band saw question

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Status
Not open for further replies.
ahoiberg

ahoiberg

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
1,765
Location
Ames, IA, USA.
i recently got a 1/8" blade for my bandsaw and i'm having the darndest time keeping the blade on the wheels... i tighten the heck out of it (i thought) and the blade wants to run off the back of the wheel every time i turn it on.

any thoughts on what might cause this? am i not tightening it enough, too much???

thanks!
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
I have no experience with a 1/8" blade but had a couple of 1/2" timberwolf blades that kept jumping forward (scary). Anyway, I reported those to Suffolk and they immediately replaced them. Apparently it is caused by an improper weld.

Now I turn the wheels manually first after each blade install to check (before closing and turning on). Never happened again after that.
 
1/8" is pretty thin, and can be tough to align. Having said that, it can be done. Dario hit the nail on the head when he suggested turning the wheels manually before closing things up. Remember, also, if you're changing to a different blade thickness, its very important to readjust your guide blocks and thrust bearings for the new blade size, and also adjust tilt on the top wheel in order to get the blade to track on the center of your wheels. This, again, can be done by manually turning the wheel. Make sure it tracks well manually before closing the doors and turning on the power.
 
Originally posted by ahoiberg
<br />i recently got a 1/8" blade for my bandsaw and i'm having the darndest time keeping the blade on the wheels... i tighten the heck out of it (i thought) and the blade wants to run off the back of the wheel every time i turn it on.

any thoughts on what might cause this? am i not tightening it enough, too much???

thanks!
Click to expand...

There are two things that must be done to properly tracking of a saw blade: tension (what you do) and then the tracking of the blade. My bandsaw has a thumbscrew on the backside of the upper wheel assembly.
Here you turn the wheel by hand and using the thumbscrew, you adjust the tracking of the blade - it should run on the center of the tire. Here is an excerpt from my band saw manual:

"After applying tension to the blade, rotate the wheels
slowly forward by hand and observe the blade’s
movement. The blade (A) Fig. 49 should travel in the
center of the upper tire. If the blade creeps toward the
front edge, loosen the wing nut (B) Fig. 48, and turn the
thumb screw (C) clockwise. This procedure draws the
blade toward the center of the tire. If the blade creeps
toward the back edge, turn the thumb screw in the
opposite direction. Adjust the thumb screw (C) Fig. 48
only a fraction of a turn each time."

This tilts the wheel in or out.
So in a nutshell, first tension your blade and then adjust the tracking. Also make sure your blade guides and trust bearing are set to have the blade run on the center of the wheels. I have seen badly tuned bandsaws and the tracking was totally off due to badly adjusted guide/bearing assembly.
Repeat this often to make sure the blade run ok. I check it whenever I use the saw.
 
The thinner the blade the more important it is to have the wheels tracking correctly, and may need adjusting as Rudy discusssed above. Worn tires on the wheels can also make thin blades (I guess actually I should narrow instead of thin) tough to track. Personally I have also found smaller band saws handle narrow blades better, large band saws just seem to struggle with 1/8" or 3/16" blades. This comes from experience when I was teaching wood shop for years, although I have had an 3/16" on my Delta with little trouble more than any other size.

Overall band saws are a little tougher to align than most people think, lots of variables than any one of can really cause problems with narrow blades.
 
thanks for all your responses, i'll have to spend a little more time with the tracking (i've yet to find it on my bandsaw although i haven't looked THAT hard yet.)

one of these days i'll get it on OK without having to curse the saw too many times! [:p]
 
Originally posted by ahoiberg
<br />thanks for all your responses, i'll have to spend a little more time with the tracking (i've yet to find it on my bandsaw although i haven't looked THAT hard yet.)

one of these days i'll get it on OK without having to curse the saw too many times! [:p]
Click to expand...

You already have received appropriate advice. But, to make you feel better, there is a learning curve to adjusting a bandsaw. There are times where non-Sunday-appropriate words must be applied to accomplish the task. Hang in there, read your owners manual and be careful.
 
Originally posted by Rifleman1776
<br />
Originally posted by ahoiberg
<br />thanks for all your responses, i'll have to spend a little more time with the tracking (i've yet to find it on my bandsaw although i haven't looked THAT hard yet.)

one of these days i'll get it on OK without having to curse the saw too many times! [:p]
Click to expand...

You already have received appropriate advice. But, to make you feel better, there is a learning curve to adjusting a bandsaw. There are times where non-Sunday-appropriate words must be applied to accomplish the task. Hang in there, read your owners manual and be careful.
Click to expand...

Big rubber mallet helps also, doesn't really do anything but also doesn't damage as much as a sledge hammer would [}:)]
 
Rubber mallet and sledge hammer aside, recommended reading is "The Bandsaw Book" by Lonnie Bird. Lots of great information in there. It may be in your local library or they possibly could get it for you.

Tom
 
I have a 1/8" blade I still cant get to stay on. Pi_ _ _ d me off one to many times and I gave up. It still hangs on the wall, mocking me. Some day I will have my revenge.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom