Rough night in the shop

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Mason Kuettel

Mason Kuettel

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Messages
408
Location
Weatherford TX
Tonight I went out to start working on an order for 36 pens. Started off with picking out the blanks and marking them to keep them in order. Decided to make a pen for a friend before I cut all of the blanks with the band saw so I got out some mesquite the friend gave me and cut it first. After the second cut I noticed some slack in the blade of my band saw. No big deal, just tighten it a turn and move on...not so...heard a pop and thought "man, I am glad I bought those new blades this weekend!"

It wasn't the blade...the tensioner broke, new band saw needed soon so I can complete the order:mad:

Well, since I had the blanks cut for the friend's pen I drilled and began to insert the tubes...for some reason the glue set up almost instantly and I didn't get the tubes all the way in. Happened twice!

By now I am thinking this just isn't my night, but I dont give up. I turn an acrylic from woodcraft that I already had ready to go and get it completed. When I go to pull the bushing off the tube comes with it!:eek: I've never had that one happen before, but at least it can be fixed with glue (unlike the bandsaw!).

I'm inside now. Better luck tomorrow, I hope!
 
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If you otherwise like your bandsaw, you can likely buy whatever part it was that broke and get it back up and running for much less (money, time, hassle) than buying a new saw.
 
Tough luck, Mason! It has happened to all of us. Usually, when it happens to me, I "hang it up for the day".

As for the BS, I think you are making the right decision. When you break a tensioner, that usually indicates poor cast metal. If you buy a new part, put it on, the odds are another piece of cast will snap. In your situation I'd let that saw become someone else's problem.

A word about "big machine" warranties....They are nearly worthless. They require you to pay shipping to their nearest "warranty" center. In my case that was 300 pounds from GA to California. There is nothing to stop the warranty center from declaring it "as abuse or misuse". This means that you must now pay to repair an inferior machine AND the return shipping back. You now have more than you originally spent on a still inferior machine.

My advice is to shop carefully for the replacement and purchase all the quality you can afford.
 
PenMan1 said:
Tough luck, Mason! It has happened to all of us. Usually, when it happens to me, I "hang it up for the day".

As for the BS, I think you are making the right decision. When you break a tensioner, that usually indicates poor cast metal. If you buy a new part, put it on, the odds are another piece of cast will snap. In your situation I'd let that saw become someone else's problem.

A word about "big machine" warranties....They are nearly worthless. They require you to pay shipping to their nearest "warranty" center. In my case that was 300 pounds from GA to California. There is nothing to stop the warranty center from declaring it "as abuse or misuse". This means that you must now pay to repair an inferior machine AND the return shipping back. You now have more than you originally spent on a still inferior machine.

My advice is to shop carefully for the replacement and purchase all the quality you can afford.
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Andy I take it you've dealt with Shop Fox and HF before?? LOL
 
Yes, Ken, I have. And for the record, you also forgot that company who sells the HF products with the "animal" mascot.

It was like teaching an old dog a new trick, but I FINALLY learned to leave those "good deals" for the occasional users.

I am currently looking to replace my table saw.... Hopefully with a 1980s Unisaw!
 
Didn't even think to look for aftermarket parts. The bandsaw is (was) a Delta shopmaster, the benchtop size (can't remember off the top of my head).

Chances are I will look for something of similar size because I have never really needed anything bigger and don't plan on needing anything bigger. Just need to do it fairly quickly because of the upcoming order and Christmas season. I will definitely not be getting the bottom dollar bargain machine...I like my fingers too much!
 
Sounds like my weekend. The figi blank that I was turning shattered. Ran out of two grades of sand paper and the bandsaw blade went dull. Manage to get 3 pens made though.
:smile:
 
My bandsaw blade went dull, leading to a trip to the ER and three stitches. Then, I shattered a rattlesnake blank that I had high hopes for.
 
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Mason Kuettel said:
Didn't even think to look for aftermarket parts. The bandsaw is (was) a Delta shopmaster, the benchtop size (can't remember off the top of my head).
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You can go here to buy parts for your machine. You can probably fix it for less than ten bucks. Then you won't have to worry about replacing it until later. A bonus is that you can then toss your working bandsaw in a garage sale or on Craigslist and get some money out of it.
 
Or.... You could introduce yourself to the local cabinet maker, present him with a nice pen and ask that he saw a few.

One problem with replacement parts is that assuming they are in stock, it could be a two week wait. Not in stock, could mean never.

I'm my world, right now is absolutely the worst time to be without a saw. All my big show start, SOON!
 
The hardest thing to get carpenters to understand is TIM!

TIME IS MONEY.

The bottom line is "how long can you afford to be without a saw?".
 
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