Thread: Problem tuning bandsaw

I've the SUV14", but when this locking nut isn't tightened I get the same result.

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I think your test piece might actually be part of the problem. MDF is one of the worst things you can do to a bandsaw blade, along with plywood; the resin used to stick the stuff together is highly abrasive and can dull the teeth in minutes. If the blade is drifting it will cause uneven wear on the teeth and make it drift even more, causing even more uneven wear, etc

What sort of blade?

woodPixel, thanks for this , but the knob which allows the guide height to change was quite tight

Chris Parks, the blade is a 3/4" wood slicer

The Wood Slicer has a great reputation but some users have reported it loses its sharpness fairly rapidly.

It is discussed here Band Saw blade have to be brand new to resaw straight?

There are tutorials on sharpening BS blades on YouTube and a lot of people do this with great success. Is it your problem? I don't know but I am just putting it here for consideration.

Thanks Chris, I suspect this is correct about quickly using its sharpness, the blade could be a bit sharper. It is the first time I have used this type of blade, got it based on the link to the review I posted above. Also, I have too much gunk on the teeth, so will clean it off

Try straight very hot water and a brush to remove the build up, one of our fellow forumites has found it works very well.

Originally Posted by Dengue

Thanks Chris, I suspect this is correct about quickly using its sharpness, the blade could be a bit sharper. It is the first time I have used this type of blade, got it based on the link to the review I posted above. Also, I have too much gunk on the teeth, so will clean it off

Dengy, a dull blade will entice you to push a little harder to make the cut. This will cause the blade to wander. It is essential that a blade is sharp to make straight cuts, and the taller the cut, the more important this is.

I have covered sharpening a bandsaw blade here a few times. I use a Dremel with a diamond disk. My 17 1/2" Hammer 4400 takes about 20 minutes with a 3 tpi 1/2" bimetal blade. A 1" wide resaw blade with 1 1/2 tpi would take half this time. The result from sharpening is a sharper blade than new. Are you up for this?

Regards from Perth

Derek

The result from sharpening is a sharper blade than new. Are you up for this?

Not game at the moment, Derek. Now that I know it is possible, will start working towards doing this. Thanks for the heads up, will look for your posts on BS blade sharpening.

But my problem is that the finish is serrated on one side of the cut, and not the other.

I never push the blade harder than it needs, just let it get it own comfortable pace. This particular blade took about 3 to 4 minutes to resaw a 50mm high piece of silky oak 900 long today. Will put it to one side for sharpening, and get a new 3/4" bimetal blade from Henry Bros for re-sawing.

I found this article of great interest, and confirms what Chris Parks was saying above about the Wood Slicer blade going dull quickly. Guess you get what you pay for And it reviewed so well too !

Personally I love carbide blades. I've both the Resaw King and Lenox carbide job. The RK is kept for making veneers only.

I had this problem also after I broke the RK. One of the teeth was slightly tilted to the right after its repair and it generated the same pattern.... One side perfect, the other with that striation.

The tooth must have caught somewhere when it snapped. Henry Bros did a first class job on the repair but the single tooth half way around was missed. Regardless, I was getting that pattern.

All I did was use a small bit of wood very close to the side (as a visual guide) and rotated the tensioned blade and looked for the one that stuck out a tad... It came closer ever so tiny-ly. A pair of pliers and a careful bend back fixed it right up.

Now both sides cut smoothly.

Perhaps your blade has also been dinked?

Originally Posted by Dengue

I found this article of great interest, and confirms what Chris Parks was saying above about the Wood Slicer blade going dull quickly. Guess you get what you pay for And it reviewed so well too !

Van Huskey has a reputation for knowing what he is talking about. To me the problem in the OP seems to be a set problem possibly caused by the blade striking something on one side. It might be damage to one tooth only so have a really good look at the blade when cleaning it.

Can anyone please tell me if you can adjust for bandsaw blade drift by using the tilt /tracking wheel on the rear of the bandsaw, which positions the blade on the upper wheel by tilting.

I would like to be able to run my fence parallel to the mitre slot and for the blade drift angle to be zero, also parallel to the mitre slot.

Is this an impossible dream?

That is exactly what it is for. Imagine the blade with a slight bend in it from the teeth to the trailing edge and that angle is the drift angle. If you could attach something to the blade like a laser you would see it move as the tracking was changed and the laser would need to be parallel with the mitre slot or if you haven't got one an imaginary mitre slot. I have never tried it but on a really wide blade it may be possible to see the angle with a long straight edge pressed against the blade.