I'm a rookie at making dust. That said when cutting 1/2 off maple bock about 5 inches tall and using fence set by end of the 12 inch cut it's much thinner than the initial start of 1/2inch. Not sure what I'm doing incorrect? Jet JWBS-14SFX 14'' Bandsaw with 5/8inch blade. I guess the blade is flexing toward the fence?
Not an uncommon occurrence with a bandsaw, some blades tend to drift one way or the other, one solution is to have a single point like a pin to gauge the width and follow the direction the saw takes you with the cut.
This can be mostly eliminated by tuning the bandsaw so the wheels and guides are set properly, and more importantly installing a quality blade.
If the saw is set up properly and still drifts, most often the set or sharpness of the teeth on one side is dull. The only cure is a new blade. I get mine from Grizzly, their Timberwolf blades are good. I buy 6 at a time to save on shipping. There are other sources of course and you may want a few different tooth sizes. I use a 3 TPI for resawing like you were doing in 1/2" wide or 3/4" depending on if it's for a 14" saw or my 18" bandsaw.
The wider the blade the more tension it requires, so a stout frame is the best. My bandsaw frames are welded construction which is very stiff, so I can use the increased tension. Think of your own waist belt. The tighter you make it, the stiffer it becomes and it becomes more difficult to twist it. Same goes for a bandsaw blade. The stiffer it is, the better it will cut straight.... within reason. I've never had a weld break because of too much tension and I weld my own blades from roll stock for blades in 1/2" and smaller widths. I don't weld my 3/4" blades, those are the ones I get from Grizzly.
Some people use a rounded cylinder as a fence, which is the "single point" that @FrankC mentioned. You draw a line across the top of your board, then adjust the angle to keep the blade on the line as you make the cut.
Other people try to measure drift, and adjust the fence angle accordingly. Many bandsaw fences can be adjusted as needed. Do a web search to learn about that.
Bandsaws can be finicky. Not only could you have drift, but is the cut the same width at the top AND bottom of the wood? Is the tension right? Sometimes a bandsaw blade will flex as you push the wood, making a slight curve in the cut.
After two years of owning that bandsaw, I still haven't decided which way I prefer: Fence or Fence-with-Resaw-Guide. It doesn't really matter as long as the cut is good.
I am also including photos of Rikon's bandsaw fence and their cylindrical guide. I grabbed them from Rikon's website.
If you want to try your own cylindrical resaw guide just see what happens, get a nice smooth piece of sprinkler pipe. Square it up to a board and attach it with screws from behind. Wax the pipe to make it smooth. Clamp the board to your fence. Give it a whirl.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I just made it up on the spot and have never tried making a resaw guide from sprinkler pipe myself, since I own perfectly good resaw guides. I hope the idea is a good one.
When you use a resaw guide, you place it so the "point" is just in front of the blade. Try 1/4 inch or so. Find what works for you.
Photos:
Rikon's cylindrical resaw guide, and a closeup of the cylinder.
Adjust your saw for drift and tension up the blade good. Start by confirming all the guide settings, blade tension, and tracking.
There are two ways to asdjust for drift: adjust the fence or the table. I prefer to adjust the table. Do this by setting the fence parallel to miter slot, and making a test cut. A piece of plywood with a line parallel to edge, make a cut and adjust the table accordingly.
The quick and easy way is to make the same cut without engaging the fence, cut 1/2 way through and clamp to table without moving. Loosen bolt and adjust fence to edge and your off!!
I would also suggest no more than a 1/2" blade on that saw.
Sorry to disagree, but I would ignore Snodgrass unless your ok with a hour of two of frustration. :wink: His methods only work on crowned tires and saws with coplanar wheels (not common to all saws).
The Snodgrass video may not be the last word on the subject, but it does have some valuable information, and you will get to know the workings of your saw.
One of the first things I was taught when I apprenticed was that two wrongs do not make a right and one should only fall back on that as a last resort if all else fails.
I've watched that video about 10 times and there's nothing in it that contradicts proper set up in my opinion. The only controversial part is tracking the gullets on the center of the upper wheel. If that doesn't work on your bandsaw, then move the tracking adjustment until it does. Simple. All other set up advice is totally logical and is what I often do when setting up a new bandsaw or realigning any of my older ones. I have a total of 7 bandsaws, 2 metal cutting and 4 woodcutting, and one combination. My bandsaws used for resawing do not drift and I use the stock fences, not a point of contact type.
The Snodgrass video may not be the last word on the subject, but it does have some valuable information, and you will get to know the workings of your saw.
One of the first things I was taught when I apprenticed was that two wrongs do not make a right and one should only fall back on that as a last resort if all else fails.
Finally got back to the BS since winter is here. I think my biggest issue was blade tension not being enough. When adjusted per the video my guide shows just over for a 1/2 blade. I'm currently using 3/16 blade for doing BS boxes. I also had to adjust the blade slightly forward of cents on top wheel because the power side roller would touch the teeth. Now I'm able to slice off pieces under 1/8 from a block about 4 inches height hard maple. And small radius cuts are much more smoother. So... I'm going in the correct way learning. Photo attached is before doing any adjustments on BS.
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