Harbor Freight Band Saw Upgrades | Riser Kit, Upper Guide, and New Tires
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- Опубліковано 22 бер 2021
- Upgrading the Central Machinery 14 inch Band Saw from Harbor Freight using a Grizzly 6 inch Riser Kit. There are some modifications required to make the kit work. You will also need to buy 3/4 inch bar stock to create a new post for your upper blade guide. With these upgrades done, this goes from an "alright" band saw to a very capable machine that could rival most any other 14 inch band saw.
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4:45 ... I've been using the same Harbor Freight bandsaw for over 30 years! Last year one of the trunnions cracked apart. Fortunetly it was easy to replace it. However recently the bolt on the blade guide assembly stripped out the threads on the (poorly) cast assembly. Finding a replacement was proving difficult so I ended up drilling it out and retapping for a larger bolt! Fixed!!
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment, and good work on the repair! I have found that to be the case with a number of my cast iron Harbor Freight machines. Their castings are often suboptimal, but usually there is enough good there to warrant the effort of a repair.
Absolutely every mod I’m looking to make on mine I just picked up today thanks for the video!
Thank you for watching and commenting!
Good video. Exactly what I want to do to mine! I had a friend make an aluminum insert to replace that plastic one. Made all the difference in operation.
Thank you! I will really need to look into an aluminum insert- I have been 3D printing mine and they work okay but aluminum would be a definite upgrade.
I had the same saw and did similar upgrades. There are a couple I would recommend. There is a handle turning tension, that gets rid of the knob, that works great. Also, I replaced the regular belts with the Link belts, and it took my saw vibration to zero and quieted it down. Only other thing is that there is a kreg import fence kit that works great on it. Good video and great job.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment! I have also swapped out the V belts with link belts, and you are correct; the difference is night and day. I will need to look into the crank to replace the knob, I have seen mixed reviews.
Just up graded my harbor freight with the grizzly riser block . I had a little trouble getting the pins out. I damaged them so I used some cut off bolts and that worked. I bought a 3/4 rod from tractor supply. Unfortunately the rod was a little bigger then the hole for blade guard. I’m going to bore them out a little and this should work. Thanks for posting your video. It gave me the confidence to make the upgrades on my saw.
Thank you for watching and commenting! Great work on getting the riser block installed!
Nice video and thanks for the upgrade ideas! I'm looking at buying this bandsaw to upgrade from my old Delta bench-top bandsaw. Just curious does this have 3/4 HP motor or 1 HP motor and would it be good for making bandsaw boxes? I'm really not too interested in re-sawing but just need a little more powerful bandsaw to make things like small boxes or other crafts. Thanks again for the tips!
Thank you! The saw has a 1 horsepower motor, it is a great saw for bandsaw boxes; provided you use an appropriate blade.
@@BassadorWoodworking It's actually a 3/4 hp motor.
thats nice band saw..hope ill had this one someday.😀😀😀
I am really happy with it. with a little work it is a great saw!
Also nice :) I have an old 14" Delta (28-276) I plan on putting a riser kit on soon. I think the Jet riser kit will fit mine without any modifications to it. As for now I'll just keep using my old cool block guides though. My tires are still in really good condition so I won't have to change those either and be able to save a couple of bucks. I'm fortunate in that my old saw has a quick release tensioner on it.
Thank you! I have been looking at tension release systems that will fit this saw. I just have to get the courage up to spend the money. 🤣
Thanks for the video. How do you know what size blade to buy after installing the riser?
Thank you for watching and commenting!
Before the riser block, the blade length is 93.5", so you take that and add the height of the riser block (6") multiplied by 2. So you add 12 to the blade length and end up with a 105.5", the nearest size blade to that is 105".
Great video! Any issues now that you’ve had several months using it? I’m strongly considering doing this same upgrade with the Grizzly kit.
I have had zero issues with the entire set up. I use it almost daily and everything is solid. I have been surprised by how much of an improvement adding the riser and the new tires made to the saw.
Do you have part numbers for the added upgrades? What was the total cost of upgrades? How difficult would it be to add a larger motor, such as. 1 1/2 or 2 HP? This looks like a very good alternative to other very expensive options
Thank you for watching and commenting! There are links in the description to all of the parts that I used. I am not sure I would trust the existing motor-mount to a larger HP motor. It would be a simple switch, but I am not sure the mounting plate is sturdy enough to stay true with a larger motor.
Ever cut foam with your band saw? Does the foam debris accumulate or gum up the works in the lower wheel chamber?
Thank you for watching and commenting! I have cut a little bit of rigid foam using a band saw, but I would hesitate to cut any foam softer than something like an exercise mat using a Band Saw; my fear is that it could snag, pull into the saw, and possibly do some damage even when using a high TPI blade.
@@BassadorWoodworking Well I'm trying to find the best power tool to 'rip' 8' long 4" thick extruded polystyrene (blue Dow Styrofoam) into 8" bevel cut strips for insulation on an underground concrete barrel vault shaped structure. Hundreds of such cuts. A hot knife worked slowly and poorly. Any ideas of a better idea than a large band saw? (most use spray applied application, but that's expensive and I already have a semi load I got a great price at auction)
@@ForbiddTV Foam insulation might be dense enough to not cause any problems for a band saw, take a look at Simmon's blades. It looks like they have a whole line of blades designed for medium to high density foam cutting.
@@BassadorWoodworking I will check that out, thanks for your responses!
Man, that was a lot of work. Can you resaw with that thing? Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for watching and commenting! Yes, it is a decently capable resawing machine. I have resawn a bunch with it, it is a little under-powered so I have to compensate with a more aggressive blade, but I make do.
Where did you purchase the blade guide from and what was the part number? I would like to change to the ball bearing blade guide.
Thank you for watching and commenting! I have a link to the blade guide I purchased in the video description.
Did you see if you could just turn the riser on upside down? Or is there something I'm missing. It looks like turning upside would flip the holes in the direction you want and just transfer the pins, unless the riser didn't come with them
I will have to double-check but I definitely could not have simply installed the riser upside down. I think the riser may have a slight taper? I am not 100% sure though. It has been a while since I last had the saw apart.
Nice video, and i'm considering doing this as well. I wouldn't even consider it if you hadn't posted this video, so HUGE thank you for this. I need to ask what sku number is your saw? The only one I seem to be able to find in stock is the 60564 sku. Much appreciated!
Thank you for watching and commenting! My saw is item # 60564 according to the manual that came with the saw.
@@BassadorWoodworking thanks!
I'm thinking of doing this. What would you saw is the largest "reasonable" resaw depth?
Maybe 8" soft woods, 6" hardwoods if you're not doing large quantities?
Thank you for watching and commenting! Those numbers sound completely reasonable and inline with most of what I do on the band saw. I have resawn larger hardwoods and just let the saw do its thing while I SLOWLY feed the board in. It takes a while but the cut quality has never been an issue.
I usually give large boards a resaw pass on the table saw to give the blade a guide through the board. I don't think it is required but it is something that I have always done.
What is the resaw capacity now with the riser? Cost for additional capacity is astonishing for new saws
The riser gives me just about 12 inches of resaw capacity
wife gifted me an old green version of this same saw...has 1hp motor, however the previous owner abused the saw.....had the blade running along side the edge of the bearings that were suppose to be behind the blade, as such the added tension and stress broke the outside cool block holders.
I am.looking to replace them and saw your video, however when I went to look up the parts the only one that seems to not load is the link you have listed for the guide bearings.
I looked online and the only ones I see are rather pricey ($229).
where did you purchase yours?
These are the bearings I purchased from Amazon, amzn.to/3RhDH7r The link worked for me, but if it doesn't load for you, just search for ACCURA 14" bearing guide. They were around $70 when I purchased them.
Grizzly H7316 riser block kit has a diameter of 3/4" and apparently that's the only difference with the one used in the above video (per live chat).
Has anyone used that kit with their HF bandsaw?
I can't say for sure, but it looks promising.
Where did u get the hardware to hold the blade Gide wheels
The upper blade guide came as an assembly and slotted right into the OEM slot and used the OEM hardware to mount.
What brand name of saw would you suggest for my first saw ???
There are a lot of variables to consider in that question so it would be hard to make an accurate recommendation. I can tell you that my first band saw was a 12 inch Craftsman 113 band saw. I love and still own that saw. It is a completely capable saw if your main intention of the bandsaw is to cut curves. It is not a great resawing machine. Wen also makes a really nice inexpensive saw that you can find on amazon.
Where did you get the kit
Thank you for watching and commenting! I have a link to the kit in the video description
I think someone else made this comment but can't you just flip the block arrow down to get match on pins? Was looking for a larger bandsaw but room is premium so spacer and HF should do the trick I need for resawing. Will have to try the flip!
Thank you for watching and commenting! It is definitely worth a look. It has been a while since I performed this upgrade but it would be cool if all the work I did turned out to be unnecessary 😂
No it doesnt work. If you flip it the holes are in exactly the same spot.
@@StinkyWizzleTits Good To Know Thanks.
How much was the total cost to upgrade everything?
It has been a couple of years but, looks like all the upgrades can be done for:
Riser Kit: about $100 from Grizzly
Band Saw Tires: about $20 on Amazon
Rod for guide bearings: about $15 from a hardware store
New guide bearings: looks like they go for around $80 now on Amazon, may be cheaper elsewhere though.
So all in, it looks like it could be down for $200 if you were to use the most readily available parts. There may be savings that you can find by looking at compatible replacements from Amazon. I have links in the description to the parts I used which would make a good starting point but you can definitely save some money by shopping around.
At 2:08, you went the Wrong Way with that bolt !
I sure did! 😂
By my calculations, you dropped at least $300.00 into the upgrades? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to buy a better saw from the get-go?
Thank you for watching and commenting!
I don't think I spent that much on the upgrades. If I recall, I was closer to the $225 mark, but even so- I am not sure if it would have been cheaper.
The Harbor Freight saw was $300 when I bought it, if we take your number of $300 for upgrades, that is still about half of what a saw with comparable resaw capacity etc. would cost from Grizzly or Rockler (about $1,000). If you take the cost of the HF bandsaw now, ($480) and add the $300 for upgrades, you are still coming out ahead. Also, my way was more fun 🤣, which was a large part of the point of the project.
@BassadorWoodworking thanks for the idea! I just bought a 2hp motor for my central machinery band saw ($50 on fb market!) I'll be installing that soon and then I'll look at the upgrades in this video!
Seems like this is your most viewed video ? Then your other most viewed in descending order are all reviews as well - is that right ?
Thank you for watching and commenting!
It does appear that this is my most watched video. I do no do a whole lot of review videos; I have done like 3 or 4 review videos vs. more than 50 project videos, review videos have performed well, but I prefer to do projects over reviews.
it looks to me like you could have just flipped the block end for end and ignored the "UP" arrow.
Thank you for watching and commenting! I would have to double-check to see if that would have worked, I sincerely hope I didn't miss that as an easier solution- but it is entirely possible.
@@BassadorWoodworking yeah that would be one of those "now you tell me" kinda moments.
Oh well it still worked
I appreciate any video modding Harbor Freight stuff but it’s only a 1hp motor, what’s the point in putting on a riser. It’s not like you are going to resaw with that. Also, after all the cost and effort why not just get a 1.5hp 14” bandsaw? You’ll could say cost, but after the time and money on this you’ll be pretty much there
Thank you for watching and commenting.
The short answer is: Because it is fun.
The Longer answer: Although it is only 1 HP, it is still a pretty capable at resawing if you use the proper blade. The Added height also allows for the use of a wider selection of jigs. I also get attached to my machines and would rather have them grow along with me by upgrading components when needed rather than toss and replace with a newer or bigger model.
@@BassadorWoodworking thanks for update!
Do you have any recommendations for a resaw bandsaw..im liking this saw an price
@@dancassidy7471 not for the price. You get what you pay for. Search for 14”, 1.5HP bandsaw. They are the cheapest of the nice ones so to speak.
@@Augcliffe Rikon 1.5 vs 1.75 hmm? Thanks as I'd like to leave this to son when my time is up..71 yrs here
Massachusetts is an awful place to live and have a shop. The people are rude and bigoted. No decent woodworking stores anywhere.
Thank you for watching! Being a lifelong Massachusetts resident, I have to disagree. Most of the people I have encountered in my life have been kind and respectful. There are bigoted people everywhere in the world but I don’t go into an interaction with someone assuming anything about them. There is a lack of big name woodworking stores but there are some gems out there if you know where to look- online shopping has also closed the gap.
@@BassadorWoodworking
I would have to agree. I have traveled all over and there are awful people everywhere. Sounds like this person is either having a bas day or just wants to be a jerk behind the screen.
He hasn’t been to CT LOL