Bandsaw - blade slipping off wheels

[Jensmith]

I've got my new 2nd hand bandsaw - a 3 wheeled Startrite of near vintage age. It's running nicely thanks to help from Bob (9fingers) but I was doing some test cuts yesterday and I noticed the blade had slipped forwards...

Any ideas why this might be happening?

It was running nicely in the centre of the wheels last week when I used it to cut MDF for my fine adjuster jig but now it's slipped forwards to the front of the wheel after a couple of cuts.

I think it's tensioned ok. Could it be something with the wheels or is there other reasons this can happen?

Thanks,

Jennifer

 

[Jacob]

There should be a way of trimming one of the wheels to set the blade tracking. On mine it's a knurled knob thing in the middle of the top wheel. Screw it in and the wheel tilts back and the blade rides back too. And vice versa.

 

[Jensmith]

Yes, that's been done. The blade was tracked so it shouldn't now be moving, but it is....

 

[Racers]

Hi,

It could be the blade stretching or the machine settleing, retrack it and see how it goes

Pete

 

[JakeS]

It could be the blade stretching or the machine settleing

I had a similar experience yesterday when getting back to the bandsaw after about three weeks of inactivity - I put it down to either the blade stretching or the thermal expansion of the bandsaw itself causing the problem, since it's about five degrees warmer now than it was then!

 

[andersonec]

Is it a new blade? if so it could be 'stretched' slightly after a few runs, I am only guessing they do that as I have exactly the same thing happen almost every time I fit a new blade, after a few runs it tracks forward slightly but it takes less than a quarter turn of the adjusting knob to bring it back to centre, maybe the thing is just settling down.

Andy

 

[Jensmith]

Thanks guys. It is a new blade but I've never had it happen on my existing machine so didn't realise that could happen.

I'll put it back and check the tension and see how it goes.

 

[devonwoody]

You mentioned having cut mdf, was it a coated one. Perhaps you have made the blade blunt? I cut some for a neighbour a short while ago and it definitely blunted my blade.

 

[Jensmith]

No it was just bog standard MDF. I'm sure the blade is ok as it was cutting fine on other stuff.