Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello there across the big drink
Im havin some bandsaw troubleshootin with my startrite 502e ....
looks similar to yer rikon 20" over there .
I always havin to "horse" my toolpost slightly left or right from the blade
every time i raise/lower/open the top door
Do you folks have the same problem with your machines ? ..
Or has anyone made a solution to the problem ..
like another bracket mabye?

Im also am slightly concerned about if this is a normal(ish) statement ...

" even with a stanley blades thickness away from the guides ,
my last two 3/4" blades been rubbing for about 8 seconds when i start up my saw "

...........It goes away after that .
Ive read loads about the blade not being tight enough, (machine has a pretty beefy tensioner)
I keep it slightly tighter than what the dial says,
The " tuffsaws " blades are ment to be easier to tension aswell .

So do ya reckon its still not tight enough ...
Is there any signs if its too tight ?

Could it be my v-belt is not tight enough ?

Its hard to know how tight is the right tight on the computer though
I pursume theirs a link somewhere but i think ive read /bookmarked every bandsaw thread
here
Thanks again olf for readin my post
Tomas.

Your upper door and the guidepost should not be interacting with each other. Something must be loose or misaligned to cause this. Inspect the top of the guidepost. There is a mechanism supporting/guiding the post in the top of the cabinet. You may have something loose/rubbing up there when you close the door. If that checks out, broken weld on the guidepost support bracket maybe? Bent tab on the door deflecting the top blade guard inside the cabinet maybe? Loosen the tension on the blade totally and give the guidepost supports an inspection and a good shake.

The other thing may be the tire equalizing and causing the blade to shift around for a few seconds after being compressed by the blade but that would happen without the door involved.

What's a "Stanley Blade" in Imperial? I tighten my guides until they touch and loosen until they don't.

As far as blade tension...go with the maker's recommendation for PSI. There are DIY tension meter instructions out on the web.

I poked around and found this:
http://www.daltonsmachines.com/uploads/files/oldmanuals//Startrite_502_Bandsaw_Manual_&_Parts_List.pdf

If your saw hasn't changed much from this older model, check page 25 and look at parts 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 155, 157 and 161. Make sure these are tight and not getting banged by the door.

Thanks Tarhead
wow i cant belive i havn't seen this
I didnt know the guidepost wasn't meant to touch the cabinet door

Every problem ive had with this machine
seems to indicate that my lower wheel
needs to be set into the cabinet deeper .

Since I now know what the various assembly is called
I think im gonna take a few pictures of my machine
and ask for the measurements
thanks again
tomas