Portaband guide wheel mod

T

Tkrocky

Joined
Sep 6, 2013
Messages
486
I have a portaband band saw for cutting out my blanks. Is there a way to change the guide wheels so they don't torque the blade out? As it is, there is no clearance for cutting anything longer than like 4 inches. Can I just take them out? I heard of someone doing it but if I did there wouldn't be a wheel backing the blade
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I'm talking about the wheels that turn the blade so it is t parallel to the wheels . Does this even make sense?


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You mean the two bearings with the Phillips heads? Those are what keep the blade square. The only way to gain width is to lose the guard.
 
Sosa said:
You mean the two bearings with the Phillips heads? Those are what keep the blade square. The only way to gain width is to lose the guard.
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I know, I don't want it square, I want it parallel with the plane of the wheel face. I just don't know if it would function without those bearings


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The problem is it will back off the rubbers dislodging the blade and or slicing into the shroud with the back of the band. What are you trying to cut? Something like pipe would benefit but flat stock can be laid flat.
 
When a portaband or cutting torch are inappropriate I'll use zip wheels with a metabo or angle grinder.
 
Sosa said:
The problem is it will back off the rubbers dislodging the blade and or slicing into the shroud with the back of the band. What are you trying to cut? Something like pipe would benefit but flat stock can be laid flat.
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There is a bunch of stuff that would help to cut. Right now I am cutting out a run of axes that are 18" long. If I had even a modicum of clearance everything would be a lot easier, but maybe it isn't possible


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I think if you are wanting to change the plane of your blade, you are talking about a pretty serious mod. You need those two guide wheels to keep your blade in a good cutting orientation, to change it I think would mean cutting off the current ones, and replacing them with a set oriented in the plane you want--although, it may be that they have the turn in the blade like they do to keep it running a certain way--I am not technically knowledgeable about these saws---so take everything I say with a grain--er uh a box of salt. :rolleyes:
 
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Sorry if this isn't allowed but look up dcknives.com. He has a tutorial on making spacer blocks for the guides. It takes the twist out of the blade and allows you to cut away from the case.
 
I seriously doubt you could remove the guides altogether, as the blade would just want to walk off the tires any time you put a little bit of pressure on them. As for the angled blocks, I don't see why that wouldn't work. A larger bandsaw would probably be the best solution, ultimately, but in the meantime, I'd try the angle blocks as a much cheaper alternative.
 
Made_in_the_Shade said:
Sorry if this isn't allowed but look up dcknives.com. He has a tutorial on making spacer blocks for the guides. It takes the twist out of the blade and allows you to cut away from the case.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys, this is exactly what I was looking for!


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