Replacing Hawk upper blade holder

[Eplfan2011]

Couple of questions regarding the ultra upper blade holder

1. Anyone upgraded the upper blade holder to the new style?

2. is it worth the $54 for the kit or stick with the original.

At the moment the originals are not available but my FIL is a retired tool maker with his own full shop and ensures me he can make them for me.

I guess what I'm asking is there any advantage to upgrading as opposed to replacing ? 

 

 

[kmmcrafts]

I did it on a very old saw round lower barrel clamp type saw I use to have..

There are 3 different types of upper blade mechanisms.. so it would depend upon what type upper you have on your saw. 

I'm kinda confused as to what you mean by blade holder as there are a lot of parts up there with the tension cam assembly. IF all you need is the holder that clamps the blade then I'd say keep using the one you have unless it's damaged. 

If you need a new tension cam assembly that is where there is 3 different versions depending on age of the saw. First version is when the cam gets worn the tension lever will not "lock" in the down position.. or may lock but once you run the saw it pops up slightly.. and looses tension. The slightly newer saws have a set screw on the bottom side of where that lever goes into the arm where you can adjust it to get more locking down action so if you're having that issue maybe you just need to adjust it. The newest version has some upgrades.. and the "pin" that in in the blade holder is a solid pin rather than a hollow "roll pin" which they had problems with the hollow ones bending under the tension over time. 

Hope I made some sense of this.. The upgraded one is nicer stronger set-up.. but unless you have some worn or broken parts I wouldn't upgrade if the saw is working fine as is.. 

[Eplfan2011]

Sorry for the confusion and my lack of clarity. my VS 226 ultra has the newer " square" type blade holders, the top one is getting worn but still serviceable.

On the parts website there is a upgrade kit for the Vs220/226 which replaces the cam, tension arm etc and converts it to use the BM type bladeholders (all included in the kit).

 The original upper blade holders are unavailable now (waiting to restock) but I've been told it's been this way for awhile. My FIL assures me he can he can make me some as long as I have one for a pattern 

So has anyone upgraded and using the BM upper blade holder? And if so is it worth the $54 ? 

[OCtoolguy]

Are you having problems clamping/holding the blades? If so, give your FIL a try. Otherwise, you have no choice at this point, so you'll have to upgrade. 

[kmmcrafts]

Like I said, I upgraded to the newer BM style holders on a very old 220VS saw.. It's definitely worth it IF the cam mechanism is needing replaced as the old saws didn't have the adjustment set screw on the bottom side so when the cam would get slightly worn you had to replace the whole thing.. the upgrade make it so you only need to change the worn set screw.. instead of taking the whole assembly off the saw. 

SO, I would say in the long run IF your saw doesn't have the set screw underneath where the tension lever is then the upgrade is definitely worth it, because once that cam wears out you'll be replacing it anyway.. If you have that adjustable set screw then I would say make a upper clamp if you have the means to do so. A lot might depend on how much you use the saw too.. those cams last a hobbyist a long time.. me production cutting I have to adjust the set screw about 4 times a year and wear one out every 3-4 years.  

[Eplfan2011]

12 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Like I said, I upgraded to the newer BM style holders on a very old 220VS saw.. It's definitely worth it IF the cam mechanism is needing replaced as the old saws didn't have the adjustment set screw on the bottom side so when the cam would get slightly worn you had to replace the whole thing.. the upgrade make it so you only need to change the worn set screw.. instead of taking the whole assembly off the saw. 

SO, I would say in the long run IF your saw doesn't have the set screw underneath where the tension lever is then the upgrade is definitely worth it, because once that cam wears out you'll be replacing it anyway.. If you have that adjustable set screw then I would say make a upper clamp if you have the means to do so. A lot might depend on how much you use the saw too.. those cams last a hobbyist a long time.. me production cutting I have to adjust the set screw about 4 times a year and wear one out every 3-4 years.  

Thanks for your insight kmmcrafts I don't have the adjustment screw so after what you've said I think I'll just upgrade it. 

 I like the saw it's quiet and cuts well and even after the upgrade I'm under $200 in it also I guess if I ever need a need blade holder they will be easier to get.

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, Eplfan2011 said:

Thanks for your insight kmmcrafts I don't have the adjustment screw so after what you've said I think I'll just upgrade it. 

 I like the saw it's quiet and cuts well and even after the upgrade I'm under $200 in it also I guess if I ever need a need blade holder they will be easier to get.

I suggest spraying some penetrant oil onto the roll pin that holds the tension assembly onto the saw arm so it'll press out easier. IF I remember correctly there will be a set screw on the cam that you'll also need to loosen / remove to get the tension lever out of the arm too. Pretty straight forward and easy job to change it so long as the roll pin isn't rusted into the saw arm. 

[Eplfan2011]

16 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

I suggest spraying some penetrant oil onto the roll pin that holds the tension assembly onto the saw arm so it'll press out easier. IF I remember correctly there will be a set screw on the cam that you'll also need to loosen / remove to get the tension lever out of the arm too. Pretty straight forward and easy job to change it so long as the roll pin isn't rusted into the saw arm. 

When I got the saw I took the tension assembly  off to clean a load of crud out of there, so it should slide right out.

But I do appreciate your direction and help ...