Iv’e been interested in some of the recent bandsaw posts, but wasn’t sure where to jump in, so I’ll start new.
I have a new 18″ Delta Band saw, and I’ve noticed that when the blade is tracking center on the upper wheel, it is not tracking center on the lower wheel (slightly off center). The manual does not address the lower wheel in regard to tracking and instructs to track on the upper wheel. Is the off center tracking on the lower wheel a problem? If so, recommendations? Is drift typically solved with tracking?
Kevin
Replies
You don't mention what "slightly" means, but if the band is running stable, you really don't need to worry about it. It wouldn't hurt to check whether the wheels are parallel, but this is nowhere near as important as its often made out to be.
Michael Fortune, who I think has a very good approach to band saws, uses the track to control drift. I do too, to some extent, but drift is another topic that tends to get overemphasized in online forums. For many routine cuts, you won't notice it. A typical case where it might matter is if you have a lot of drift while doing a tall resaw.
Pete
Edited 4/25/2007 3:34 pm ET by PeteBradley
Thanks Pete. I did find on the Delta web site that it's most important that its tracking on the upper wheel and coplaner is not that important. Mine is off center on the lower wheel about an 1/8-1/4" from center of the wheel. It feels stable and operates fine.
I do have some drift in my cut, which I haven't' minded, other than I am going to try to resaw some 6" material and wondered if I need to correct it. Is it better to adjust the fence to compensate or change the tracking slightly and try to find a center cut that way? (I assume tracking will change the drift?). Thanks for your reply!
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