On Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:30:36 -0800, wrote:

I have a cheap 4x6 band saw which I bought on sale from Busy Bee and
which came with a Harbor-Freight manual. I have also downloaded a
Grizzly manual for their equivalent saw.

I am having a persistent problem with tracking of the blade on the
lower (driven) wheel: the blade runs about 2/3rds on the wheel. I have
re-done the tracking procedure on the top wheel where it is
satisfactory. I have tried different tensions. If I move the blade
manually *backwards* by rotating the pulleys the blade slots in fine,
right next to the shoulder. If I move it forward, manually or by the
motor, it goes back to its previous position.

The saw cuts OK and there has been no tendency for the blade to slip
off the wheels. I am inclined to accept it but I was wondering if
anyone else encountered this and what, if anything, they did about it.

What about blade tension? It sounds as if the tension is way too
high, bowing the frame, and causing the blade to slip off. Have you
set your guides properly? (With the manuals, you probably have.)
Is the driven wheel axle nut tight? Those are the only things I can
think of which could cause that. Check that the wheels are coplanar
and and parallel, then go from there. It sounds like a twist
(backwards reseats the blade) or bend (blade slips off.)


The other issue is the quality of the chips: The Grizzly manual has an
interesting chart explaining what needs to be done depending on the
shape of the chips. Nothing I do seems to make a difference - they are
always powdery!

I've always taken that as an indication that the blade is dull.

--
The ultimate result of shielding men from folly
is to fill the world with fools.
-- Herbert Spencer