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SHOPSMITH 11” BANDSAW
555943
4. Adjust the height of the blade guide so
that it’s not more than 1" above the table.
Lock the blade guide in place by swinging
the handle to the back.
5. Release the blade tension by turning the
blade tension screw counterclockwise with
your 5/32" Allen wrench until the blade
goes slack, as seen in Fig. B-24.
Fig. B-24
Fig. B-25
6. Loosen the guide blocks by turning the
guide blocks’ locking screws counterclock-
wise with the 5/32" Allen wrench. Then
pull the blocks away from the blade about
1/16".
7. Slide the slack blade off the wheels and
out through the slot in the table, as shown
in Fig. B-25. You’ll have to flex the blade
slightly to get it around the blade guard.
Mounting and Tensioning Blades
8. Slide the new blade into position, work-
ing it up through the table slot, around the
guard, and onto the wheels, as seen in Fig.
B-26. The teeth must be pointing down
and toward the front of the Bandsaw (and
toward you). Position the blade approxi-
mately in the center of the rubber tires and
in between the guide blocks.
9. Check the tension scale alignment. With
the blade slack on the wheels, the red
indicator bar should be parallel to the left
edge of the tension scale. If this is not the
case, follow the alignment procedure de-
scribed in Alignment section.
Fig. B-26
Fig. B-27
10. Tension the blade, turning the blade
tensioning screw clockwise, as demon-
strated in Fig. B-27. Notice that as you turn
this screw, the red indicator bar moves,
because it is actually the flat spring that
tensions the blade. The blade tension is
properly set when the edge of the bar
disappears behind the scale at the mark-
ing for the blade width you’re using.
On a few operations, such as sawing thick
stock with a thin blade, it may be neces-
sary to increase the blade tension slightly
beyond the normal setting. However, this
increased tension will shorten the life of
your blade. Always remember to reset the
tension screw when you no longer need
the extra tension.
