Morning all,
As stated earlier, I have a 18″ Rikon Bandsaw and am happy with it. The only problem I am having is the blade (142″ x 1/2″) oscillates back and forth??? Does this mean the wheels are out of alignment? Band weld on blade? I bought it from woodcraft and they said this is normal. I have been woodworking for 10 years now and I know better. The only way I can get that problem to stop is to place the thrust bearings right behind the blade. I don’t like to do this because it makes the thrust bearing work too hard. Can someone please help me with this problem.
Thanks again.
Jeff
Replies
You need to try another blade to see if that eliminates the problem. You can easliy check for wheel wobble by clamping a stick to some reference point and spin the wheel by hand. You should get Duginske's book on bandsaws to learn the finer points of bandsaw working and tuning. http://www.cambiumbooks.com Books are probably the cheapest and safest tool to invest in.
If..... if you have made sure the blade is tracking center tire while test spinning by hand, the wheels are co-planular, the tracking adjustment has been locked after alignment and you have the proper tension (if you set tension on a 1/2" blade at the 1/2" mark on your tension indicator you probably don't.. crank it to 5/8" or slightly above).... then the most common problem that creates in and out motion of blade is either bad blade weld or you have sawdust build-up on your tires.
Check the blade weld to see if it is smooth and clean the tires with mineral spirits and a medium stiff brush to see what happens. And get the proper tension (what brand and type blade are you using??). And remember to not force the feed rate. The saw and blade will tell you just what speed to feed.
Just my opinion of course....
Regards...
SARGE..jt
Jeff,
If it is a bad weld, or some other kink in the blade, the motion will keep occurring at the exact same place, or places, on the blade as you rotate the wheels by hand.
If the flaw is with the wheels, the motion will repeat at the same position of the wheels each time they are rotated through one revolution.
It is unlikely that the wheels or bearings suddenly went bad unless there has recently been some sort of accident that would have damaged them. The most likely cause is a bad blade.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
John,
Did I buy a "quality" 18" bandsaw? I am not in a position to buy Laguana or MiniMax so I bought the Rikon on reviews. Do you think I need to check the wheels to make sure they are typical? With big bandsaws, should the blade track down through the table perfectly? If the teeth are pointing, lets say west, should there be any movement that goes west to east or should it run up and down perfectly?
Thank-you, I have been fighting this for awhile.
Jeff
Woodcraft mentioned to me that some of the Rikons came out with bad wheels and Rikon replaced them free of charge but I would supect the blade first.
Dugingske's (sp?) book is great! My bandsaw is much better after I tuned it up!
Scott
Hey!, my book is better than Duginske's.
John White, "Author of Care and Repair of Shop Machines"
"As a matter of policy at the magazine, I can't comment on how good or bad a specific machine is except as part of a written review."
"Hey!, my book is better than Duginske's. John White,"
But you can comment on how much better your book is than a contributing author's? <g>.
Ok, enough funnin'.
The Rikon's I have seen and used all worked as good or better than others in their price class. I too suspect the blade. It can have a slight kink elsewhere, so don't just look at the weld.
Take care, Mike
Every rule has exceptions, and I am just kidding around about all this stuff. In any case, I'm never going to get rich selling my book.
John White
And I was just funnin' with you too.
Take care, Mike
Hey, enuff funnin'. A couple of guys just got banned for funnin'. Don't you know this is a serious site for discussing woodworking topics only!!!!!
Said with a slight grin and tongue planted somewhat firmly in cheek.
Happy holidays,
Jeff
Yeah it's a lot more fun when everybody keeps their sense of humor.
John W.
As a matter of policy at the magazine, I can't comment on how good or bad a specific machine is except as part of a written review.
That said, I doubt that your problem is with the saw, I'd start by checking the blade. A small amount of oscillating toward and away from the back bearing is fairly typical and generally is harmless.
As in with all woodworking machines, don't get too hung up on getting the machine perfect, it is the cut that counts. If the saw is cutting well then it doesn't really matter if the blade wobbles a bit.
John W.
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