John
Michael Fortune (FWW Nov/Dec 2004) recommends running the band such that it is centered on the top wheel. I can see the logic of his recommendation but the manual on my machine (MM450) advises that the band should be set such that the teeth just clear the edge of the top wheel.
What is normal industry practice? If I follow MF’s recommendation what impact is it likely to have on the rubber surfaces of the wheels?
Thanks, Ted
PS: I used your design for planer knife setting guides. They work beautifully – I should have made them years ago!
Replies
Is your MM450 a Minimax machine? Also are the tires flat across the face that the blade runs on or does the rim have a slight crown to it?
John White
John
I should have looked more closely. It's a MiniMax S45 and the tires have just a little bit of camber (~ 0.5mm) across the face.
Ted
Edited 6/25/2006 4:01 am ET by EDP
Many saws have a pronounced crown on their tires and are designed to have the blades run centered on the wheels, but with the small crown on your saw, it probably makes little difference to the cutting performance if you run the blade centered or hanging over the edge.
Our big saw in the FWW shop is similar to the yours, with very little crown in the tire, and I have been running the blades centered on the tires for years without any visible damage to the rubber so blade position would not seem to have much effect on tire life.
I would suggest that you try experimenting with running the blade both centered and overhanging and use whichever position appears to give the best cut. If there is no difference, which is fairly likely, then just use the position that is the easiest to set up for the tracking adjustment and guide positioning.
John White
Edited 6/25/2006 11:48 am ET by JohnWW
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