Anderzander

I like that idea - the title 'a bit on the side' sounds very apt too.

A daft one - would a tail gate and cat flap be easier ?

I'd contact PayPal asap to kick of the process anyway.

If I can afford it - I'd like that please ?

I have a Mantec carrier and it has made mine easier to open and close. There is more weight - but it's carried by the chassis rather than the door, which has had the effect of making the door feel lighter... I don't know if my results are skewed by the size of the wheel or the state of the hinges ... But I wouldn't discount the benefits of just fitting the carrier.

Happy to pay in advance Ross .... Just tell me how to.

It's excellent - you did a much better job of cutting the window trims than I did. Interesting that I fitted the exmoor trim lock and fold, which doesn't use the brace from the crossmember for the floor seat belt mount. It just uses a small spreader plate. I figured that was because in operation the vast majority of the strain seems to be between the reel and the clip.

Thanks Rob - and no reason to apologise !! It fit into the larger context of one of those days where everything you touch turns to ship. Where the world seems to be telling you 'put the tools down and go inside ...'

Robert! Since I read your post about difficulties welding with the clarke's my wire won't stop jamming, I can't get the settings right, and my welding has gone to ship ! Lol Realistically though I've changed to 0.8 - using a different gas - and it's been a while. Prior to that I was welding just fine how it was set up. I think I need to put some time aside for laying down a load of beads to get myself dialled in. I'm getting more penetration with the 0.8 it seems - so it's thrown the settings I had kept track of. I've always found my wire speeds quite a bit lower than the settings say it should be - but I think that's simply down to the wire running faster than it should at those lower numbers on the scale. So I tend to set the voltage settings and then hold the torch on a piece of the steel - and turn the dial until it sounds like it's sizzling.

Great idea on the tape and the fillet - thanks everyone.

Thank you Robert. I have the manual and printed off the wire speeds - though it always seems to be out, which I've put down to the voltage drop I get with my garage being at the end of the garden and my welder on the end of an extension from there... I have been looking at the magnetic clamps - I remember HFH saying how pleased he was with him. It would seem to have a number of advantages.

Thank you everyone - I take a lot of confidence from the info that's shared on here. It's very helpful.

I'm trying !

Thank you Mike - that's good to know. I might give that HTS2000 stuff a try then.

I'm not even sure how it comes out Mo ..... I'll google for some info. It looks like it comes out with the inner panel removing, which needs the rods removing - which is what put me off.

I could do that - I guess I could spot weld it too, I was thinking bonding it would mean both surfaces could be painted and remain unbroken. I was also aware that there is a whole world of adhesives I've never tried. A further use for me might be that I have some M6 holes on my wings from chequer plate - I thought I could bond a small ally disc under it and then fill on top of it it and paint it.... Or try some of those hs2000 rod thingies ..

Great ! Thank you Lewis. I'll make a start on it this weekend.

Oh of course - and thank you - that is really helpful. I'm slowly getting organised. I've lots to learn - and you guys are a huge help.

Oh That would answer my question in as much as I'd just be taking it off then !

i delved into my drivers door the other day to trace a break in the Electric windows - that's done but I wondered if the good folk here could help me with a couple of other thing I've uncovered to do.... 1. There was rust along the bottom rail - but it all turned out to be a thin panel that seems to have been spot welded onto the bottom rail - I'm assuming it's part of the moisture barrier... After cleaning the rust off with my grinder's new wire wheel attachment (should have got one ages ago !) the plan is to grind the welds out and remove the remains of the panel... What I was think of was buying a bit of galvanised sheet and (after rust proofing) using an adhesive to bond it to the frame. Would this be worthwhile ? And would one of the sikaflex products be appropriate ? 2. A really ignorant question - but the panel that bolts on and mounts the window mechanism has cracked through near the lock button. I plan to clean it back to metal and run a bead of weld on it........ Is it safe to do with the glass still in the door ? 3. The adhesive that held the polythene moisture barrier on is no longer sticky and I'll probably need to cut a new sheet - what could I use to stick it on again ? Is it some sort of mastic ? Any help or suggestions gratefully received !

Also ..... Could anyone recommend an earth clamp ? Something's that's not overkill for such a basic welder so, but is an improvement on the cheap one it has now?

Finished my trolley tonight - bought a sheet of half inch mdf to make the shelves. So all in its cost just over £16. I'm pleased with it considering it's the cheapest option I had. It's stable and easy to move about. Also very handy to have things on there to hand. I've a couple of beginners questions too please ... I've also put a new tip and neck on it - and gone upto 0.8 wire. So far I'd only used 0.6. Am I right that that will increase the current ? Also someone suggested a glass flow meter was good to use and gave me one, which I've fitted - but I wonder if it's right having it plumbed onto the end of my regulator - as it effectively seems to be giving to controls to set the flow ? I'll have to open the regulator to get the flow from there and that will be read by a gauge - and then open the valve on the glass and the flow there will be read again by there .... Have I goofed ?

I'm going to bookmark those CAV 296 filters - they'd look good in an old series with a 200tdi. A bit more period looking than the standard discovery item. Thank you !

I couldn't get the PDF to upload - so I copied and pasted the text into a new thread: http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=95178

I found this on the net and thought it may be useful, so copied it here: Blade Tracking and Adjustment for 4x6 Metal Cutting Bandsaws By John Pitkin Disclaimer If you read these instructions and attempt any of the procedures you do so at your own risk. You take responsibility for your own actions and will not whine, complain or sue anyone because you think someone is at fault besides yourself. If you get hurt, dismembered or shocked, its because you failed to look out for yourself. USE COMMON SENSE! Use a new blade The following procedures assume you are doing the alignment with a new blade. Worn, bent, kinked, or dull blades will tend to cut askew. If your saw previously cut straight, and is now cutting crooked, change the blade before doing anything. If after changing the blade you still have problems, begin a complete alignment. If you saw has never cut straight, you must start the alignment process with a new blade. Preamble This is the stuff they left out of the manuals. Using the owners manual instructions will get you nowhere if the blade wont stay on for two seconds. Example: Step 1 in the Harbor Freight manual says, Place the saw arm in the vertical position and open the wheel cover. OK...fair enough. Step two says, Turn on the band saw. The blade is tracking properly when the back of the blade (B) (see figure 1) is just touching the edge of the wheel flange ©. The manual leaves out the part that should read, Watch in disgust as the blade immediately jumps off the wheels making further steps impossible. Before we begin, lets make one thing perfectly clear. This is a cheap saw. It does a great job for the home shop, but its not a super-stiff industrial unit. IT BENDS and FLEXES!!! Were going to assume this little tool is going to flex when we tension the blade and we will compensate for that. Were also going to assume the saw is not adjusted at the factory. It might run straight out of the box; but its your job to fine tune the machine. There are many variants of these saws so the exact screw, nut, plate or bolt that makes an adjustment may be slightly different on your saw. However, the technique and method of alignment is the same. If your saw is different from the one described here, simply modify what you need to get the job done. The easiest way to start the adjustment and alignment is to begin with a setting that will ensure the blade doesnt jump off. THEN you can start fine tuning for proper tracking. So, lets fix this saw! 1. Unplug the power cord. 2. Raise saw to the vertical position (We will refer to the wheels as upper and lower.) 3. Open the blade guard 4. Loosen blade tension knob enough to remove blade 5. Remove blade The Drive Shaft The drive shaft rides in ball bearings. The shaft is held in the gear box by the lower drive wheel. The drive shaft must be held in place while the lower drive wheel is installed on the shaft. After the lower wheel is installed, the shaft must not be able to move in or out. Any axial movement will allow the blade to jump off the wheels. If the wheel does move in or out, you must remove the gearbox cover to hold the drive shaft firmly in place while the lower wheel is pushed onto the shaft as far as it will go. If you still have movement you will need to add shim washers or spacers. It doesnt matter if you shim the inside or the outside of the wheel as long as you remove any axial play. You will match the upper wheel in a subsequent step. Lower wheel The lower wheel is the drive wheel. (Both Harbor Freight and Grizzly manuals call it the front wheel. Upper and lower makes more sense.) The lower wheel is held on the drive shaft with a set screw, or a snap ring. Ensure the set screw is tight in the drive shaft. If you have a snap ring make sure it is seated in the groove. Grab the lower wheel and try to move it in and out on the shaft. Also, check the shaft is solid going into the gearbox. It should not wiggle or slide in and out. Next check the lower wheel runs true by taping a card or piece of wire to the frame so it is just touching the lower wheel outer edge. Plug in the power cord and turn the saw on. Watch the lower wheel for any wobbling. If the wheel wobbles, you have either a bent shaft or the lower wheel is miss-bored. If the wheel is out of axis, replace it or youll need to remove the lower wheel; over-bore the center hole to get it true, and bush it back to size. Then remount the wheel. If the shaft is bent (you can check run-out with the wheel removed and a dial indicator) you can order a new shaft, or try straightening the shaft with a hydraulic press. Upper Wheel The upper wheel is a non-drive idler wheel (HF and Grizzly call it the rear wheel) It is adjustable in tilt as well as up/down for tensioning the blade. The upper wheel axle is attached to a sliding plate used to tension the blade. The sliding plate is held in the saw with guide rails. There are two or more bolts per guide rail. The upper wheel tilts to adjust tracking. Tilt is accomplished by wedging the sliding plate with an adjusting screw or bolt. When the wheel is tilted the sliding plate tilts in the guide rails. Therefore: the rails are not snug when there is no blade installed. The tension of the blade takes up any lash in the sliding plate and the guide rails. Better saws have a hinge plate for the axle tilt and the guide rails are snug against the sliding plate. To adjust tilt, loosen the center bolt on the sliding plate so it is loose but snug. (No slop) The lower screw (or bolt) on the sliding plate is for adjusting the wheel tilt. When adjustments are complete, tighten the center bolt on the sliding plate. Note: Some saws have three bolts for the tilt adjustment. Some saw require a hex wrench to adjust tilt The upper wheel assembly rotates on ball bearings on most saws. Some have bushings. There are two methods of mounting the upper wheel assembly. 1. The wheel assembly with bearings is pressed onto the shaft. There is no set screw or retaining clip. An interference fit holds the upper wheel bearings in place; or, 2. The wheel assembly is held with a shaft collar, a screw and washer in the end of the axle, or a snap ring. We will discuss how to adjust both types in the offset section, below. First, check the wheel rotates freely. Check the bearings or bushings are not loose on the shaft. Turn the wheel by hand and check for any unwanted wobble motion. If the upper wheel is out of axis (wobbles) youll need to order a new wheel; or, re-bore the bearing recesses, insert sleeves to bring the recess back to size and reinstall the bearings. Zero Offset Offset refers to both wheels being in the same plane. Place a straight edge across the rims of the upper and lower wheels at the same time. The straight edge should be held close to the axles. Adjust the tilt of the upper wheel to be PARALLEL with the lower wheel. If any offset exists between upper and lower wheels, you will need to move the upper wheel on its shaft. [Pressed on wheel adjustment] If the upper wheel is too far out, place a deep socket that just fits over the shaft and, using a hammer or mallet, drive the wheel assembly inward. If the upper wheel is too far inward, use a three jaw puller with a BEARING SEPARATOR to pull the wheel assembly outward. If you dont have a suitable puller, you can remove the wheel and sliding plate as a unit. Then support the inside bearing with bar stock while driving the shaft inward. [Floating wheel adjustment] Remove the wheel retainer, snap ring or screw. Add or remove shims or spacers to put upper and lower wheels in the same plane. Zero Twist Next check for twist between the wheels. Move the straight edge left and right of the axles. There should be zero offset on both sides. If one side is positive offset and the other side is negative, the axles are twisted in relation to each other. To remove twist, shim one side of the sliding plate and guide rails on the UPPER wheel then re-check the offset measurement. Initial Blade Installation Unplug the power cord. Remove the blade GUIDES from the saw. They will be re-installed in a later step. For now, it is easier if the blade guides are not interfering with the blade tracking. Open the v-belt cover and remove the v-belt so the gear box may be rotated by hand. To prevent the blade from popping off during the adjustment we will over-compensate by adjusting the upper wheel with a slight tilt. Tilt the upper part of the upper wheel a few degrees toward the saw body. It will be readjusted in later steps. Install a new blade on the saw. Previously used blades will interfere with the alignment process. Make sure the blade is fully against the wheel flanges. Tighten the tension knob enough to take up all slack in the blade. The blade should make a musical like note when plucked. If it just buzzes, you need more tension. Check the TEETH of the blade are not riding on the rim of either wheel. If the teeth are riding on the wheel, you may require a wider blade; or, relieve (chamfer) the edge of the wheel. If teeth ride on the wheel it will result in crooked cuts as the wheel will flatten the set of the teeth on one side. With the v-belt removed, rotate the drive pulley by hand in the normal direction and observe the blade tracking. If the blade starts to move away from the wheel flanges, STOP and add more tilt to the upper wheel. Adding more tilt to the blade requires you to loosen the blade tension, adjust the tilt and re-tension the blade. If the blade stays against the wheel flange for an entire revolution of the wheel, install the v-belt and close the BELT cover. The BLADE cover must remain open to observe the tracking while making adjustments. Make sure hands and fingers are clear. Plug the saw in and turn on the motor. If the blade jumps off the wheels; shut off the saw, add more upper wheel tilt and reinstall the blade. If the blade remains on the saw, adjust the upper wheel tilt while the saw is running so the blade just touches the UPPER wheel flange. If the blade is hard against the upper wheel flange, back off the wheel tilt adjustment. When the upper wheel tilt is correct, check the blade position on the LOWER wheel. The blade should just touch the lower wheel flange. If the blade is too far away from the LOWER flange or hard against the LOWER flange, repeat the offset adjustment by moving the upper wheel in or out on the shaft to correct the blade position, and start over. Installing and Adjusting the Blade Guide Bearings Note: There are two types of 4X6 saws on the market. One version has blade guides adjustable for tilt. On the other version the blades guides are NOT (easily) adjustable for tilt. Re-install the blade guides. The blade guides have eccentric bolts on the outside bearing and back bearing. The inside bearing is not adjustable. Adjust the blade guide SIDE BEARINGS with about 0.005 to 0.010 clearance. The manual states .001 clearance. That is much too tight. You do not want the rollers on the bearings compressing the blade. There needs to be enough clearance to allow sticky metal filings and chips to pass between the SIDE BEARINGS without jamming the blade and stopping the saw. Insufficient blade to bearing clearance will lead to premature blade failure. The manuals state .002 to .003 clearance for the BACKING BEARINGS. There is no reason to fiddle with these bearings trying to get them perfect. Simply adjust them so they barely touch the back of the blade. When lowering the saw onto a work piece the blade and the backing bearings carry the weight. The BACKINGS BEARINGS must have positive contact or the blade will pop off when it is pushed over the wheel flanges. More on blade guides follows. Final Tensioning Tension the blade for normal cutting. When the tension is increased on this little saw the upper wheel has a tendency to tilt inward, so watch for a need to readjust the tilt. I find it best to tension the saw when it is running so I can watch the tracking as the tension increases. NOTE: Any tilt adjustment may also require wheel offset adjustment! After final tension is set, re-check the tracking on both upper and lower wheels. Be sure to compare offset of the wheels after tensioning. Subsequent Blade Changes Once you have gone through this procedure, subsequent blade changes are pretty easy. All that is needed is to install a new blade is: Reset the upper wheel tilt a little bit inward. (precautionary to prevent the new blade from jumping off.) Tension the blade. Turn the saw on and adjust the tilt so the blade just touches the wheel flange. No further offset adjustment is necessary. Squaring the Cut Lower the saw to the full down position. Use a combination square or drafting triangle to set the non-movable fence at 90 degrees to the blade. Next, prop the saw up so the blade is 2 to 3 inches above the cutting table. Use the triangle or square to check the tilt of the blade. On saws with adjustable blade guides, adjust the tilt as necessary. On saws without adjustable blade guides, place shims between the blade guide arms and the frame of the saw. A piece of duct tape will hold the shims in place so the guides can be moved in and out without losing the shims. Using a WOOD 2X2 Make a test cut to check for blade drift. Wood will give you an accurate test and will cut down the time needed for the test cuts by a factor of about 50. Cutting a wood 2X2 takes about five to ten seconds. Cutting a metal 2 inch bar takes about 5 minutes. Using a square, check the cut and make adjustments for drift as needed. Note: Do not change the blade guide side bearing clearance while making blade drift adjustments. Moving the blade guide bearings closer will cause the cut to go right. Increasing blade guide bearing clearance will cause the cut to drift left. Reinstalling used blades On occasion, a blade will break or snap and the only replacement immediately available is a used blade. Sometimes a blade change may be necessary for cutting different material. Rarely will this cause a problem if the saw is properly aligned. Simply install the blade, tension, and check the tilt for tracking. However, be aware that used blades sometimes wander or cut crooked. You may have to adjust the blade guides to obtain a straight cut. If you adjust the blade guides for a used blade... You must readjust the guides when installing a new blade. Finale Thats the procedure. Do it once. Your saw should be set for many years. On the next two pages is a checklist to use for going through the above procedures. Revision 1 27Apr07 added notes on using new blade for alignment. Bandsaw Tracking and Adjustment Checklist Lower wheel checks Unplug saw from electrical power Check Frame tilt shaft secure Raise saw to vertical position Open blade cover Release tension on blade Remove blade Check lower wheel secure. No axial movement (in and out) Check power switch in OFF position Plug in electrical power Turn saw on check lower wheel runs true (no wobble) Turn saw off Unplug electrical power Upper wheel checks Check upper wheel secure on axle Check upper wheel has no axial (in out) movement on axle Check upper wheel runs true (no wobble) Zero offset Using a straight edge - Adjust upper wheel to parallel with lower wheel Adjust upper wheel to be in the same plane with lower wheel (Use shims, spacers or pullers and presses.) Initial blade install Remove blade guide assemblies (do not remove bearings from assemblies) Tilt upper wheel slightly inward (preload for blade tension) Install a new blade do not use an old blade for initial alignment. Preliminary tension blade for a musical note Turn drive pulley by hand for preliminary tracking. Adjust tilt so blade stays on wheels when turning drive pulley by hand Check motor secure on frame V-belt Install v-belt Check belt tension and tension lock nut Install v-belt cover Check V-belt cover not touching pulleys or belt Initial Tracking with Power Plug in electrical power Turn on saw If blade jumps off, turn off saw. Unplug electric. Go back to Initial Blade Install If blade stays on, adjust tracking tilt so blade just touches the UPPER wheel inner flange NOTE: Center bolt on sliding plate must be loosen to adjust tilt. NOTE: Tension Knob must be loosened to adjust tilt. Offset follow-up Check bottom wheel blade position. If blade position is not the same as the top wheel repeat Zero Offset adjustment. Blade guides Turn saw off Unplug saw Install blade guide assemblies Adjust blade guide side bearing clearance .005 to .010 Adjust blade guide backing bearings so they just touch the blade Install blade guards over blade guides if removed Close and secure blade cover. Lower saw to down position Check fixed fence at 90 degrees to blade Raise saw 2 to 3 inches Check blade vertical at 90 degrees to table Test cut Check switch in off position Plug in electrical power Cut 2 x 2 block of wood. Measure cut end for square. Adjust blade guides to correct blade drift, if necessary. Final Tensioning Pluck return side of blade. Tension blade so it will give a clear musical note. (no buzz) NOTE: Any time you adjust tension, recheck the tracking. Revision 1 27Apr07 added notes on using new blade for alignment.