Bandsaw Question

Re: Bandsaw Question

Yonak

Joe, if your band saw is anything like mine, your blade will never stay square because of tracking. Really, what difference does it make for your blade to be not square to the table by the amount you show ?

If you need the blade to be square for some special application, I'd to it temporarily with the rear guides.

Re: Bandsaw Question

John K Jordan

I wondered about that years ago with my first woodworking bandsaw, a Delta 14" with riser.

Everything squared up after I tuned the saw so the top and bottom wheels were coplaner while the blade was under the proper tension so the blade rode in the center of crown on the tires. And everything about the bandsaw was better. For example, I was able to resaw a 12' long douglas fir 2x12 in to four thin boards, something that would have been impossible with the saw the way it came.

I had to use thin washers to shim one of the wheels and I did replace some weak parts of the saw. I tension with a tension gauge to avoid the pitfalls of uncertain methods.

If your blade already runs centered on the tires, I'd look at the table itself and how it is mounted.

JKJ

Re: Bandsaw Question

Lee Schierer in McKean, PA

I've had best results with my blade set up so the deepest part of the gullet is at the center of the upper wheel. Adjusting the wheels to be "coplanar" is a myth IMHO. They make a tracking adjustment on the upper wheel for a reason and I use it. I do not have tracking issues on my saw.

Lee

Re: Bandsaw Question

Joe in a Cleveland suburb

Thanks guys.

I watched this video:

https://youtu.be/wGbZqWac0jU

And this one:

https://youtu.be/9DzbJYIPPNE

And I installed my new Kreg BS fence.

Mostly following the steps in the above two videos, my BS is now working better than ever. I installed the fence and put a piece of scrap through to see what it would do and was able to slice some really thin pieces. Pretty amazing (to me anyway).

I'm not too worried at this point about the back of the blade being square to the table.

I have a little bit more to play with or adjust yet. Plus I have new cool blocks coming tomorrow.

Thanks.

centering the blade on both wheels

John K Jordan

>>> They make a tracking adjustment on the upper wheel for a reason and I use it.

I realize there controversy on the positioning of the blade on the upper and lower wheel.

One problem I see is if the top is riding on the crown and the bottom is way off to the front or the back (as it was on my Delta years ago), the slight twist may cause problems, perhaps more for wider blades, thinner and more flexible blades, and for particular saws. What I'm sure of is after I tuned up everything the Delta worked better than as delivered. I used it for years to process turning blanks from green wood, resawing, and for general use. YMMV.

The 18" Rikon I use now for most things has multi-axis adjustment for the bottom wheel as well as the tracking on the top wheel.

From the RIKON manual, "If the blade is not running true, or it is not running on center of the lower wheel but is correct on the upper wheel, then an adjustment to the wheel hub on the rear of the bandsaw is required."

This adjustment was needed only once, when the saw was new.

JKJ

Re: Bandsaw Question

mark nowicki

IMO, a better and less showy version of the first video:

https://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/best-way-set-bandsaw/

Re: Bandsaw Question

Stuart Hough

If you absolutely must have the table square to the back of the blade, and if everything else is adjusted correctly, some thin, sheet brass shim stock between the rear trunnion attachment points and the table should get that last gap corrected.