Thread: All Bandsaw Aficonados.........Help!

Originally Posted by Colin Howkins

• Have got the fence parrallel to the blade

How did you go about this?

If the deflection is always in the same direction regardless of which way the grain heads off, then the first thing I'd suspect is the blade. New or otherwise.

I'd try swapping it out for another blade, preferably one that you know will cut straight.


As for the fence, unless you're cutting homogeneous material (eg. plastic, MDF or the like) then I reckon it's pointless worrying about "getting the fence square" as most BS blades of around 1/2" and under like to follow the grain. Even though some fences do have a set-screw to allow for this adjustment. In my opinion you're better off using the fence as either a rough guide to start a cut then moving it out of the way and following a pencil line/template or removing it altogether and using a v-block guide instead.

I think you are getting drift. Try a brand new blade - that way you know its sharp.

Mark a straight line on a peice of wood and saw this freehand without the fence. The angle that the wood goes should be constant and that is the angle that the fence needs to be on if you want to set it up properly. Some saws the fence adjusts others the table will adjust.

A couple of things, have the blade very tight, running in the middle of the top wheel, and the top guide as close to the work as possible - this eliminates the opportunity for the blade to "twist".

Hope that helps.

The "V Block' that Skew is referring to. Get a block of wood and bolt it to the fence so the point of the V is at the front edge of the blade. (some saws have this as a standard feature. This way the width of the cut is the distance from the point of the V block to the blade and the angle the wood feeds through at wont matter so long as it is against the v block.

Another couple of pieces of advice.

First is very obvious. Make sure the blade is centred on the wheel. I always check this by turning the wheel by hand several times after tensioning the blade.
One thing sometimes forgotten is the condition of the rubber tyre. Depending on the material that has been cut it sometimes happens that crud builds up on the tyre. Often it is compressed sawdust.
If this is the case the wheel can be cleaned. The method I have used is to glue a piece of coarse sandpaper to a wood block and hold it against the wheel while it is rotating. Some users fix an old toothbrush against the top and bottom wheels to keep them clean.

As for the fence on a bandsaw in most cases it is useless. A point fence is useful for most things. However I use an adjustable fence that can accommodate drift because I often cut veneers off wide planks and need really fine control.

Jerry

War does not decide who is right. War only decides who is left.

If the blade has been on the saw for a while the set on one side can be affected. This will in turn make your blade drift consistently in one direction. Try it with another (newer) blade. But as mentioned in the other posts you just need to set the fence to compensate for this.

Get "Band Saw Handbook By Mark Duginske" out of the library and have a good read of it. Some of what you are after is at http://books.google.com.au/books?id=...cf8Y#PPA155,M1 but the whole book is not covered here, well worth a read!

If you want to invest in a book , Mark Duginske's The New Complete guide to the Band Saw is a ripper.

Originally Posted by pommyphil

If you want to invest in a book , Mark Duginske's The New Complete guide to the Band Saw is a ripper.

I agree, that book has everything you need to know about setting up and using a Bandsaw. I found it very valuable.

You should be able to get the blade to cut straight by useing the adjuster that tilts the top wheel to position the blade, typically centered on the tyre, but it needs to be in the right place for it to cut straight, play with this and reset your blade guides...

Do appreciate all of you who replied to me in my hour of need. You have all given me plenty to play with.

New blade is certainly worth a go, as is a bit of a clean.

I take on board the comment that the fence is a 'rough guide' - maybe I have been expecting too much from the bandsaw.

Give me a week or so to try out some suggestions and I will report back

Once again...............thanks