Fixing Grizzly band saw

[TomB]

I have a 16-year-old Grizzly G4030 (per id tag manufactured in 2006) metal cutting band saw, bought new, that for it’s first 10 years worked perfectly. I did not use it more than a few times per year so it should not have any significant wear. However, it did get wet when my shop flooded so I took it apart and dunked anything that showed rust into my 5 gallon can of Vaporust. I had always used a water-based coolant and the residue from that seemed to protect the base casting quite well. The saw was in the upright position when it was flooded so the water did not reach into the motor or upper drive wheel support. I have finished reassembling the saw but it will no longer saw steel. As soon as the blade sets into the cut it throws the blade off the drive wheels. This happens seemingly before the blade even moves in the cut. I can manually lower the cutting wheels and by doing so I have a slight gullet across the stock but I’m getting to the point where I can’t even manually control the descent well enough to prevent the saw from throwing the blade. I wondered if the problem might be the blade so I replaced it with a new blade. That did not change anything. Grizzly told me to check that both drive wheels were in the same plane. I did so with a spacers double sticky taped to both wheels and a steel yard stick bridging between them (it is needed to bridge the blade guard). As far as I can tell the yard stick makes a solid and full-length contact with the two spacers. Can anyone advise me about what I should do to try to make it work.

[rmac]

First thing I'd check is the blade tracking. If you don't still have the manual for the saw, you can download it from Grizzly's web site. Look on page 30 for instructions.

-- Russell Mac

https://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g4030_m.pdf

[Bill Shields]

Tracking for sure -> and / or rust on the wheels under where the blade contacts...when drive surface has to be clean and dry..look at the bottom drive wheel.

When the blade runs without cutting..is it touching the back guide / rollers?

It is not rocket science...there are only a few things to go wrong...

Start at the top and work to the bottom

[rmac]

One thing that's helped me is to put the blade on and get everything set up the way you think it should be and then turn the saw by hand (unplugged, of course). That way you may be able to actually see what's happening in slow motion, rather than trying to figure out why the blade gets "thrown" off the saw.

-- Russell Mac

[Bill Shields]

Good advice

[Glenn Brooks]

I have an older model grizzly. Same problem. The key for me is to adjust the down feed to just the right point. Mynsaw has a small hydraulic cylinder that controls down feed. A bleed screw on the top of the cylinder controls the rate of downwards travel.

If you have the same hydraulic feed, perhaps you got flood water in the cylinder, thus diluting and contaminating the fluid. If so, you may not be able to control movement.

So flush the cylinder and hydraulic system several times, and see what happens...

Glenn

[TomB]

Tracking for sure -> and / or rust on the wheels under where the blade contacts...when drive surface has to be clean and dry..look at the bottom drive wheel.

I'm sure there is some rust on the bottom drive wheel but I could not figure how to get it off. The wheel diameter is too large to fit in my 5 gallon can of evaporust, likewise my lathe and mill. Thought about putting the blade back on and running it with the door open. Then While it moves I could use a piece of emery paper to polish the blade seat. I was however a bit scared to try that. I could envision the emery paper catching in the teeth and that pulling me into the blade. Any other thoughts about how to clean it up?

Thanks for the suggestion which gave me a new trail to follow.

[TomB]

I have an older model grizzly. Same problem. The key for me is to adjust the down feed to just the right point. Mynsaw has a small hydraulic cylinder that controls down feed. A bleed screw on the top of the cylinder controls the rate of downwards travel.

If you have the same hydraulic feed, perhaps you got flood water in the cylinder, thus diluting and contaminating the fluid. If so, you may not be able to control movement.

So flush the cylinder and hydraulic system several times, and see what happens...

Glenn

I have the small hydraulic system and know it is not working correctly so I tend to hold the rocking blade guide with my hand while it goes down. However I did not associate the hydraulic system with the blade problem because the failure of the hydraulics to not regulate the downward speed happened years before the machine got flooded. I'll work on your suggestion while I think about how to clean up the blade seat.

Thanks for the ideas,
Tom

[rmac]

Thought about putting the blade back on and running it with the door open. Then While it moves I could use a piece of emery paper to polish the blade seat. I was however a bit scared to try that. I could envision the emery paper catching in the teeth and that pulling me into the blade.

You're right. That does sound like a very bad idea.

Any other thoughts about how to clean it up?

Leave the blade off, unplug the saw, open the door, and clean up the rusted parts manually. Maybe by hand with emery paper? Or maybe with a wire wheel in a hand held drill motor or a Dremel?

-- Russell Mac

[Bill Shields]

Scotch Brite on the bare rotating wheel can get things going...or steel wool...or emery cloth.

A wire wheel in a hand held Electric drill...just get it clean

[jcfx]

Did you check the blade tension ?
Not enough tension on the blade can make the blade walk off the wheels.

[TomB]

Progress Report -- I have gotten to the drive wheels and they are not rusty. They are covered with a oil layer, something I must have hurriedly done that when I pulled it out of the water. I have not yet tried but I'm pretty sure some Simple Green and paper towels will clean up the drive wheels quickly. I've also taken the hydraulic system (more like a heavy duty door closer than a real hydraulic circuit) off the saw and found it was contaminated with something green. I cleaned it out and I can now make the plunger go in and out when I have no oil in the cylinder but it jams up when I add oil. (I had a small bottle of hydraulic oil from my days of working on Snow Cats. It probably was SAE 10/30 non flammable and obviously non foaming.) When I took the fittings apart I was able to capture almost all of the oil that spilled out, about 3/4 to 1 cup. It was black and it came out both ends of the cylinder. I tried putting new oil back into the same cylinder ends as it came out. That locked up the piston so I could not move it even with a hydraulic jack yet when I took the new oil back out the piston locked for a moment then broke free and moved freely. (It also sprayed out of a side port and washed me down thoroughly. Wonder if that will cure my sore hip.) When I poured the new oil out of the cylinder it was noticeable darker (darker green color ) than it was when I put it in the system and it had only been in system for a couple of days.)

Does any one have any experience with the inside working of a part like this? If so from what end should it be filled? What SAE weight should be used in such a system? When I took it apart I notice that there was a sealant on the flare fittings, it looked blue colored. Anybody know what it might have been? In one of the ports I opened (I don't remember which) there was a visible thin string of something that seemed to be organic, like grass or algae. Any thoughts? Grizzly sells the cylinder as a part for $115 but that seems to be too much for a part that should be repairable. It is totally closed loop, and should not allow any fluid contamination penetration.