Replies

1. 
   pins | Jul 11, 2006 02:22am | #1

   I don't know about commercial aftermarket fences. Here's what I know:

   First you need to get a board, draw a straight line on it which is parallel to the left hand side of the board, and then saw the board freehand cutting to the straight line. What you are trying to do is establish the 'tracking' of the blade because most blades do not cut straight as a table saw does.

   Once you have established what 'straight' is on your saw with the blade you are using draw a line on the table that parallels the tracking of the board you are sawing.

   Then get something like a piece of 3/4" mdf that will lay flat on the table and add a 'fence' on the right side of the mdf at 90 degrees, making a reverse "L" shape. And you can make several of them with different heights of the vertical. Then when you want to resaw something or just saw a straight cut, line the fence up with the line that you marked at whatever distance you need from the blade, clamp the horizontal part of the 'fence' to the table and go to it.

   Its helpful to draw several lines at different distances from the blade to easier set your fence. I have a plywood top on my table so its easy to draw the lines. On a metal top you may have to use a Sharpie and refresh it as needed.

   John

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 11, 2006 06:12pm | #6

   "What you are trying to do is establish the 'tracking' of the blade because most blades do not cut straight as a table saw does."  Around here, there seems to be growing support for the idea that blade drift is not essential.  In other words, a properly tuned band saw with a quality blade on it will cut straight.  I continue to believe that if I can get a Grizzly 1019Z (old model of a 14" saw, made in Taiwan years ago) to cut with no drift, it's possible with any quality saw and blade.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   pins | Jul 11, 2006 07:10pm | #7

   JeffHeathYou are correct of course. There is so much aftermarket stuff marketed as essential that its silly. The small stone mounted on wood that is for 'rounding over'the back of the blade is one that comes to mind. I like seeing advertisements for that kind of stuff. If I see a picture I can usually make it if it doesn't require metalworking.forestgirlI applaud your sucess but my message was intended for anybody that has not, or does not know how to acheive perfection with bandsaws. It may be helpful if you would explain to GaryK how you tuned your bandsaw.John

1. 
   GaryK | Jul 11, 2006 11:59pm | #8

   Thanks to all for their input and comments. I think I may have inadvertently caused some "drift" in this discussion.  My problem is NOT with drift. Rather it is with the harsh movement of the supplied fence and the amount of time to set precise distances between fence and blade. Particularly difficult when I want to move the fence 'just a hair'. Invariable a slight tap moves it either not at all or 3/4 of an inch. Then it's back to measuring and starting over. It reminds me of the days before I got a decent table saw fence and all the time I have saved since.

   Gary

1. 
   Castlewerks | Jul 12, 2006 07:59pm | #10

   Gary,The tape on the Kreg is in increments of 32nds and I find that once positioned, screwing the knob that locks it down really doesn't move it noticeably if at all and as I said deflection is minimal. That being said I think that it will perform as you require. Cheers,M

2. 
   SgianDubh | Jul 12, 2006 08:14pm | #11

   Gary, there's also the single point fence which no-one has yet mentioned. If you've got a blade that tracks off in different directions during the same cut, and sometimes they do believe me, the single point fence will often get you out of a hole.

   The truth is I find the single point fence the most reliable of all the solutions where a bandsaw and its selection of blades tend to misbehave, and that's often not much to do with how well you've set up the bandsaw either.

   I find the smaller hobby type bandsaws that are mostly being talked about here tend to be fiddly and pernickety moreso than the heavy industrial types I'm more used to. After all if you're really only paying Kia prices it's hard to get Rolls Royce performance, so the single point fence is a handy piece of kit to have in your arsenal.

   I think how it's set up and used is pretty obvious, but get back if anything's unclear.Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture

   
3. 
   5418 | Jul 12, 2006 09:07pm | #12

   I also have a Laguna 14" (not SE) bandsaw. I'm not sure if we have the same freebie fence, but I've been perfectly happy with mine. It's easily adjusted for drift and squareness of the fence with the saw table. Regarding your difficulty with fine adjustment of the fence/blade distance, have you tried just lubricating the rod that the fence rides on? Just using a creeping movement with my fingertips, I find it pretty easy to make "micro" adjustments. Again, I don't know if we're talking about the same fence. Good luck.

4. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jul 13, 2006 06:50am | #13

   Have to agree with Richard (Sgain Dubh) on the point fence. Set up is rather quick and no fuss. If you got a blade less than sharp or a BS not tuned to max (or both), you will still get decent results with a point.

   Even if you stay with your fence or up-grade, wouldn't hurt to build a point fence at some point and try it out. Like the short fence on the TS, it took a little getting used too and practice with throw-outs, but once I "got the feel" for it, I gave my standard BS fence to a beginner without one.

   Regards...

   SARGE.. g-47

2. 
   forestgirl | Jul 12, 2006 01:59am | #9

   Plenty of places he can look for "tuning a band saw info."  As for a quality blade, especially for a 14" saw (if that's applicable here), Timeber Wolf from Suffolk Machinery.  Plenty of discussion here re: those.

   My own personal soapbox on the "drift" thing.  It's become a part of cult lore.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   Castlewerks | Jul 11, 2006 07:17am | #2

   Gary,

   I have the Kreg fence on my 14" Delta and I have been very happy with it. I've used its predecessor (the FastTrack fence) and found that fence to deflect substantially under minor load. The Kreg fence doesn't have the same problem. I also like the measuring tape and cursor that comes with it -- it's a lot easier to read than some of the other fences out there and with a well tuned saw you can make very accurate cuts..

   Cheers,

   Michael

3. 
   Jfrostjr | Jul 11, 2006 03:55pm | #3

   I have a Laguna 14" bandsaw (not sure about the SE part). The fence that came with the saw works just fine. Why spend extra $?

   There are two socket head screws under the fence head that allow me to move the fence alignment enough to compensate for any drift as determined to the post above.

   Jerry

4. 
   WoodRivWW | Jul 11, 2006 04:27pm | #4

   I use the Kreg fence on my 14" Ridgid BS. I've been doing a lot of resawing (making panels for frame and panel cabinets) so I got the optional resawing guides. They work great. The initial insallation was straightforward and the fence is easy to install/remove as I need it and locks down tight. I've had no problems.

5. 
   JeffHeath | Jul 11, 2006 04:50pm | #5

   Gary

   Listen to John.  Aftermarket bandsaw fences are a complete waste of money and time.  It's so easy to make one without fiddling with all the adjustments on those aftermarket jobs, and you can do it with scrap laying around your shop.  I've probably got 5 or 6 for different jobs and resaw heights.  What I'll add to what John was saying is that each time you change the blade on your bandsaw, the "drift" will be affected.  I have a bevel guage that I use for my bandsaw only which I set to the existing drift.   Set it, and forget it.  Just grab it out of a drawer when you need to set the fence, align and clamp, and you're done.

   Jeff