Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - Printable Version +- Woodnet Forums (https://www.forums.woodnet.net) +-- Thread: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions (/showthread.php?tid=7342481) |
RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - mike4244 - 09-17-2018 (09-15-2018, 04:09 PM)Bibliophile 13 Wrote: So I have this old Steel City bandsaw, which was just given to me to replace my spindly little Craftsman bandsaw (which you can see in the background). (09-15-2018, 04:30 PM)Ohio Mike Wrote: The first thing I would do is to take an old trunnion to my local Harbor Freight to see if matches the one on their bandsaw. You can order replacement parts from them. RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - Bibliophile 13 - 09-17-2018 Taking the old ones off. Yeah... You know how this pot metal is very brittle? I tried taking one off, and it literally crumbled. It's in about 20 pieces now. I'm going to try to remove the other one more carefully and see what happens. RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - EvilTwin - 09-18-2018 (09-17-2018, 07:44 PM)Bibliophile 13 Wrote: Taking the old ones off. Yeah... Even if they crumble, you can always measure the holes on the bottom of the table. I would guarantee that the radius of the curve and the other dimensions are probably identical to what you can find for other clone saws. That was the point of these clones, they didn't try and engineer, they just copied parts. RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - Stwood_ - 09-18-2018 Surely they used some common trunions that fit other machines and didn't try to re-engineer all those parts. Steel City was a spinoff from some other (I forget) machinery company. Bunch of employees bailed and started their own manufacturing. I think most of their products came from the same sources that Grizzly and the like used. RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - gov.cheese - 09-18-2018 I believe they were a spin-off from Delta. RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - joespehar - 09-18-2018 Mike 4244 mentioned persimmon wood. That "wood" be a good idea. Wooden golf club heads are often made out of persimmon. RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - Bibliophile 13 - 09-20-2018 The more I’ve looked at the parts online, the more I think the radius isn’t the same. And the more I think I could make some wooden replacements. I’m no pattern maker, and I don’t have machinists tools, but I do have some thick pecan heartwood that would be perfect for this. Very hard and split-resistant. I have a good drill press, but no router. But I also don’t need this table to tilt. I’ve used a bandsaw for years without needing to tilt the table. In fact, I have more often messed up a cut because the table got bumped out of square with the blade. I’d much prefer a table that was fixed square to the blade. I have an idea or two that I’m going to try out. Stay tuned. RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - Admiral - 09-20-2018 (09-20-2018, 06:20 PM)Bibliophile 13 Wrote: But I also don’t need this table to tilt. I’ve used a bandsaw for years without needing to tilt the table. In fact, I have more often messed up a cut because the table got bumped out of square with the blade. I’d much prefer a table that was fixed square to the blade. Frankly, I've rarely, in 25 years, had to tilt my BS table. I say go for it. Having said that, the Griz trunions will likely fit, and are cheap. RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - Stwood_ - 09-20-2018 I don't remember ever tilting my MM, nor the saw before this one. RE: Steel City Bandsaw Table Trunnions - mike4244 - 09-25-2018 (09-20-2018, 06:20 PM)Bibliophile 13 Wrote: The more I’ve looked at the parts online, the more I think the radius isn’t the same. And the more I think I could make some wooden replacements. I’m no pattern maker, and I don’t have machinists tools, but I do have some thick pecan heartwood that would be perfect for this. Very hard and split-resistant.You can use your drill press with a router bit or even better an end mill. For limited use the drill press will suffice. If you are not familiar with end mills they are use similar to a straight router bit. Wholesale tools McMaster Carr, etc sell them. You would want a center cutting HSS 3/8 or 1/2" shank. If you get an end mill with the 1/2" shank you can use it in a router if you ever get one. Take light cuts , clamp to the table when possible. The work tends to move around when free hand milling. Move the work from left to right , against the rotation of the cutter. If you move from right to left you will climb cut and may lose control of the work. This holds true for a router also. I mention this because I assume you have not used a router yet. You can rough cut the slotted arc with a saber saw. Leave the entire line for now. Depending on the radius you may be able to refine the arc by turning the trunnion on a pivot pin. mike |