Last September, I bought a new lathe PM3520B, a new b/s MM-16 and then in December I ordered a DC Oneida Super Dust Gorilla.
After those turners shoved me into the Vortex it took me nearly 19 months to regain some resemblance of sanity and start finishing my shop. Since September, I've finished the ceilings, installed all the electrical, painted the walls and ceilings and installed the lighting.
Last weekend I finished the major points of installing the DC and started setting up my new b/s.
Thanks to Mark Duginske's book, Sam Blasco of Mini-Max and our own Jim Becker I've started playing with my new b/s. I've never used a bandsaw. With a little mechanical and electrical aptitude, after conversing with Jim, I adjusted the drive belt tension to get rid of the squeel I was experiencing on start up. Now it's just a lion's purr. Using Mark's book as a reference and after a conversation with Sam, I got the 1/2" blade that came with the saw mounted, tracked and tensioned. Then I honed the welds and rounded the corners on the back of the blade. After adjusting the upper and lower guides I fired it. After starting and stopping it a half a dozen times and letting it run for 10 seconds to 2 minutes and then stopping it...opening the upper wheel cover and checking that the blade still was tracking correctly I made my first cuts. I'm in love! What a joy it was to make curved cuts and this is with the stock blades that came with the saw. I used it so if I made a mistake and ruined a blade, I didn't ruin the bi-metal blades I ordered from Olsen. Wow!
Tuesday evening I took a dremel tool, a square and a extremely fine point Sharpie; marked the back side of the blade guard. Using a cut-off wheel on the dremel tool I removed about 3/8" of metal so the thrust bearing could seat against the blade even if I run 1/4" blade at the front side of the flat wheels.
Adjusting the belt tension on this thing was a thing of beauty! I hadn't really paid attention....I went to my shed got my 36" OMG flat blade screw driver that can be used to pry tires off cars....I opened the bottom door, stuck the screwdriver through one of the slots....loosend 3 of the 4 bolts expecting the weight of the motor to lift my 255 lb. rearend off the floor.....NOTHING.....I crawled around to the motor side of the b/s base. DUH! I used the 19 mm supplied wrench and made the adjustment. What a piece of cake.
I'm off to the shop to set my rip fence for drift and try resawing some small stock.
Thanks Jim, Sam and Mark! Even a rookie can do it!
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Originally Posted by David Duke
