Replies

1. 
   scooter1 | Jul 10, 2003 06:24pm | #1

   Iturra in Florida. Do a search here and you'll find his number and stuff.

   Regards,

   Boris

   "Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934

2. 
   jackiechan | Jul 11, 2003 05:44am | #2

   JD,

   Iturra Design phone number is 888/ 722-7078.  They don't have a web site, so be sure to ask for their printed catalog. 

   Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.

1. 
   JDorn | Jul 11, 2003 07:54pm | #3

   thx for the number, i'm gonna call them today

3. 
   DavidP52 | Jul 11, 2003 11:15pm | #4

   I just got a new bandsaw and am new to these machines. I'm having trouble cutting freehand -- seems the wood grain wants to steer the blade as it tends to wander. I thought that this might have to do with tension, except that I have no trouble at all resawing at the 1/2 mark and I keep it at 1/4 all other times. So, does the blade just have a natural tendency to wander in thin wood or do I have more to learn???

1. 
   JDorn | Jul 12, 2003 12:00am | #5

   Not cutting a straight line can be a product of many many things on a bandsaw from what i've seen refurbing this saw.  The biggest culprits that i've had bother me are not having the tracking set just right and not having enough tension in the blade.

   Try adjusting the tracking and tensioning knobs one at a time and see if it improves or hurts your straight line cutting ability.  Every saw is different so you'll have to develop a feel for it as well as a feel for how your blade drifts, from what i've read every bandsaw blade has a natural tendancy to drift at a slight angle (different for each blade) and one way you can figure out what the drift angle for a specific blade is to take a board with a jointed edge, and then try to cut a 1/4 sliver off of that edge, once you are about 1/2 through the length of the board stop the bandsaw and leave the board in place.  It will be at an angle to the blade.  Then using a bevel guage you can figure out what this angle is and make adjustments to your fence system so that you can rip at a straight line.  (saw this on woodworks a few weeks ago and it worked surprisingly well on my 14 inch saw).

   I've heard that the stock Tensioning spring that comes with alot of bandsaws simply isn't heavy duty enough, especially on cheap Tiawanese knock-off saws like mine, If you find out that this is the case, like i did, you can order a new one pretty cheap that will provide a greater tension load on your blade. 

   I called Itura today and got a Jet heavy duty spring shipped to my house for $19 bucks which wasn't bad, I wish i needed a few more things though since about 1/2 of that cost is for shipping/handling :)

   JD

1. 
   DavidP52 | Jul 12, 2003 03:31am | #6

   Thanks, JDorn. Spring is the new HD Delta one. I just have a hard time figuring why it resaws beautifully, but cutting a thin piece wanders all over the place. It's coarse grain wood I'm having trouble with but something like maple cuts more reliably. Perhaps the grain is steering the blade and I need more tension even with thin wood.

1. 
   MIKEBUETTNER | Jul 12, 2003 11:33pm | #7

   Just out of curiosity I have to ask this question... you are lowering the quill (guide post) when you are cutting the small dimension stuff? The upper guide blocks should be a 1/2" or so above the top surface of the wood.

   I have a 15 yearold Crapsman 12" BS that I refurbed. I bought it for $25 and stuck all new bearings, lower shaft, cool blocks and a Woodslicer blade in it for a total of just over a $100. The nice thing about ripping it all apart (a BS is quite a simple machine) is that you really get to understand how everything works. I cleared up a similar screaching where the top wheel was contacting the frame casting. Also got the wheels in plane and the blade running parallel to the quill. Oddly enough it seems to handle the 1/2" blade just fine and I believe I am getting enough tension. It cuts very smoothly and is quite quiet. Certainly not a powerhouse but suits me fine for now. I just need a bigger table and a fence that I can adjust to the runout.

   bit

1. 
   DavidP52 | Jul 13, 2003 12:54am | #8

   Yep. right down to 1/8" clearance. Ihad mine all apart before I turned it on for the first time. I think the problem is the 1/4" blade which is good for scrolling but not so good for ripping. Gonna buy a series of different blades and see how that works out. Funny how it cuts great thru thick stuff but not thin.

   Yes, the machine is simple but there are adozen or so different adjustments to attend to for a variety of different work. So it may be simple, but not necessarily easy. Certainly not idiot-proof.

2. 
   MIKEBUETTNER | Jul 13, 2003 06:08am | #9

   "Certainly not idiot proof"

   No kidding. I didn't mean at to make it sound simple. In fact I would guess it was more luck than anything for me.

   bit