Usual blade to table slot alignment provisions on bandsaws ?

[Stephen Tashiro]

Are there models of bandsaws where you can pivot the table top to compensate for blade drift rather than setting the fence at an angle?

I have an inexpensive Craftsman 7" bandsaw, model 351.224.000. I see no provision in the users manual for aligning things so that plane of the side of the blade points parallel to the miter slots in the table top. It's noticeably "off" in this respect. I know that bandsaw users are told to align the fence so that it compensates for the "drift" of the blade and that the fence is often set so it isn't parallel to the slots. Since this type of adjustment is so often needed, do any models of bandsaw have some way where you can turn the whole table top instead of setting the fence at an angle?

[Bruce Page]

I never seen or heard of that feature on a bandsaw. Not all bandsaws drift, my MiniMax doesn’t.

[Roger Feeley]

I have never used a miter gauge on my bandsaw so I never thought much about it. But you are right. With blade drift, that thing is pretty useless.

Your idea is a good one. I would guess that it would take a lot of iron or aluminum to make the table adjustable but you have solved two problems in one step. All of the trouble we go to to make the fence right doesn't do a thing for the miter gauge. Fix the table and you don't have to adjust the fence.

The wheels I've seen are just a bit convex which is what causes drift (just a guess). If you adjust the tracking so that the blade sits towards the back of the wheel, it will drift one way. Adjust the blade forward on the wheel and it drifts the other way. In theory, you could adjust the tracking so that the blade runs parallel. I have a Laguna Driftmaster on my mental Christmas list.

I'm surprised (and impressed) that the Minimax doesn't drift. I should think that even tooth set could tweak the drift one way or the other.

[Van Huskey]

First, I am of the opinion that blades drift and bandsaws do not. Bandsaws can impart lead but properly setup and tuned that becomes a non-issue with the vast majority of saws. Blade drift is a different animal and occurs when the set of the teeth is not perfect on a band. Some types of bands suffer drift more than others, carbide tipped blades with their lack of set and being precision ground show the least sometime no drift. I rarely see blade drift on my Minimax since 99.9% of the time I have a carbide tipped blade on it.

Second, I don't know of a current bandsaw that has an adjustable table BUT they certainly exist. The Delta 20" 28-350 and its siblings allow for the table to be adjusted but funny enough since it is one of my bandsaws that just get used for contour cutting I don't worry about drift much unless it is significant. There are other older saws that allow for table adjustment. In general setting a fence is much easier than adjusting a table but that manner of adjustment does render the miter slot useless.

[Bruce Page]

Some types of bands suffer drift more than others, carbide tipped blades with their lack of set and being precision ground show the least sometime no drift. I rarely see blade drift on my Minimax since 99.9% of the time I have a carbide tipped blade on it.

I should have pointed out that I run a carbide band on my MM. I was on my way out the door..