King Machinery Inc Horizontal Bandsaw - looking for information

[Frosty]

NO, Do NOT tighten the band as much as you can! That WILL shorten the life of bearings and drive components significantly.

Different makes have different tensioning specifications. My Jet wants no more than 1/16" deflection in the blade when you push sideways against it. What I learned as a kid was to pluck it like a banjo string and adjust it to the right twang. Unfortunately there are variables and the impossibility of playing the sound close enough to "right" on the internet so all manufacturers have gone to a deflection specification. That can change based on the spacing of the guide rolls too. 

I'm trying to think of possible reasons your saw wont turn on when vertical. Time to remote trouble shoot I guess. <sigh>

Take the blade off and see if the condition exists without it. If it won't turn on when vertical it's time to open her up. 

My beginning checklist AFTER eyeballing the components and before opening anything up goes like this. KEEP NOTES!

What does it sound like when you turn it on, both horizontally and vertically. What is the difference in sounds? Does the sound change when you lift the head and again when you pull start it? 

You said earlier it "whines". What exactly does whining mean? It may not be the motor unless it's the electrical "hum" of a stalled motor. Is it just noticeable, soft, loud, buzz, etc. "Whine" implies a "mechanical" sound to me but that's me, not you. 

My first thought was a loose drive belt or loose/worn bushings or guide ways in the Idler wheel, the one that adjusts. Loosen or remove the band and with it vertical see if the Idler wheel has any lash. That's wobble, hold it on opposite sides of the axle and see if you can move it, push one hand pull the other. Make sense? If there's more than a tiny bit of lash, is it moving on the axle or is it moving on the ways, the slide the axle is mounted on so it can be adjusted. There should be a LITTLE lash but very little, only noticeable. Also try moving the Idler wheel up and down against the adjustment screw, those can wear and cause movement too.

Do the same check on the Drive wheel, there shouldn't be any.  Try turning the Drive wheel to see how much lash is in the drive gears, there should be a LITTLE bit.

What you're looking for is anything in the blade handling mechanisms that moves or changes between horizontal and vertical it should all remain in the same position regardless of how the head is angled. Does the blade brush shift? Do either of the guide roll adjustment slides shift? Push, pull, shake, twist, them all once the adjustment nut is tightened they shouldn't move at all. ZERO.

Lastly check the motor mount and drive pully, they need to be tight, no component movement is acceptable. Don't forget to check where the mounting plate attaches to the saw frame.

If all that checks out it's time to open her up. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Scott NC]

On 5/25/2022 at 9:44 AM, Frosty said:

My band saw in cutoff configuration is the only power tool I own I'll put to work and go do something else. The worst that can happen is breaking a blade

  One thing that happened to me is, I left my saw (Enco) going and left the shop to do other things and the blade bound up in the cut, the belt didn't slip and the breaker didn't trip.  I'm lucky I saw the smoke coming out the door.  The motor was burning up and the wires too.  The shop wiring was old and the belt was too tight and I left the shop.  All my fault, but I didn't know a breaker would refuse to trip.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

to pluck it like a banjo string and adjust it to the right twang.

That is what I was taught also. It has worked for me all these years.

From what the description the motor does when trying to start in the vertical position and starts when moving the pulley, makes me think a bad motor start capacitor or loose wiring to it.

[Frosty]

If it isn't obvious I'm not an electrical kind of guy, I tend to think electrical problems SHOULD be solved with a hammer. So I ask the more electrically inclined.

Frosty The Lucky.