"andy" wrote in message
...
Hi folks.
I am trying to repair a vertical woodcutting bandsaw. It is a
Crescent/Delta 20" made in "back in the day"
When I bought it, the upper wheel axle or shaft was scored from a
locked-up bearing. I repaired it by tig brazing and used the saw for
a few years. Just recently, the whole shaft broke. A replacement
shaft is not availble, so I was planning to make a replacement. I
have acess to a lathe, but no heat treating or grinding equipment.

The following links are from my first repair.The shaft is 1" in
diameter at it's largest and about 9.5" long.

http://metalworking.com/Dropbox/saw_shaft_repair.txt
http://metalworking.com/Dropbox/saw_...repair_001.jpg
http://metalworking.com/Dropbox/saw_...repair_002.jpg
http://metalworking.com/Dropbox/saw_...repair_003.jpg
http://metalworking.com/Dropbox/saw_...repair_005.jpg
http://metalworking.com/Dropbox/saw_...repair_007.jpg

I hope to buy a chunk of steel from McMaster-Carr and have at it.
They sell a dizzying array of steel alloys, and I dont' know which to
choose.

Can anyone recommend a type of steel? Can I just machine a shaft and
not harden it? Any and all advice appretiated.

Thanks,
Andy
Lynn, MA

4140 would be a good choice. Normalized, it's machineable, if not quickly
machineable, and has a yield of around 95 kips. You can more than double
that in the oil-quenched condition, but single-point turning anything above
about Rc 40 requires some good technique.

Chances are that the normalized condition will do it for you, but if M-C has
some medium-tempered steel, you might try that if you have a rigid lathe and
some carbide tools. Just take it slow.

Here are properties of various 4000-series alloys. Those are good choices
for all but the most extreme applications. Good luck.

http://www.matweb.com/Search/Materia...px?GroupID=230

--
Ed Huntress