One step forward, two steps back!

[damo8604]

I was lucky enough to get the time to spend a few hours banging and crashing round in my workshop over the weekend. I got my secondhand (£10) Kity 618 up and running and tried it out cutting a few bits of 18mm Ply to make some French cleats, bench hutch and a charging station. I notice that the blade was burning the ply a bit.... is this just a blunt blade?

Whilst making grooves for my chisels I thought I'd use the bandsaw to cut out the recess, the blade drifted off terribly (Scheppach Basato 1) so I thought I'd see if I could adjust it. Upon opening it up I found the guide rollers were WAY out of alignment, I could have fitted a bus between the blade and the roller and I could see why, it was missing a grub screw, eventually I found a spare and so I started to tighten it up when the guide housing just crumbled away, I tightened the top too and again it just crumbled away! I was a bit disappointed as I had bought it in a fit of impulse buying and I believe I paid over the odds for a secondhand hobby bandsaw (£75) and now I fear it isn't worth investing the time and money into getting it up and running again.

Still...... it felt good to be tinkering about in the shed and slowly but surely I am getting some organization in there. I'm disappointed there is so much rust on everything too hopefully it's because the tools lived in a very rubbish shed for a couple of years, now they are in a super duper insulated, moisture resistant workshop they will fare better.

I also realized that 182 sq ft is not big enough and I need some sort of extension table or off feed table for the table saw...... I'm also not entirely happy with the layout and think it'll change a few times before I'm completely satisfied

 

[marcros]

the table saw is either a blunt blade, or something out of alignment between the blade and fence. If you check the blade to mitre slots is constant, then check the fence against the mitre slot you should see whether this is parallel. if all that is ok, it is probably a blunt blade.

 

[RogerP]

Axminster do bandsaw upgrade guide rollers but they are not cheap.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/bandsaw-blade-guide-system-upgrade

 

[damo8604]

Axminster do bandsaw upgrade guide rollers but they are not cheap.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/bandsaw-blade-guide-system-upgrade

Thanks for the point in the right direction, I'll have to muse on this because it might be prudent to save a few more bob and buy a new machine, I'd hate to fork out £55 to try and fix it only to find that something else needs replacing on it, besides I wouldn't mind getting a larger machine, as I have already said, this was a bit of an impulse buy that I bid on, I was the only bidder and it ran for 6 days or so, there's the clue that I bought a bit of a lemon!

Ah well, it's not the first time and certainly won't be the last, you pays your money and takes your chances

 

[RogerP]

In your position I'd get another (larger?) machine and stick yours back on eBay "spares or repairs" declaring the problem - you might be surprised at what it fetches.

 

[MrYorke]

To help with a small workshop, stick as much as you can on wheels

 

[damo8604]

I learned that from this forum (thanks guys) I wanted originally to have a bench in the centre but quickly realised it wasn't feasible so I have a bench against one wall which stays put and have another bench (presently a garden table) directly opposite against another wall that I can pull out to the centre if I need to cut large sheets. My TS is on lockable castors which I can wheel out too but I struggle to use it to cut large sheets, I think I'll invest in a rail saw for the future.

My router table isn't on wheels but it is light enough to drag across the floor and heavy enough to stay in one place whilst using it.

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of room for timber storage, so I guess I'll buy it as I need it, much as I'd like to have a reasonably healthy stockpile it would take up too much room (although I was sorely tempted to take up the offer of free MDF from another forum member)

I'll watch more workshop tours I think (as if I haven't seen enough) to get some ideas for a more effective and productive workshop. I'm expecting this to go on for a few more months before I'm completely satisfied with the layout, my tool hutch will probably come down and be redesigned as I go through my toolboxes and find more chisels etc that I'd forgotten I'd bought just enjoying the journey so far!