Horizontal bandsaw vise upgrade
- Thread starter royce
- Start date
great idea!
matt_i
Well-known member
Man thats going to save a lot of time! I have a similar vise, on a smaller Wellsaw #58. I don't think I cut many angles other than 45s but have spent a lot of time tweaking it back into square again.
Great stuff, thanks for sharing
Great stuff, thanks for sharing
BD1
Well-known member
If you consider upgrading, a ELLIS 1600 or 1800 is one heck of a saw.
The head swivels and it's a time saver.
I bought one and love it.
https://www.trick-tools.com/Ellis_1600_Dual_Mitering_Head_Bandsaw_1600_ELL_2163
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The head swivels and it's a time saver.
I bought one and love it.
https://www.trick-tools.com/Ellis_1600_Dual_Mitering_Head_Bandsaw_1600_ELL_2163
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There is no doubt a swivel head saw is hands down better than a swivel vise saw.
If for no other reason, other than the stock being sawn, stays on the same line.
We had a Ellis at a shop I worked at and can say that the Wellsaw being cast iron is designed and built better, hands down.
With that said, it is hard to beat the Ellis for cost and ease of adjusting the angle.
Royce
If for no other reason, other than the stock being sawn, stays on the same line.
We had a Ellis at a shop I worked at and can say that the Wellsaw being cast iron is designed and built better, hands down.
With that said, it is hard to beat the Ellis for cost and ease of adjusting the angle.
Royce
metlmunchr
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That's pretty slick for sure. I've got a Wellsaw 850 which, as far as I can tell, is identical to the #8. About 98% of my sawing is blanks for machined parts, so mine stays at 90° most all the time.
One thing I found on mine is that the fixed jaw of the vise will walk over time and throw it out of square regardless of how much it's tightened. After re-squaring it a few times, I drilled the vise and base frame for a couple pins made from 1/4" CR round. Keeps it from walking, and when you do have to move it for an angle cut, it's a simple matter to drop the pins back in and have it square in a matter of seconds.
One thing I found on mine is that the fixed jaw of the vise will walk over time and throw it out of square regardless of how much it's tightened. After re-squaring it a few times, I drilled the vise and base frame for a couple pins made from 1/4" CR round. Keeps it from walking, and when you do have to move it for an angle cut, it's a simple matter to drop the pins back in and have it square in a matter of seconds.
metlmunchr
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Thanks for that pic Royce. Mine has both sets of mounting holes for the fixed jaw, but didn't come with the dowel holes.
Funny thing..... I just looked up the parts list for my 850 and it shows the dowels as replacement parts. I guess the dowel hole driller was on break when mine went down the line
Funny thing..... I just looked up the parts list for my 850 and it shows the dowels as replacement parts. I guess the dowel hole driller was on break when mine went down the line
Royce, mighta been me - been out there awhile 
https://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38585&highlight=adapter
I've still only made 45's for the small and large saws, added a stop for the small one so "RTZ" only requires loosening the bolts, pushing the jaw against the stops and tightening. Both saws tend to do 90's for about 85% of cuts, 45's for maybe 14%, and other angles maybe 1% -
I have a couple of those "digital protractors", one's small enough to sit against the blade and vise jaw on even the smaller saw. That, and the 90 degree stop I added, makes it pretty quick to do the occasional 37 degree cut and get back to 90's (did that for a stair railing just yesterday) ... Steve
https://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38585&highlight=adapter
I've still only made 45's for the small and large saws, added a stop for the small one so "RTZ" only requires loosening the bolts, pushing the jaw against the stops and tightening. Both saws tend to do 90's for about 85% of cuts, 45's for maybe 14%, and other angles maybe 1% -
I have a couple of those "digital protractors", one's small enough to sit against the blade and vise jaw on even the smaller saw. That, and the 90 degree stop I added, makes it pretty quick to do the occasional 37 degree cut and get back to 90's (did that for a stair railing just yesterday) ... Steve
Royce, mighta been me - been out there awhile
https://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38585&highlight=adapter
I've still only made 45's for the small and large saws, added a stop for the small one so "RTZ" only requires loosening the bolts, pushing the jaw against the stops and tightening. Both saws tend to do 90's for about 85% of cuts, 45's for maybe 14%, and other angles maybe 1% -
I have a couple of those "digital protractors", one's small enough to sit against the blade and vise jaw on even the smaller saw. That, and the 90 degree stop I added, makes it pretty quick to do the occasional 37 degree cut and get back to 90's (did that for a stair railing just yesterday) ... Steve
Thanks for the great idea Steve
Royce
No prob Royce, seeing's how I tend to help myself to OTHER ideas from you - here's my version of your crane bracing, I needed to widen the space between posts on a HF crane, so upped the size of the beam, lengthened it to 12', made the width adjustable, and (since I didn't wanna lose trolley travel) I did a parallel brace setup that's all bolt-on and adjustable for usable beam length -
Works pretty well, still have a couple more "improvements" I need to do. One's getting rid of the hokey excuse for height adjustments - discovered that HF's version of the air/hyd cherry picker jack is just 1/4" shy of enough travel to get 4 notches of adjustment, but Northern Tool's version is almost 1/4" MORE than enough - so two of NT's jacks are in one of my containers til that "tuit" happens.
If I ever get a non-woodworking shop before they "pat me in the face with a shovel", I wanna build my own crane from scratch using as many of the cool ideas I save as possible - time will tell... Steve
Works pretty well, still have a couple more "improvements" I need to do. One's getting rid of the hokey excuse for height adjustments - discovered that HF's version of the air/hyd cherry picker jack is just 1/4" shy of enough travel to get 4 notches of adjustment, but Northern Tool's version is almost 1/4" MORE than enough - so two of NT's jacks are in one of my containers til that "tuit" happens.
If I ever get a non-woodworking shop before they "pat me in the face with a shovel", I wanna build my own crane from scratch using as many of the cool ideas I save as possible - time will tell... Steve
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astroracer
Well-known member
After setting my saw to the common angles I just scribed the bed with a carbide tipped scriber. Simple set up, just move the clamp to the line and tighten the bolts.
I have considered drilling for dowels, just haven't really had a need to, if the stationary plate "moves" I will see that on the bed plate line as I am setting up the next cut.
Mark
I have considered drilling for dowels, just haven't really had a need to, if the stationary plate "moves" I will see that on the bed plate line as I am setting up the next cut.
Mark
whateg01
Well-known member
I made 22.5, 30, and 45 for my 4*6. They won't work on my shop fox 7*12 because the vise swivels the other direction. Haven't figured out a solution that will work with it yet.
I just checked out what appears to be your saw
https://www.grizzly.com/products/shop-fox-7-x-12-1-hp-metal-cutting-bandsaw/m1014
That's bizarre, no wonder my canadian online bud got rid of his...
I have a suggestion that may or may not work - what if you set that backward vise jaw up at the 45 degree angle and LEFT it there, then used inserts to bring it up to the other angles (including 90 degrees)?
I know it sounds weird, but maybe you could make the 45 adapter (that would make it a 90 degree cut) a bit more permanent so it wouldn't need special treatment to stay in place - one thing I've found is that the inserts tend to lift out of position when tightening, UNLESS you add strategically placed hold-down tabs (AND one to keep 'em from "squirting out" SIDEWAYS...
Only other thing I've used (mentioned by Astroracer earlier in this thread) is doing scribe marks at your most used angles.
Regardless of what method you use, I'd suggest making sure that you hold the jaw FIRMLY against the pivot bolt (push the same direction the OTHER jaw moves when tightening) when making changes AND when marking scribe lines - all 3 of my saws have just enough slop in that bolt to throw you off by a degree or more. Keep in mind that when you tighten the vise it could MOVE to that position, so it only makes sense to set it up that way in the first place.
All I got, HTH... Steve
https://www.grizzly.com/products/shop-fox-7-x-12-1-hp-metal-cutting-bandsaw/m1014
That's bizarre, no wonder my canadian online bud got rid of his...
I have a suggestion that may or may not work - what if you set that backward vise jaw up at the 45 degree angle and LEFT it there, then used inserts to bring it up to the other angles (including 90 degrees)?
I know it sounds weird, but maybe you could make the 45 adapter (that would make it a 90 degree cut) a bit more permanent so it wouldn't need special treatment to stay in place - one thing I've found is that the inserts tend to lift out of position when tightening, UNLESS you add strategically placed hold-down tabs (AND one to keep 'em from "squirting out" SIDEWAYS...
Only other thing I've used (mentioned by Astroracer earlier in this thread) is doing scribe marks at your most used angles.
Regardless of what method you use, I'd suggest making sure that you hold the jaw FIRMLY against the pivot bolt (push the same direction the OTHER jaw moves when tightening) when making changes AND when marking scribe lines - all 3 of my saws have just enough slop in that bolt to throw you off by a degree or more. Keep in mind that when you tighten the vise it could MOVE to that position, so it only makes sense to set it up that way in the first place.
All I got, HTH... Steve
whateg01
Well-known member
On mine (4x6), I put a little "hook" at the blade end so as it tried to squirt out the left, it would catch there. Then I had a bolt that went down through the curved slot to keep it from lifting. The other thing I found was that I often had to put an extra c-clamp on the work to keep the blade from pulling it into the cut. If I had to do that, then I didn't even bother with the movable jaw.
I have thought about putting the fixed jaw at 45 like you suggested. Just haven't done it yet because I don't have the angled adapters made for it. I would like to put dowels in them, too, so I don't have to have the hook on the end. I think this saw is more rigid than the old one was, so maybe it wouldn't lift. I think that was from the fixed jaw flexing. I'd also like to make an adjustable angle adapter. I know that would do the same thing as the movable jaw, but this way, it could be set to whatever and I can still go back to the 90 (or 45) quickly.
I have thought about putting the fixed jaw at 45 like you suggested. Just haven't done it yet because I don't have the angled adapters made for it. I would like to put dowels in them, too, so I don't have to have the hook on the end. I think this saw is more rigid than the old one was, so maybe it wouldn't lift. I think that was from the fixed jaw flexing. I'd also like to make an adjustable angle adapter. I know that would do the same thing as the movable jaw, but this way, it could be set to whatever and I can still go back to the 90 (or 45) quickly.
My link in post#12 has the fixed version paint sketch, plus an "amish cad" of an adjustable idea (never built it, YMMV)
The lifting thing doesn't seem to be relegated to cheaper saws, my Jet 8x12 did the same thing til I added an anti-lift tab on the wide end (got tired of clamping that end to the vise jaw with a (you guessed it) pair of VISE grips :=)
This
https://www.homedepot.com/p/General-Tools-8-in-Sliding-Digital-T-Bevel-828/203219291
is one of the handiest accessories in my shop - small enough to fit the 4x6 saws, quick and easy to use. Only downside is that it eats batteries (when it's supposedly OFF) like most cheap digital stuff - the GOOD news - it has a little "pocket" just outside the battery compartment, so it's easy to slip a thumbnail under the pull-out tab and slide the battery out into that pocket - as long as you store it right-side UP :=)
Works the same as its NON-powered ancestor, it's real easy to set it up against an angle, tighten the knurled knob, then slip it up against the saw blade and swing the vise jaw (gently) up against the bevel - unless you're curious, you can use it THAT way without even having a battery in it.
Confession: I always turn it on ANYWAY... Steve
The lifting thing doesn't seem to be relegated to cheaper saws, my Jet 8x12 did the same thing til I added an anti-lift tab on the wide end (got tired of clamping that end to the vise jaw with a (you guessed it) pair of VISE grips :=)
This
https://www.homedepot.com/p/General-Tools-8-in-Sliding-Digital-T-Bevel-828/203219291
is one of the handiest accessories in my shop - small enough to fit the 4x6 saws, quick and easy to use. Only downside is that it eats batteries (when it's supposedly OFF) like most cheap digital stuff - the GOOD news - it has a little "pocket" just outside the battery compartment, so it's easy to slip a thumbnail under the pull-out tab and slide the battery out into that pocket - as long as you store it right-side UP :=)
Works the same as its NON-powered ancestor, it's real easy to set it up against an angle, tighten the knurled knob, then slip it up against the saw blade and swing the vise jaw (gently) up against the bevel - unless you're curious, you can use it THAT way without even having a battery in it.
Confession: I always turn it on ANYWAY... Steve
dkmc
Well-known member
There are some great ideas in this thread that I fully intend to shamelessly copy. Thanks to ALL.