I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.
I have a Grizzly G0555 14" bandsaw. I have tried using Sandvik bi-
metal blades 3/8" and 1/2" widths. The 1/2 blade is too wide but still
bends when I cut bowl blanks with it. I have adjusted the roller
guides many times and set the tension per the manufacturer, and even
set the tension as high as I can turn the adjustment knob. When I use
the 3/8 blade it really bows, to the point that it quits cutting and
binds in the wood. The saw is a 2-speed, I use the highest speed, and
cut real slow not forcing the wood.
I searched the internet for suggestions but haven't found anyone with
the same problem with their Grizzly. I really would appreciate any
suggestions. If I can't cure the blade bending problem, I'll have to
buy another bandsaw, and I'd hate to spend over $1,000.00+ just to cut
bowl blanks.

On Mar 20, 9:35 pm, Gerald Ross wrote:
wrote:
I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.
I have a Grizzly G0555 14" bandsaw. I have tried using Sandvik bi-
metal blades 3/8" and 1/2" widths. The 1/2 blade is too wide but still
bends when I cut bowl blanks with it. I have adjusted the roller
guides many times and set the tension per the manufacturer, and even
set the tension as high as I can turn the adjustment knob. When I use
the 3/8 blade it really bows, to the point that it quits cutting and
binds in the wood. The saw is a 2-speed, I use the highest speed, and
cut real slow not forcing the wood.
I searched the internet for suggestions but haven't found anyone with
the same problem with their Grizzly. I really would appreciate any
suggestions. If I can't cure the blade bending problem, I'll have to
buy another bandsaw, and I'd hate to spend over $1,000.00+ just to cut
bowl blanks.

I also use a Griz 14 inch (with riser block) to cut bowl
blanks. I made a jig with a pin for the blank to rotate on
and start by drilling a hole in the center of the block of
wood. The trick is to have the point of rotation at the
right place (front to back). If it is too far past the
cutting edge it will push the blade away from the center, if
too far toward the front of the saw it will pull the blade
toward the center of the block. Or is it the other way
around? Anyway, that is the key--that and a sharp blade.
Incidentally I use a 3/8 3 tpi timberwolf blade for green wood.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Some minds should be cultivated,
others plowed under...

Thanks,
I never thought about the orientation of the point of rotation. I
can't picture what your jig looks like. Can you describe it more, or
send me a picture?

Robert

wrote:
I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.
I have a Grizzly G0555 14" bandsaw. I have tried using Sandvik bi-
metal blades 3/8" and 1/2" widths. The 1/2 blade is too wide but still
bends when I cut bowl blanks with it. I have adjusted the roller
guides many times and set the tension per the manufacturer, and even
set the tension as high as I can turn the adjustment knob. When I use
the 3/8 blade it really bows, to the point that it quits cutting and
binds in the wood. The saw is a 2-speed, I use the highest speed, and
cut real slow not forcing the wood.
I searched the internet for suggestions but haven't found anyone with
the same problem with their Grizzly. I really would appreciate any
suggestions. If I can't cure the blade bending problem, I'll have to
buy another bandsaw, and I'd hate to spend over $1,000.00+ just to cut
bowl blanks.

I also use a Griz 14 inch (with riser block) to cut bowl
blanks. I made a jig with a pin for the blank to rotate on
and start by drilling a hole in the center of the block of
wood. The trick is to have the point of rotation at the
right place (front to back). If it is too far past the
cutting edge it will push the blade away from the center, if
too far toward the front of the saw it will pull the blade
toward the center of the block. Or is it the other way
around? Anyway, that is the key--that and a sharp blade.
Incidentally I use a 3/8 3 tpi timberwolf blade for green wood.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Some minds should be cultivated,
others plowed under...

Rob first off get the right kind of blade to saw GREEN wood, get a 3
or 4 TPI blade that has a extra wide set.
That will cut your blank.
You don't need any circle cutting setup, this is NOT cabinet making,
and also the reason many use a chainsaw to cot blanks to a fairly
round chunk.
Also get the bark off the wood, that's where the sand, grit and gravel
hides, blades do not take kindly to that stuff.
Give it a try and come back if you have more questions, we'll try to
help out.


Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

On Mar 20, 7:52 pm, wrote:
I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.
I have a Grizzly G0555 14" bandsaw. I have tried using Sandvik bi-
metal blades 3/8" and 1/2" widths. The 1/2 blade is too wide but still
bends when I cut bowl blanks with it. I have adjusted the roller
guides many times and set the tension per the manufacturer, and even
set the tension as high as I can turn the adjustment knob. When I use
the 3/8 blade it really bows, to the point that it quits cutting and
binds in the wood. The saw is a 2-speed, I use the highest speed, and
cut real slow not forcing the wood.
I searched the internet for suggestions but haven't found anyone with
the same problem with their Grizzly. I really would appreciate any
suggestions. If I can't cure the blade bending problem, I'll have to
buy another bandsaw, and I'd hate to spend over $1,000.00+ just to cut
bowl blanks.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Rob first off get the right kind of blade to saw GREEN wood, get a 3
or 4 TPI blade that has a extra wide set.
That will cut your blank.
You don't need any circle cutting setup, this is NOT cabinet making,
and also the reason many use a chainsaw to cot blanks to a fairly
round chunk.
Also get the bark off the wood, that's where the sand, grit and gravel
hides, blades do not take kindly to that stuff.
Give it a try and come back if you have more questions, we'll try to
help out.

Leo doesn't understand. A circle jig is an excellent way to ensure even feed
and curve. It is NOT for circle making. Equally as important is to have a
flat surface to reference to the table so the blank can't tilt and pinch.
For that, you can use a scrub and Jack plane. Moreover, if you're dealing
with timber thicker than the 6" capacity of your saw or refining the blank
by tapering off the endgrain, you can use your jig with table tilt.

Quick search on circle cutting jig should turn you all you need. It's a
place to mount the pin and a way to set its position relative to the front
of the blade

Rob
I am one of those who use a chain saw to "rough round" a blank for the
lathe. It is easier and faster than a band saw for larger blanks and for me
that is anything over eight inches. However, for rounding on the band saw
try
(1) use a 3/8" 3 tooth per inch blade and keep it sharp
(2) have a flat for reference and to keep the blank from rolling
(3) use a guide for a good cut. I cut a series of circles out of card board
ranging from 4" to 15". See one used with the chain saw at
http://aroundthewoods.com/firewood.shtml
(4) on the band saw lay the flat from the chain saw cut down on the table
and fasten the circle to the back of the blank with a couple of nails
(5) slowly cut around the circle. The gullets on the blade need time to
clear the wet shavings and dust from the cut.
Let us know if you still have hassles. My 25 year old, 10" (yes 10" not 14")
Rockwell still cuts 5 1/2" thick wet blanks without difficulty. I jsut find
the $80.00 electric chainsaw more appropriate in the shop for such a cut as
I like to heave wet 14" rounds of wood as little as possible. They were
lighter 20 years ago :-)

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
www.aroundthewoods.com

"George" wrote in message
. net...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Rob first off get the right kind of blade to saw GREEN wood, get a 3
or 4 TPI blade that has a extra wide set.
That will cut your blank.
You don't need any circle cutting setup, this is NOT cabinet making,
and also the reason many use a chainsaw to cot blanks to a fairly
round chunk.
Also get the bark off the wood, that's where the sand, grit and gravel
hides, blades do not take kindly to that stuff.
Give it a try and come back if you have more questions, we'll try to
help out.

Leo doesn't understand. A circle jig is an excellent way to ensure even
feed and curve. It is NOT for circle making. Equally as important is to
have a flat surface to reference to the table so the blank can't tilt and
pinch. For that, you can use a scrub and Jack plane. Moreover, if you're
dealing with timber thicker than the 6" capacity of your saw or refining
the blank by tapering off the endgrain, you can use your jig with table
tilt.

Quick search on circle cutting jig should turn you all you need. It's a
place to mount the pin and a way to set its position relative to the front
of the blade

On Mar 20, 7:52 pm, wrote:
I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.
I have a Grizzly G0555 14" bandsaw. I have tried using Sandvik bi-
metal blades 3/8" and 1/2" widths. The 1/2 blade is too wide but still
bends when I cut bowl blanks with it. I have adjusted the roller
guides many times and set the tension per the manufacturer, and even
set the tension as high as I can turn the adjustment knob. When I use
the 3/8 blade it really bows, to the point that it quits cutting and
binds in the wood. The saw is a 2-speed, I use the highest speed, and
cut real slow not forcing the wood.
I searched the internet for suggestions but haven't found anyone with
the same problem with their Grizzly. I really would appreciate any
suggestions. If I can't cure the blade bending problem, I'll have to
buy another bandsaw, and I'd hate to spend over $1,000.00+ just to cut
bowl blanks.

I have a 12" tilt-head Craftsman bandsaw and cut circles accurately
down to 4" in diameter. Two things are needed for me to do this. Other
people have different ways, this one works for me.

First, a good blade. I use a 1/2" 3tpi blade. This is important
because the blade cuts a kerf that is wide enough to make a clean cut
in the wood without the blade binding.

My jig:

- remove the blade fro the bandsaw
- get a piece of 1/2" or so plywood that will sit on the table
squarely. I cut mine so that it protrudes about 2" off the side of the
table
- cut a wood runner that will sit in the miter gauge slot of your
table, same width and height.
- lay a thread of glue on the runner and press the plywood down onto
it. You want the plywood to adhere to the runner so that it can be
slid accross the table.
- I drill 2 small holes in which I insert 2 finishing nails through
the plywood and the runner. Be extra careful not to drill through the
bandsaw table. These are just markers so anywhere will do.
- remove the now joined plywood/runner and drill a couple of holes
into which you can insert some short wood screws to better hold the
runner in place.
- put this sliding jig back onto the bandsaw table and verify that it
slides nicely.
- cut, position and screw and glue a block to stop the jig from going
past the front of the bandsaw table.
- remove the jig and put the blade back into the saw
- once all adjustments have been made and all safety steps followed,
turn on the saw and slide the jig into the blade as far as the stop
block will allow
- shut off the saw and remove the jig
- using a square, draw a line 90 degrees to the front blade cut out to
your right to the edge of the jig
- along this line, mark off some points. I have mine every 1/2". These
will be the pivot points. Remember that a pivot 1/2" fro the blade
will yield a 1" circle when cut. I started mine off at the 2" mark
because realistically, a 4" circle is as small as I can cut with a 1/2
blade and even that is tight.
- with the jig off the saw, drill out the pivot points. I drilled mine
out 3/16" so I can use a 3/16" aluminium shelf pin.
- the jig is done

To use, I take my log and mark on the flatest side where I want my
centre to be. I drill a small 1/4" deep hole with a 3/16" bit and
insert the shelf pin in the hole. Pull out the jig a bit. Flip the log
over and insert the pin in one of the holes. Start the bandsaw and
slowly slide the jig forward, cutting into the wood, until the jig
will go no further because of the stop piece at the front. Gently
rotate the log until you have cut out a circle.

Wet wood sometimes will curve back on itself as you are cutting and
this will cause the kerf to close and sometimes bind the blade. One
way around that is to take a small scrap and wedge it into the kerf to
keep it from closing further.

As I wrote this, I made a jpeg drawing with the instructions. I'm
sending this directly to your email address. If you have any
questions, just ask. If you don't receive the drawing, send me an
email directly from your computer and I'll attach it to the reply.

Mike

wrote in message
oups.com...
I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.

I understand your problem to be blade flexing. It is not clear whether this
just happens when you try to cut blanks or all the time.

I had the same problem with a new bandsaw, it would not even cut in a
straight line whilst using the fence. If I used it to follow a straight
pencil line freehand (not using the fence) I could do it but I noticed that
the wood was apparently being fed to the blade at a slight angle.

I had bought a spare blade with the saw but from a different manufacturer so
I changed the blade. Problem solved.

I managed to get the problem back when I tried to cut a screw. The blade
just managed to catch the screw with one side of the blade and blunted the
teeth that were set to the left.

If you try to cut with a blade like this it will flex. The problem, as I see
it, is that the blade cuts better on one side than the other. When you have
a decent thickness of wood the guides at top and bottom hold the blade
straight but in the middle the blade tries to cut a circle and flexes.

This may not be anything to do with your problem but I would try cutting a
flat sheet to see whether you have a straight feed.

Good luck.

BillR

When I used to chainsaw all my blanks, I would run into binding
problems. It wasn't a blade tension problem, it was the bottom of the
blank not being flat. The blank would tip when cutting (due to the
downward pressure of the cutting action, similar to what can happen if
you try to cross cut a round piece on the bandsaw), and this would
bind and even break the blade. With your blade tension all the way up,
if you push on the blade with your finger (with the saw off of course)
there should be as much as 1/4 inch of deflection, with firm pressure.
If there is more deflection than this, then there is a tensioning
problem. You may be able to solve that by getting a slightly shorter
blade, or you may have to harrass Grizzly about it.

I do keep a small sharp hand axe handy to touch up some blanks before
putting on the bandsaw.

I don't use templates of a circle cutting jig. I use a compass to
scribe a circle and keep your blades sharp.

Most blade tension guides are way off.

robo hippy


On Mar 21, 9:29 am, "BillR" wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...

I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.

I understand your problem to be blade flexing. It is not clear whether this
just happens when you try to cut blanks or all the time.

I had the same problem with a new bandsaw, it would not even cut in a
straight line whilst using the fence. If I used it to follow a straight
pencil line freehand (not using the fence) I could do it but I noticed that
the wood was apparently being fed to the blade at a slight angle.

I had bought a spare blade with the saw but from a different manufacturer so
I changed the blade. Problem solved.

I managed to get the problem back when I tried to cut a screw. The blade
just managed to catch the screw with one side of the blade and blunted the
teeth that were set to the left.

If you try to cut with a blade like this it will flex. The problem, as I see
it, is that the blade cuts better on one side than the other. When you have
a decent thickness of wood the guides at top and bottom hold the blade
straight but in the middle the blade tries to cut a circle and flexes.

This may not be anything to do with your problem but I would try cutting a
flat sheet to see whether you have a straight feed.

Good luck.

BillR

You probably already tried this but you didn't say how much cutting you have
done with your blade. If the blade isn't sharp you will have to push and
the blade will flex. You can really tell the difference when you switch to
a new blade. Depending on your blade, whether or not you removed the bark
and the type of wood your blade may get dull quicker than you think. I used
my small Delta benchtop to cut bowl blanks and it worked okay as long as I
had sharp blades.


wrote in message
oups.com...
I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.
I have a Grizzly G0555 14" bandsaw. I have tried using Sandvik bi-
metal blades 3/8" and 1/2" widths. The 1/2 blade is too wide but still
bends when I cut bowl blanks with it. I have adjusted the roller
guides many times and set the tension per the manufacturer, and even
set the tension as high as I can turn the adjustment knob. When I use
the 3/8 blade it really bows, to the point that it quits cutting and
binds in the wood. The saw is a 2-speed, I use the highest speed, and
cut real slow not forcing the wood.
I searched the internet for suggestions but haven't found anyone with
the same problem with their Grizzly. I really would appreciate any
suggestions. If I can't cure the blade bending problem, I'll have to
buy another bandsaw, and I'd hate to spend over $1,000.00+ just to cut
bowl blanks.

On Mar 20, 6:52 pm, wrote:
I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.

If you have tried tightening the adjustments, the next most likely
culpret could be the blade. Bandsaw blades do stretch over time and
if your blade has been in use for a while that could be the problem
and a simple blade replacement should be the solution. Properly
tightened you shouldn't be having the problem you describe, unless of
course you also have worn out bearings or other wear problems that
emerge with a heavily used machine.

On Mar 21, 5:01 pm, "PaulD" wrote:
On Mar 20, 6:52 pm, wrote:

I need help so I can cut out 10 or 14 inch round bowl blanks from
green wood on my bandsaw for woodturning on my lathe. The problem is
that my blade flexs too much and I can't do any more adjustments to
the guides or tension.

If you have tried tightening the adjustments, the next most likely
culpret could be the blade. Bandsaw blades do stretch over time and
if your blade has been in use for a while that could be the problem
and a simple blade replacement should be the solution. Properly
tightened you shouldn't be having the problem you describe, unless of
course you also have worn out bearings or other wear problems that
emerge with a heavily used machine.


Thanks to everyone for helping. I ordered a Timber olf 3tpi blade and
am going to try that when I get it and try some more suggestions I
received.

I love woodturning and am not about to give it up, so I'll keep trying
until I get it right or keep using my chainsaw to round the blanks.
Robert

Robert - if you still encounter this problem with a new blade, I would
check where the blade is running on the tire - if not centered it can
pull to one side while cutting, causing this kind of problem - - at
least that has been the case on my Jet.