Candy,
You have bought by far one of the best if not the best 14" bandsaw's out there in terms of fit and finish. I have a Grizzly, which I love, and I sell Jet, Delta, Steel City and Rikon being an associate at the Dallas Woodcraft store.
Let me see if I can help. Certainly taking a class would help you get more familiar more quickly. I find classes to be preferable to videos and books, at least to me personally.
Please, do not be frightened of loosing a finger (or other appendage) in your bandsaw. Treat it with respect but the chances of getting hurt are far greater with a router table, jointer or table saw. With a bandsaw YOU have total control over what is going on. YOU control the feed rate. YOU control the size of the piece you are cutting. YOU control blade width. I routinely cut small pieces of stock without worry. I pay attention to what I am doing but I do not get overly concerned.
Yes, a vacuum system is a must, IMHO, with a BS. Wood particles can shorten the life of you tires and possibly cause a blade to pop off.
It is ALWAYS a good idea, again IMHO, to remove the tension from the blade when the saw is not in use. Although, many a woodworker will tell you they don't and have no problems. This is true of the two Jet 14" saws we have in the classroom. I just like to do so.
If you blade is tracking straight and is riding on the crown of both wheels and you did not have to make any excessive adjustments to get the blade to track properly then UI would not worry about whether your wheels are coplanar. I can say, with confidence, that they are.
Always use the best blade that you can. Personally, all I use are Timberwolf blades. For me they give the best performance and life. We also only use Timberwolf in the classroom saws.
To setup your saw back all the bearings off from the blade. Check to see that the blade is on the crown and running true. This can be done by hand or with the saw on. You only need enough tension to keep the blade on the wheels. Next adjust the tension. If the saw was off turn it on. When a blade is not under proper tension it will vibrate back and forth. Increase the tension on the blade until it is no longer vibrating back and forth. While you are adding tension or when tensioned properly check to make sure the blade is tracking properly. Turn the saw off and set the blade guid bearings. With the saw off and the blade under tension, the should be about the thickness of a dollar bill away from the blade. This is not a critical distance!! If when you are done setting them a bearing turns it is OK. Sometimes mine do but I find I can stop them with my finger indicating they are not hard up against the blade. The only critical distance is for the bearing(s) on the face of the blade. These should be positioned just behind the gullets.
Drift. The claim is every BS has it. And I suppose that's true. I do not see much in my Grizzly nor in the Jets at the store. I find drift is more a function of blade guard height, bearing adjustment and tension. Blade guard height changes how much space is between the bearings. More blade in the open the greater the chance of drift. Bearing adjustment as well. If the blade cannot twist, even slightly, then you have minimal chance for drift. Tension ensures the blade is not vibrating and thus is not likely to follow the grain as much.
The other problem I have found is most folks try to feed material too fast through the saw. This can and WILL cause drift. Feed at a speed such that the saw is doing the work and not you.
Body English can also affect the cut. If you switch which foot you have your weight on, or change your body position or change how you are hold the workpiece you can get a poor cut. I find the BS and router table most affected by changes in body English.
Hope this helps. If there is anything else I can do please let me know.
Doug
