A
Anonymous
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Anyone who fancies coming to Stockport to show me how to fettle my bandsaw will be amply plied with Robinson's Best Bitter.
bandsaw blade wandering
- Thread starter dexteria
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Tony Ward
Established Member
I have a theory! The general complaint about bandsaw blades is the "wandering" of the blade when attempting to cut in a straight line.
However this problem is not evident (no complaints) when using the bandsaw for cutting curved shapes.
Is this because the cutting edge (the sharp bits) is supported by that back of the blade (e.g. it rests on the bandsawn section)?
If so, should blades used for re-sawing (depth of cuts exceeding 10cm / (4") ) be wider (e.g. from cutting edge to back of blade) or be tapered from front to back (that is the back of the blade wider than the cutting edge)?
I probably should have patented this idea?
However this problem is not evident (no complaints) when using the bandsaw for cutting curved shapes.
Is this because the cutting edge (the sharp bits) is supported by that back of the blade (e.g. it rests on the bandsawn section)?
If so, should blades used for re-sawing (depth of cuts exceeding 10cm / (4") ) be wider (e.g. from cutting edge to back of blade) or be tapered from front to back (that is the back of the blade wider than the cutting edge)?
I probably should have patented this idea?
MikeW
Established Member
Hi Tony...don't know if what you are proposing was tongue-in-cheek or not. But this would not be a good solution.
You can do this yourself by removing much of the set from the blade. Remove too much and there are a couple issues. One is heat. The reduced clearance from too little set will cause typical BS blades to heat enough to distort and or lengthen. The distortion is often seen on larger blade as one edge or the other will heat more than the other and cause it too lengthen more in use.
Yet another is shear cutting energy is lost by dragging that blade through the cut. An underpowered BS--most home shop BS are--would overwork the motor.
Hi Paul. I think all the articles on BS issues are akin to all the articles on sharpening, which is the best widget and the like. Simply common issues people face when either making a purchasing decision or post purchase.
If the BS can be set up for cutting veneers, it cuts straight enough. I often cut 8" to 10" wide pieces into 1/8" veneer and when needed, 1/16". I also choose not to follow all the advice on compensating for drift opting instead to adjust the saw so the blade/table are true to each other, and the fence to both. Everything is set square to each other. I installed a wood face to my fence as there was a slight concavity. I also have two other wood faces of differing heights for when cutting wider veneers so the stock is fully supported.
Take care, Mike
You can do this yourself by removing much of the set from the blade. Remove too much and there are a couple issues. One is heat. The reduced clearance from too little set will cause typical BS blades to heat enough to distort and or lengthen. The distortion is often seen on larger blade as one edge or the other will heat more than the other and cause it too lengthen more in use.
Yet another is shear cutting energy is lost by dragging that blade through the cut. An underpowered BS--most home shop BS are--would overwork the motor.
Hi Paul. I think all the articles on BS issues are akin to all the articles on sharpening, which is the best widget and the like. Simply common issues people face when either making a purchasing decision or post purchase.
If the BS can be set up for cutting veneers, it cuts straight enough. I often cut 8" to 10" wide pieces into 1/8" veneer and when needed, 1/16". I also choose not to follow all the advice on compensating for drift opting instead to adjust the saw so the blade/table are true to each other, and the fence to both. Everything is set square to each other. I installed a wood face to my fence as there was a slight concavity. I also have two other wood faces of differing heights for when cutting wider veneers so the stock is fully supported.
Take care, Mike
engineer one
Established Member
hi mike, as usual erudite and well presented.
i agree about the relationship between sharpening and bandsaws,
but my point was that there does seem to be a correlation between
what people expect from their band saw, and what they get.
basically apart from a rubbish saw blade, a table saw starts and stays pretty
accurate, and you get straight cuts, but it seems that you need to work
pretty hard to get the blade to work without wandering. i am sure that part
of this expectation, but also fear. it is a bit intimidating without proper training to be pushing toward this big lump of metal rotating in front of you.
somehow even the big blades look very flimsy when cutting.
i agree that you should ensure that the table, blade and fence are all in line, but often from what i understand, some of the adjustments need
a lot of work to find out how they work.
maybe there should be a tuning manual for all bandsaws. :idea:
now who wants to write that one :twisted: :twisted: :lol:
paul :wink:
i agree about the relationship between sharpening and bandsaws,
but my point was that there does seem to be a correlation between
what people expect from their band saw, and what they get.
basically apart from a rubbish saw blade, a table saw starts and stays pretty
accurate, and you get straight cuts, but it seems that you need to work
pretty hard to get the blade to work without wandering. i am sure that part
of this expectation, but also fear. it is a bit intimidating without proper training to be pushing toward this big lump of metal rotating in front of you.
somehow even the big blades look very flimsy when cutting.
i agree that you should ensure that the table, blade and fence are all in line, but often from what i understand, some of the adjustments need
a lot of work to find out how they work.
maybe there should be a tuning manual for all bandsaws. :idea:
now who wants to write that one :twisted: :twisted: :lol:
paul :wink:
I had all sorts of problems with my ebay Startrite 352 3ph - all except the blade wander are now sorted. I tried a 'ripper' 1" blade from Dragonsaws about 1 3/4 tpi - worked well initially, then snapped - not on the weld - welded it and it snapped again - not on either weld again. As did their 1/4 blade, though this time on the weld - needless to say not impressed with Dragonsaws, contrary to what others say.
Now I'm using 3tpi 1" skip blades from a local saw doctor, which bought in 6's are about a tenner inclusive each.
I've tried using a fixed fence and a single point of contact guide - neither did the business.
But to get to the point.....mostly I'm resawing Oak and reclaimed pine......anything up to 6".....I roughly square the edges on the planer and mark a line where I want to cut down the length, the board sits squarely on the bandsaw table and with eyeball contact on the line and a lot of concentration I get a resawn board that will plane up within 2 passes on a light setting.
Hope this might help someone
Chris.
Now I'm using 3tpi 1" skip blades from a local saw doctor, which bought in 6's are about a tenner inclusive each.
I've tried using a fixed fence and a single point of contact guide - neither did the business.
But to get to the point.....mostly I'm resawing Oak and reclaimed pine......anything up to 6".....I roughly square the edges on the planer and mark a line where I want to cut down the length, the board sits squarely on the bandsaw table and with eyeball contact on the line and a lot of concentration I get a resawn board that will plane up within 2 passes on a light setting.
Hope this might help someone
Chris.
Scrums":3qfk5emy said:
Interesting. I've had no real problems so far with my 352, especially since using Haakonson blades bought for £1 each from our local machinery dealer
The blades I got from our local saw doctor suffered what I would regard as premature weld failure.For what it's worth, I had an old DeWalt 3501 bandsaw that was excellent but limited to 6" cut, traded up to a Kity 613 with 8" cut but was never 100% happy with it, (blade wander, difficult to tension correctly) and now wouldn't dream of changing from the 352.
Basically use mine in much the same way as you suggest. One thing I've heard is that the 352 is limited to 3/4" blades, but it sounds as if your's copes beyond that?
paulm
IG paulm_outdoors
I've managed to squeeze a one inch rip blade from Dragon Saws onto my 352 and it is tricky to get it mounted but it will just accept it with the blade guides set to max, although 3/4" is the theoretical max.
Works very well too, no problems at all and rips big 10" logs very readily, so I will definately be getting some more when this one gives up the ghost.
Cheers, Paul.
Works very well too, no problems at all and rips big 10" logs very readily, so I will definately be getting some more when this one gives up the ghost.
Cheers, Paul.
The only really good tip I recollect is if a blade has been used to cut a curve, the teeth on one side will have accelerated wear. Therefore, that blade should only be used for cutting curves from now on. If you want to cut straight, only use a blade that has been used to cut straight, as the teeth wear will be even, and it won't try and wonder. Cutting straight on a blade that has done curves would definitely lead to problems...
Adam
Adam
Newbie_Neil
Established Member
Hi all
Adam beat me to it.
Cheers
Neil
Adam beat me to it.
Cheers
Neil
Lee Brubaker
Established Member
In addition to Adam's advice not to cut curves with the blade....do not hang the blade draped over a wall hook or peg when not in use. Recoil the blade & reattach it to the backing that the blade is supplied with. Then hang it on the wall using the slotting in the backing.
In fact this is a good procedure to use with ALL of your blades if you expect them to be still as good as the day you took them off your BS.
Lee
In fact this is a good procedure to use with ALL of your blades if you expect them to be still as good as the day you took them off your BS.
Lee
