Blade tightening!!!

[stevebuk]

Hi guys
I seem to have come across a niggle I would love to rectify if I can, for some reason just lately the blade is coming out from the top holder and it is really getting on my nerves, I went outside in the cabin today to cut a name plaque for a customer which usually takes me no more than 40 mins to complete, 2 hours and 5 blades later I was still cutting it and feeling rather peeved with the hegner, my thumbs are really sore with trying to turn the knurled knob as tight as I can and then undo it, any ideas why the top clamp has started to let the blade go???

 

[Chippygeoff]

Hi Steve. I have had the odd blade come out from the top holder now and again. What gets on my nerves is that they keep breaking just above the bottom clamp. I digress. Just a thought, at the end of the bolt on the top clamp there is a small, what appears to be a stainless steel insert that rotates, is this missing from your top clamp. Also, are you adjusting the tension so the tip of the blade is near the top of the clamp opening when you change a blade. Hope you find a solution to this annoying problem.

 

[toesy]

I've also had this, happen a little more recently to me,.

I know you can buy various size blade clamps, do they wear after a period of time? as the inside of the clamp becomes to polished.

Does the clock screw give up its tension over time also,. the chap I bought mine off had several clamps and a load of these clock screws.

 

[ChrisR]

Steve.

I assume that this is the quick release clamp, as I had the same problem, to rectify this, I screwed the hex bolt which is the opposite side of the clamp to the thumb wheel/knob in approximately half a turn or so.

Hope that makes sense, the way I have described it.

Take care.

Chris R.

 

[Bryan Bennett]

Steve you may remember I bought a lever from F/D Mike to help with trhe problem you have,it bent the blades slightly at the top.I had seen a post were a member of the forum had drilled the side of the knob and fastened two steel pins opposite each other which I have done held in with the two tubes of glues mixed together.Works like a lever BRILL!!! :?



Bryan

 

[M P Hales]

Hi Steve

Had similar problem with top clamp myself

Rectified it by rubbing some sandpaper in gap on both sides

It seems that the gripping part of the clamp gets smooth after a while and roughing the surface seems to help

Regards

Martin

 

[martinka]

I did similar to Bryan by drilling and tapping the knob and and using a 5mm bolt with the head cut off for a lever. I feel it gives me more control over how much pressure I use, rather than allowing me to use more pressure. It's also a boon for anyone with problems such as arthritis. Something I do, though I don't really know if it does any good, is that I rub the ends of the blades, both sides, with a piece of wet&dry paper. It cleans the ends up and hopefully removes any tiny burrs or high spots that *might* be left on the blade.

 

[Scrollerman]

Hi Steve
Blade clamps do get an unwanted polished surface on them with frequent use.
This could be enough to give the slippage you describe so here's what might help if that is the case.
The thing to do is abrade the inner clamp surfaces but I advise caution when doing this.
If you just sand away at the inner faces of the clamp freehand, you run the risk of adversely affecting the accuracy of the clamp faces if done too often, especially with a course grade !
What I do is use a piece of 240 grit paper doubled over so when I place it in the clamp, it abrades both sides at the same time which maintains sanding accuracy of both faces.
I place the doubled over abrasive paper in the clamp and tighten the clamp until it takes a little effort to pull the paper from the clamp.
It's the pulling out of the clamp action that does the abrading so you have to judge how much tension to apply.
Repeat the above action several times and your clamp faces should be much less polished than before and sanded fairly accurately.

Hope this helps.

 

[stevebuk]

Thanks guys, I will try the sanding method and see if that works, Bryan do you have a photo of your set up with the lever, I may just try that too..

 

[jonluv]

Don't know if this is the answer but I have had this problem but only on the Hawk and the blades are ok on the Delta due to the clamping action
When comparing the length of my new order of FDR blades the new order is slightly shorter see photo
I have not received a reply from Mike re my email of a couple of weeks ago so perhaps there is a problem

 

[stevebuk]

Funny enough this is a new batch of blades I just received from mike, wanted to see if they are any sharper than the last lot, I have used 5 blades on one cutting this time so they may not be and I am probably pushing a bit harder than I normally would, so maybe time for a change and see what else is out there..

 

[stevebuk]

I did similar to Bryan by drilling and tapping the knob and and using a 5mm bolt with the head cut off for a lever. I feel it gives me more control over how much pressure I use, rather than allowing me to use more pressure. It's also a boon for anyone with problems such as arthritis. Something I do, though I don't really know if it does any good, is that I rub the ends of the blades, both sides, with a piece of wet&dry paper. It cleans the ends up and hopefully removes any tiny burrs or high spots that *might* be left on the blade.

Any chance of seeing it action Martin , I have this friend called frank who is a god send on jobs like this, BTW I haven't used my delta as yet as it has a knocking sound and I'm waiting for frank to take a look for me, he is coming over tonight and the wife has baked a lovely Victoria sponge for us all...

Bring it on...

 

[jonluv]

Just had email from Mike who assures me that all blades are 51/8 inches long some of mine measure just 5 inches as shown in photo

Do I need a new micrometer?

 

[stevebuk]

Just had email from Mike who assures me that all blades are 51/8 inches long some of mine measure just 5 inches as shown in photo

Do I need a new micrometer?

Nah, mike measures every one before packing them off to us, I'm sure... :wink:

 

[stevebuk]

Well frank came over tonight and set to work on the hegner, after about 2 minutes he had sorted the problem, the little round bit and the back of the knurled knob was tight, he used some oil and freed it meaning it will now rotate again, blade sorted, brilliant..

Thanks Frank...

 

[Scrollerman]

Well frank came over tonight and set to work on the hegner, after about 2 minutes he had sorted the problem, the little round bit and the back of the knurled knob was tight, he used some oil and freed it meaning it will now rotate again, blade sorted, brilliant..

Thanks Frank...

Glad you got a result Steve. =D>

 

[Chippygeoff]

I had an idea that would be the problem.

 

[martinka]

I realise you don't need this now, Steve, but seeing as I took the photo before reading your last couple of posts, I'll post it anyway. Glad you got it sorted.

25mm x 5mm screw with the head cut off and the knob drilled and tapped for the same. Anyone without the tapping gear could glue it in same as Bryan did. Because I used a full length thread, I put a piece of 13amp wire insulation over it to stop the thread digging into my thumb. I set it so that it is in the right place when a #5 FD-UR blade is installed as that's the one I used most. I say 'used' because the saw hasn't run for about 6 weeks.

 

[stevebuk]

Ohhhhh that's a good idea Martin , may ask frank about that, I need a couple of screws making Martin and a certain length bar for the delta, you up for the challenge ..

 

[martinka]

Ohhhhh that's a good idea Martin , may ask frank about that, I need a couple of screws making Martin and a certain length bar for the delta, you up for the challenge ..

Yeah, no problem, Steve. PM or email me with details.