Band Saw Problems

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

I am having problems setting up a bandsaw I have acquired from my father in law. Its a Clarke CBS12WV model and I am just about ready to give up having tried nearly everything to get it to saw in a straight line.

I have tried all the adjustments in the thin an poorly illustrated manual, various cutting and feed speeds, raising a lowering the adjustable guide and the blade tension. However, for all these adjustments it still won't cut a straight line. The problem is that as soon as wood contacts the blade it twists slightly so that the blade is not perpendicular to the wood. Consequently the blade tries to cut a path away from the line I want to cut. It always veers off in the same direction (right, as you look at the machine when cutting).

Every single test cut I have made is in the form of a curve as the blade eventually comes back to the line it should have cut originally. I am reluctant to increase the blade tension anymore as there is a noticable decrease in speed of the saw when I increase the blade tension. Also I'm running out of scrap wood to test cut.

Any advice will be gratefully received as I'm just about ready for sending this thing to the landfill.

Cheers

Jon

 

[Noel]

Hey Jon,

Welcome to the site. No doubt others will offer more informed opinions, but here's mine. What you have is called blade drift where, as you describe, the line of cut drifts to one side. This is a characteristic of most bandsaws but can be reduced or even stopped. Various factors have an effect on drift - a not too sharp blade, over tensioning and under tensioning of the blade, incorrectly set top and bottom guides, feed speed etc. I think initially your first step is to get a decent blade. Dure Edge are recognized as top quality but the likes of Record and Hamilton should show some improvement. Blade tension can be judged approximately by setting the tension so that the blade can be pushed sideways 1 cm or so by the force of a finger and the guard cover raised to max. Don't know what guides you have but the blade should be supported but not quite touching (about a Rizzla...) as much as possible back and sides but not interfering with the teeth of the blade. As you've experimented with feed speed I'll not waffle on......Hope this helps.

Noel

 

[devonwoody]

If you are new to bandsaw cutting it could also be lack of experience.

When you have set all the tolerances as per previous advice, put your last scrap piece of timber through the saw(and hold your breath :lol: ) but I also resort to using a push stick at the aft end of the blade and push against the fence to stop any drift by timber off the fence.

 

[gidon]

Jon
Does the blade look worn? Has it lost the set on one side?
I would second Noely's recommendation to try a new blade from a decent manufacturer. Perhaps something a little wider. Speak to Dureedge - 0161-430 2647 - and they will recommend a blade for you if the machine can tension it. It'll most likely be under £10 with delivery.
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Adam]

Jon
Does the blade look worn? Has it lost the set on one side?
I would second Noely's recommendation to try a new blade from a decent manufacturer. Perhaps something a little wider. Speak to Dureedge - 0161-430 2647 - and they will recommend a blade for you if the machine can tension it. It'll most likely be under £10 with delivery.
Cheers
Gidon

I'd say blunt blade as cause of problems as well. Alan Holtham was saying at his lecture the other day it's the #1 cause for wandering blades - and demonstrated by backing all thes guides right out the way - so the blade was "unsupported" and then cut a veneer to show just how unimportant all the other settings like guides, tension, speed etc are, and how important a new blade is. The veneer was perfect - despite having no support to the blade whatsoever. First place to look for problems has to be a dodgy blade!

I'd recommend Dure Edge too.

Adam

PS: Alan said someone came and moaned that his Record bandsaw wasn't cutting as well as when he bought it two years ago. Upon being asked how many times he changed the blade, he replied "you have to change the blade????"

Doh.

One further note - Alan pointed out that with the Electra Beckum's for example - they used to (not now) come with a rubbish blade. No problem - most people swop it off, only EB supply 5 new blades with the saw - all equally rubbish. So people take off a rubbish blade and replace it with another. If you do have any old blades with the bandsaw - which are stil "new" - I'd bin them and buy some new from DureEdge - so you can be sure of sharpness.

DureEdge will help you through getting the right size, tooth-per-inch, etc. They are very knowledgable and helpful on the phone.

 

[Alf]

Alan said someone came and moaned that his Record bandsaw wasn't cutting as well as when he bought it two years ago. Upon being asked how many times he changed the blade, he replied "you have to change the blade????"

:roll:

Welcome to the DureEdge Appreciation Soc-, er, the forum, Jon.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Rural Platypus]

Seconded (or thirded, or whatever...) Took delivery of a couple of lovely new Dure-Edge blades last week & fitted the 5/8" 4tpi on me bandsaw last weekend. I then spent half an hour cutting oak veneer from some leftover oak JUST BECAUSE I COULD

How sad is that :?:

RP

I am now under *real* pressure to finish that waney-edged yew mirror frame...ho hum.

 

[Pete W]

Adam beat me to it, since I'm sure we sat through the same Alan Holtham bandsaw tune-up session at Kempton Park last week .

I was certainly impressed with the way he utterly 'de-tuned' the bandsaw and then took several veneer-like slices off a chunk of seven-inch-thick hardwood.

There are several DureEdge blades in my immediate future!

 

[gidon]

Alan Holtham was saying at his lecture the other day it's the #1 cause for wandering blades - and demonstrated by backing all thes guides right out the way - so the blade was "unsupported" and then cut a veneer to show just how unimportant all the other settings like guides, tension, speed etc are, and how important a new blade is.

Did he say what blades he was using?! I guess Record ones? And what bandsaw was he demonstrating on?

Cheers

Gidon

 

[kityuser]

I`d back the Duredge camp!

bought 2 blade 3 months ago, never looked back (apart from when I put a massive lump of beech thru the startrite and melted the drive belt, 32 flaming quid for 2 belts, lesson learnt! although I`m sure it says on the website that the max cut is 300mm !!!!!!!!!)


steve

 

[Adam]

Did he say what blades he was using?! I guess Record ones? And what bandsaw was he demonstrating on?

Cheers

Gidon

Yeah I think he "said" he was. Although I've seen demonstrators in all things bend the rules when the public can't see the difference. I've heard resonably good things about record blades recently. There is also a place in north london area that crops up time and time again for making good blades - but can't think of thir name.

Adam

Record something*300.

 

[Noel]

Yeah, Record are not the worst, quite adequate but then again haven't tried Dure Edge. Have tried Hamilton blades and not a pile of difference from Record.

Noel

 

[gidon]

Thanks Adam.
I got sent two 3 packs of Record blades and they aren't too bad. With the first pack they sent me the weld on the 1/4" blade was way out - but they sent me another 3 pack of blades so really can't complain! To look at the Dureedge blades don't look a lot different from the Record, but they cut slightly better (not a huge amount in it as far as I can tell). I've yet to find out if they last any longer ... Oh my wider Dureedge blade has a kink in it - I think I must have done it by over enthusiastically recoiling it! But pretty useless now - so I managed to make one cut with it!
I was certainly pleased with the service from Dureedge and that counts for a lot in my book.
Cheers
Gidon

 

[beech1948]

Jon,
Have a look at this for help maybe..hope its some good.

http://www.toolcenter.com/rikon/10-340-18BS.htm

regards
Alan

 

[beech1948]

Jon,
OOOPs...copied the wrong reference. See below.

http://www.toolcenter.com/Lenox/Band-Sa ... -Chart.htm

regards
Alan

 

[Alan Holtham]

Yeah I think he "said" he was. Although I've seen demonstrators in all things bend the rules when the public can't see the difference.

Just browsing the friendly forum I was rather disturbed by the inference here. :x

WYSIWYG with my demos, warts and all.

As I "said" I always use Record blades but take special care to recommend others as well such as Duredge, Hamilton and NLS (North London Saw), which I suspect is the other name you were searching for.

Alan

 

[devonwoody]

I put in a 1/2" blade from Screwfix in February this year. I haven't needed to change it yet. (in my Record 12" model)

Do you all think I should try another brand :? :? :?

 

[Adam]

As I "said" I always use Record blades but take special care to recommend others as well such as Duredge, Hamilton and NLS (North London Saw), which I suspect is the other name you were searching for.

Alan

Sorry Alan, that didn't come out quite like what I meant. NLS are the people I was thinking of - I meant to go back and find that reference.

Adam

 

[Signal]

I can certainly vouch for NLS, before I moved they used to be a stones throw from my front door :lol:

I found them to be very helpful and very generous, in that the welded a few broken blades for nowt.

I soon hope to be ordering some of their router bits, thats if I ever get round to building my new office at the bottom of the gardem. SWMBO has put a tool ban on me till its done :roll:

Signal

 

[frank]

sig how can you build your new office if swmbo has put a tool ban on you :?

frank