Question Regarding Delta 28-475X Bandsaw
Hi all, looking for someone in the know or someone who has this bandsaw to help clarify an issue.
I have this bandsaw, everything on it is set up correctly (coplanar wheels verified, thrust bearings and guides set correctly, etc.) and when it works it’s solid and cuts great. But it has a habit of throwing the blades off forward with lots of spectacular spark-works and destruction of the blade.
What has come to mind upon inspection (after destroying yet another expensive resaw blade after only one cut) is that there is potentially something odd about the wheels. If I look online at closeups of various bandsaws, the ‘rubber’ tires sit proud of the groove that holds them in place so that the blade can’t hit the metal wheel edges and the crown in the center is the highest point (so that the blade self-centers).
But on my saw, the rims (for lack of a better term) are almost 5/32″ tall, so that the tires (which are about 1/10″ thick) are actually below the rim on the edges. Which (if I understand the physics correctly) essentially makes another crown on the edge of the wheel and if the blade makes contact with it (a wobble in the board being cut, for example) it will try to recenter on this rim, with disastrous outcome.
Unfortunately, this saw isn’t made any more and Delta is, well, I’m not sure where they’re at anymore. I’ve put a similar question in to them but I figured I’d reach out to the broader community where hopefully someone has this saw and see if my saw is correct or some sort of manufacturing abberation (or I’m missing a sub-tire, or ???)
Replies
I've attached a screen capture from a YouTube video by The Wood Whisperer that shows the wheel of his 14 inch Powermatic cast-iron bandsaw.
It looks like the tires sit below the rim as you described.
Are you cutting when yours throws the blade or are you backing out of a cut?
Mike
After a year of running a 1/2" blade at full tension, my old 14 inch JET bandsaw began acting unpredictably. For many days I wasn't sure what was wrong until the upper-wheel tilt mechanism finally failed. See attached photo.
Check your upper wheel mechanism for bent parts or a weak spring.
Mike
Hmmm, ok, so maybe that's not the problem, although in my case the lip is much higher than that.
As for the other comments, I've gone through all of the upper tracking parts, they are all solid, the tension is correct and the wheels aren't doing funny things. I don't think I've actually used it enough to lead to any metal fatigue yet (always de-tension the saw when not in use).
And yes, early on I'd forget, pull back on a piece of wood while it was running and boom. That's just user error :) I've now gotten in the habit of turning the wheels by hand to make sure I didn't have another user error (e.g. pushed/pulled the blade out of the guides) before turning it on.
In this latest case, I'd spun it by hand to make sure all was well, powered it up (no issue, running for about 30 seconds), turned to pick up the piece of wood I was going to cut and suddenly heard the screech of the carbide blade trying unsuccessfully to saw through the guard :( Nothing touched the saw to trigger the self-destruct sequence...
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