Tuning up the Hitachi Bandsaw, I need help
Barry Irby
I bought a Hitachi B-600 A bandsaw from a woodworker who is aging out. My goal is to set it up for resawing and leave it alone. (I have another bandsaw for general use.) This is an interesting saw. Has a motor that looks like it might have come off a blender. The motor has some sort of gearbox on it and looks like it will be difficult to upgrade. If it will work even slowly, I will leave it alone. Not interested in production, just consistency. The saw came with a 111" 1 TPI blade about 2.75" wide. (Nearly 3" wide, really) The blade is Stellite tipped, but as near as I can tell, the Stellite is on every other tooth. I tried the 1" blade that was on the saw and it ran like it might have been run over by a bulldozer, so I installed the wide blade. That little motor winds out like a banshee. The blade cuts, with significant drift, and acts/feels as if it is dull. The saw has guides on it that are as wide as the blade and made of bakelite. I have them close to the blade. The fence won't adjust far enough to cancel the drift.
I tried to download a manual for the saw, but the site did not like my credit card. It was supposed to be free, but they wanted to validate my credit card. After several attempts I called BS on it and gave up. Insulted my credit card and made me feel old.
So, the questions? Any advice on eliminating the drift?
Any advice on sharpening the blade? I fear sending it out to the local redneck sharpening services, but would take a shot at it with a Dremel and a diamond wheel.
Any advice on a new blade?
Also, there are oil ports on the machine. Any advice on oil? 30 weight?
I would appreciate some conversation on this.