Axminster 300w horizontal bandsaw noises

Having tuned up my axminster ue-127dv1 so it cuts reasonably straight I now have an unidentified irregular noise problem that sounds like it is coming from the motor or reduction gear? Some of the blade guide bearings are also a bit stiff so could also be an issue?

Anyone families with these saws and maintenance issues?

Edited By jon hill 3 on 29/07/2023 23:21:53

Edited By jon hill 3 on 29/07/2023 23:22:43

Hello Jon,

Your saw is a much younger development from mine, bought perhaps 20 years ago or more from Axminster, it has been through the mill so to speak in correcting bad workmanship, poor fits, running faults and so on.

The usual way of tracking odd noises is to eliminate likely causes. Start by removing the saw blade and running the motor and drive on their own. Check there is oil in the reduction gearbox. Ease the blade guides to allow the blade to slide freely.

I aligned the blade guides by a tensioned wire instead of the blade, I suspect yours are slotted rather than ball bearings in my case which needed machining to correct the unmachined cast faces that relied on screw pressure to hold them together, but the guiding effects will be equivalent.

It could well sound better after such laying on of hands.

Regards Brian

They work pretty hard so after 20 years it's probbly motor related

After having a couple of blades break on mine, and wondering about some of the noises, I realised that the blade was trying to climb off the flat section onto the locating ridge at the edge of the idle wheel (the one you adjust for tension, the opposite end from the motor).

I don't recollect details but the wheel mounting can be adjusted for correct alignment in terms of its angle relative to the blade path.

Hope this helps

As these noises were not there before, yhey have been ‘operator induced’. I think you need to ‘re-tune’ taking Brian’s suggestions on board.

The wheels, bearings and tracking devices can be awkward to sort out if it is wear or adjustmrnt. Starting from scratch, and re-building it properly, should avoid unwanted noises.

Hi Brian, in the manual the lubrication specifies grease in the nipple for the reduction gearbox just behind the master pulley. Hopefully the translation/ pics are correct and they haven't done a Myford!

Surprisingly it does have roller bearings to guide the blade, 9 of them. 2 either side of the blade and another set at the other end, plus one top bearing to support the blade. I might have a rummage and see if I have anything suitable to replace them, I dont recall if they where ever replaced. Some of the guide bearings are seized, but most work better after some fettling.

Thanks Ady, I might check out the motor housing next, see if there are any worn bearings.

Will check your suggestions Martin, thanks

I used to work for a company who sold and serviced/repaired bigger metal cutting bandsaws than the one in question. One check we used to do to see if the blade was trying to push its way up onto the shoulder of the wheels was to trap a piece of paper between the blade and the wheel as the saw was running. If the paper was cut between the back of the blade and the wheel flange then it was out of alignment.

Obviously you have to run the machine with the blade cover open to do this so please be very careful how you do this to make sure you don't get your fingers in the wrong place !!!!

I tweaked the ecentric pin on the roller bearing on the motor end and this has reduced the noise considerably. It seems that the blade was falling off the top roller bearing. Thanks Martin W

All I have to do know is cure the 1/2 degree horizontal cut, at the moment I can live with it.

By the way are cheap bearings the way to go for the guides or better quality such as skf? Bearings are 607zz of which 9 are required.

Hello Jon,

Glad to hear you are sorted. I think cheap bearings will be quite adequate for the application.

However, you do puzzle me with the stated number involved, 9 you say. My saw and commercial saws I have used only have a total of 6, namely one each side of the blade and one above for the back of the blade to run against for each guide station making a total of 6. Generally there is no need to replace them unless they have seized, if they rotate smoothly that is good enough.

Regards Brian

Hi Brian

my saw has 4 bearings each end, in pairs one on top of the other and 1 above, so 9 total. Possible overkill, and yes a few of the bearings are seized. I found some on ebay for £10 generic or just short of £20 for some branded.

My Generic 4 1/2" bandsawsw performance was greatly improved after careful setting of the guide rollers, AND making a Jacques Maurel tension meter to set blade tension.

Overall improved accuracy and greatly extended blade life. (Longrt life to wear out rather than break. )

On mine, the horribly skinny (baked bean tin? ) bearing spacer failed and ruined the lower bearing and seal in the wormbox.

Making a thicker spacer between the new bearings and oil seal, and then refilling the wormbox, fixed that problem.

Howard