Mods to Grizzly 17 bandsaw GO513x2

[barryvabeach]

SpiderDave just bought a new Grizzly bandsaw, I offered to post some mods and tuning I did to mine.  Apologize for the long post, but this was the first new power tool I bought, and I bought it a long time ago, so I have done a number of mods.

In no order, 

I didn't like the way the handle on the fence got in the way of feeding stock when it was in the unlocked position - from a post here, I just tapped a new hole on a different face of the cam.

I had trouble adjusting the upper thrust bearing to just miss the rear of the blade, so I cut a vertical slot in the blade guard - it makes it easier to see the bearing



I normally have enough light, but based on a post here, I added a small led light stuck on with a magnet - it doesn't add much , but it is helpful sometimes.




I also swapped out the original drive belt, and used this procedure to balance the wheels
vintage machinery

I wanted to store the tall fence and miter gauge on the saw, so added these pieces of plywood, mostly held in place by friction and double stick tape








 I didn't like the adjustments for the original ball bearing guides because you had to use an allen wrench .  


I especially hated the lower ones, hard to find them since it is dark beneath the table.  So my first mod was to paint them bright orange


I realized I still hated the allen wrench, so I converted the upper adjusters to tool free.  It was pretty easy because I have a metal lathe, so I milled up a round of brass, knurled it, then drilled a hole exactly the same size as the head of the allen bolts ( called an interference fit ) , then cut off thumbwheels,  put them one at a time in a vise, and pressed on the allen bolt.  ( That brought my cost for thumbwheels down to about $50 per wheel , counting the lathe and tooling ) I know everyone does not have access to a metal lathe, but I think they could get acceptable results using some hard wood, cutting discs, putting hand holds in them  https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/how-...10796.html   and then using a vice to press them in place. At worst some epoxy should hold the wheel snug.  Note that I still needed an allen wrench for a few of the adjustments, but the less the better. 


Note that I can still use an allen wrench if need be, the knurled wheel just surrounds the head.  I don't show the thrust adjuster, but i changed that out as well.
I tried doing the same thing with the lowers, but the area is a little cramped, so I ended up making some bolts and putting thumbwheels on them, though you should be able to just add the thumbwheels to several of the existing allen bolts.     The way I lengthened the adjusters, you can't tilt the table without unscrewing one, but I very rarely tilt the table.



Finally,  I decided I thought that I preferred a different type of guide, so I took some small square tubing, brazed on some round bar, and added a nut to the front of the square tubing and converted the top and bottom adjusters so now every adjuster is tool free.   It makes changing blades much easier.


Dave,  hope you like your new saw, I have definitely modded mine a bunch since I got it, but it is still going strong.

[Arlin Eastman]

I like your mods.  I do not like the guide wheels on my 0636x and wondering if I would be able to get the same guides you have to fit from Grizzly.

Also I like how you did the fence handle.  I will have to look and see if I can do the same thing.

[barryvabeach]

I like your mods.  I do not like the guide wheels on my 0636x and wondering if I would be able to get the same guides you have to fit from Grizzly.

Also I like how you did the fence handle.  I will have to look and see if I can do the same thing.

Arlin,  I have never seen the 0636x in person, or even photos of the guides, so I don't know, but the entire guide assembly on the GO513x2 is pretty simple, it mounts to the post with a stub that is in the shape of a hex