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General Internation 90-280M1

G

Greg Copeland

Joined
Aug 2, 2022
Messages
3
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2
Location
Waco, TX
I just purchased a used Genenral International fro $500, it is in great shape and was able to see it operate before purchasing.
I have been turning for a couple of years and have been looking to get a good band saw without braking the bank.
I coul not find much information out on the WWW on this machine. Any thoughts or commnets greatly apreciated.
 

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Buy it when u see it
 
I dont have any direct knowledge of that saw, but it appears it would work well. If the tires and guide brgs are in good shape it should at least be adequate, and a good buy.

Look up Alex Snograss’ bandsaw set up on utube.
 
I found the Bandsaw Handbook by Duginski told me everything I needed to know about bandsaws.
He has a new and improved version.

Two safety rules - 1. Never push any part of your body toward the blade at any time- stopped blades cut too.
2. Never cut anything that can roll.

Bandsaws are simple machines much the same - regardless of manufacture-
Drive wheel on the bottom attached to a motor with a belt&pulley
Track and tension wheel on the top with a tensioning mechanism ( usually a spring) and a tracking adjustment to tilt the wheel
Tires on both wheels that need replacement after lots of use
Table that needs to be set square to the blade or angled for some cuts
Throat plate in the table - made of cuttable material if the blade moves off center- keeps little bits from falling between the wheel and the blade(this has the effect of making the shell bigger and often breaks the blade because it cannot stretch.
Motor, on off switch
Guides - these are the biggest variable. There will be any upper and lower set - your saw has wheels on either side of the blade and a thrust bearing behind the blade.
Break - some saws have foot breaks( don’t see a foot break on yours). Some have sawdust level cut offs in the lower cabinet.

Lastly blades…. So many choices for cutting wet wood I like a 3/8 4 tpi blade. A 1/2 4 tpi works pretty good to.
 
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No foot brake on this and it has roller guides. Just had 220 installed in my garage so now I will be able to go through and do a full setup and go frm there.
Appreciate the feedback.
 
I don't know anything about this saw. But my son bought a "real" General band saw (made in Canada). It appeared to be the usual clone of the 14" that Delta had been making for many years. It wasn't, it was a 15" saw. That can be a bit of a problem, tires are different and blades are a bit longer.

Same situation with Powermatic 14" clones, they use a blade that's several inches longer than standard 14" clones.

Any time a manufacturer deviates from normal it becomes a problem for the user. The most notable problem is you can't find off the shelf blades.
 
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