have any crown on the wheels? Or did you turn them flat?

[@donsengine3158]

They are flat from factory so I kept them that way. Don

[@EitriBrokkr]

@@donsengine3158 thanks for the reply. The wheels on mine came with the cast draft angle still on them. I've been meaning to turn them on the lathe, but I've been unsure of metal bandsaw wheel geometry. Everyone and their brother knows a wood one is crowned with a rubber tire. Not so much knowledge out there on metal ones

[@donsengine3158]

@@EitriBrokkr I'm pretty sure its flat on most if not all metal band saws. I had a big Kalamazoo that you could cut engine blocks in half with. That also had flat wheels.

[@EitriBrokkr]

@@donsengine3158 I've used a big variable speed do-all that was awesome, never got a chance to look inside

[@melgross]

Don, I’ve always wondered how a factory, or anyone for that matter, can manage to machine the outer circumstance of a wheel that’s not concentric with the shaft. I’ve been working with machine tools for almost 55 years, since I was a teenager, and never had that problem. It seems as though you need to go out of your way to do that. That whole casting is wobbling. The center shaft hole possibly wasn’t machined perpendicular to the sides of the casting. Sometimes a set screw is put in near the end of the hole, rather than close to the middle, which pushes the now tightened end of the pulley to one side, while the other side moves in some random direction. I’ve sometimes had to machine out the bore, add a bushing, and broach a new slot for the key. Eh!

[@donsengine3158]

Ya, QC isn't so good there is it? I could have spent a lot more time perfecting this, but everything I do is on a time crunch. May be a good project boring and bushin out for another vid... You got a good 15 years on me... and I'm just a "get it done " MX hack...

[@melgross]

@@donsengine3158 nah, you’re more than that. I’m on a kick of improving some of my machines. I made some mods to my South Bend, adding a three channel DRO, a digital readout, where the machine has an analog meter (it’s a variable speed model). And I removed the bolt tighter for the tailstock and machined a lever closer. Making the cam shaft and hardening and tempering the shaft was fun, as was machining the tailstock. Those were the more major mods. Since I have a taper attachment, I had to make a new cover for the cast iron one, since I didn’t want the scale to get in the way of the tailstock, or cover the holes for the follow rest. The milling machine is a whole other story.

[@donsengine3158]

@@melgross Sounds like you got some cool stuff going on there. Love the lever closer idea. You should share some of this. Sounds like a heck of project.

[@melgross]

@@donsengine3158 yeah, thanks. When I and my partner sold the company in 2004, I wasn’t aware that KZbin had as much as it did. I would just go in to find some old music or Tv shows, and a bit of other stuff. I was 54, so if I had known, I might have started a channel. But when I actually realized what was going on, it was past the time that I wanted to begin one. As you know, it can be quite the hassle, and for me, retirement hasn’t meant less to do, but if anything, more. All the times I had told people that needed me to do something - “When I retire, I’ll have time…”, caught up with me. I think I have more meeting now, than when I was working.

[@donsengine3158]

@@melgross Jeez, now you got me worried.. I was looking forward to some kick back time.. not kicked in the back time.

[@plakor6133]

Geeze. I better look at mine. Used and abused since 1983. I don't think it's ever been taken apart.

[@donsengine3158]

Ouch.. that's not good. 83", that's an oldy now! Don

[@kentuckytrapper780]

Great info Don, check out winkys work shop he's done some great mods to his saw aswell.

[@donsengine3158]

Ya, I watch Winky all the time.. don't know if you caught my thumbs up to him during that vid.. Don

[@mikeanderson1139]

so all you need is a lathe and turning skills....who knew

[@joeymeraz]

a micrometer to harbor freight products... I've seen it all

[@mathewmolk2089]

Don't much look like you have seen anything bubba.....If you know how to set up ANY band saw you would do the same thing as he did here - We have been using our little HF saw in a revenue shop for 40 years. It's a rare day when it doesn't cut SOMETHING and there are days it cuts 8 and 10 hours.

[@stevecallachor]

You might know what your talking about but……………….we can’t see what you are doing, The camera is attracted to your shirt!! Stavros