Bandsaw drift

Grimmy2016

Administrator
Scott
I have recently RE-setup my Grizzly 17" bandsaw and made sure its on the highest speed, but no matter what type of wood I have it seems to drift AND burn the sides of the wood. anywhere from .5 inch and up to 2" causes this same drift - which always seems to be to the inside. I watch videos on youtube of people just plowing through wood with little to no effort and making straight and curved turns without much effort... this is frustrating.

I have checked the blade is centered on wheels, guides are within .004ish of the blade on all sides, blade is square to table from front to back and side to side. Its a standard blade from Grizzly and I havent had a chance to buy a NEW one yet.

Any ideas of what I should be checking on to fix this problem?
 

DTBoss

New User
Dan
I'm far from an expert on Bandsaws but I'd suggest instead of centering the blade on the wheels, try centering the gullet of the blade instead. The blade as a whole might appear slightly too far back, but it's corrrect. Check youtube for 'Snodgrass bandsaw' or go here
. He explains the reasoning behind all this.
Good luck.
 

Grimmy2016

Administrator
Scott
I'm far from an expert on Bandsaws but I'd suggest instead of centering the blade on the wheels, try centering the gullet of the blade instead. The blade as a whole might appear slightly too far back, but it's corrrect. Check youtube for 'Snodgrass bandsaw' or go here
. He explains the reasoning behind all this.
Good luck.
Actually this is the video I followed!!
 

sawman101

Bruce Swanson
Corporate Member
If I'm resawing, I begin by laying a piece of 3/4" board along the fence of my table saw, and using a 1" straightedge I draw a line about 1" away from the fence, onto the board face. Then I take that piece to the band saw and cut that line until I have cut that line quite straight for 2" to 3". At that point, being careful not to move the board, I shut off the saw, then draw another pencil line using the side of the board on the band saw fence side. Next I remove the board and line the fence up exactly with the pencil line. Loosening 2 bolts where the fence and fence guide come together should allow you to align the fence to the line. You have now compensated for the blade drift so that when using the fence to cut straight lines should work well.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I suspect the blade is trash. Get a new blade. www.woodcraftbands.com is the least expensive place to get the best quality band saw blades.

Call and tell the guy what saw you have and what you want to cut and he will advise you on which blades to get.

Please Call 1-800-582-1328 for orders only
We are closed on Fridays!
To Place Your order Call:
Local (828) 297 -6081
Fax (828) 297-6207
Toll Free 1-800-582-1328
E-mail:john@woodcraftbands.com
 

zapdafish

New User
Steve
one thing that really helped me was putting boshield on the table and fence and using some sort of a round brown wax stick on the blade I got from Klingspor. The burning essentially went away and the wood cut alot easier and faster. now its part of my procedure to lube up the BS before each use.
 

zapdafish

New User
Steve
be real careful with those videos, I followed it for my bandsaw and it was not meant to track that way and cut up my tires badly. was a nightmare trying to replace them
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I haven't tried woodcraft bands. I have had good luck with a 1/2" Woodslicer. Also an inexpensive blade.
So, the wood slicer is about $30?

The guy in Boone is not part of WoodCraft woodworking stores, I don't deal with those folks. Everything possible from Klingspor.

But I found this guy in Boone, works from home, used to be the bandsaw expert at Vermont American. Really knows his stuff.

He uses Starrett and Lenox roll goods to make up the bands. Very high quality control and the blades are around $15 each.

I usually order 5-10 at a time for my Rikon deluxe 14.
And usually get them in a few days.

He also has what he calls 'hobbyist' blades for around $5-6 each in standard sizes to fit smaller saws. And they are better than what comes on those saws.

If you haven't tried his blades you really should, otherwise you are throwing away good money for no good reason.
 

sawman101

Bruce Swanson
Corporate Member
I too think the Wood Slicer bands work very well, and they leave a smooth surface after the cut. However, when I am resawing, I always allow for planing the wood to size so everything is uniform. I couldn't resaw lumber accurately to size without a little deviation with the Wood Slicer blade, so I still had to plane to finish size. I've purchased all my blades locally from a saw sharpening shop and they've lasted as long as the Wood Slicers did in my estimation, and I can buy 2 quality bands for the price of one Wood Slicer. My next purchase will be from Woodcraft Bands, I've heard he is very knowledgeable and helpful in supplying the right saw band for you.
 

njohnston924

New User
Nate
+1 on the woodcraft bands. I just tried them out based on recommendations in another post here. I'm pretty new to the bandsaw but they seem to be on par with the timberwolf blades I tried.

I have a 17" grizzly also and set up using the Snodgrass method. I have not had issues with drift until the blade was getting worn out and occasionally if there was some funky grain patterns. Try changing the blade and hopefully that will correct it.

Also make sure guide bearings are functioning properly. The thrust bearings on mine have seized up and need to be replaced. Not sure if that has an impact on your situation but just a thought
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
I too, use Woodcraft bands and they are excellent! Moreover, they are cheaper than blades of comparable quality.
 

gmakra

New User
George
What size is your blade i.e. 1/4, 3/8, 3/4 the narrower the blade the more flex you can have.
I spoke to an engineer at Carter about resawing and he recommended a 3/4 wide blade 3 TPI.
It cut fast clean and no drift.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
What size is your blade i.e. 1/4, 3/8, 3/4 the narrower the blade the more flex you can have.
I spoke to an engineer at Carter about resawing and he recommended a 3/4 wide blade 3 TPI.
It cut fast clean and no drift.
That depends on the saw, smaller saws won’t have the strength to properly tension a wide blade. I use a 1/2 inch 3 tooth blade on my Rikon for re-sawing 12 inch stock. I could go up to a 5/8 inch blade but haven’t seen the need.

Many years ago I had a 16 inch Delta 3 wheel saw. It was fairly happy with a 1/4 inch blade and it had to be thin. I could cut 6 inch wide veneer with that saw all day with the right blade. Thicker or wider blades just wouldn’t cut anything well.
 

gmakra

New User
George
Mike I understand however he has a 17 inch Grizzly saw and here are th specs for the saw from the link he provided.


SPECIFICATIONS:

  • Motor: 2 HP, 110V/220V, single-phase, TEFC capacitor start induction, 60 Hz, 1725 RPM, pre-wired to 220V
  • Amps: 19A at 110V, 9.5A at 220V
  • Power transfer: Belt drive
  • Precision-ground cast-iron table
  • Table size: 23-5/8" x 17-1/4" x 1-1/2" thick
  • Table tilt: 5° left, 45° right
  • Floor to table height: 37-1/2"
  • Cutting capacity/throat: 16-1/4" left of blade
  • Maximum cutting height: 12"
  • Blade size: 131-1/2" long
  • Blade width range: 1/8" – 1" wide
  • 2 blade speeds: 1700 and 3500 FPM
  • Wheel covers: Pre-formed steel
  • Blade guides: Ball-bearing with full enclosure protection
  • Bearings: Sealed and permanently lubricated
  • Overall size: 73" H x 32" W x 32" D
  • Footprint: 27" L x 17-3/4" W x 2-1/2" H
  • Approximate shipping weight: 418 lbs.
 

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