How to level bandsaws, jointers, etc

[John Coloccia]

My shop started out as a garage, and the floor has a nice slope to it. I normally use shims to level equipment, but some stuff (like my Grizzly bandsaw) doesn't really have any feet. The whole thing just kind of sits on a flat base. What's a good way to level such a beast? I have something rigged up, but I'm not happy with it.

[Stephen Edwards]

Originally Posted by John Coloccia

My shop started out as a garage, and the floor has a nice slope to it. I normally use shims to level equipment, but some stuff (like my Grizzly bandsaw) doesn't really have any feet. The whole thing just kind of sits on a flat base. What's a good way to level such a beast? I have something rigged up, but I'm not happy with it.

In my shop, part of an old barn, the floor is lower by 2 inches from one end to the other, a 48" span. So, I don't worry about the tables of machines being "level" with the floor. I just make sure that they're are "square" to blades, cutters, etc.

I thought at one time about trying to get all the tools level. Then, I realized that, for me, it doesn't matter.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Does the grizz have holes in the base, or can it be drilled and tapped? Get some appliance style leveling feet. Its basically a bolt with a foot on it. Rockler 24315's work pretty well. I have a 700 pound aquarium resting on them.

[John Coloccia]

Originally Posted by Josiah Bartlett

Does the grizz have holes in the base, or can it be drilled and tapped? Get some appliance style leveling feet. Its basically a bolt with a foot on it. Rockler 24315's work pretty well. I have a 700 pound aquarium resting on them.

There are holes designed to bolt it to the floor, but it doesn't look like it's designed to be supported from those point. It looks like it wants to lie flat on the base. The reason I don't like my current setup is that I can see and feel just a little flexing coming from the base where I have it shimmed and it's not fully supported.

[John Coloccia]

Originally Posted by Stephen Edwards

In my shop, part of an old barn, the floor is lower by 2 inches from one end to the other, a 48" span. So, I don't worry about the tables of machines being "level" with the floor. I just make sure that they're are "square" to blades, cutters, etc.

I thought at one time about trying to get all the tools level. Then, I realized that, for me, it doesn't matter.

This doesn't work too well with the bandsaw. On the larger ones it will pull the top and bottom wheels out of alignment because of the slight flexing of the frame. It's also a but like winding up a spring. The top of the frame will vibrate more than it should because there's a gravity component pulling sideways and giving it a bit of energy to oscilate. When everything is straight and level, it's rock solid as it should be.

[Rod Sheridan]

You could use a piece of flat bar under each end, with small pieces of metal to shim the flatt bar to the floor.

Then bolt it to the floor, through the shims.

Regards, Rod.

[Mike Wilkins]

I was flipping through the Grizzly catalog the other day and ran across some leveling feet for machinery. They are yellow in color and kind of pricey but it may just be what you need to level and stabilize your machinery.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Originally Posted by John Coloccia

My shop started out as a garage, and the floor has a nice slope to it.

Me too. I ignore it.

[glenn bradley]

I level my table saw, primary DP and jointer to mother earth. The bandsaws and others I square to themselves.

[Jason Beam]

I can't fathom such a small tilt being all that big a deal on a bandsaw or any other machine, for that matter.

But I think you've determined your problem - uneven support -so if you wanna go through the trouble of leveling, it sounds like you've gotta build shims that fully support the base as it sits. If that means building a base that makes a level platform for the bandsaw, that might be the way to go.

I put a wood floor in my shop up on sleepers and leveled them to some degree (i didn't try real hard, though). One of the side benefits is a flat floor, no bumps or waves or any of that. Plus, my mobile bases roll real nice

[Rye Crane]

John,

I have used some vibration damping pads from McMaster-Carr
I ordered their Nitrile Pad 6X6" 8 pads=71.24 Item#4159K65
and a Hi Capacity Neoprene Vib.damp. pads 6X6" 6 pads for 29.42
item#5713K4

I set both my saw/shaper and jointer/planer combo's up on these. I am also in a garage with the required slope to the street and I found out on
my jointer/planer the cast iron is very flexable. It makes a huge difference with a large surface to get the machine leveled.

I had a service tech. come out and do a commissioning because of some freight damage. This is the primary thing he did was to make sure the machines were perfectly level before trying to make any adjustments.

I have my bandsaws (14") & (24") on zambus casters and live with any
slope issues a long as the blade is square to the table the saw will preform well.

Good luck, and Jason in Sacramento: are you enjoying the heat today.
I'm in Pittsburg about 45 miles south and it's about 90 F and warming up.

take care,
Rye Crane

[Jason Beam]

Funny you should mention that ... i was just remarking that it was warming up today ... it wouldn't be so bad if the humidity was normal - but it feels terribly muggy out there - though, the weather channel only says it's 29% - it's that time of year, though. We're in the transition to the rainy season again.

This year has flown by!

Sorry for the hijack