One other minor modification I made to the bandsaw was adding a viewport
to the blade tension indicator, as well as a small hole in the side to allow
insertion of the allen wrench for retensioning without opening the
cover. The cover swings away for a
clearer view, if needed. As it happens, that elliptical cover is the
first time I've made a functional component (as opposed to just a
thing to look at) on my CNC mill. Proud father speaking here. ;-)
(Shopsmith added a viewport in later bandsaw covers, and apparently
started recommending that the blade be loosened when the machine
won't be used for a while. From what I've read, it seems that the
rubber tires can take an imprint of the blade, leading to rough
operation, and/or the upper wheel hub can distort (?), causing
blade misalignment.)
One other minor modification I made to the bandsaw was adding a viewport to the blade tension indicator, as well as a small hole in the side to allow insertion of the allen wrench for retensioning without opening the cover. The cover swings away for a clearer view, if needed. As it happens, that elliptical cover is the first time I've made a functional component (as opposed to just a thing to look at) on my CNC mill. Proud father speaking here. ;-)
(Shopsmith added a viewport in later bandsaw covers, and apparently started recommending that the blade be loosened when the machine won't be used for a while. From what I've read, it seems that the rubber tires can take an imprint of the blade, leading to rough operation, and/or the upper wheel hub can distort (?), causing blade misalignment.)