All Replies on Bandsaw maintenance crash and burn

Those things are considered a maintenance item and get torn up over time… looks like yours is about due for replacement :)

You can buy them all over the place or make your own from aluminium, wood or recycled milk jugs (HDPE):

(same insert fits the bandsaw and my 18” Delta scroll saw)

Cheers,
Brad

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable

How did you make your wooden inserts ..... I guess I could cut a rough 2 1/2” circle out of say 1/4” board and sand it to fit the outer diameter of the hole, but there is a 1/8” lip …...how do you cut the groove on a circular piece with that sort of precision?

.how do you cut the groove on a circular piece with that sort of precision?

- unclearthur

I made several at one time on the lathe.

-- Live to tell the stories, they sound better that way.

Yup, on a lathe is the easiest. Turn a blank to 2.5” and then slice off pieces on the band saw. For the HDPE, I just melt some in a slightly oversized metal can and then throw it on the lathe to turn to final diameter. I originally used wood, but it is a bit flimsy. The HDPE is pretty stiff stuff and works much better (those shown are actually from fabric softner jugs, not milk jugs :). If you don’t have a lathe, I guess you could always get some 2.5 inch wood dowel and do the same.

Cheers,
Brad

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable

That makes sense but I don’t have a lathe.

I found some plastic zero clearance inserts on the internet, $5 for an insert and $12 for delivery. Such is life in Canada.

You could set up a couple of “fences,” once on each side of the throat, then push the new plates in on a piece of Masonite or whatever. Just use an L-square to set up the fences (e.g., boards).

.how do you cut the groove on a circular piece with that sort of precision?

- unclearthur

I made several at one time on the lathe.

- woodbutcherbynight

I have a piece of diamond plate and cut the circles out using my jig saw. Once I get close, I run down to the line with a sander. I end up with press in fits.

I have a Powermatic and the plates I find everywhere are the wrong size, so making them is a must. I make a couple at a time.

I install the plate with the diamonds down. Be it the luck of the Irish or whatever, it’s a perfect fit in thickness too.

Once in a while the plate get loose in the throat and I just turn it over and hit it with a punch about one hundred twenty degrees out and it’s back to a tight fit.

Cheers,
Brad

- MrUnix

I’ve never made them from Lay’s Potato chips before, seems kind of brittle?

Lee valley doesn’t carry them?

-- Shooting down the walls of heartache. Bang bang. I am. The warrior.

If you have a router table, you can make a simple jig to make your own large cylinders. Should work for plastic too. Simply use a straight of box bowl bit in the router and put your rough block in a jig like this. You’ll want to cut the corners off before mounting in the jig to speed things along. You raise the router until the cylinders are the desired diameter.

-- Nathan, TX -- Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.

Get some jbweld mix it and put it back together. It will work

-- Sooner or later Liberals run out of other people's money.

That makes sense but I don t have a lathe.

I found some plastic zero clearance inserts on the internet, $5 for an insert and $12 for delivery. Such is life in Canada.

- unclearthur

I did the same for my little saw for me its not worth the time to make my own. I bought a pack of 3 for $8 + $6 shipping from Amazon. One will last a long time.

-- Everything is a prototype thats why its one of a kind!!

Think of this as good excuse to give for buying a lathe…..

-- Live to tell the stories, they sound better that way.

So my replacement bandsaw inserts finally arrived in the mail, and they are zero clearance inserts.

Is there a clever way to create the slot for the blade kerf? Done it before on a tablesaw by raising the blade but not on a bandsaw …...

I just held the insert infront of the blade centered on the hole (making a heart like shape with my hands, with my thumbs moving towards the blade, the pointer fingers holding the insert and using my middle fingers to line up with the table cut out) turned on the saw, and moved the insert forward very slowly cutting the kerf. Quick, easy and works well. But I caution you, move slowly cause your thumbs are moving towards a blade. :)

So my replacement bandsaw inserts finally arrived in the mail, and they are zero clearance inserts.

Is there a clever way to create the slot for the blade kerf? Done it before on a tablesaw by raising the blade but not on a bandsaw …...

- unclearthur

-- My "projects" always look better with beer goggles.

If you have double back tape, you can tape it to a piece of scrap and run it into the blade, so you don’t have to worry about the open hole. In a pinch, duct tape would do. Just mark so you stop at about the half way mark.

I made one from aluminum diamond plate I had. With the diamonds down, it’s the perfect thickness. I used my hand held jig saw to cut the kerf.