Delta Bandsaw question

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hillikus

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Quick question and hopefully an easy answer. My wife bought me a Delta 9" bandsaw and when I finally set it up last night it will not cut a straight line. The blade twists as soon as it comes into contact with the wood and cuts about 11 degrees off. When it twists it also pulls on the wood and leaves slight burn marks on one side of the wood. The side that it is pulling from. I have all of the blade guides set exactly how they show in the manual and the guides are very low i.e. right above the wood. This is my first bandsaw and I don't know much about them but they don't seem that difficult to figure out, however, this has me stumped. I was wondering if it could be a blade tension thing or something that I'm just not seasoned enough to know. Also the lower rear support bearing has a allen head screw that locks its position and that is stripped out from the factory. Should I contact Amazon and try to get a new one? Thanks in advance.

-Hans
 
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Blade twisting sounds like not enough tension on the blade. Follow the blade's directions for proper tension, not the BS. Many blades rely on the flutter method to determine tension.

Are you cutting freehand or using a fence? Many blades has some natural drift in them due to the milling process. Get the fence out of the way, and draw a line down some straight edged stock. Freehand the cut, following the line as best you can. About half way through the stock, turn off the bandsaw without moving the stock. Adjust the fence so it lines up with the angle of the stock. This will account for the drift. If the fence doesn't adjust enough to compensate, then the tracking of your blade is off. If the blade is cutting more to your left, then the blade is too far forward, and if it is cutting more to the right, then the blade is too far back. Adjust the tracking, the redo the drift adjustment for the blade. You'll need to account for drift everytime you change blades or make other adjustments to the BS.

As for the stripped out allen screw, you can contact amazon to see how they want to deal with it. May be easier to get Delta to send you a replacement screw, and use a rotary tool with a cutoff wheel to groove the existing screw so you can remove it with a flathead screwdriver, or use a damaged screw extractor.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the info on the blade. The screw I was talking about is actually the threads inside are stripped. The screw is fine it just looks like they over tightened it from the factory and stripped out the threads and I don't mean the threads on the screw. The threads on the bandsaw base are stripped.
 
I've also read that the blades that come with the Delta are pretty much crap. They are stamped I think, which leads to one side being sharper or something, and it naturally drags that way. I have the delta too, and replaced the blade with a thicker blade, and it is better, but still not straight.

I have an old rockwell I need to finish refurbishing, I am hoping that one cuts better.
 
Originally posted by hillikus
<br />Thanks for the info on the blade. The screw I was talking about is actually the threads inside are stripped. The screw is fine it just looks like they over tightened it from the factory and stripped out the threads and I don't mean the threads on the screw. The threads on the bandsaw base are stripped.
Click to expand...

In that case, I'd contact Amazon and get a replacement. No easy fix for that one unless you want to tap out a slightly larger hole and get a bearing that fits the larger screw.
 
It is funny I was going to ask the same question. I have the Delta 9" also. It also has never cut straight. I was thinking about getting rid of it and buying a better model, but I will try a better quality blade first, like was suggested.

Thanks,
Zeke
 
Is it the thrust bearing screw that has the stripped out frame threads? If so, have Amazon replace assembly or saw.

The thrust bearing is contacted under load and supports the back of the blade.

Another thing is feed rate, don't force the saw. If it's tight grain or thick, may be too much for a 9" machine...
 
With the amount of deflection you are describing, it certainly sounds like blade tension could be part of the problem: but there could be other factors at play as well. How thick is the material you are cutting and how hard is it? And how wide is the blade you are using. For making straight cuts, I always use a 1/2" blade on my 10" Craftsman saw.
 
I have the same saw and had the same blade problems. Tried everything I could think of and eventually broke the blade (the original one). The new blade cut much better. It is still not great but as long as I go slow and steady, it is OK.
 
I also have a Delta 10". And as long as the blade is sharp, it would cut straight. But, the stock blades dulled quickly. I bought some Olsen and Timberwolf blades, but I'm still waiting for the cool blocks to arrive. My guides are shot.
 
I had the same problem with my Ryobi when I first got it. After tweaking every guide and adjustment I could, I spent months just angling my wood while I cut it to follow a line. I finally gave in and as a last resort, bought a new blade. Installed it, tightened it up so I could pluck a musical note on it like a guitar string (the blade that came with it was too stretched or long to get proper tension in it), and it's been cutting straight ever since. It's only a Home Depot 1/4" blade (Ridgid), but it seems to have done the trick. I can't afford a really good blade, but I'd love to get my hands on a 3/8" aggressive tooth blade to see what it could really do.

Try a new blade, it's a cheap fix if it works, and if not, you have a good blade for when you do figure the problem out, that's what I'd recommend. [:)]

And you need to get that blade guide screw replaced, those guides are important! :)
 
Draken, does your fence method work with different thicknesses of wood? i.e., isn't the blade drift going to be different depending on how much wood the blade rides through to get the angle?
 
My little Ryobi did the same thing with me when new (it had a 1/8" blade I think). I put on a 3/8" blade (an Olson I got at Ace Hardware) and it was like night and day. I clamp on a plastic tri-square for a fence and it works great for blanks. Before it couldn't cut a square END on a blank. Good luck.
 
Originally posted by karlkuehn
<br />Draken, does your fence method work with different thicknesses of wood? i.e., isn't the blade drift going to be different depending on how much wood the blade rides through to get the angle?
Click to expand...

Good question. I normally stick with pen blank sized things, so I haven't noticed a difference between 3/4" and 1". Not sure how thicker material would affect the drift.
 
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