Replies

1. 
   ron61 | Jun 22, 2003 03:59pm | #1

   Do have enough tension on the blade?

    How about the right size of blade for what you are doing?

1. 
   66wood | Jun 22, 2003 04:39pm | #3

   I beleive I have the right tension ,I am using the gage that is on the tension wheel on the saw.  Thanks for the info.   Bob

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Jun 22, 2003 06:44pm | #5

   There are two things that new owners of bandsaws should be aware of. First, the blade supplied is of minumal usefullness and should be immediately replaced. The second is that the tension scale on the saw has no basis in reality.

   If you haven't already done so, I recommend get one of the bandsaw books written by either Lonnie Bird or Mark Duginske. They will tell you how to set up and align your saw, choose and tension the blade for the type of cut and give you lots of info to get the most from your saw.

2. 
   forestgirl | Jun 22, 2003 06:48pm | #6

   Bob, the gauges on band saws are notoriously inaccurate, and usually read higher than the actual tension.  Most home-shop bandsaws do produce some blade drift, but it can be exacerbated by low tension.  Try tightening the blade just a bit. 

   Down the road, you might consider a couple of things:  going to low-tension blades such as Timberwolf and buying or making a tension gauge.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

2. 
   DustyDesert | Jun 22, 2003 04:00pm | #2

   Bob,

   When you say that your fence is square to the blade, I presume that you are referring to the rip fence and you meant to say that the blade is 'parallel' to the rip fence. Suggestions:

   1) Setting the fence for drift. Even though the blade may be parallel to the rip fence, it may drift. To set the drift on a band saw rip fence, take a piece of scrap wood and joint a straight edge. Now take your marking gauge and mark a line along the edge about 1/4 inch in from the jointed edge. Remove the rip fence and rip along the marked line by eye. After you get about 18 inches through the rip, you might notice that the board is at an angle to where you thought it should rip. Without moving the board, shut off the bandsaw and wait for the blade to stop (This is easiest to do with a helper holding the board in place.) On the top of your rip fence, there should be a bolt that when loosened allows the fence to pivot a little. Move the rip fence over until it is parallel to the path of the board. Tighten the bolt and you are ready to make a better rip.

   2) The amount of force that you feed the stock with, can make a big difference. You should not be using a lot of force. To test this out, try feeding a test piece with less force and see if the cut drifts less.

   Good luck!

1. 
   66wood | Jun 22, 2003 04:41pm | #4

   Thanks for the input I'll try all the things you say and see what happens,Thanks  Bob

3. 
   ToolDoc | Jun 22, 2003 07:10pm | #7

   Bob: check your blade tennsion & save yourself some headaches get some Quality Olson blades ,the rest here promote TimberWolf etc.. hey the Olsons are all that & a bag of chips..<G>

                                               ToolDoc

4. 
   SparrowHawk | Jun 22, 2003 07:47pm | #8

   Hi Bob,

   I've got an older Delta/Rockwell 14" that I use to resaw quite a bit. I have found that drift can become a bit of a problem with most blades - Timberwolf, Olsen, etc. As far as I can figure out, drift must be caused by the difference in temperature between the teeth and the back causing the blade to actually curl and therefore cut off the mark. This would account for drift seeming to be largest in stamped blades. It isn't so prevalent with Timberwolf since their teeth are brazed to the backing. (I could be wrong about this ... just observations). What I do to minimize the problem is to use a point fence for my resawing and a scrap piece of wood. Rather than try to explain what it is I just took a photo (good excuse to play with my new camera). The point of the fence is bevelled allowing me to shift the feed angle as necessary to keep the cut on track. The piece of oak is simply used to hold the wood against the point during the cut.

   HTH,
   Ken

   PS-I should also mention that the fence is clamped to the table during use. Not much good if it isn't ...

   
   

   ---

   Edited 6/22/2003 12:49:20 PM ET by SparrowHawk

   
1. 
   forestgirl | Jun 22, 2003 11:06pm | #9

   Page 14, this month's issue of FWW -- a letter to the editor from M.J. Lavigne.  What do you all think??

   Hey Guys:  I had to hurry the above question, a customer was coming in, but the letter to which I refer has a direct bearing on the discussion here. 

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

   Edited 6/23/2003 12:28:16 AM ET by forestgirl

5. 
   ron61 | Jun 23, 2003 12:42am | #10

   Oh did I say  tension - blade size-

   I really don't think fence aliment is that critical don't get me wrong it needs to be close but you using a band saw not a laser.

   I think the thicker your cut the bigger the blade also I would not expect to much from a 14in. band saw.

   When I resaw something I always run it through the planer or wide belt sander to true up the surface any how.

   I bet you tighten up the blade a little and readjust your guides at thickness of cut and let the saw cut without forcing the stock- it might just do a good job for you.

   Be careful.

1. 
   66wood | Jun 23, 2003 03:39am | #11

   I'll try that ,thanks for the input,  Bob

6. 
   Telemike | Jun 23, 2003 07:55am | #12

   I don't know how experienced you are with bandsaws so ignore these suggestions if you're beyond them.  Have the guides and backing bearings been set up correctly?  If not, the saw won't cut right and will drift excessively.

   Pull back the bearings and the guides.  Bring the blade part way to tension and turn the wheels by hand.  Adust the tilt to get the blade riding in the middle and then bring the blade to full tension a bit at a time adjusting the tracking each time.  Get the blade riding near the middle of the tires or slightly forwards.  Then, when you can turn on the motor for several seconds without the blade moving forward or backward on the tire, adjust the guides (with the motor off!).  Bring them just to the blade and move the bearings almost to the point where they rub the back of the blade when you hand turn it.

   Drift is exacerabated by a top bearing that is a closer or further from the blade edge than the lower bearing.  The blade must bend when you push back with a piece of wood and it then drifts.