I recently purchased a Mastercraft 2.4 Amp 9" bandsaw. It is supposed to be suited for the hobbyist, but this thing can't cut butter. I have adjusted all my guides so they are spaced perfectly, the blade, which I replaced with a new one, is perfectly aligned but I cannot seem to get any power out of it.
I cannot even cut some 3/4" pine scraps I have without having the blade slow down (almost stop) with minimal pressure.
What is wrong with this thing? Surely it cannot be that bad it can't cut 1 inch into pine without overpowering it?
Need more info, but without looking at it, I might say it's one or a combination of two things. Power transmission and/or blade type/condition. When the sawblade slows down, does the motor slow down also? Tires or drive belt slipping? What size, tooth profile and number of teeth per inch blade are you running? Tom
That's actually a good question. I was working in a school wood shop one day and couldn't figure out why the teak I was cutting was cutting so weird (smelling, cutting slow), until I noticed that someone had installed the bandsaw blade upside down. They had a rule that no one but an instructor could change blades on the machines - guess what :-)
Well my 9" ryobi will still cut through 3/4" hardwood with a dull as hell blade and frozen thrust bearing and guides way too far apart without difficulty. Nice burning smell, but not difficulty. So something is up. In addition to what others have said, are you maybe trying to cut with a fence without adjusting for blade drift? Could bind up the blade that way.
Geez, I think my scroll saw draws more than 2.4 amps. A nine inch bandsaw (At least the "modern" models I have seen) is really only food for model making and maybe that's debatable. What kind of blade do you have on the saw? perhaps try one with fewer teeth per inch if it is bogging down.
I used a Ryobi 9" bandsaw for about 3 years before I replaced it with the 14" Ridgid that I have now. I used it to cut bodies and neck for solid-body guitars to shape. It did very well with woods such as maple, walnut, alder, and ash up to 2 inches thick. The Ryobi is powered by a
1/3-HP motor (3 or 4 amps, I think). It served me well, and I was sorry to see it go, but I didn't have the room for two bandsaws.
Need more info, but without looking at it, I might say it's one or a combination of two things. Power transmission and/or blade type/condition. When the sawblade slows down, does the motor slow down also? Tires or drive belt slipping? What size, tooth profile and number of teeth per inch blade are you running? Tom- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -
The size is a 59 1/2" blade, 1/4" thick and about 6 tpi. The teeth are pointing down.
At first I thought it was a crappy factory blade that was the issue, but then I bought the 31147 list on;
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I just can't see this saw being that bad everything I have seen on it compared it to the Ryobi 9" which Leuf and Steve talk about. The only thing I am curious about is on the back of the blade there is a bearing that is actually running perpendicular not inline with the blade and I can see that potentially being the problem where the blade could be trying to score the ball bearing and it not actually turning but I do not see any adjustment for it to have it roll inline.
That's how it's supposed to be, and that was one of the first things to go on my ryobi. On my "real" saw, delta 14", it's the same setup however the blade hits the bearing right at the edge, whereas on my ryobi it's further towards the center and therefore contacts less surface area. I think it stopped spinning within a month, but that was probably 4 years ago and it's still cutting away. I moved that bearing back so that in normal use the blade doesn't even contact it. There isn't as much distance between the wheels as on a "real" saw so the blade doesn't seem to deflect back much even without it.
I think I just figured it out (but can't test too much as everybody is sleeping ;) ) I adjusted the motor belt to the next setting and it made a huge difference, apparently the factory setting is the low speed. It just peeled through a peice of 1/2" oak like butter.
I will clarify more tmw but I am sure all is good. Thanks everybody for your clarification and thanks to Leuf and Steve for letting me know that a 9" bandsaw should work!
snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: > I just can't see this saw being that bad everything I have seen on it
On some other saws, the thrust bearing is eccentrically mounted, so the bearing can be removed and rotated on the stud to align more of the outer surface with the blade back. Not sure if this is the case with yours, but hey, I took a shot. Tom
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