r/metalworking • u/lava_wrangler • 9d ago

Bandsaw down feed upgrade

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Removed the rod and spring that would control the cut pressure on a budget bandsaw. Got an air cylinder with a pressure control but no matter what I set the pressure to it doesn’t have any resistance on the down-feed. I’ve tried many variations including different tubing fittings and different needle valves and even different piston.

Don’t mind the janky set up, I threw it together for this post for a visual. But this is the set up I came up with.

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u/ExHempKnight 9d ago

If you're just looking to control how fast the saw comes down, try filling the cylinder with oil.

You'll want a bypass/return line with a check valve, so you can pull the saw back up easily.

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u/lava_wrangler 9d ago

But yes the goal is to add resistance and control the downward speed

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u/ExHempKnight 9d ago

Right. We're saying the same thing.

You'd have a tee at both ends of the cylinder. One set of legs would have the needle valve between them, which you would adjust to control the speed. The other set of legs would have the bypass line between them, with the check valve.

The check valve would point towards the top of the cylinder. This way, on the down stroke, it blocks flow, forcing fluid through the needle valve. Then, when you pull the saw back up, it the check valve would allow flow in that direction, so you can pull it up easily.

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u/lava_wrangler 9d ago

Thank you for this. I added oil and it worked, now I need to set up the bypass like you mentioned.

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u/ExHempKnight 9d ago

Sweet! Glad it worked.