OK, I believe I have just experienced the phenomenon known as “blade drift”, but I am not sure. Is this the reason that the blade just about walked its way out of of a piece of IPE that I was trying to rip? Given IPE is a pain, but this was pretty frustrating. The cut was “bellied” as well, but the blade that I used is the stock blade. Is this what blade drift is though? A twisting of the blade on its own?
Thanks,
John
Replies
Yes, bandsaws tend to cut with a bit of an angle. Tuning and a decent blade can reduce that drift, but it is such a fact of life that fences are adjustable and it is often recommended that a single point fence is used. You don't just push a board against the fence on a bandsaw, you guide it down the line.
The "stock" blade is only worth cutting up to use to make scratch beaders and the like. You can't tell much about how well your saw is tuned until you get a good blade. I like Timber Wolf, but there are other good ones out there.
Dear Steve,
Thanks, I don't have much experience with the bandsaw. So, I have to ask, if ripping is not like on a tablesaw, where you push against the fence, why use a fence?Thanks Again,John
Why use a fence at all??
Good question. I use a fence, I don't have a problem with blade drift. I use good blades though and a well tuned bandsaw. NOTE: I do NOT adjust my fence for drift. If you start down that path, you'll be adjusting your fence for the rest of your life. Better to understand how to properly setup a bandsaw. Go to Suffolk Machine website and read up on bandsaws, especially the six rules of sawing.
http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/six_rules.asp
You mention a 'stock' blade. What is that, the blade that came with the saw?? Most 'stock' blades i.e. blades that came with the saw are not worth using. Get a good blade. Use the proper blade for the thickness of material you are sawing. For resawing use no more than a 3 TPI blade max. Setup your saw properly and enjoy a well performing machine. Lastly use dust collection. Sawdust on the bottom wheel can case blade drift. Resawing produces a lot of sawdust. DC in resawing is important.
Jeff
Dear Jeff,
Thanks for the info. On all of my other tools, I am such a stickler for using the right blade and I guess I need to take that stance with the bandsaw as well. I will read up as you have suggested, I have read most of "The Bandsaw Book" by Lonnie Bird, but I still have much to learn. DC is good advise and I have a good system and I use it so, thanks. While I have you, let me ask you a question. My saw (14" Ridgid) is basically a Delta knock off. I don't typically buy this caliber of tool, but it fit my needs at the time. That being said, I am experiencing a vibration, but not in the usual sense. It is almost as if the saw "nods", in that the vibration seems more vertical than anything else. Perhaps that website you suggested would help. I don't expect perfection at this price range, but if that could be minimized, that would be great.Thanks Again,John
Are you using the v-belt that came with the saw? That can cause some vibration you experience. It did on mine, but then I wasn't sawing Ipe with the blade from the box. A good blade will help tremendously.
royh
Hey Roy,
Yes, stock V-belt and supplied blade. Nice combo? Hey, at least I'm not using the box as a stand and a skateboard as a mobile base! I take it that you like the link belts? That is probably a good idea. Just to clarify, the saw vibrates under no load and seems to smooth out a little while cutting. Thanks,John
John,
Yep, the link belt is a wondrous thing. Have one on an old lathe too. I swear by 'em. I like your humor!
Good luck!
royh
The supplied blade is almost certainly junk, and almost certainly the cause of the cutting symptoms you describe. Get a decent blade before you do anythng else.The V-belt should be fine. Reading all the hype on the web, you'd think solid V-belts were a constant source of problem, but the reality is that they are specified on machines throughout the world for the simple reason that they work. Lots of people post stories of how much better their machine got with a link belt, but I wonder how many could be explained by the fact that they either replaced a worn-out belt or adjusted the tension correctly during the replacement.The fact that the vibration gets a little better under load might indicate that your belt is not as tight as it's supposed to be. The "nodding" description suggests a tire out of round though.Pete
Dear Pete,
It's funny that you think that belt may be too loose as the instruction that came with it suggest that I may have it too tight! I actually tend to over tighten the belts as it is my way plus I figure (perhaps incorrectly) that they will stretch. The saw I bought is a Delta knock off, so I don't expect perfection, but if I could improve on it, that would be great. I will check out the belt tension as suggested, but I suspect that any serious tuning will have to wait until I get a real blade. One of the drawbacks of the commercial aspect of woodworking is (At least at my level, no Sam Maloof here!) that I am always fighting the clock. Time is money. If I over tension the one blade I have and I snap it, then I am losing big time. Oh well, that is my problem. Thanks for the input!John
The obvious suggestion is to keep a spare blade around... :)My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
Just to be sure I was clear, the belt *may* be too tight. It's something to check. Don't overtighten it of course as this will lead to premature bearing failure.
On that machine, I doubt you'll be able to snap a reasonably-sized blade by overtensioning it. However, blades are cheap so order a couple. My general-purpose blade is a Timberwolf 3/8X4PC. Excellent performance, low horsepower requirements, reasonable cost.
Pete
Edited 4/23/2006 11:19 pm ET by PeteBradley
If you are new to using a bandsaw, let me suggest you go to Amazon and purchate Lonnie Bird's "Bandsaw Book". It will tell you how to set up an align your saw. Then it will tell you what blade to use for various operations--there is no such thing as an all purpose bandsaw blade. It will also tell you how to do various cuts including resawing. Unless your saw is perfectly set up, aligned and you have a good blade, you will have to contend with drift. Sooner or later all BS blades begin to drift as they get dull. It's not a big problem if you know how to deal with it.
Howie.........
Nothing against Bird's fine book (I have it too), but for me Mark Duginske's Band Saw Handbook (available used on Amazon for as little as $6) was perfect. It's worth getting both, or look at both and pick the one that matches your learning style.
Oddly enough, there's another guy with the same last name, Gene Duginske, who wrote "Band Saw Basics." I have no idea about this book, just it's funny to have two different guys with the same unusual last name writing a primer for the same machine! No recommendation from me (for or against) on this book. :)My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
Mark Duginske's Bandsaw Handbook used to be the gold standard. However, it's getting a little long in the tooth having been written in 1989. He's working on a new bandsaw book that should be published soon. Mark Duginske is his brother, I believe. They collaborated on a couple of bandsaw books back in the early 1990's.Bird's 1999 book and Duginske's book are both excellent. I have used them both in the classes I used to teach. Either one is a good choice for the new bandsaw owner.Howie.........
Ipe is rough on steel band saw blades, dulling them very quickly. Once a band saw blade starts to dull, its tendancy to drift starts to increase quickly. If you are cutting more than a few feet of ipe it will probably be worth it in the long run to invest in a carbide tooth blade.
John W.
Oh, Ipe, what fun stuff! We're going to build our deck out of it, and I've heard stories about how hard it is on tools.
If your saw is cutting that poorly, sum'pin ain't right. I consider my old Grizzly 1019Z lack of drift proof-positive that drift is not a necessary evil on band saws. With a properly-tuned saw and the right blade (a quality blade, of course) for the job, drift shouldn't be a problem.
Seems like the advice to go carbide would be well worth considering. Then make sure your saw is tuned properly.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Dear FG,
You aren't kidding about IPE. It really is beautiful stuff, but it is tough and a half to work with. The dust is about as bad as plaster dust, but stains things sort of a yellowy brown, green thing. It is murder on tools, but the finished product lives up to its billing. Unlike so many other things! Oh, one other thing.....AVOID splinters!!! OWWW!
Thank you for your reply. I don't think that I'm clear on this. Blade drift is when the blade twists on its own and sort of takes off in it own direction? Is that it? You've admonished me about blades before and I appreciate your advise. I am going to be ordering a couple of blades from Suffolk Machinery as per your suggestion.Thanks Again!John
Hi John. Hmmmm, never got thanked for "admonishing" before, but I'll take it, ROFL.
Blade drift is a bit of a misleading term. Translate it to "Lumber drift due to blade influences." Too much of a mouthful. I'm no expert on it either, but here's a few things I've seen or learned that can cause it:
a poor-quality blade where inconsistent teeth (the "set" for instance) cause the wood to wander
a dull blade
a blade that's not tensioned properly
a blade that isn't centered on a crowned wheel
probably wheels that aren't co-planar
There are probably other causes, these are only the ones I'm aware of. The "not centered" one listed will cause a twist in the blade, where the blade is angled away from a true front to back direction (rather than South-to-North, it's pointed, say, SE-NW). I had this happen to me when the nut that holds the bottom wheel on was coming loose, and the blade simply would not run in the center of that wheel.
The bellied cut you spoke of....when I first got my saw, I was getting those when practicing. I think it was a combination of using the stock blade (yuck!) and not tensioning it enough.
Good luck with your Ipe. If I can ever get my husband to retire (the date has moved from March, to May, to June, to [now] early July!) I'll get to try my hand at it. Am really kinda excited about building our very own deck!
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 4/23/2006 6:59 pm by forestgirl
Dear FG,
If I can be any (moral) assistance on that deck, let me know. You've helped me a lot in the past. Being on the right coast, that about all I can do for you! Ipe is pretty, I don't know what you have in mind for the deck, but we've used a couple of "blind" fastening techniques and we've settled on a product called "Tiger Claw". I'm sure you can find it on the web. The only other thing is we use and end grain sealer called "anchor seal" It is sort of a liquid wax. That is important or you will get checking, at least we do here where it can be a bit dryer. My other suggestion would be to "ease" the edge of any cuts including but joints. An 1/8" radius router bit in a laminate trimmer is what we use. It seems to limit any splintering and gives it all a finished look. All in all, IPE is about triple the labor of cedar, but it looks nice. Did I mention that it is HEAVY-?? Thanks again for your assistance.JohnAm I hijacking my own thread?
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