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 Post subject: I blew up my bandsaw
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:57 pm 
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Well, ok, I didn't really blow it all up- just the capacitor. I never thought that I would work a machine so hard that it up and die on me. It apparently got so hot that it even deformed the housing that it was in. Here's what I looks like now-

Image
See ""


Fortunately everything worked according to design and the capacitor gave out instead of frying the motor. I'm glad they think of those things when they design the machines we all depend on! I almost thought it was time to buy a new motor but the tech support at MiniMax pointed me in the right direction. This was the first time I'd ever experienced something like this other than breaking a band saw blade.

I was spending the day cutting blanks for wood rocks I use in a coat hanger and had the saw running for several hours straight. I never would have thought it would take down my saw as I wasn't putting much strain on it (or so I thought) but there you go. Here's a shot of one box of blanks. They're all pretty small pieces of wood and the species vary from bigleaf maple to honduran rosewood root.

Image
See ""


The end result looks like this-

Image
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Anyway, it was a new learning experience for me regarding the construction and durability of my bandsaw.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:03 pm 
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What do I need to do to blow up my 12" Craftsman so I can get a new better one? Just can't let LOML know it.

Bill

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:40 am 
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Amateur Bill wrote:
What do I need to do to blow up my 12" Craftsman so I can get a new better one? Just can't let LOML know it.

Bill


Lot's of options there. C4, Blackpowder, TNT, PETN. Just go easy, you don't want to take out the entire neighborhood. :lol:

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:51 am 
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Yup, something smells fishy... shouldn't have done that unless something was wrong.

Nice hanger though
Lawrence


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:00 am 
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Amateur Bill,
This will work. :lol:

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Zulu


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:05 am 
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Start capacitors are cheap. Start-run quite a bit more. Easily enough fixed, but what caused it to go out may still be lurking. Guessing yours was the latter, from look and symptom if it fried after long use. Start/run are lower capacitance, BTW.

A simple start capacitor can fry if your centrifugal switch sticks shut or you keep loading the machine so it has to kick back in. Looks like you might have been side loading on those pieces. Large blade small radius is the usual suspect. Showing some burn and som faceting as far as I can see.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:30 pm 
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I don't like the sound of that Peter!! Since mine is a year or two older then yours.

Glad to hear though, that the tech support got you back in buisness. Every piece of machinery has maintenance issues! They never seem to happen at a convenient time.

Len


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:32 pm 
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Gene wrote:
Amateur Bill wrote:
What do I need to do to blow up my 12" Craftsman so I can get a new better one? Just can't let LOML know it.

Bill


Lot's of options there. C4, Blackpowder, TNT, PETN. Just go easy, you don't want to take out the entire neighborhood. :lol:


A capped two liter bottle with water and dry ice sealed inside could do some fly apart damage and not have much residue left behind. You just need nimble fingers and nimble feet! It's how they remove tree stumps in the UP eh!

WooHOOO
:D :shock: :D

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 7:33 pm 
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Long time no speak Peter ..... hope you are well in body and spirit.

I'm trying to remember how long ago it was that I visited your shop ...... 5 years?? .... more???

I see you are still making the same lovely, curvy things that I remember.

Sorry about the bandsaw ..... but know that you will recover.

Best

David


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:08 pm 
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Amateur Bill wrote:
What do I need to do to blow up my 12" Craftsman so I can get a new better one? Just can't let LOML know it.

Bill


While blowing it up would be fun :twisted: , I'd think your best bet would be to mis-align the drive pully on the motor, with the pully on the lower wheel, and loosen the belt just a touch. Then invite the spousal unit out to the shop to help you with a cut on the saw. When she sees how badly that saw is bouncing around, she'll be begging you to replace it. :wink:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:52 pm 
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Ice Pirate wrote:
Amateur Bill wrote:
What do I need to do to blow up my 12" Craftsman so I can get a new better one? Just can't let LOML know it.

Bill


While blowing it up would be fun :twisted: , I'd think your best bet would be to mis-align the drive pully on the motor, with the pully on the lower wheel, and loosen the belt just a touch. Then invite the spousal unit out to the shop to help you with a cut on the saw. When she sees how badly that saw is bouncing around, she'll be begging you to replace it. :wink:


You are one SNEAKY pirate! :D :twisted: :twisted: :D

I won't tell, Bill. :roll: :D :D

Rog

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:03 pm 
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Ice Pirate wrote:
Amateur Bill wrote:
What do I need to do to blow up my 12" Craftsman so I can get a new better one? Just can't let LOML know it.

Bill


While blowing it up would be fun :twisted: , I'd think your best bet would be to mis-align the drive pully on the motor, with the pully on the lower wheel, and loosen the belt just a touch. Then invite the spousal unit out to the shop to help you with a cut on the saw. When she sees how badly that saw is bouncing around, she'll be begging you to replace it. :wink:


Oohhhh, that's good! Did you have former life as a saboteur? :wink: :D

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:58 pm 
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Sorry to hear that, can the bandsaw be fix?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 6:54 pm 
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As an old friend once told me, "If you ain't cheatin' you ain't try'in" :D

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:06 pm 
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DennisS wrote:
I just noticed you're in Seattle. You might PM Tom aka TMS here on the board, and pick his brain about the saw. He's a MiniMax owner/user as well and knows a great deal about them/it.


Hey Dennis,

Peter is a frequent visitor to the shop here. Last time was for a late night lumber deal out of the back of forestgirl's pickup truck. Peter was gracious enough to let me pick and choose the best yew flitches that Jamie was offering.

BTW- I'm sure that you met him at the first biennial pig roast. At least, you were both there. :D

Tom

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:29 pm 
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Hey folks. Thanks for the all the thoughts and support! It cost me $50 to replace the capacitor and the saw is working fine again. By 'several' hours I should probably clarify that equates to about 8-9 hours with an hour break in there somewhere for a snack.

Bill, I don't know about blowing up the saw, but maybe try cutting a ton of green wood and don't bother to wipe the machine down inside and out when you're done!

Dennis, I don't remember how old my saw is but it is at least five years old? I've done tons of resawing with it and it never broke a sweat. Seemed kind of odd to me that cutting 4/4 and smaller stock with fairly light cuts would trouble it, but perhaps the motor running continuously for so long was the culprit? The tech told me that capacitors could go out at any time, but I don't really know what that is supposed to mean.

NB George, Those pieces have no burn marks but definitely have facets. I cut the curves by cutting a ton of relief cuts along the curves and then cut the curves so there is never much lateral stress on the blade.

Dave, good to hear from you. It has been many years since you visited the shop. On that note, I will be in your neck of the woods at the end of February. I'll be doing the American Craft Council show in Baltimore. If your around it would be great to hook up. Funny you should mention curvy things as the piece I'm working on is decidedly not curvy!

peter


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 5:58 am 
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ploh wrote:
Hey folks. Thanks for the all the thoughts and support! It cost me $50 to replace the capacitor and the saw is working fine again.

The tech told me that capacitors could go out at any time, but I don't really know what that is supposed to mean.



Yours was a start/run if it cost you 50. That means whenever the motor is operating it's getting the extra boost, not just when starting or bogging.

Electrolytics are more vulnerable to heat buildup than dry caps, but as the man said, mean time between failure is determined by those that don't last as well as those that do.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:32 am 
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Amateur Bill wrote:
What do I need to do to blow up my 12" Craftsman so I can get a new better one? Just can't let LOML know it.

Bill


Spilling coffee or other liquds on computers seems to work. Perhaps it is transferrable?


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