Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[62willy]

Quick question on centrifugal clutch. I bought a used Harbor Freight plate compactor and about 5 minutes into running, the clutch started smoking. Pulled it apart and the shoes are shot. The quality of clutch body seems pretty good so if I could just find the friction shoes, I'd be good. Any clues where to find parts for these things?

 

[bcp]

Quick question on centrifugal clutch. I bought a used Harbor Freight plate compactor and about 5 minutes into running, the clutch started smoking. Pulled it apart and the shoes are shot. The quality of clutch body seems pretty good so if I could just find the friction shoes, I'd be good. Any clues where to find parts for these things?

Places like this can reline it:

Clutches | Industrial Friction Materials LTD

Bruce

 

[Diggin It]

Any clues where to find parts for these things?

Call HF. They carry some parts for some things:

Harbor Freight Parts

 

[Ford850]

HF Horizontal/vertical Bandsaw item 93762. Metal Band Saw - Horizontal/Vertical Metal Band Saw
This is the original model, or close to it. They also sell item 62377 interchangeably, but more on that later. Item 93762 is the model shown on the website, and is easily identified by the squared upper corner on the main saw body by the blade tension knob. After a few adjustments to blade roller guides, I have this saw cutting nice clean square cuts. I'm happy with the purchase.
Now more about 62377 which was my original purchase a few weeks ago. I did a lot of reading about both models before buying, and while there are quite a few minor differences, I didn't think either had a clear advantage over the other. 93762 is a clone of many other brands though, including Grizzly. When I bought my saw, the store only had a 62377 so I took it. After assembling it, I tried to get it adjusted for close to 5 hours over a couple of days. Eventually I realized the list of deficiencies was too much for my taste:
- Upper wheel had to be shimmed inwards until nearly dragging on the cast body.
- Lower wheel had to be shimmed outwards, extending off the shaft 1/4".
- Saw drop tension spring adjustment rod was drilled and tapped at a 20* angle for the eye-bolt, making it difficult to rotate.
- Gear box leaked non stop even after removing cover and cleaning. Cover material is too thin and only has 4 corner bolts to attach so it bows instead of sealing.
I did get this first saw to hold a blade and cut square, but with the wheels shimmed so far I thought it was stressing everything. The gear box could have been sealed semi-permanently with gasket sealer or by making a heavier gauge cover plate, but I thought that shouldn't be needed on a new tool. Plus the 93762 model has 6 bolts in the gear box cover for a tighter fit. So I called and found a couple other nearby stores that had the 93762 model in stock. I re-boxed the original saw and exchanged it. The store manager exchanged the saw without question, and said he was surprised about the issues I had with mine. He said they sell quite a few and never have issues with either model, so hopefully I got a lemon on the first try. I will say a couple of the nicer features on the 62377 are the rubber feet and better wheels. I also picked up a spare blade while I was there, since they had bi-metal, made in USA blades in stock.

 

[stuckmotor]

I got lucky and bought one of the green 4x6 saws years ago. Most of the problems I've had including burning up the motor were my fault. Thanks for the number of the good saw. If I ever have to replace mine, I want one like yours.

 

[flyerdan]

I just picked up one of the 40A Chicago Electric plasma cutters from the sidewalk sale for $225...

I have one of the early chicom CUT 40 plasma cutters from ebay about ten years ago, It's probably the same machine, and it's been good to me. Set your air pressure with it flowing (no cut), mine is speced for 71 or 73 psi. They are handy to have around, for sure.

 

[5030]

I got lucky and bought one of the green 4x6 saws years ago. Most of the problems I've had including burning up the motor were my fault. Thanks for the number of the good saw. If I ever have to replace mine, I want one like yours.

I've had mine for at least 15 years now, bought it from HF, way back when. Smoked the motor about 5 years into ownership, it stunk, typical Chinesum insulation (rice paper). Replaced it with a US Motor, motor, been fine since. Drained the smeg out of the gearbox and filled it with synthetic grease, never leaked but I wanted to get the Chinesum gunk out of there anyway. Looked and smelled like fish oil...yuk.

I've cut literally tons of structural and bar stock on mine, I own a small fab shop so it's gets used every day. I run Lennox or Starrett pre welded bands on it, I'll have to check out HF but has to be bi-metal only. Added a Trico Mist coolant unit to mine, Think I paid more for the mist unit than I did for the saw, If I remember right, it was $129.00 back then. Everything else is original. I did add zerk fittings to the upper band wheel and finally machined out the hub and axle and added a roller bearing, the bushing got real sloppy but other than that, been peachy and it cuts square and miters no issue. The angle gauge on the bed is pretty far off, so I use a machinists protractor to set the miter cuts.

I sometimes forget it's a HF saw. Thinking about it now, I'd say it was the best buy I ever had from HF and like I said, gets used almost every day.

 

[BukitCase]

5030 (and others) here's a time saver I built several years ago, did one for my 4x6 HF saw (2 of 'em) and a bigger one for the 8x12 Jet saw -

Fixed jaw side, note the small tab UNDER the jaw; jig tends to raise up when clamping otherwise - This shows the stop at the blade end of the vise - on that one, I drilled/tapped the angled face for a 1/2" bolt, bottomed out the threaded part from the back side, then used a zip disk to flush cut the front, and to slice off most of the un-threaded part to form the stop. Without that, the adapter will "squirt" out of the jaws when tightened. And yeah, there are easier ways, that was the (still being used) prototype

Cut finished - And checked -

If you mainly do either 90 or 45 degree cuts, this lets you swap in seconds instead of several minutes. - It ALSO makes almost ZERO difference on jaw capacity compared to resetting the fixed jaw to 45 degrees.

On all 3 of my saws, I use a smaller digital protractor (so it fits down next to the blade) and set the back jaw EXACTLY at 90 degrees (relative to a properly tensioned NEW blade), making sure BOTH of the hold-down bolts are slightly loose and the jaw pushed up against them from between the jaws; then I tighten the bolts, re-check square, then scribe the bed along the fixed jaw for a reference.

The only time this might change is if you swap blades and don't get the new one adjusted the same with the eccentrics on blade bearings. Once a saw is set up, I NEVER move the inner eccentric adjusters (if they have those) - only the OUTER ones for .002-.003 clearance between bearing and blade.

Enjoy... Steve

 

[5030]

Very nice, I thing I'll copy yours, with your permission of course... I will say that mine has never been that clean however. I'm always cutting steel or stainless round stock and the mist coolant really makes a mess, but the bands last much longer.

I've considered buying a much better saw (with hydraulic downfeed and coolant and a bigger throat) but then I look at the price (thousands) and keep on running the cheap HF saw.

When I say it's cut thousands of pounds of steel, I mean just that. Usually my steel deliveries come on a flatbed tractor trailer. I buy in mill length which is anywhere from 15 feet long to 22 feet long, depending on material.

Only wimpy thing was the Chinese motor. Once I replaced the ricer motor with a real 1/2 horse American Made motor, all was good. Of course being cheap I smoked the rice motor first......:laughing:

Amazing thing about the rice motors is when you let the smoke out, they never trip the breaker or short out, they just smoke, stink and quit. Then they get landfilled, ot in my case in the scrap hopper

I did have to build a more substantial base for mine. When you suspend a mill length of Schedule 60 rectangular steel tube 20 feet long between the saw and the roller stand way back there... Things get pretty heavy up on the saw and the sheet metal base couldn't 'stand the strain' so I built one from 3/4" plywood with metal corners. That takes the load quite well.

Good saw, terrible motor.

 

[BukitCase]

Copy away, that's why I posted it. Oh, and that saw was new when the pics were taken, doesn't look like that any more :laughing: I went a bit different on its base too, my older green 4x6 (bought new in 1981 when HF had exactly ONE store in Camarillo Ca.), original motor and still going strong) is in an 8x10 room along with 'way more stuff than should ever fit, so it's kinda limited on lengths I can cut. (I can feed 20' in thru the door, but outfeed is limited to about 4 feet...

So when I got the newer 4x6, I came up with an "offroad" design - it's its own 2-wheel wheelbarow and has a stowable pin hitch so I can tow it around with the mower or golf cart. Some pics at the bottom.

My Jet 8x12 isn't an Ellis, but does OK. Think it was just under $1200, has hydraulic downfeed, a coolant pump I've never hooked up. Built one of the 45 adapters for that one too, and added an angle iron frame with 13" no-flats on rear, 5" double locking casters front (got tired of having to steer it by lifting one end and moving it sideways

Here's a few shots of the offroad 4x6... Steve