Bandsaw Question

[Hook]

I own a Delta bandsaw, fairly new, but it doesn't get used much, here's why:

If you look at the Christmas gift contest that was run in the Member announcements forum, you'll see the Auburn Boattail that I made. Most of the cutting was done on the bandsaw. I had real problems keeping the blade on track with the line on the pattern - the blade wanted to travel and as a result I ended up doing a good deal of extra sanding (and cutting). In fact, there's one spot on the car where if I had sanded any more, the proportion would have been more wrong than it already was, so I just left the "cut mark" on the back side of the car. I wasn't happy with the results of the cutting, but in the end, the car still turned out pretty nice.

Is there a setup technique I should know to keep the blade straight or going where I want it to go or should I just accept that the blade will travel so give it a wide berth when I cut?

[Hook]

Ok, I guess I'll have to find the camera - I can tell you it has the stock flat guides (not rollers) and it's the stock blade, only used for one project. I've bought new blades, but not installed them yet. In fact, I haven't used the bandsaw in quite some time due to the disappointment I had with the boattail project.

[FredP]

for the most part the stock blades that come with the bandsaw are trash! get a good blade. timberwolf blades seem to be good so long as the weld isnt messed up. lately some have been. lennox also makes good blades. I would suggest 1/4" 6 TPI to cut down on the sanding. then tune the saw! much info on this on the WWW. once the saw is set up you should see a BIG differance! go slow and let the blade do the work. also a good coat of paste wax on the table helps a lot.

[Travis Porter]

The stock guides should do you fine. Replacing the blade will make a lot of difference IMO. You also need to be sure you adjust all the guides and rollers properly to ensure you get good quality cuts.

[gazzer]

Wandering blade could be a bad blade, improper tensioning, blade too wide for your curves, blade tracking, misadjusted guides (especially too much space between blade and thrust bearing). Also if you are using a real narrow blade (1/8") the guides may not provide enough support.

I've found that there are a lot of things that can cause your band saw to not work as well as it should. Said another way - there are a heck of a lot of things you can do to make it work better. It seems that problems are never the result of a single factor.

I recently bought a copy of Mark Dugenske's new Band Saw Handbook and recommend it wholeheartedly. It's a bargain at less than $15. Mark clearly and completely covers everything you need to know about bandsaws (especially that mystical black art of blade tensioning). I've had my bandsaw for 15 years and with Mark's book am just starting to understand all of it's intricacies.

Good luck

Here's an Amazon link:

http://tinyurl.com/2umuqv

[Keye]

Welcome to a not so exculsuve club called "I own a bandsaw, it is easy to use but hard to master".

I really believe the bandsaw is the easiest tool in the shop to use but the hardest to master. I have a Delta bandsaw I paid around $750 for about 10 years ago. The only use it has gotten the last few years is my wife cutting dog chews. I just recently rolled it back out on the shop floor and am determined to put it to good use. With the price of wood so high I have decided to look at making some smaller projects, rather than furniture. I am really interested in the high end bandsaw boxes. Some I have seen are reall works of art, IMHO.

Do you ever visit the Woodnet forums. There have been a ton of posts concerning bandsaw's just in the last week or so. I have marked several as favorites so I can go back to them for reference info. The book someone mentioned in an earlier post is a good book. There were several other books mentioned on Woodnet.

The sense I get from reading the posts on Woodnet is that good setup, good tires, correct blade tension and using the correct blade for the project are more important than buying the expensive aftermarket stuff that is advertised.

[Hook]

Ok, I think I found PART of my problem, but let's see if y'all agree with my thinking.

[Hook]

I do have new blades for this machine, Olsen is the brand name, I just haven't put one on yet.

[Bas]

The rear guide looks good, but the blade is set in too deep. In the 2nd picture, the teeth should just protrude left of the front guides.

A band saw is definitely the most difficult tool to set up. Table saw, jointer, planer - usually you do it once and you're happy for months. The band saw needs adjusting with every blade change, and every couple of weeks to account for changes in tension. Lately, I've been resawing scraps of SYP just to get some practice in. I've found I can cut perfect wedges

Check out episode 13 of the Wood Whisperer. Some good tips there.

[JackLeg]

I agree with all said, AND, remember to keep the upper guides just clear the workpiece. Too much "blade clearance" will also allow the blade to flex and wander. Just my two pennies worth.