borrowed bandsaw tracking issue

**ruggb** · 15th March 2008, 08:37 AM

I borrowed a 4" portable band saw to cut 3x3x1 blocks in half = 3x3x1/2
I had to adjust everything but it still does the same thing.
It starts cutting OK but tracks away from the fence squeezing the block between the blade and the fence. Before I adjusted it, it was doing it both top and bottom. I have it now so that the top is pretty straight but the bottom still drifts away. I set the height of the top clamp, the backstops and the blade guides (top & bottom). The tension appears OK and I don't know about the blade condition. It doesn't seem to cut as fast as I would expect it to. The owner is about as much puzzled as I am.

I have not set any tracking angle because it is only doing it on the bottom.

What am I missing?

**Salty** · 16th March 2008, 11:35 AM

Blade tension? sounds to me as if the tension is too low. Tracking angle (or drift) can be managed by angling the workpiece while it goes through the blade but barelling of the cut is usually due to lack of blade tension - or a blade that has been used to cut turning blanks- all one way- and has lost its set mainly on one side.
Also remember to have the top guides as close to the top of the work as you can and of course reset the guides both top and bottom a papers width from the blade.
hope this helps

**leonmcd** · 16th March 2008, 11:52 AM

This website http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/i...n=Custom&ID=19
has some pretty good stuff on resawing.

**AlexS** · 16th March 2008, 06:12 PM

As Salty says, it could be a blade that's been used to cut a lot of turning blocks. I've also seen a new blade (not cheap but poor quality) that had the same problem because of uneven set.

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 16th March 2008, 06:31 PM

Could also be as simple as that blade has hit a foreign object which blunted the teeth on one side of the blade more than t'other. (As opposed to different set.)

Even a slight difference of sharpness will cause extra "drag" on one side of the blade and this usually manifests itself (in my experience) by exactly what you describe: the bottom of the cut starts to turn away more than the top. (Assuming homogeneous grain, of course.)

I've also occasionally noticed this when gunk has built up unnoticed on the back side of the blade... usually when turning rounds. A quick clean with solvent is the easy fix for that, of course.

**ruggb** · 17th March 2008, 02:23 PM

well, I managed to get a lot of the problem gone by doing some serious tuning.
I pulled the drive pulley off and shimmed it out and adjusted the tilt on the side idle pulley. The blade now runs almost dead on the middle of all pulleys.

However, it still showing slight outward drift on the bottom and I am betting the blade needs replacing so I gave up and returned it.

I'm going to use my router and table to do what I need for now. I may decide to buy my own band saw if I can find a good deal.

I sure learned a lot by doing this. Thanks for your help and comments.

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