Every-so-often I look on the tool section of Craig's List and see one of the many identical brands of inexpensive bandsaws like I have... many not often used for several reasons. When reality TV stated doing the build shows they started with motorcycle builds and one of them the guy was using one of the cheap ones like mine. After I don't know how many blade pop-offs he pitched a fit and broke it apart all documented. The show bought him a good one to continue on with.
I think I said that one of the reasons I built the new stand was to get rid of the wimpy stand that comes with the saw. The two main problems with the saw is the stand and the other is not having the blade tightened up enough. Don't use tools as you might break the saw blade but put some oomph to it when in place on the wheels and guides.
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This is the saw, in action, using the horizontal application. Notice on the bottom guide there is a (on the right side where the blade goes into the guide wheels) there is a squarish piece held on by two CSK screws.
Another thing I have noticed is the newer models don't seem to come with the vertical paten anymore.
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My saw is old enough that it did come with the platen and this shows it partially installed. It shows one the dimple holes filled and one empty with the fastener by it. It also shows the guide plate that is removed to put the platen in place.
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This shows the platen installed minus the support bracket that I lost a long time ago. You can just see the dimpled hole up by the top by the guide gallery. Mine did not come with the adjustable angle piece that is supposed to be used here.
I am thinking about making a new platen for two reasons. One is the hole for the blade is too big so that when you are cutting something it ends up hanging up in the hole. The other thing is the access for the blade is from the front and I am debating from the rear but that also ends up being a quandry in itself. The platen's size is somewhat limited, on the left, by the arm of the bandsaw.
I would also make the panten out of a thicker material but that brings up: dimple or CSK. Right now, with the lighter material, they are designed as dimple but I haven't really looked that hard at that problem yet either. If I dimpled it I think it would have to be a smaller size dimple (thicker material) to match the guide holes then redrill it to fasteners size then CSK it to fastener CSK head size; a lot of work for...?
Much cheaper that two different types of band saws if the problems can be overcome.
Lee.