Bandsaw Blade position on the wheel?

[mpooley]

Hi all
I have had a Kity 613 from new for about 10 years or so. I don't use it much to be honest mainly because it's Carp!
I have always adjusted the blade so that the teeth project off the front of the wheel and have just checked the manual and that indeed is how you are supposed to do it.

I watched a youtube demo this morning from 'Carter Products' who make improved guides for bandsaws.
Now this was just a demo of the best ways to set the tension and the blade on the wheel. it was meant to be for any bandsaw not just those with the 'Carter' guides and the guy said that the common way of doing this was to have the centre of the blade in the centre of the crown of the wheel but that he didn't agree with that and that the centre of the blade gullet should be on the crown!

I thought I would experiment but on the Kity this would be impossible as the guides do not go back far enough.
I have never been very impressed with the Kity in general and the guides in my opinion are rubbish .
The 'Carter' Guides look great but I think I could get a new bandsaw cheaper!

My question is where should the blade rest on the wheel?
should I dump the Kity?
should I somehow make my own guides?

thanks

Mike

 

[marcros]

the kity has some funny wheels doesnt it, in that they are flat arent they?

I put the crown of the wheel just behind the gullets. On most blades up to 3/4" it is a tiny difference between the centre and the back of the gullets, particularly on the 3tpi blade i normally use.

If you are trying to sort the thing out, i would start with a new blade from tuffsaws.

specifically, what issues are you having at present? is it on straight or curved cuts?

 

[Steve Maskery]

The right position for the blade is where is cuts true north, wherever on the wheel that is. The reason that manufacturers suggest the teeth hang over the front is so that customers don't moan about how the tyre gets chewed up, but the fact it that it is not the best place. I've argued this point more times than I care to remember, but the bottom line is how does it behave? If the blade drifts, it's not in the right place. The fence should be parallel to the mitre slot, the machine should cut true and where the blade runs is irrelevant.
+1 for Tuffsaws (well,+millions if you look at the threads on here).
If the guides don't go back far enough see what's stopping it. IIRC, on the Kity the guide block mounting can foul the guard. Take a Dremel to it to cut away some metal if you have to.
The Kity is not a bad little machine when it is set up properly.
S

 

[mpooley]

The Guy in the demo said that if the teeth are not supported then they will twist . that's why he says to have the gullet on the crown.
I thought that maybe that was why I have never been happy with the cuts so I dusted it down and had another good look at it but there is no way I can adjust the blade like he did.

The problem with the Kity is that everything is so sloppy! and has so little adjustment.
I can get it working reasonably (with my Tuff blade) but it rarely stays that way for long.
I have never successfully re-sawn a decent hardwood not that I can remember anyway.
I have got used to just using it for odd cuts that nothing else will do.

The bottom guides are wood which I don't mind but there is no way they will miss the teeth, You cant push them back that far. And that's with the teeth at the front of the wheel! If the teeth are on the crown the bottom guides are forward of the blade!
The Top guides are hard to adjust and hard to tighten so that they don't move, on small blades the side rollers hit the teeth the same as the bottom guides but at least the bottom guides are wood and don't chew up the teeth!
so with quarter inch blades I have to not use the side rollers at all.
The vertical movement is sloppy, just badly made really !
Should I go on lol
I suppose you get what you pay for but when I originally bought the Kity I didn't know any better.

I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole now!

thanks

Mike (hammer)