Thread: Ryobi Band Saw

Can't help you with your inquiry but I'm sure someone will be along to lend you a hand.

Ross

If it's one of the three wheeled units, good luck with it. I had one once only for a short time, kept breaking blades, wouldn't cut straight. Have you tried a new good quality blade, I found that helped a bit, in the end I just did a straight line, then followed it the best I could. If you look in the library section, you should find an article on setting up the bandsaw. The clearance on the blade to the guides is a big thing, too much and it'll wander, too little and it'll do the same. Also getting the blade to run in the centre of the wheels is important too, as well as the tension of the blade.
Hope this helps a bit.
Kryn

Yep I was an owner of a three wheeled bandsaw for a very short length of time, it was sold in very quick order. Guess there's a pretty good reason they stopped making them!

Hi Guys, thanks for the replies. This is the two wheel version RBS904, and I've bought a new blade as well.


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Some of the blades supplied by the low price point brands can be fairly poor in terms of unequal tooth set etc. I would suggest that you take either the original or replacement blade to a saw doctor, explain what you are trying to cut (material and thickness) and any other special requirements such as minimum bend radius for cutting curves (if required). Also know what the saws recommended maximum blade width is and provide that info.

A good saw doc should be able to make a blade to suit the task from industrial grade blade stock for slightly more than you would pay for a stock tool brand hobby blade. If that cannot cut straight on the saw when the saw is properly set up, then the saw frame is most likely twisted and probably will never be consistently better than it has been no matter how much tweeking you do.

Thanks again. The new blade does really seem that sharp and the unit itself is a bit plasticky. Guess I should be happy with what I've got or sell it.
Might try a better quality blade first


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Hello Ranger ,
I might be out of line here....but all the information I have read tells me that if your blade is capable and sits on the wheels properly etc the cause may lie with the wheel axle adjustment and not so much the fence being the culprit . Dont know if you have this adjustment on an entry level type machine .

Please describe the size of the Ryobi bandsaw. A model number like 69FOPDQ means little from one export market to another.

I have one, a tabletop model (whatever the hello that number is and I don't care.)
It's about 8" from the blade to the column housing.
It's insanely sensitive to blade sharpness. Dull, the cut wants to wanter 45 degrees.
The little sucker will NOT cut straight.
Some new blades (Vermont American) are good for 20-30cm. Some blades are good for 50m.

Of course all the guides and settings are adjusted with a feeler gauge, as instructed by the book.
There are no flaws or faults with my set up other than to experience the change with a new blade.
The saw is basically a POS. I'd like to run a bigger better saw if I ciould justify the cost.
New or used is irrelevant. Don't give a rat's patootie about brand name bragging rights.

ranger. I paid $100 for the saw. Probably got my money's worth out of it.
Why the damn thing can't cut a line., I don't know.

Hi Guys, been a while since I’ve been on the forum but just an update on the issues I had with the ryobi band saw.
I eventually realised that the blade was not on correctly. After visiting a store and looking at the setup I noticed my blade was setup so the teeth were cutting on the up stroke. I have since changed this and now it’s actually cutting fairly straight.

I’m now finding that my cuts are a little wavy.
I’m thinking this might be in the guide setup. The two side guides aren’t in the best condition and look a little worn.
Might try grinding them flat. My side guides are just rods of steel, not bearings like I’ve seen on other models

Any thoughts?


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Probably good to start from scratch when setting up the guides. Back them right off the blade, both the side support and the back guide behind the blade. Spin the wheels over by hand multiple times to ensure the blade will track on the wheels where it should. I don't have your type of bandsaw but I set mine up as per this video on Youtube. I have my teeth running in the centre of the wheel as Alex suggests but some saws don't like this setup.
Once you have your blade running where you want it bring the guides in so they have about the thickness of a piece of paper between them and the blade. To do this bring one guide in until it just touches the blade and lock it. Bring the other guide in and insert the paper between it and the blade and lock the guide. Do the same procedure with the other pair of guides.
After you set the side guides then bring the rear support guides in until they also have a very small clearance between the blade and guide. They shouldn't be touching the blade when no timber is being pushed against the blade.
Make sure you have your blade tensioned up correctly before you start the guide adjustments and you could clean up any wear in the ends of the guides to make them flat before you start.
Sometimes when a blade won't track straight through your timber it is because the teeth on the blade are cut a bit irregular. To fix this you can hold an oil stone lightly against the sides of the teeth while the machine is running and that will remove the points of any teeth that are protruding further then the other. Do it on both sides of the blade.
I accidentally hit a very small nail recently when cutting some old cedar and it took the edge and cutting tips off the teeth. After I sharpened the teeth I found that I actually got a smoother cut which I believe was because the nail had removed any irregular teeth edges.

Thanks for the tips! I’ll try them out this weekend.



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Originally Posted by Treecycle

Probably good to start from scratch when setting up the guides. Back them right off the blade, both the side support and the back guide behind the blade. Spin the wheels over by hand multiple times to ensure the blade will track on the wheels where it should. I don't have your type of bandsaw but I set mine up as per this video on Youtube. I have my teeth running in the centre of the wheel as Alex suggests but some saws don't like this setup.
Once you have your blade running where you want it bring the guides in so they have about the thickness of a piece of paper between them and the blade. To do this bring one guide in until it just touches the blade and lock it. Bring the other guide in and insert the paper between it and the blade and lock the guide. Do the same procedure with the other pair of guides.
After you set the side guides then bring the rear support guides in until they also have a very small clearance between the blade and guide. They shouldn't be touching the blade when no timber is being pushed against the blade.
Make sure you have your blade tensioned up correctly before you start the guide adjustments and you could clean up any wear in the ends of the guides to make them flat before you start.
Sometimes when a blade won't track straight through your timber it is because the teeth on the blade are cut a bit irregular. To fix this you can hold an oil stone lightly against the sides of the teeth while the machine is running and that will remove the points of any teeth that are protruding further then the other. Do it on both sides of the blade.
I accidentally hit a very small nail recently when cutting some old cedar and it took the edge and cutting tips off the teeth. After I sharpened the teeth I found that I actually got a smoother cut which I believe was because the nail had removed any irregular teeth edges.

Have to agree with the above. For any bandsaw to work well it has to be set up and the blade has to be sharp. This is even more important on small saws to get the best from them as they dont have spare power to overcome that slightly dull blade.
That said a fence that can be adjusted for drift is a good thing to have. I made one like this and it is better than the factory fence that came with my saw.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpbwH9510MY
Regards
John

Great video, thank you


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Quality blades have a lot to do with cutting quality. Many of the blades bearing the saw makers name and sold in tool stores etc are not particularly well made (i.e cheap and nasty) and sometimes have inconsistent hardening and set. Both of these issues will affect the saws ability to cut consistently. Generally speaking, you will get quality blades more economically by having a commercial saw doctor make custom blades for you. They will only use bulk industrial grade band, and can recommend particular width and tooth configurations for the types of work you wish to do. Cost may be a little more initially but life and satisfaction will be much better than cheap tool brand bands.

Also, narrow blades are for cutting curves, wider blades are for cutting straight as the spine of the blade guides the blade while running in the kerf.