[OP]
Contributor
If I correct BS drift for one width blade will it hold true for other widths? This is for re-sawing various types of lumber. I have tried to use the pivot device on the fence but I am a klutz in that dept. and hope to do better with a drift adjusted fence. The saw is a 14" Delta, no riser and I will be using Timberwolf blades.
Jerry
Member
Every blade will have a different drift.
Don
Member
Unfortunately I have to adjust drift angle every time I put on a different blade.
Contributor
I was having poor results with resawing recently. Read a couple articles on bandsaw setup to see if I was missing something. Without changing the blade, I cleaned the drive wheels, added shop vac dust control and squared the blade to the table. Improved resawing a bunch. Might try it for yourself.
Who knew your could have so much fun with such a small chunk of wood
Member
That makes a lot of sense. maybe it's just my lack of experience, but it sure seems most likely to me that drift would be caused by come degree of misalignment. maybe most saws just can't be adjusted well enough to completely do away with it. May have something to do with the size of the saw too. I see very little drift with my Shopsmith 11" saw using Timber-wolf blades, it'll be interesting to see what happens when I get my 14" Delta/Rockwell with the riser block refurbed and online.Originally Posted by Roger Bullock
Member
Correct saw set up is clearly a fundamental, and blades definitely vary (sometimes dramatically) from my experience. That said it also seems to be the case that if the saw is big and heavy enough to really tension the blade that quite a bit of the pernicketiness goes out of the situation....
ian
Contributor
Ian is right on. Generally if the saw has crowned tires and is set up correctly there will be minimal drift and it will be the same for each blade as each will seek to ride to the crown. Flat tires may act differently but much of the drift is the result of compensating for alignment issues. Dave
Member
Completely agree that setup, and proper tension, remove a bunch of drift problems. Blade sharpness does, too. If my blades start to drift on me, I know that I probably have a few dull teeth on one side, or one with more set than the others.
Contributor
I don't use a drift fence, the fence on my saw is set at right angles to the wheel.
The blade is adjusted for drift by shifting it slightly forward or backwards on the wheel, by tipping the upper wheel. Once the blade is tracking properly (parallel to the kerf) I adjust the blade guides to their normal positions, during the tracking adjustment they're set far away from the blade.
I've never understood the adjust the fence idea, do you then have to adjust all your bandsaw jigs too every time you change blades?
Regards, Rod.
[OP]
Contributor
I don't understand "the fence on my saw is set at right angles to the wheel." I should say how does on do that? "Once the blade is tracking properly (parallel to the kerf) I adjust the blade guides to their normal positions, during the tracking adjustment they're set far away from the blade." Would I saw a kerf with the wood against the fence and adjust the wheel to cut parallel to it?
I am a picture guy and written directions sledom help me. Thanks for the input and in advance for more help.
Member
Ron, do you keep adjusting the tracking and bearings as your blade dulls?
When resawing for any length of time, I almost always have to re-adjust for drift. And not because the blade is wandering around on the wheel.
And I'm curious what kind of jigs are you using? Never seen much in the way of bandsaw jigs. The only jig I've ever used on a band saw is for pattern cutting, holding the work a bit proud of the template prior to routing the final shape. But that's somewhat of a kind of freehand operation so tracking isn't much of an issue.
Member
What Rod is saying Jerry is that because the wheels are crowned or cambered (have a slight hump in the centre) the alignment of the blade changes relative to the rest of the saw as you change the settings to move it from running on say the back of the wheel to running on the front.
Which tends to mean that if you want the blade to keep cutting in a particular line relative to the saw or fence you need to track (by tilting the top wheel) it so that it runs on the same part of the wheel crown as it was running on when it was set up.
This of course changes or no longer holds if e.g. the blade gets blunted a bit more on one side than the other and no longer cuts straight....
ian
Member
If you are on the online FWW site, Michael Fortune has written some fabulous, no BS articles on how to set up band saws. There are videos as well. After I set my saw up as he describes (a couple of years ago), I haven't had to move my fence angle in order to get good resawing. http://www.finewoodworking.com/FWNPDF/011173066.pdf
Member
+1 for the Michael Fortune article.
Contributor
Yes Jerry, I put the blade on the saw with the guides not touching and use the rip fence to cut a couple of inches into a piece of wood. The blade will be twisted slightly in the cut, I adjust the tracking so the saw blade is now centered in the kerf. Move the fence a bit, recut and check that the blade is centered. Adjust the guide wheels to almost touch the blade and you're good to go.
The table is adjusted so it's square to the wheel once ( when assembling the saw) by using a framing square. Stand the square on the table so it touches the left side wheel, measure the distance from table edge to wheel edge, repeat for the right side of the wheel, both measurements should be the same.
I have some jigs that ride in the mitre slot so adjusting the fence for drift is useless for me.
I was taught in industry to adjust the blade, that's what the adjustment is for.................Regards, Rod.
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