More bandsaw woes

Greetings. Now that we have the throat plate, I tried putting a blade on the bandsaw and noticed a few more problems.

  • The tension drive screw or more likely what it goes into is likely stripped. It tensions a little then slips back to no tension. I didn’t have time to take it apart more but bottom line it won’t tension. The red knob is where you tension it.
  • It needs a couple of blade guide blocks (cool blocks).

This blade was way too big. Likely 150" rather than 105". I left it on the table. It might fit the big bandsaw.


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If that’s our(woodshop) old bandsaw back when Mark was chair we had talked about getting a rebuild kit before Dms decided to be awesome and replace them but I remember him saying something about there being a kit thatll replace the whole tension setup
And before people go slapping their own narratives onto what I’m saying I’m not insulting Dms isn’t always awesome

The old woodshop bandsaw was a Delta model 28-206.

Actually…

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I was able to buy a replacement tensioner for my Jet bandsaw. The original cast metal part had cracked. Ironically, it was cheaper to replace the whole tensioner than just that part.

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if you have the info, please send it our way. cheers!

Mine is a Jet J-8201K 14" Metal/Wood band saw

Here is the parts I ended up buying:
Seller info
ToolpartsPro.com
760-201-8800
http://www.toolpartspro.com
[email protected]

What I bought for my saw
Item #1390836
100016ACP Jet Sliding Bracket Assy (includes items 84 thru 93, and 104)

Note that the parts numbers for my saw are different than for the DMS Bandsaw, so I don’t know if this assembly would work for the DMS saw. I suspect that it would, but calling them might verify that prior to purchase. The 100016ACP assembly is available many places, but is likely more than DMS needs if the stripped tensioner threads is the only problem.

A manual and parts list for DMS’s specific Bandsaw is available here:

Assuming the stripped screwthread on the tensioner is the only problem, we would need part #93 from the diagram on Page 25:

JET 990653 Blade Adjusting Screw

and possibly part #90
150090 Square Nut

Unfortunately, Tool Parts Pro does NOT have either of these parts in stock. Their parts list is here (these diagrams match the PDF diagrams/part numbers):

https://www.toolpartspro.com/jet-parts/jet-708115k-parts.html

The specific parts are here:
https://www.toolpartspro.com/jet-parts/jet-708115k-parts/jet-990653-blade-adjusting-screw

https://www.toolpartspro.com/jet-parts/jet-708115k-parts/jet-150090-square-nut

Assuming the assembly I bought would NOT work for the DMS saw, I believe that it would not be too difficult to fabricate a replacement at DMS using some all-thread and a square nut made from a tapped piece of 1"x1" x1/4" (25mmx25mmx6mm or similar) square stock. I believe the part is a metric part (since the wing nut for the lock knob is listed as an M8 part).

On my saw, the nut is the only thing the tensioner thread interfaces with, so as long as the threaded rod fits through the holes in the other parts and the square nut is just small enough to slide snugly into the assembly, I would think that either metric or equivalent moonwalker unit diameters would work.

Here’s my saw with the replacement assembly and an upgraded handle on the top.

FWIW, I think the handle at the top for adjusting the tension works better than a knob: I had previously made this upgrade to my saw.

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FWIW, page 6 of the manual says it requires a 93-1/2" blade.

It’s marked on the inside of the saw as 105”. I have not physically measured one of them. As @procterc reminded me, our machine shop bandsaw does have a blade welder so we can always make one smaller

How weird. Ours looks to be an older vintage model. I see that it has a different stock number than the current version. Maybe it has been changed …

Oh ok I just remembered that red adjustment knob patch cause when you try to adjust it standing on the ground it hurts your hand like hell

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Some saws have optional risers which make the throat taller to allow the saw to handle thicker stock. A 6” riser would require a 12” longer blade as a result. Perhaps the DMS saw has a riser?