Hammer N4400 Tracking Issue

[paulc]

Hello,

I recently purchased a Hammer N4400 and had been working with a 6mm blade, which, as per manual instructions I had tracked in the centre of both wheels.

I bought a 12mm 3/4 vary tooth premium blade from Tuff Saws and again followed the N4400 manual:

As it’s over 10mm the tips of the saw teeth have to protrude over the wheel edges.

(Now leaving a 12mm blade’s teeth protruding over the wheels edges would leave dangerously little blade band on the wheels so I took this to mean over the tyre’s edge in this instance)


No matter how I tracked and tensioned the blade would stay riding with the tips of the teeth over the tyre on the top wheel but 2.5mm in on the bottom wheel. (the closest I could get the blade to ride to the edge)

I have made some test cuts and the saw is ripping very accurately with next to no drift over 900mm and the blade does not seem to be wandering at all on top or bottom wheel.

Has anyone else had this experience ?

Should I just leave it as it is?

I have tried centre tracking and there was a similar discrepancy between top and bottom blade positions, but obviously I’d rather follow the manual’s instructions. I haven’t heard back from Felder yet.

All advice appreciated. Paul

 

[gregmcateer]

If Felder aren't helpful try Peter Sefton - he has vast experience of the sorry Peter!

 

[Peter Sefton]

I have the N4400 and have never tried to set the teeth forward of the wheels (never read the manual either)

I wouldn't bother trying to set the teeth forward of the rubbers, just set the blade so it sits about central on the top wheel and after tensioning spin it by hand so it finds it's natural home on the bottom wheel. I have never adjusted the tracking since I first set it up 11 years ago.

I think this idea of having the teeth forward of the wheels comes from setting much larger band re-saws which have full metal wheels and 6" wide blades, a different beast altogether.

I hope this helps and your Hammer is as good as mine!

Cheers Peter

 

[Peter Sefton]

If Felder aren't helpful try Peter Sefton - he has vast experience of the sorry Peter!

No problem, happy to help if I can.

Cheers Peter

 

[Steve Maskery]

Ignore the manual. Many manufacturers tell you to do this, but no-one I have asked has ever been able to tell me why. I think it is just folk-lore passed down. One possible reason might be to stop the teeth of the blade from damaging the tyres, but that doesn't convince me.

Tracking is there to keep the blade on the tyre and to ensure that it cuts in a straight line, True North. If it is doing both, that's all that matters.

I've not seen the Hammer manual, but most machine manuals are there just to tick the box, they are not usually very comprehensive.

 

[Baldhead]

Not giving too much away, Steve puts an empty beer barrel to good use to explain tracking the blade! Not sure if contributed to emptying the barrel? but he seamed sober in the dvd :lol:

Stew

 

[Beau]

I always understood it was to stop the set on the teeth being damaged and always ran my blades with the teeth overhanging on my old Kity. Changed to an old Wadkin and can't adjust the tracking on the lower wheel so did have the same problem as paulc but changed to running the blade further back on the wheel without any problems. I guess it may depend if the wheels have a crown or not though. The Kity didn't and the Wadkin does.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well I can understand anyone not wanting to damage the teeth, but by a rubber tyre? Really? I'm not convinced. And I cannot for the life of me understand how you can get the blade to be on the front of the wheel and also cutting True North. It does not compute.
The beer barrel analogy illustrates this point rather well, I think!

 

[Baldhead]

The beer barrel analogy illustrates this point rather well, I think!

It does Steve.
I'm by no means an expert on bandsaw's, but are there any bandsaw's where you can adjust the tracking on the lower wheel, I thought you adjust the tracking on the top wheel to make certain it's parallel to the bottom wheel, so the blade stays on?

Stew

 

[Steve Maskery]

You CAN adjust the bottom wheel by altering the bolts that hold the shaft, BUT they are factory set and should not need adjusting. Don't touch them unless you really know what you are doing.

 

[custard]

+1

I've been running an N4400 in a full time workshop for four years, it gets used every day and despite the teeth always running on the tyres there's no sign of tyre wear (which is ironic as one of the things that made me get the N4400 was the ease of tyre changes), also don't worry about the bottom wheel, it'll do what it'll do and would be the very last thing I'd ever adjust on a bandsaw.

If it's cutting well then don't waste your time fiddling, just enjoy the machine and crack on making stuff!

 

[galleywood]

I successfully adjusted the bolts that steer the lower wheel shaft on my EB 316.

My issue was that, from getting the bandsaw secondhand and fitting a new Tuffsaws blace to it, the blade would not stay on the lower wheel during cutting - it just ran itself off under the load of cutting.
Small adjustments of 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn of the North and South bolts progressively fixed it.

Similarly small rotational adjustments of the table meant that the blade was made to cut true to the mitre slot (i.e. no drift).

 

[Beau]

Well I can understand anyone not wanting to damage the teeth, but by a rubber tyre? Really? I'm not convinced. And I cannot for the life of me understand how you can get the blade to be on the front of the wheel and also cutting True North. It does not compute.
The beer barrel analogy illustrates this point rather well, I think!

I just did what the Kity instructions said and it worked with the teeth overhanging top and bottom. Best tracking bandsaw I ever used. Didn't really understand myself why it worked but it just did.

 

[woodbrains]

Well I can understand anyone not wanting to damage the teeth, but by a rubber tyre? Really? I'm not convinced. And I cannot for the life of me understand how you can get the blade to be on the front of the wheel and also cutting True North. It does not compute.
The beer barrel analogy illustrates this point rather well, I think!

I just did what the Kity instructions said and it worked with the teeth overhanging top and bottom. Best tracking bandsaw I ever used. Didn't really understand myself why it worked but it just did.

Hello,

It is because the Kity does not have crowned tyres. My first bandsaw was a 613 ( I still have it in storage) You are right about the tracking it was great and never suffered blade drift unless the blade was totally dull. Crowned tyres are best set with the blade set centred on the tyres. I assume the Hammer has crowned tyres?

Mike.

 

[paulc]

Thanks for all the replies.

Felder rep got back with a direction to place blades on the centre of tyres - no elaboration on the manuals instructions.

Anyway great to get confirmation from you all that running them centrally won't damage my lovely new saw and that getting the saw to cut true is the main point of reference. I'm very pleased with it's accuracy thus far.

Woodbrains - if they're crowned it's only very slightly - but blades do seem to want to track centrally.

Any other N4400 owners know if the tyres are crowned?