Saturday, November 29, 2014

As I suspected...




...I couldn't just leave the General sitting in the corner of the shop without a proper tune-up. It didn't seem fair to the old boy. So the rocker was set aside for a week to focus on the bandsaw rehabilitation.

He only needed lots of love, no deep tissue therapy: new neoprene tires fitted and equalised; new link-belt pulley & modification of his belt cover; 21st century dust collection; new switch; zero clearance throat plate; and of course the finest rock-solid foundation/motor cabinet the bunkhaus metal fabrication department had to offer. Every small bandsaw needs a solid shop made foundation. This one is like any ordinary tool stand, except built like a Ukrainian ablution block.

I also bought a new tension spring. However the tension rod has a collar on it with a 1/8 roll pin to secure it, and despite best efforts I couldn't get the roll pin out to remove the rod from the frame. Hit it with a bit of heat and a pin punch, but guess it would need to be drilled out with a carbide burr on the foredom, a drill bit that thin would likely snap. tricky little f*ker, that round rod doesn't sit still. If anyone has done this before I'm all ears. The original spring has some life left in it so I'm ignoring the issue for now.

For anyone else doing a general 490 restore, I ordered the neoprene tires from R&D Bandsaws. They're for a 14" wheel not 15", but they do go on, only when you think your forearms are going to explode. To get it started I used a surgeon's knot instead of a clamp which can leave a flat spot on the tire, put the tire on the wheel and wrap a strip of cloth around the wheel & tire, neat trick from the internet.

Here's the amputation of the original pulley cover. I had to go full Shinya and cut a nice straight line with my angle grinder & zip disk...




making the zc throat plate from some plastic...


The link belt, they're pretty cool, and you don't have to make an adjustment/tensioning mechanism for the motor. They're meant to significantly reduce vibration too...


My make-shift dust brushes. The tire brush is a sawn-off toothbrush screwed into a scrap of plywood and crazy glued in place. Works like a charm. Haven't had one come off while the saw is running yet...


This is how I do all my ports, drill a hole with a hole saw and weld in some tubing...



Not sure how this turned into an epic post. Perhaps just another reason to continue ignoring the neglected rocker. Or perhaps it's the warm glow of another gem in the shop.



2 comments:

  1. Turned out nice, Ryan. Did you find a buyer for the last one?
    Klager

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  2. Thanks Jason. it's a real treat to use. haven't listed the old rockwell yet. Thanks for dropping in.

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