How Much Band Saw Gearbox Oil

[lostcause]

Kind of welding related... it's for cutting the metal I weld into tractor implements, attachments, and parts...

Bought two basket case band saws a couple years ago - they were real bad. motors apart, motors full of water, been outdoors for a few years, lots of missing and broken motor and saw pieces, etc. They are both Taiwan / China made saws similar to the ones Harbor Freight sells for $1299 now? I guess the price has doubled in the past 5 years. Anyways, the easier rebuild of the two was actually a 1998 Northern Tool ST-G610 which differs from the more common ones since it has a 3-speed gearbox instead of a multiple pulley setup. the saw was upside down and had leaked some, and I did not know what sort of contamination the gearbox had, so I opened it up and cleaned it. My question now is that I don't have a point of reference on how full the box should be on oil. The bearings are regular sealed bearings, and once you get past the worm gear, the moving parts start slowing down, so I'm guessing that they weren't intended to be lubricated. I don't expect much splash lubrication with gear oil and slow speed shafts, so I'm thinking the gearbox should have oil up high enough to contact the worm gear and wheel? I can't find a manual for this saw either.

Before I go find a forum for repairing imported machine tools, I figured you guys might have a good opinion. The fill plug is vented so it can vent air or purge expanded oil.

 

[CADplans]

I would bet the plug visible in the pic that you would remove with a hex wrench is the level plug.

I have a 4X6 saw that was USA made (OLD!! LOL!!) and there is a plug like that for the level.
I think the oil is that low, so as not to force the gasket to keep oil in the saw when not in use.

If you fill the saw with the plug out, and the cover off,,
I believe you will find the oil will be just below the gasket, when the saw is down.

My experience with two saws (the 4x6 and a 9X16) is that synthetic oil is the only choice.

I got my 4X6 for scrap price, because the brass worm was destroyed.
It was so long ago, I called the MFGR on the phone, they sent me TWO!!

Running synthetic, the worm has never shown wear.
My 9X16 would get the gearbox almost too hot to touch after 30 minutes of cutting.
I switched to synthetic, the saw can now run all day, and not get barely more than warm.

 

[lostcause]

yeah i wondered about that, but when you look at the first picture and imagine the wall thickness of the gearbox, and the level at the bottom of the hole, there is nearly no oil in there and It doesn't seem like it will actually work its way to most of the gears. the original gasket was a reasonably thick and well sealed gasket that i had to scrape off both sides. it did seal entirely even when turned over. the only leakage was through the vent in the fill. I'm going to try where it is now and see whether the oil will wick up on to the worm - assuming i can sight through the fill plug. if it does, i'll try lowering it down to the plug level and see if i can find the happy spot.

 

[WranglerX]

MY low end HF saw states fill gearbox with 140 weight oil till it reached lower lip of gear box with saw frame in down position...

 

[CalG]

I use UTTO (Universal Tractor Transmission Oil) in Every gearbox that doesn't need Hypoid additives .

The stuff is amazing, and PROVEN.

Good for Hydraulics, Good for straight gears, Good for sliding friction, Good for Bronze components Great anti wear, anti oxidation, High temp stability, anti corrosive, it even absorbs water!

Plus, It's NOT EXPENSIVE or hard to find. I've always got a couple of five gallon pails around the place.

I use it in the headstock of the lathes, and the gearbox on the milling machine. And YES, I even use it in the gear box of the lay down band saw. (the hydraulic down feed control cylinder too!)

If it's good enough for a hydrostatic transmission, It's good for just about anything.

Cuts down on the inventory count too!

 

[5030]

Took the 'soy oil' out of mine and filled it with synthetic grease. That was 10 years ago, have not touched it since. Put a real motor on it too. The Chineseum motor went up in smoke pretty early on. Stunk too.