bandsaw setup question or bad bandsaw?
I got a 14in band-saw for Christmas and used a video
for setting up the drift, by cutting free hand and using the stock to set the fence.
All went just like video showed, both the tracking for setting the fence and a small cut into the wood to see if there is a small gap on each side of the back of the blade.
The problem that I am having is when doing a re-saw and the blade pulls the wood very hard away from the fence.
I can hold it in place against the fence but then the blade starts bending towards the fence, with the bottom drifting more then the top.
In the video I attached
https://picasaweb.google.com/rrekih/Bandsaw
[url=https://picasaweb.google.com/rrekih/Bandsaw]bandsaw link[/url]
I wasn’t holding the piece very hard against the fence, to show how the wood pulls away.
I did use the method and use a push pad on the side to hold it against the fence, that is when using muscle to hold it there that the blade will pull to the fence and give a bad cut.
Any ideas?
- The blade guides are bearings and set up so they barely touching the blade.
- Blade is 3/8in 3tpi.
- The blade is square to the table.
- The fence is square to the table.
- The tracking on the top wheel is set in the center.
I have tried different tensions, it seems when I use less tension the problem gets worse.
Thanks
James
PS: I have absolutely no experience with band-saws,so I don’t know what to expect. I do have lots of experience with chop saws, table saws, routers etc.
Replies
90% of resawing is alignment of the fence and the cutting direction of the saw, and it is a sensitive adjustment with narrow kerf blades. If the cut is pulling one way or the other, accept that the fence is misaligned and pivot it. There will be no mistaking the correct alignment when the saw is cutting freely.
Most of the other 10% is the wood. Wood with internal tension due to stratified moisture content can flex enough to bind the saw. Doug fir has given me the most trouble. Oak from a home center is usually not dried evenly enough. To test the stock you want to cut, crosscut 2 2" long pieces off one end to get past the end grain moisture transition and resaw the second cut piece in half equally with the end grain down against the band saw table. If the two halves cup either way more than the thickness of the saw kerf, the wood can be expected to bind against the blade in normal resawing.
Band saw setup
Check out Alex Snodgrass's great video! After installing the Carter Guide upgrade and following his lead, my 20 year old Delta 14" bandsaw has zero drift. Hope this helps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU
It sounds like a blade problem. Is this a new saw and the blade that is was shipped with? If so, it probably is not a very good blade. Most immediately replace the shipping blade. Also, if the blade is a 3/8" blade, it's the wrong blade for re-sawing. Resaw blades are typictally 1/2" 3tpi blades.
You might want to purchase the "Band Saw Book by Lonnie Bird. It will give you lots of good info on setup and use of you tool. It will also tell you which blades to use for various cuts.
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