Bandsaw Keeps Pulling To My Right!

[GoodWood]

I remember I used to do strait cuts with it, its a 15 year old delta and its fine, but I cannot cut strait lines for the life of me. If I do follow a line on top, it curves and undercuts the bottom. Grrrrrr. Ive tried to adjuset the little side things, but it still goes to the side after a couple inches. Is this 'normal behavior' for a certain 'problem' I hope?

[Bertbart]

First, how long have you been using the blade?

If it's old you probably have worn the kerf of the blade down on one side which will make the blade take the path of least resistance.

2nd, Do you have the proper tension on the blade?

Too tight is better than too loose.

3rd, the side thingies?

You are referring to blade guides and should never be too tight just enough tension to keep the blade on track.

I suspect that the blade is worn out.

Try this site:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~pwguild/i-bndsaw.htm

Edited April 8, 2007 by Bertbart

[GoodWood]

First, how long have you been using the blade?

If it's old you probably have worn the kerf of the blade down on one side which will make the blade take the path of least resistance.

2nd, Do you have the proper tension on the blade?

Too tight is better than too loose.

3rd, the side thingies?

You are referring to blade guides and should never be too tight just enough tension to keep the blade on track.

I suspect that the blade is worn out.

Try this site:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~pwguild/i-bndsaw.htm

Blade is pretty new, maybe not tight enough. Ill tweek that....thanks

[fryovanni]

Assuming your tracking, tension, guides, wheels, and table and fence are all set perfectly(I can't tell you if that is the case, but you say it is set up well- so I will rule all that out). Depending on the type of blade(alloy), what you are cutting and or have been cutting. The blade may have either dulled or gummed up(effectively dulling it). This will cause the blade to bow as you are describing. If the feed rate is too high you can clog the blade and cause the same effect(it acts like a dull blade). The amount of pressure you are applying to feed may be a good indicator of how well the blade is cutting(shouldn't take much force at all). A good thing to remember is that not all blades are designed to cut some of the harder woods we use, and the lifespan can be cut down to almost nothing.

Peace,Rich

[jnewman]

The blade guides shouldn't even be touching the blade. The side blade guides should be aligned just behind the troughs between the teeth, and should have a clearance of a few thousandths between the guide and the blade - I've seen people recommend using computer printer paper or a dollar bill as a spacer, one on each side of the blade. The bearing behind the blade should be just away from the blade also, it shouldn't spin until you start cutting.

If the wheels are a little off-kilter it will cause the blade to run forward or back of the center of the wheel. This is a really good way to make the blade wander hard to one side.

You can get straight cuts without having a lot of tension on the blade. The recent "powertool basics" issue of Fine Woodworking actually had an article recommending that you run your bandsaw blades at one step LOWER tension than recommended (i.e. run a half inch blade with the tension meter on the 3/8" blade mark).

Edited April 9, 2007 by jnewman

[Jaden]

get the tracking as good as its going to get then.... run a piece of thin ply though the saw exerting no pressure on the workpiece - let it find its own direction through the blade and then set the fence at that angle.

high quality bandsaws are at the mercy of poorly made blades.....