BS detensioner

[pop-pop]

For the last couple of decades, this was my bandsaw tension adjuster and it was four rotations each time to tension for sawing or four rotations to de-tension for parking.

Now, here is my new tension lever in the park (or adjust) position.

And, here it is in the sawing position a quarter turn swing away.

I have been trying to figure out how to do this for several years and the breakthrough idea was to use an enclosed eye bolt to connect the lift cams to the nut below the spring. The eye bolt was drilled out to 7/8” for the two R6 bearings,

The reaction block is maple clad with 1/8” aluminum on the sides for reinforcement and 1/32” stainless on the top for wear resistance.

This is a Hairy Freight bandsaw which (like many others) is a Delta copy. This design should work on those also. Feel free to make your own adaptation and I’ll try to answer any questions.

 

[Pop Golden]

I have a Carter tensioning lever. It works fine.

Pop

 

[tvrgeek]

Much nicer. Is the handle long enough? My Harvey lever is about 18 inches. You have to release and spin to adjust?

 

[pop-pop]

I have a Carter tensioning lever. It works fine.

No problem. Enjoy it while I enjoy the $200 that I didn’t spend for the same function.

 

[pop-pop]

Much nicer. Is the handle long enough? My Harvey lever is about 18 inches. You have to release and spin to adjust?

Handle length (7”) is fine with only a few pounds of effort required. Good mechanical advantage due to smallish (5/8” to 15/16”) cam radius.

Yes, release and rotate to adjust.

 

[pop-pop]

Much nicer. Is the handle long enough?

All I have to measure with is a breaker point tension gauge which only goes to 48 oz. The force required at the end of the handle was more than that 3 lbs. that I could measure but not by a whole lot. I’ll guess in the 5-8 lb. range, maybe.

 

[tvrgeek]

Never had a tool I could not find a way to improve. Most excellent.

 

[pop-pop]

Much nicer. Is the handle long enough?

Needs roughly 6 pounds of force at the end of the handle to move it between its two positions. Less force than I expected that it would be.

 

[tvrgeek]

I do still love that window crank that was on it.

 

[pop-pop]

I do still love that window crank that was on it.

It’s been a long time, but I’m pretty sure that was a suggestion from Bruce (junque…).

 

[junquecol]

It’s been a long time, but I’m pretty sure that was a suggestion from Bruce (junque…).

Not sure, but I think it was in 2006-2008. Boy, has it been that long?

 

[pop-pop]

Not sure, but I think it was in 2006-2008. Boy, has it been that long?

That would be about the right time frame.

 

[Rwe2156]

You don’t need to detension a bandsaw, unless maybe it’s going to sit unused for weeks and weeks.

 

[mpeele]

Where were you a year ago when I was ordering a Carter version

 

[pop-pop]

Where were you a year ago when I was ordering a Carter version?

I was thinking about a design and only figured out the key idea of using an eye bolt a few weeks ago. I figured out the cams first.

Does the Carter handle really need to be that long?

 

[mpeele]

Probably not. The big red ball is a bit of a safety device. For standard Delta 14" saw when tension is off it hangs down next to the blade so you know tension is off.
It has 3 positions, off, full tension and about half tension for tracking and aligning blade guides. I didn't get it for releasing tension because I have never un tensioned my saws blades.
I got it because it makes blade changes a lot easier and faster.

I just tried it by grabbing the are about half way and the extra length really helps. I think it'

s just because of the cam mechanism they use to reduce the hight of the device so it will fit under the spring.

 

[pop-pop]

I just tried it by grabbing the are about half way and the extra length really helps. I think it'View attachment 204044s just because of the cam mechanism they use to reduce the hight of the device so it will fit under the spring.

I started out trying to figure how to add a mechanism below the spring but decided there was too little room. My goal was full tension and partial tension so that when I forget to apply tension before starting the saw that the band stays on the wheels.

Previously, I unscrewed the adjuster four turns (16 TPI = 1/4”) to de-tension. The two cam positions have a 5/16” difference as a wear allowance.

My lever is easy enough to move that a tween or younger child could actuate it easily.

 

[pop-pop]

Reporting that this modification is working well for me.

I did shorten the handle a bit to clear the post and added two labels.

 

[peteb301]

Ingenious, beautiful work and saved lots of $$.

 

[sawman101]

Great ingenuity Pop!