This is quite interesting actually because I can see how adding tension & force a certain way could change the blade ever so slightly as to cause a subsequent problem. I have tried turning radii tighter than I ought to have done but in terms of 'abuse' that's about as much as you could say really. It's not really had a hard life at all.
Anyway - thanks for all the replies gents - super helpful as usual and very much appreciated.
Peter, I think the two main things I will be looking at tonight on it (since I have no blade now) are the alignment of the wheels to each other, and to fabricate fittings to allow bearings either side top & bottom. I think the smallest ones I have a stock of take an M6 bolt through, so will see what I can do with those. Might have to make little adaptor brackets.
Part of the reason is I want to try celtic knots and out of my chopsaw, horrific table saw, and bandsaw, I think the latter has the best chance of being suitable for making a clean accurate cut. The kerf will be very thin so it could interesting trying to make suitable slivers of wood to glue in the slots, but if it's on a jig or something I can always make more than one cut to get the correct thickness or something.
Sure it'll never be brilliant but with some tweaking and patience along with the advice here I'm sure I can get it fairly ok, and there's not much hope of saving up for a bigger better one at all, so make the best of what I have of course. :)
