Hot Rodding Bandsaw

[LK&T]

I have a small Ryobi bandsaw (62" blade) that I use occasionally. Lately I'm getting busier and busier in the shop building handles for knives. And of course, cutting up wood for pen blanks. The bandsaw cuts down on sawing time dramatically compared to hand sawing, but the surface finish quality is junk and the blade drifts around like a drunk sailor. I end up milling away a lot of wood on highly figured blanks just to get a smooth, flat surface after cutting with the bandsaw. Got fed up the other day and sat down to look at options for small bandsaws; no room in the shop for a floor stander. Was not encouraged by what I found and don't think I can get anything else in a small size that'll be much better. Not very surprised. Last year I pulled the wheels, balanced them and got a ton less vibration from the machine. Remembering that, I started looking at more upgrades I might be able to do. I quickly found the #1 upgrade for a cheap bandsaw is the blade, so I took care of that and ordered a couple of high quality resaw specific blades. The blades should be here tomorrow. Aside from careful setup with the blade installation, any other tips or tricks out there for getting a little more performance out of a bandsaw? I know it's a cheap bandsaw but I'm not going to be pushing its limits. I just need a machine that'll cut a straight line and leave a decent surface finish.

 

[jttheclockman]

I believe 3/8" is the largest blade you can use so I would go with that. The larger the blade the less wavering. The more teeth the cleaner the cut but if resawing alot then you want a 6tpi. I would not drop to a 3tpi. 14tpi is about as good as you will get with that saw. With all bandsaws make sure the tires are in good condition. Tension blade properly. Keep the blade guard as close to the top of the work as possible. Do not push too hard. Most blades will have a drift built in. Test to see what way yours is and adjust fence accordingly. Not sure what kind of blade guides you have but make sure they are sitting just behind the gullet of the teeth and are as close to blade as possible and the back bearings are just touching blade when stopped. Setting up the guides is a crucial step to guide the blade.

 

[Ohmo]

Proper tension and adjustment of the guide bearings should drastically reduce or completely eliminate blade wander. A good and sharp blade helps a lot, too.

Alex, of Carter bandsaw trade show fame, has some fantastical tips for improving the operation of any bandsaw. Plus, watching him at wood workers shows has been a real treat for me for close to 30 years. Here's one of his videos - he's a lot younger in this one, but the information is as valid today as when the video was made. https://sawblade.tv/videos/01-carter-training-video-carter-blade-guides/

 

[LK&T]

I believe 3/8" is the largest blade you can use so I would go with that. The larger the blade the less wavering. The more teeth the cleaner the cut but if resawing alot then you want a 6tpi. I would not drop to a 3tpi. 14tpi is about as good as you will get with that saw. With all bandsaws make sure the tires are in good condition. Tension blade properly. Keep the blade guard as close to the top of the work as possible. Do not push too hard. Most blades will have a drift built in. Test to see what way yours is and adjust fence accordingly. Not sure what kind of blade guides you have but make sure they are sitting just behind the gullet of the teeth and are as close to blade as possible and the back bearings are just touching blade when stopped. Setting up the guides is a crucial step to guide the blade.

Yep, I got two blades in 3/8". One is a 6 tpi and the other 14 tpi. You were right on the money!

 

[LK&T]

Proper tension and adjustment of the guide bearings should drastically reduce or completely eliminate blade wander. A good and sharp blade helps a lot, too.

Alex, of Carter bandsaw trade show fame, has some fantastical tips for improving the operation of any bandsaw. Plus, watching him at wood workers shows has been a real treat for me for close to 30 years. Here's one of his videos - he's a lot younger in this one, but the information is as valid today as when the video was made. https://sawblade.tv/videos/01-carter-training-video-carter-blade-guides/

Thanks for the reply. The blades I got from the big box store are so bad I think no amount of adjusting will get a good result. The blades I ordered are specifically resawing and high quality. With careful tension and guide adjustment they should be a huge step. And thanks for the video link. I watched it and picked up a couple of good tips.

 

[LK&T]

Got the new blades today. Unfortunately, I found the lower blade guide bearing seized. I've spent the past hour trying to find replacements locally with no luck, so had to order from a Fastenal store in Georgia (I'm in WA state). At least they're cheap enough to afford a bunch of spares. In the meantime it'll be backsaws getting work done. Backsaws say "Bearings! We don't need no stinkin' bearings!" Still, I'm pretty excited about potentially getting this little bandsaw turned into a solid, useable machine.

 

[LK&T]

Update on the bandsaw. I finally got bearings for the blade guides and replaced both. One was totally seized and the other was running rough. Put on the new blade (6 tpi, 3/8 resew blade) and carefully went through setup on the guides, wheels, blade tension and everything else I could tinker with. The result is a transformed little bandsaw. I've been looking for excuses to use it.

Lessons learned:
- Bad blade guide bearing will not......guide. When you buy, buy spares 'cause they're cheap.
- Quality blades mean everything. My setup was really not that bad before the new blades, and the machine still sucked.With new blades, it's a peach.