Bandsaw Question

[Dave Richards]

Yesterday my Jet 16" Bandsaw arrived and I got it put together and even made a few cuts on it. So far it seems to be a very nice piece of equipment but I have a couple of problems. One is it's too short. Or I'm too tall. Not sure which. The other problem is that I haven't figured out the layout for my shop space yet so I want to keep the saw mobile for now. I bought the Jet Universal Mobile base for it although I had to make a modification to the rails on the long sides. The mobile base is very nice (I like it better than the HTC unit I have under my TS) but it doesn't do much for the height and the whole thing is a bit wobbly because the floor isn't flat.

Alright, so I know why it doesn't sit very steady and I know it isn't terribly safe.

What I'm thinking is this: Build a plywood box on which the saw can sit. This gets me the added height I want. On the left end (as you're facing the saw) put a couple of wheels that are set so they are in contact with the floor at all times. At the right end put leveling feet and a point for a Johnson bar ala Laguna, et al. The saw would be bolted to the box and I might even need to put some ballast in the box.

Am I missing some important detail? I guess I need to talk this out to make sure I'm not wasting my time with this. I'd appreciate some input. Thanks.

[John Miliunas]

Dave, congrats on the new saw (5 yards for posting a stealth gloat!) Anyhow, I think I'd be most concerned with it being too top-heavy if placed on a box and kept mobile at the same time. Personally, I think I'd live with it for a bit, moving it around the shop and shimming it as necessary until I figured out its permanent home. Only then put it on some type of platform, anchor it to the platform and anchor the platform to the floor. Mainly (as a concern you yourself had) a safety concern, is MHO.

[Ted Shrader]

Dave -

I kind of agree with John on this one about stability. How high are you going to make the extension box? How much weight can you get in it?

How long will it be before the decision on the saw's fixed location? It can always be moved again to another "fixed" location.

Your comments about bolting the saw to the box and adding some weight are valid for safety. Then you will have an extra mobile base for the next tool.

Ted

[Jim Becker]

John brings up some good points, but I believe you can deal with both raising the machine and keeping it mobile if you think things through. The most important thing is to insure that when the tool is "in place", that it doesn't rock 'n roll. In that vein, you want to make any plaform study enough so that it will not twist or flex. Since I can't imagine you need to raise it a huge amount, I don't think that stability will be much of an issue.

What I suggest, then, is to build a platform that rests completely on the floor (on short rubber feet) when not actively being moved, similar to how a Vega mobile base works. Two casters in the back that do not support the machine when it's "flat and level" combined with the abilty to use a "machinery mover"...esentially a long--about 4 ft--lever with a wheel on it...will do the job quite nicely. If you want to increase laterial stabilty, put a wider piece of lumber across the back side of the base to increase the footprint without compromising your ability to move around the machine safely and unencumbered. If you do that, be sure to put the two rear short rubber "feet" at the ends of that board so that vagarities in the floor don't cause the thing to rock. They should be adjustable to level the machine at rest, too.

How's that for a long-winded suggestion? Musta' been the latté...

[Dave Richards]

John, I was thinking about adding about 6" to the height and filling the box with sand or even better, old wheel weights from a local tire shop. My thoughts about keeping it mobile are to make it so the box clears the floor only by 1/2" or so. That way the wheels aren't raising it much.

Thanks for the added yardage, too.

Ted, the how long question is a hard one to answer. I recently found out I'll be building another boat--like this

for the new sailor expected to arrive in mid-May. More yardage? The building frame will probably require that power tools be somewhat mobile.

John, it sounds like you and I are on the same wavelength regarding the "machinery mover".

Thanks guys.

Dave

p.s. John, I was in the Madison Woodcraft store on Sunday. I was going to look at that DeWalt planer but forgot. Anyway, I had a great experience in there which is unusal because I've never had a good experience in the Bloomington, MN store. I guess I'll have to go back to Verona (home town) more often.

[John Miliunas]

p.s. John, I was in the Madison Woodcraft store on Sunday. I was going to look at that DeWalt planer but forgot. Anyway, I had a great experience in there which is unusal because I've never had a good experience in the Bloomington, MN store. I guess I'll have to go back to Verona (home town) more often.

Hey Dave, next time you're coming through, drop me a line! We could get together for a beer (or something). Good luck on the bandsaw project.

[Dave Richards]

Mmmm...Beer...good. I'll do that John. Sometimes we take 14 up to LaCrosse so we'd be going right by.

Thanks for the advice on the bandsaw thing.

Dave

[Curt Harms]

[QUOTE=Dave Richards]Yesterday my Jet 16" Bandsaw arrived and I got it put together and even made a few cuts on it. So far it seems to be a very nice piece of equipment but I have a couple of problems. One is it's too short. Or I'm too tall. Not sure which. The other problem is that I haven't figured out the layout for my shop space yet so I want to keep the saw mobile for now. I bought the Jet Universal Mobile base for it although I had to make a modification to the rails on the long sides. The mobile base is very nice (I like it better than the HTC unit I have under my TS) but it doesn't do much for the height and the whole thing is a bit wobbly because the floor isn't flat......

Hi Dave

Congrats on the acquisition. I'm going to try to attach a couple pics of a base I cobbled up. Price was right-4 casters and scrap 3/4" ply.Rear casters are fixed, the front casters pivot. I do have a flat floor but the base is quite stable. I have the opposite of your problem-I'm "vertically challenged" and wanted to lower the table of the saw. Feel free to email me at: charms100 at Juno.com if you'd like any info

Curt

[Jerry Crawford]

Yesterday my Jet 16" Bandsaw arrived and I got it put together and even made a few cuts on it. So far it seems to be a very nice piece of equipment but I have a couple of problems. One is it's too short.
What I'm thinking is this: Build a plywood box on which the saw can sit. This gets me the added height I want. Thanks.

The idea of lifting the whole saw to a good working height is a solid one Dave. For me, the best height for the BS is where the table is just slightly below where my bent elbow's are when I stand at the saw. My Delta is mounted in a three wheel mobil base that sits solid on the floor when I kick down the third wheel in the front. There are several commercial and home mede versions of these.

OH, yeah, spend an hour or so really tuning that thing up so it operates flawlessly. They don't come perfect out of hte box and need some tweeking to set the blades and guide system to max. Do a check on the pully's and motor to make sure it's running at the best speed

[David Rose]

Dave, as a "boat builder" you probably know, but I would anchor that ballast securely. You don't want it to work against you if it just tries to shift.

The bandsaw is my primary saw so I built an auxilliary table for mine. If you think you might do that, be sure to allow a couple of inches for that. That raised my 14" Delta open stand just enough for me.

David

[Dave Richards]

Good suggestions guys. Thank you kindly.

Curt, my saw came with cast iron feet. Did yours and did you take them off before mounting your saw up on the box?

Jerry, I will spend some time going over it with a fine-toothed comb. So far things look real good.

David, your point about the ballast is taken. If I do put ballast in the box, I'll put dividers in the box to prevent the ballast from sliding all to one side.

Thanks again.

Dave

[Curt Harms]

Good suggestions guys. Thank you kindly.

Curt, my saw came with cast iron feet. Did yours and did you take them off before mounting your saw up on the box?

Hi Dave

Yes the saw came with a low bolt-it-together sheet metal stand that raised the saw about 18 inches. That put the table too high for my comfort, plus I needed the saw to be on wheels. The way the base works the saw tilts back a little when it's up on all 4 casters but is level when the front casters are horizontal. I have the G1148 from Grizz which works but which I wouldn't buy again. I did look at the new 17" Griz when I was in Williamsport but it has the same problem-too high a table for me- and no way to lower the machine so I guess I'm happy with the G1148 for now. Enjoy your Jet.

Curt