Band saw blade will not track

[Wayne Morley]

I just got a new band saw blade to use for re-sawing (3/4 inch 3 tpi TimberWolf ). When I mounted it on my band saw I could not get it to track straight. The blade wobbles back and forth about 3/16” regardless of the blade tension. I have run other blades without difficulty, so don’t believe that it’s a problem with the machine. Does anybody have an idea as to what would cause this to happen?

[Will Overton]

Could be the blade. Call Suffolk Machinery - the manufacturer - and explain the problem.

Have you used 3/4" blades before?

[Justin Bukoski]

If its wobbling side to side 3/16" I doubt its tensioned enough. Can you deflect it that much when its not running by pushing on it? if so, not enough tension. Your blade could be too long or your spring too weak...

[Wayne Morley]

Will,
I got the blade from Grizzly. I did call them and they have sent a new blade, but they didn't know what was causing the problem.

Justin, The blade is tracking back and forth on the band saw tire as it rotates. Although this is the first 3/4" blade that I have used on this saw (17" Grizzly) I don't think that the tension is the problem, because when I pluck the blade like a guitar string it has a higher pitch that a properly tensioned 3/8" blade.

[Justin Bukoski]

Wayne, with wider blades you have to be more careful with the placement of the blade on the wheels. If you don't have the blade on properly it will track like that and eventually pop off the wheel.

That said, hopefully its just a defective blade. I used to own that saw and used a 3/4" woodslicer on it for resawing and never had any problems.

[Will Overton]

Wayne,

I'd still give Suffolk a call, just to see if they have any tips using that blade on that saw. Mostly they are a bunch of knowledgeable, friendly folks.

[Prashun Patel]

I had a tracking problem with a Timberwolf blade coincidentally, too.

The blade weld was not ground down flush. That was the culprit.

What is the size of your bandsaw. If it's 14", then I'd also suggest you consider getting a blade no wider than 1/2". It's harder to tension a 3/4" blade properly on some 14" saws.

[Michael Peet]

Can you take the blade off and lay it on a flat surface? I've had several TW blades with crooked welds that did what you describe. I don't use them anymore.

Mike

[Wayne Morley]

Thank you everyone for your help.

Justin; I did notice that the blade almost jumped off of the tire when I turned it by hand before starting the machine, but it did settle down to a regular oscillation. It ran like that for two or three min. while I adjusted the tension up and down to see if I could get it to go away.

Will; thank you I will give Suffolk a call to see what they say.

Prashun; The first question the guy at Grizzly asked my was "is the weld off in any way" after taking a look I can't say that it's bad, it looks perfect to me. It is a 17 inch saw.

Michael; The blade does lay flat on my concrete floor.

I did notice that the blade does not form a round circle when I lay it on the floor, it's more egg shaped. When I pull it to round it springs back to an egg shape. Could this be enough to cause my problem?

[Cody Colston]

If the blade is moving in a back and forth motion then it's most likely a crooked weld...a recurring problem with TW blades and another reason I quit using them.

[Steven Hsieh]

Put the blade on a flat floor. If there's any gap, then that can cause it.

[Dan Karachio]

If the blade is moving in a back and forth motion then it's most likely a crooked weld...a recurring problem with TW blades and another reason I quit using them.

That is very interesting. Never would of thought of that and could imagine going absolutely insane trying to diagnosis it if I ever had the same issue. Thanks!!! I can go to bed now knowing I actually learned something today. Seriously!

[Van Huskey]

I am one that is in the weld issue camp, like Cody this is the reason I don't use TW blades any more. The first time you run into a weld issue it can be a head scratcher!

[Pat Germain]

Has anyone with a bad weld called Timberwolf about it? I'm wondering if they offer to replace the blade or just say, "tough". Of course, even if they replace it, there's the incovenience of waiting for another blade; which might also have a bad weld.

I have a purchased a few TW blades and didn't have any weld problems. I'm wondering if they had some QA problems for a short time or if they're just now not very good blades.

[Wayne Morley]

I called Suffolk Machinery and talked to one of there techs and he told my that this kind of problem can result from a bad weld or improper camber in the steel of the blade. Improper camber means that there is some twist in the steel before it is welded together. He offered to test the blade to figure out what the underlying problem is. Thanks everybody for you help.