DRugerH

I've replaced bearings on most of my G4, but not those. However, that entire saw is easy to work on, so I doubt you will have much of an issue replacing them. Being an owner of a G4, and a person who restores machinery, I can try to answer any questions, or even take my saw apart, should the need arise. Dan

If you have a Harbor Freight near you, they have them there for about $15. I have used them on other saws, and put one on my mom's Sakura scroll saw. They are a must have. Dan

One heck of a great deal! Congrats, and enjoy your new saw! Dan

I own a G426, and absolutely love it. I paid $400 for mine, and had to replace a few parts to get it cutting quiet. This one is in really good shape, and for that price, I would snatch it up. The nice thing is, you can still get parts for this saw, and it is very easy to work on. I do hear a slight rattle on that saw, so it may need a new cam bearing soon, but I think that'll be a few miles down the road. Mine sounded really bad, and with the cam and bearing replacement (and a few other parts), it pretty much whispers. Here's a link to my post about repairing my saw after I purchased it.   Anyhow, I am extremely happy with my G4, and if you are looking for a larger saw, you can't go wrong, in my opinion. Dan

Like you, I stepped away for the Summer while I was out fishing, motorcycling, tending to the garden, etc., but in SE WI, it's time to get back into the shop for me as well. I'll be blowing the dust off of the Hawk and get moving on it. I am going to be building some Appalachian Mountain Dulcimers this winter out of reclaimed wood, and will be using the 26" Hawk for the sound holes. I have already installed a re-saw blade on the band saw and have half a truck load of pallet wood (My truck as an 8' bed, so it's a lot of lumber). I am just finalizing my plans and will make the prototype soon. I plan to build just a few of them, if the first one works out and has a good tone. I know pallet wood is going to be hit or miss, so I may use all pallet wood, and spruce sound boards, but I'll see how it goes. Dan

I don't much like wood carving, but it is sometimes necessary. I am currently working on a fishing game for my toddler nephew. It will consist of 6 fish with metal studs in the mouth. The fishing pole will have a rare earth magnet on the "hook" (blood wood part you see) to catch the fish. I am using just some pine and will have it finished by his 3rd birthday in December of 2023, but this is my start. The fish that I have carved are rough, but they will get a thorough sanding and finishing. Dan

Can't help much with your saw-specific question, but it's nice to have the big saw. My Hawk is a 26", and cutting "windows" out of a 21" board was a breeze Dan

Might just need to replace the wedge and nylon washer. Should make life a lot easier for you. Dan

I really like my Grizzly G0555LX. I have used it for maple, oak, ebony, etc, and have re-sawed on it many times. I have some birch logs that I will be cutting down for making bowls, and will be purchasing the riser kit for it. This is one of two non-USA-Made machines in my shop, and I am fine with that. The saw just keeps on going, and has no issues doing it. All bearing guides and runs very quiet. Smoothest cutting band saw I have ever owned, and I've owned a few. Of course, the first thing I did before I even turned it on was to put a good blade on it. The stuck blade was hardly sharp at all, which I expected. If you can find it on sale, which it does go on sale often, and you decide on it, snatch it up. I don't regret mine Dan

BadBob, to go off of yours, I built a DP Table from plans from WoodSmith plans. It uses a pivoting fence, and stays put. It took me only a couple of hours to make it (not including glue drying time) and woks great. I think the pivoting fence is a better idea because you only have one side that moves and holds in place a bit stronger due to that pivot. Might be worth checking out. They have a YouTube video on making this table as well as free plans on their website. I am happy with how the table turned out and I cut 4 or 5 extra inserts for it since I had some extra 1/4" hardboard left over from this project. Dan

Actually you must have posted your second video while I was typing out my post. In that second video, you can certainly hear the rattle getting louder before it popped the blade. That's the symptom I was just describing. Dan

Yep, same problem with mine when I purchased it (used). I think, when the pivot arm's bearings wear out, it causes that sound with enough vibration that with every down-stroke, it tries to yank the blade out of the holder just a little bit. After a few hundred strokes, it finally gets it yanked out. That's why the saw sounds like it is getting louder the longer you have it running. Once I replaced my pivot arm, the noise went away, and the blade stays put. I would call Bushton directly. They make some parts to order. When I ordered my pivot arm, I wanted to replace the counter weight on my motor as well since that started to show wear marks, and they had to machine it for me. She said it would be a couple of weeks, but I had all of my replacement parts within a week. Nice folks and great customer service. Dan

It also sounds like may need to replace your pivot arm. My G4 sounded the same and was popping out the blades. Plus, the bearing in the pivot arm was warn out. I replaced that and the saw got nice and quiet and stopped popping blades. I second the nylon washer. I had to also order the wedge, and the lady on the phone recommended I replaced that as well. Dan

No, not yet. I still have to make the crank handle for it, and I haven't had the gumption to do it yet. I did mount a pinned blade to it, and it holds the blade nice and tight. I don't see why it wouldn't cut. It'll be awkward to use one hand on the crank and one holding the piece, but I'll do something simple with some thin pine or something, just for fun. I'll post back when I finally make the crank and get it cutting. Dan

Thanks all. I have a few more machines to restore, but I felt like working on an easier one before I dive into others. Dan