On 26 Aug 2004 10:01:20 -0700, (PC Gameplayer) calmly
ranted:

I just got the Ridgid 14" bandsaw and set it up a couple weeks ago.
It all went together nice, and then I wanted to test it out. I took a
couple scraps of wood (no thicker than 3/4"), put a spare miter gauge
into the slot, and tried running the wood through. I expected that
the cut would be more or less perpendicular to the back side of the
wood (where it rides on the miter gauge), but no dice. The cut "veers
off" or "drifts". If I drew a straight line across the wood in the
direction where I was making the cut, I could start out on the line at
the beginning of the cut, then I'd end up about 1/2" or more (on a 3"
wide piece of wood) above the line. Sorry if I'm over-explaining, but
does this make sense?

1/2" in 3" is one hell of a hefty "drift", Jim.
Is the table aligned to the blade at all?
Flip the board over and make another cut. Is the second
cutoff the same width? If so, it could be a combination
of table and miter gauge offsets. Calibrate 'em.


I checked the blade tension according to the instructions. I also
DAGS, but the only things I could find blade drift were either old
blades (this is a brand spankin new machine) or resawing (which I'm
not doing). Is it just the blade tension, and is there a better way
to gauge it than just looking on the tension indicator on the back of
the machine?

Are your guides set properly? If not, tighten them to spec
up to the blade. Ditto the rear blade support bearings.
And slow down the feed rate. You're probably pushing it.

I heartily recommend Mark Duginske's "Bandsaw Book" as a
bandsaw tune-up reference.


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