Bandsaw tuning

[Keith Downing]

Of all the tools I own, I feel like I get the least out of my bandsaw (which was a decent sized investment at around $2k).

It's a jet 18" bandsaw, less than 10 years old. It seems like no matter what i do I can't get straight cuts, either ripping or even simply sawing 1" to 2" lumber.

I've tried tightening the blade tension up a mark and a half higher than the actual blade thickness. And also moving all the bearings, above and below the table, to touch the blade completely. This helped a little, but now the bearings "hum" pretty loudly when I'm cutting.

And my cuts still go sideways, even in softer wood like pine. And I don't mean a fraction of an inch. I'm talking half an inch or more on many cuts, even using the fence. Virtually useless results in wood thicker than 3/4".

I mostly use a 3/4" blade, and I'm going to go ahead and order a new one since this one is getting up there in age. Though it probably has only done an hour or so of actual sawing.

Any other tips or tricks the more experienced can offer? I'm about out of ideas if a new blade doesn't work miracles.

[Dimitrios Fradelakis]

Check this link:

https://youtu.be/wGbZqWac0jU

[Keith Downing]

Great video.

Safe to say I was pretty much doing everything incorrectly. So I guess that explains it. I'll wait for the new blade and report back if I'm still having issues.

[Dimitrios Fradelakis]

Great video. Safe to say I was pretty much doing everything incorrectly. So I guess that explains it. I'll wait for the new blade and report back if I'm still having issues.

Glad you liked it. Just use the tips and tricks from the video when your new blade comes in. Report back here and let us know how it works out for you.

[John K Jordan]

...It seems like no matter what i do I can't get straight cuts, either ripping or even simply sawing 1" to 2" lumber.
...
I mostly use a 3/4" blade, and I'm going to go ahead and order a new one since this one is getting up there in age. Though it probably has only done an hour or so of actual sawing.

Keith,

I have a Rikon 18" and don't know anything about the Jet, but what I've found in the last 10 years of use is a 3/4" blade is a little too big to tension properly. After various issues and guessing at the tension (yes, setting it higher than the built-in indicator) I bought a good bandsaw blade tension gauge and actually measured the tension. Even at the full tension possible, a 1" blade was woefully under-tensioned and the 3/4" blade was marginal.

Now I stick to 1/2" blades for most of my use. I use this bandsaw a lot to process thick green wood into turning blanks so I use a 3 TPI blade made from Lennox stock, much of it approaching 12" thick. This works well. If you haven't tried a 1/2" blade lately, you might and see how that works. Even with the 1/2" blade, I have to crank the tension almost all the way up to get the right amount of tension. This isn't just a mark or so higher on the saw indicator, it needs to be set for a blade over twice the width of the 1/2" blade.

Perhaps there is someone in your area, perhaps your dealer?, that has a tension gauge you can borrow. I bought a Starrett from Itura Design but a cheaper gauge should work just as well.

BTW, I sharpen the blades several times before replacing them.

JKJ

[Erik Loza]

...what I've found in the last 10 years of use is a 3/4" blade is a little too big to tension properly...

My first thought as well.

Erik

[Bob Cooper]

How old is your blade? I'm guessing it's just now sharp. Get a 1/2" 3 TPI blade and see if that helps

[glenn bradley]

Bandsaw threads are always interesting. I love Alex but, his take on coplaner wheel requirements is 180 from my experience with multiple saws. His take on they myth of "drift" is in total agreement with mine. I think you will find this disparity in many facets of bandsaw setup discussions. We all tend to recommend what has worked for us and that experience is the value of having so many member's input. Take it all in and render it down to what works for you.

All of this is, of course, based on my experiences so, grain of salt. The behavior you are describing sounds like blade trouble. The hours of use don't matter as much as how it was used or what it was used on. A dull blade will exhibit symptoms caused by much more serious problems and I always eliminate that first. By the way, bandsaw blades are wear parts just like abrasives. Trying to squeeze more life out of one that is "done" just leads to frustration and loss of material and time. Order more than one at a time.

I use the flutter method for tension on steel blades. If you have to force your blade to track well something else is wrong. I get the blade where I want it, I then align the table to that path. A magnet and a steel rule can help with this. If the blade is narrow a small spring clip will do. You will need a spacer to assure the rule clears the teeth so that you are aligning to the band and not the tooth set. You can then use the same setup to align your fence.

BS Tracking 003.jpg

The amount of effort one puts into setting up their machines is a personal choice. A well aligned machine will pay you back much more time than you would ever spend setting it up. Once you are setup you can cross cut or angle cut reliably with the miter gauge and take 1/16" slices off with confidence.

Veneer resaw.jpg

Let us know how you do and what things worked for you.

[John C Bush]

I have a 21" BS and keep a 1" Lenox Woodmaster CT on all the time for rersawing. I am doing more turning now and am wondering what radius a 1/2" blade allows. 3/8" better?? Best TPI? I am spoiled by the performance and durability of the CT and not sure if standard or bimetal blades would better choice. Need some expert suggestions. Thanks.

[Erik Loza]

I have a 21" BS and keep a 1" Lenox Woodmaster CT on all the time for rersawing. I am doing more turning now and am wondering what radius a 1/2" blade allows. 3/8" better?? Best TPI? I am spoiled by the performance and durability of the CT and not sure if standard or bimetal blades would better choice. Need some expert suggestions. Thanks.

I made a set of drink coasters with a 1/2" blade. But I doubt I could do a bandsaw box with the same diameter curves. The answer probably has more to do with each of our skills than with the machine. And the particular size of the workpiece.

To answer your question, I would start with any skip-tooth 1/2" blade and see how it does for you. Adjust from there. I would not use a carbide blade for any type of curved work and especially not on any green wood.

Erik

[John Gomes]

Here is a good video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

[John TenEyck]

The intentions of the guy in the video are good but he does a complete disservice to people by saying not to check if the wheels on their machine are coplaner. Perhaps most new machines are perfect, but I'll wager not everyone is. And I know from personal experience that a used machine can be in any condition imaginable. It takes less than 30 minutes to check so why endure another 10 years of frustration when you will know if that might be the root of your problem with so little effort?

If the wheels check out OK, great, then you can move on. A dull blade ranks very high on the list of suspects, as does blade alignment. Tension is important but not as important as the other two. Wheel guides are way down the list, almost not even on it. A well centered, sharp blade with equal set and adequate tension really doesn't even need guides to cut straight.

Good luck. Getting to the bottom of the issues is worth the effort. A well tuned bandsaw is as pleasurable to use as any of your other machines. Keep at it until your saw will cut straight and parallel with the miter slot.

John

[John K Jordan]

The intentions of the guy in the video are good but he does a complete disservice to people by saying not to check if the wheels on their machine are coplaner...

I've heard a lot of controversy on this. My experience with my first bandsaw (a 14" Delta with riser block) was making the wheels coplanar made all the difference. All it took was moving a couple of washers.

I always run the blade centered on the crown, top and bottom. If the wheels are not coplanar the much of it is likely to be supported unevenly on one wheel or the other and guess what happens - the blade flex and the cut can wander. (Especially if the tension is not enough.) Just my own experience.

JKJ

[Ray Newman]

Colleagues: like many others, I have a (circa 1988) Delta 14”band saw with ¾ HP motor. Great littlesaw, but about 13-14 years ago, I ‘upgraded’ the Carter guides and blue urethanetires and that made it shine! Saw the Carter demonstration at one of lastPuyallup WA wood shows and have not regretted the purchase. Before these upgrades,the saw worked, but I always seemed to struggle getting the adjustments and thecuts just right. And re-sawing did not work out well at all.

Now that I gave kudos to the Carter products, I agree withseveral posters about the need for coplanar wheels. Maybe it is just my saw’squirk, but I found coplanar wheels increased the overall performance. As posterGlenn Bradley said “The amount ofeffort one puts into setting up their machines is a personal choice. A wellaligned machine will pay you back much more time than you would ever spendsetting it up.”

[Andrew Hughes]

Funny thing about bandsaws is one day everything is cutting great.Then the next day it's seems slow or the surface is wavy.
My first thought is what's wrong with my saw now.
Ill check my guides add more tension look at the tires.
When everything thing check good I put on a sharp blade and my saw is like new again.
I have no idea if my wheels are coplane on my bandsaws and I'm not going to check.
Last thing I need right now is something to rent space in my mind.
It would not be unusual to find myself taking apart a perfectly running machine.
Some stuff we read on the internet doesn't apply to us or is just straight out baloney.

Aj