Clarke CBS45MD 6x4 Metal Cutting Bandsaw Modifications

[Wallace]

Thanks, will see what I can do. I have contacted Clarke through their online parts site and received no reply, which is very annoying. Will try more methods.

Best results I have had with Clarke is by doing my homework first and giving part numbers. In truth, if it’s a working machine and likely to have earnt it’s money then buying a replacement may be a better option.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Best results I have had with Clarke is by doing my homework first and giving part numbers. In truth, if it’s a working machine and likely to have earnt it’s money then buying a replacement may be a better option.

It cost naff all and has done a reasonable bit. Thing is, I've got it cutting pretty square, auto stop, it never throws blades or anything and I would rather keep it. Plus he's just bought a MIG so isn't likely to want to spend more money on the workshop!

 

[Turbo]

Looking at the parts diagram there should be a tension spring on the bow pivot, is that broken or weak? That would add extra extra weight causing the blade to wander under load.

Parts diagram link.

There is a tension spring which may have gotten weak. I've added 20mm of wood under one end of the spring to increase the tension, don't think it made any difference. I think the main problem is it's location renders it fairly ineffective - the legs of the spring are very short so don't have much leverage against the bow. Might be worth trying to see if I can extend the spring with some tubing.

 

[Wallace]

Might be easier just to add a counterbalance out over the motor and add or subtract weight depending on material type.

 

[DAPPH]

It's just crossed my mind that I've left some info out.

You need to get the Clarke's spare parts diagram ( On line PDF's ) in front of you when your make the telephone calls .
The staff are human and don't carry a mental picture of every single item in their head of what you need
My space heater parts were sourced in seconds from the drawing number , page number & part number .

The same applies to Sealy parts , but if memory serves me correctly it took a lot longer to get the PDF parts diagrams in fornt of my nose .

What I've done is print the PDF's , encapsulated two back to back sheets in heat sealed envelopes & hole punched them .
Then put them in my big box files in wired together sheets . so long as the front page has a picture on it I can instantly tell what PDF I'm using .
I also some times put hand written notes on the sheets before they get sealed in .


It seems to work & if you come to sell items complete with such made up hand books & spares sheets .
Most folk won't haggle over prices , if you eBay them & include the sheets as part of the USP ( unique selling point) it often gives a better sale price .

 

[DAPPH]

It cost naff all and has done a reasonable bit. Thing is, I've got it cutting pretty square, auto stop, it never throws blades or anything and I would rather keep it. Plus he's just bought a MIG so isn't likely to want to spend more money on the workshop!

Occasionally my band saw cut out of the vertical , like you I could find no easy cure .
I then took to slackening in the band tension off three full turns ( after first marking the hand wheel with a hack saw cut to a dot punch point on the casing )
.
It helps , but has not entirely cured things . So my next step was to grind off the locating lugs off the blade roller guides assemply & gently adjust the angle of the blade whilst dong a dozen or so through cuts in a 4 x 4 block of oak till I got a perfectly square cut .
It works much better but was not always cutting square again .


On inspection I realised that the placing of the blade on the metal to be cut was causing a slight deflection from the vertical . even keeping the throat of the cut to a minimum didn't always work on 4" wide section or flat bar .

So as son as the cut was bedded in , the blade was obviously going to follow the bed of the cut .

I pondered this a few minutes & found that holding some of the weight off the arm up till the first 1 or so mm of the cut was made . it gives me consistently square cuts .

Next step might be a simple gas strut / oil filled shock absorber that can latch in or stay out of the equation ( taken off an old hatch back or an old office chair ) set to something I mount on the back of the machine & its bench frame .

 

[Bill Edwards]

Occasionally my band saw cut out of the vertical , like you I could find no easy cure .
I then took to slackening in the band tension off three full turns ( after first marking the hand wheel with a hack saw cut to a dot punch point on the casing )
.
It helps , but has not entirely cured things . So my next step was to grind off the locating lugs off the blade roller guides assemply & gently adjust the angle of the blade whilst dong a dozen or so through cuts in a 4 x 4 block of oak till I got a perfectly square cut .
It works much better but was not always cutting square again .


On inspection I realised that the placing of the blade on the metal to be cut was causing a slight deflection from the vertical . even keeping the throat of the cut to a minimum didn't always work on 4" wide section or flat bar .

So as son as the cut was bedded in , the blade was obviously going to follow the bed of the cut .

I pondered this a few minutes & found that holding some of the weight off the arm up till the first 1 or so mm of the cut was made . it gives me consistently square cuts .

Next step might be a simple gas strut / oil filled shock absorber that can latch in or stay out of the equation ( taken off an old hatch back or an old office chair ) set to something I mount on the back of the machine & its bench frame .

I'm reasonably happy with the accuracy of this machine, it's not dead on but near enough for normal welding work. I don't have the time or inclination to go in for that last couple of % to take it to perfection. I had to file the guides to make them twist far enough to make it cut straight, then having got it there I put a small tack on each one so they'll never creep out of position

Blade deflection doesn't seem to quite be a problem, but I'm mindful that it could be. Mind, nearly everything I cut is box at a straight 90 so the corner which it starts on is quite close to a guide. I think a hydraulic damper would be an excellent addition as so many people have done for these, if I did enough work on my own machine or enough time at work and an intelligent boss I'd be doing the mod.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Quick question for all, which would you prefer to use - one of these little bandsaws or a Manchester Rapid power hacksaw?

Not used a proper power hacksaw for quite some years, I remember them for being slow. I reckon the bandsaws will cut much quicker but then the sheer solid mass of a machine which'll run forever (with good accuracy too I would think) is appealing. Just curious as to what others think?

 

[Richard.]

I think a hydraulic damper would be an excellent addition as so many people have done for these, if I did enough work on my own machine or enough time at work and an intelligent boss I'd be doing the mod.

It’s cheap and it takes half hour to knock up a simple set up with a motorbike damper. Brilliant mod and the only one on my saw that I thought of myself and didn’t copy from someone else.

 

[Richard.]

Quick question for all, which would you prefer to use - one of these little bandsaws or a Manchester Rapid power hacksaw?

Not used a proper power hacksaw for quite some years, I remember them for being slow. I reckon the bandsaws will cut much quicker but then the sheer solid mass of a machine which'll run forever (with good accuracy too I would think) is appealing. Just curious as to what others think?

Prefer bandsaw personally. I love the old powered hack saw but you’ve always got 50% dead time on blade retraction where as a bandsaw is always cutting. A bandsaw uses 100% of the blade as well where a powered hacksaw you chuck it away when it’s worn out in a small area. I think both can be as accurate or inaccurate as each other.

 

[GW8IZR]

I'm going to expose myself to ridicule!

I was always taught to drop the blade a few mm onto the cut with a power hacksaw, I do this when I use one but never understood why as it just seems wrong to me.

I suppose its to avoid the instantaneous load on the teeth that are engaged but then dropping them onto the cut isn't exactly gentle.

?

 

[Wallace]

The 6x4 bandsaw against a Manchester Rapid? No comparison really as the Rapid will cut bigger heavier material all day long in an industrial environment and the 6x4 is more of a hobby to light industrial workshop machine. A bigger industrial quality bandsaw would be my choice due to versatility over the Rapid or a cold saw.

 

[slimjim]

Mine cuts decently square, though it took a bit of work when I bought it to get it there, only issue I have had is seized bushes in the wheel the one that adjusts the tension, throwing off the blade,

I would rather have a mechanical hacksaw though.

 

[DAPPH]

Old heavy Mechanical hacks saw for me , they are almost bombproof plus you can make good scrapers & knives from worn out blades
However I only have the Clarke bandsaw with all the quirkiness of a one legged ice skater on a roller skate .

I'm going to expose myself to ridicule!

I was always taught to drop the blade a few mm onto the cut with a power hacksaw, I do this when I use one but never understood why as it just seems wrong to me.

I suppose its to avoid the instantaneous load on the teeth that are engaged but then dropping them onto the cut isn't exactly gentle.

?

I suspect it's to get a clean initial cut groove that will act as a guide for the blade to run in . Was it well worn in the pivot point ?

 

[Bill Edwards]

Just curious really as I have recently acquired a power hacksaw, but time hasn't allowed me to fix a bearing/bush for a pulley shaft and play with it. Have no intention of getting rid of the bandsaw when the hacksaw is running though but it may get less use.
Pity work doesn't have anything to use as a backup!

 

[Wallace]

Just curious really as I have recently acquired a power hacksaw, but time hasn't allowed me to fix a bearing/bush for a pulley shaft and play with it. Have no intention of getting rid of the bandsaw when the hacksaw is running though but it may get less use.
Pity work doesn't have anything to use as a backup!

Most places I’ve worked with a donkey saw only kept really coarse blades for thick material, no good on tube etc but rip through large sections. Aim the thick work at the donkey and dainty stuff at the 6x4?

 

[Bill Edwards]

Most places I’ve worked with a donkey saw only kept really coarse blades for thick material, no good on tube etc but rip through large sections. Aim the thick work at the donkey and dainty stuff at the 6x4?

Could be a plan, though funnily enough the hacksaw has a hydraulic damper so would actually have a big advantage on hollow materials!
Got to get it up and running first, along with a LOT of other things

 

[Turbo]

Anyone who has a bandsaw with the quick clamp type of vice knows what a huge pain it is to use. The lever for clamping fouls the bow so you can't line your cut line with your blade then clamp it.

Finally got fed up with it & modified it last night. First thing was to remove the lever & replace it with an M10 bolt. Next took some 20x10 flat bar, drilled some holes & tapped one M10 for the lever.

The bolt is welded into the other end.

The bolt is screwed into where the original lever went. The bolt is a tight fit & loctited but just in case the piece of box section is there to sit against the end of the clamping shaft to stop the bolt unscrewing .

 

[Wallace]

Nice modification, saves making a longer shaft. Would that be a difficult job?

(PS I expect there will be a couple of H&S comments about the blade guard!)

 

[Richard.]

Yeah it looks much more useful now in that position out the back. Blade guard... well yes ideally it should be there but hey your a grown man and I’m sure you know to keep your fingers out.