Brief Description: Installed Hydraulic Down Feed on Band Saw
I recieved my hydraulic cylinder from Bimba today. It is a 1-1/16" bore double action cylinder with a 5" stroke. I had already fabricated the necessary fittings and plumbing for an identical cylinder a few weeks ago, but it was a pneumatic cylinder that didn't work well for this application. This downfeed system replaced the factory spring down feed setup, which was adequate for cutting solid stock and most flat bar, but is not ideal for cutting tubing. A spring/gravity feed will damage the saw blade if close attention is not given... this setup will allow for a steady downfeed that is adjustable from very slow to full gravity speeds.
Speed is adjusted by a one-way control valve that contains a check valve for unrestricted reverse operation. In other words, I can pick up the sam bow without and resistance... the flow is only controled when the bow is moving downwards.
