# Fixing up an old Craftsman band saw



## fornax (May 26, 2015)

Post 2 in a series on fixing up some old equipment I was gifted. Intro in the first post. To summarize: Looking for advice. I'm a newbie. Be gentle.

This is a Craftsman 12" Band Saw/Sander (model #113.243440). Pics:









(Sorry about the sideways orientation on that one... looks right on my machine before uploading, not sure what happened.)









The motor is attached to a Speed Reducer:









From what I gather, the purpose of that is to be able to run the saw at a fast speed for wood or a slow speed for metal? Presumably by moving the belt between the two pulleys?

We were informed straight off that it needed a new lower tire, as the original completely jumped ship. Thankfully Sears still carries them. They also carry the manual, which I'll probably spring for.

Any other recommended maintenance on these?

What's a good minimum set of saw blades to keep on hand, to be able to take advantage of the versatility of these?

I'm sure this will be answered when I get the manual, but is converting it to a sander just a matter of swapping a sanding belt in for the blade (and possibly adjusting tension)? What sort of applications do people have for that?


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## John Kos (Apr 7, 2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

Have a look at this video, I set my saw up as he suggests (same saw as yours) and it made a world of difference. I did note it looks like your blade may be set a bit deep in the guide blocks. I use a Timberwolf 3/16 " 10 TPI for small curvy stuff and 1/4 inch 6 TPI for the medium stuff. It's a great little saw!! There's a wealth of info on the internet for help in proper setup and Sears still has a lot of parts available for it.


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## ddiamondd (Apr 25, 2013)

I have the same bandsaw. Got it for free on craigslist! It needs some help, and that video is just what I needed to make it run perfectly! I'll be following this thread and will provide any more details I find on my tune up.


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## b0y9ggz (Aug 20, 2013)

Do a google search for the manual. You can probably download it for free.


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