-10- G1011 7" x 12'' Bandsaw
Saw Pressure
The pressure or force which the saw exerts when
pushing through the workpiece is the result of
the weight of the bow assembly counterbalanced
by the amount of spring tension applied through
the large coil spring on the back of the machine
base. This should be set so there is a moderate
amount of pressure. Harder or softer materials
may require adjusting the head pressure for spe-
cific operations. See Adjusting Feed Rate in the
Operations Section.
Spring adjustment is performed in the following
sequence:
1. Raise saw bow to the open position, with
the bow at the top of its travel.
2. Open the hydraulic feed rate valve all the
way by turning it counterclockwise.
3. The saw bow should come down at a slow
steady rate. You should be able to stop its
travel with a light upward force from one or
two fingers.
4. If it is hard to stop the travel, then the spring
tension is too weak. Turn the adjusting nut
on the spring’s eye bolt (See Figure 3)
counterclockwise so there is less of the eye
bolt threads extending beyond the bracket.

Figure 3. Adjusting spring tension.

5. If it is easy to stop the travel, or if the
saw bow wants to reverse direction, then
the spring tension is too strong. Turn the
adjusting nut clockwise so more of the eye
bolt threads extend beyond the bracket.
Use caution when adjusting the saw bow.
Keep hands and arms clear of the cutting
area when releasing the cylinder pressure
to lower the saw. Even with the saw off,
the weight of the bow can severely lacer-
ate or break a hand or arm which might
get trapped between the saw and the bed.
Serious personal injury may result.
Less Pressure More Pressure