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#1
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BS adjustment question
As I understand it, BS adjustment can be tricky. My first 3 cuts were
perfect in 4" thick oak. After that, the cut kept drifting left. I've played with the bearing adjustment without success. Tension is set to 3/8" (like the blade). What can be the problem ? |
#2
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Junkyard Engineer wrote:
As I understand it, BS adjustment can be tricky. My first 3 cuts were perfect in 4" thick oak. After that, the cut kept drifting left. I've played with the bearing adjustment without success. Tension is set to 3/8" (like the blade). What can be the problem ? Try adding a bit more tension and/or slightly dulling the side of the blade where the cut it drifting to. You can also adjust the fence to match the drift, or use a single point fence. I often use slightly more tension than the scale says. On my Delta I'll typically run a 3/8" blade between the 3/8" and 1/2" scale marks. Don't forget to round the back of the blade with an old stone, grinder wheel, sandpaper, or purpose built blade rounding tool. If I've got a blade with a lot of drift, I'll often lightly rub the drift side with the stone to dull it as I've mentioned above. Barry |
#3
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Junkyard Engineer wrote: As I understand it, BS adjustment can be tricky. My first 3 cuts were perfect in 4" thick oak. After that, the cut kept drifting left. I've played with the bearing adjustment without success. Tension is set to 3/8" (like the blade). What can be the problem ? There is definitely a debate about the tension issue. Lonnie Bird's book basically says that you can never get enough tension, especially in most 14" models. IN a recent mag. it said that that was a myth. That same magazine article suggests that you can correct drift by tracking the upper wheel perfectly in the middle. |
#4
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On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 14:33:23 -0500, "Junkyard Engineer"
wrote: As I understand it, BS adjustment can be tricky. My first 3 cuts were perfect in 4" thick oak. After that, the cut kept drifting left. I've played with the bearing adjustment without success. Tension is set to 3/8" (like the blade). What can be the problem ? I found Duginski's recommendation about plucking the blade while tightening works well. You hear a clear tone at some point during the tightening, then stop. No visual needed. Check your wheels for co-planar positioning. Check bearings and guide blocks. |
#5
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Keep the blade tracking in the middle of the top wheel and you won't
have trouble with drift. Junkyard Engineer wrote: As I understand it, BS adjustment can be tricky. My first 3 cuts were perfect in 4" thick oak. After that, the cut kept drifting left. I've played with the bearing adjustment without success. Tension is set to 3/8" (like the blade). What can be the problem ? |
#6
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On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 20:59:10 -0500, TDUP wrote:
Keep the blade tracking in the middle of the top wheel and you won't have trouble with drift. I don't agree. I keep my saw well tuned and center tracked but still see some blades that lead. Those are the blades that get a light touch with an abrasive on the leading side of the teeth. FWIW, I've used Timberwolf, Woodslicer, and many other brands. Once I really learned how to keep the saw tuned, I've settled on $10 Olsen (from Ballew Tool) and BC Saw blades. I've got no reason to spend $30 on a band saw blade. Barry |
#7
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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 12:17:25 GMT, Ba r r y
wrote: On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 20:59:10 -0500, TDUP wrote: Keep the blade tracking in the middle of the top wheel and you won't have trouble with drift. I don't agree. I keep my saw well tuned and center tracked but still see some blades that lead. Those are the blades that get a light touch with an abrasive on the leading side of the teeth. FWIW, I've used Timberwolf, Woodslicer, and many other brands. Once I really learned how to keep the saw tuned, I've settled on $10 Olsen (from Ballew Tool) and BC Saw blades. I've got no reason to spend $30 on a band saw blade. One thing I've noticed in discussions here is that while people use carbide blades on table/chop/etc saws, they don't bother with them on band saws. Is there any reason for that other than cost ? Barry |
#8
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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 11:22:56 -0500, GregP
wrote: One thing I've noticed in discussions here is that while people use carbide blades on table/chop/etc saws, they don't bother with them on band saws. Is there any reason for that other than cost ? I've never tried a carbide band saw blade, as I've never had a reason to spend the money on one. Barry |
#9
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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 17:47:15 GMT, Ba r r y
wrote: I've never tried a carbide band saw blade, as I've never had a reason to spend the money on one. But you'd buy a carbide blade for a table saw ? |
#10
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In article ,
"Junkyard Engineer" wrote: As I understand it, BS adjustment can be tricky. My first 3 cuts were perfect in 4" thick oak. After that, the cut kept drifting left. I've played with the bearing adjustment without success. Tension is set to 3/8" (like the blade). What can be the problem ? On another tack, what's the blade brand? Also, how much length of 4" stock did you cut? Was this purchased wood or yard tree? If the first few cuts were "perfect" then all went south, I'm wondering if the blade sharpness is the culprit. Is it merely wandering left or do you think it requires a bit more pressure to push the wood through? If it were mine (and not a carbide tipped blade), then I'd consider touching up the underside of each tooth with a Dremel and a chainsaw stone and then seeing how it cut. It doesn't take much to dull a blade sometimes if there's enough grit or dirt embedded in the wood. -- Owen Lowe and his Fly-by-Night Copper Company ____ "Sure we'll have fascism in America, but it'll come disguised as 100% Americanism." -- Huey P. Long |
#12
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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 09:08:41 -0500, "Junkyard Engineer"
wrote: Ok, found the problem, the problem came with the original blade. After checking every adjustment, I decided to change the blade and guess what... everything is back on track. Just for grins, since your tossing the original blade, try lightly touching the leading side of the teeth with an abrasive with the saw running, and see what happens with the cut. The abrasive can be a grinding wheel, sharpening stone, emery board, sandpaper glued to a stick, etc... Anything that won't get caught and sucked into the saw will work. Besides, the practice of mounting and dismounting blades is good for ya'. G Barry |
#13
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In article ,
Ba r r y wrote: Just for grins, since your tossing the original blade, try lightly touching the leading side of the teeth with an abrasive with the saw running, and see what happens with the cut. That sounds like that recommendation to touch up jointer knives with a sharpening stone and the jointer running - IOW, sounds more dangerous than my soundly condemned technique of lowering a zero clearance table saw insert onto the moving blade to cut the kerf slot. I could see doing this under power if you turn the blade inside out so that the teeth are pointing upwards. I've turned mine inside out to clean them while running with emery paper or steel wool when they got really gunked up when cutting green wood. -- Owen Lowe and his Fly-by-Night Copper Company ____ "Sure we'll have fascism in America, but it'll come disguised as 100% Americanism." -- Huey P. Long |
#14
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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 22:30:33 -0800, Fly-by-Night CC
wrote: In article , Ba r r y wrote: Just for grins, since your tossing the original blade, try lightly touching the leading side of the teeth with an abrasive with the saw running, and see what happens with the cut. That sounds like that recommendation to touch up jointer knives with a sharpening stone and the jointer running Not at all, maybe I didn't explain it correctly. You are LIGHTLY touching the SIDE of the teeth on a moving blade with a hard abrasive. This is done to the side the cut leads toward. The abrasive used should be BIG ENOUGH, or mounted to wood, so that the fingers are comfortably distant from the blade. This is no more dangerous than rounding the backs of the blades, and the same tool can be used. Some blades lead because one side is much sharper than the other, or the set is off center, even on an anally accurate set-up saw. Dulling a side or rounding the back of a band saw blade is no more dangerous than actually band sawing wood, if the operator thinks things through. You do round the backs of your blades, no? Barry |
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