[CHRIS_BOXMAKER]

Quick Background- I just purchased my own tools for my new shop, I have been woodworking for many years but not with my own stuff. Always used on base shops.

I have had my stuff for several months and have been using it quit frequently. I did all the initial setup as per the instruction manuals. I have watched videos and read many discussions on this topic. I have recently purchased a wood slicer blade and done the installation hoping for a better result with my cuts. I am using rather expensive Koa wood and need to get good results not only to save money but to get a good quality book match as I make box's for the most part. What I am finding is that although the blade cut well and I am getting a generally straight cut, the blade does wonder some and I am getting some center of the board drifting . By the time I cut the board and sand it flat on my drum-sander I find that I am loosing much more wood than I am used to and getting further from the book-match that I need. I have done a lot of test and trials with different setups. Never getting the minimal sanding that should come with the quality of equipment that I have. This is for sure a problem in the way that I am tuning the saw but I cant figure out for the life of me what I am doing wrong.

Here are the steps the I am taking
1. Remove table and install the blade and centering the teeth and gullets on the center of the top wheel.
2. Adjust all guide rollers so that they are as close to the blade as I can get without touching the blade.
3. Test all rollers to make sure they are not moving with the blade rotating
4. instal table and square it 90 to the blade
5. Install fence
6. take a square edged board and mark parallel lines to the edge, make a test cut freehand following the line until tracking straight for a few inches. Stop the saw and mark the edge of the board on the table.
7. set the fence to align with the mark that I just made to account for the drift angle. ( This line seems a bight much but I have tested it over and over)
8. Make cut ensuring not to apply to much force and maintain a steady feed rate.

I have been close but still using about 1/4 inch or a little less after clean up.

Any thoughts about what I am doing wrong?
Using a rikon 14inch band saw with a sub fence

 

[CHRIS_BOXMAKER]

Link to my shop if a visual would help

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f13/my-new-little-shop-51176/

 

[mike1950]

I have no clue without pictures but having been frustrated with the same I will wing it. The harder the wood the tougher the resaw- probably a no brainer. I have found biggest problem for me in resaw is 1. blade-dirty or dull. 2. drift allowance wrong so blade bows. 3. now I set up and test- re set up and test. usually I find that I allowed too much for drift.

Hope It helps.

 

[Crusader]

Hi Chris!
Did you check your test pieces to see if they were bowed one way or the other? I know you checked your drift several times, but maybe the fence just needs fine tuning?
I get the feeling that's it because you say it usually happens in the middle of a cut, and that's generally when you'll start to notice the drift.
Check for bow, if it's bowed to left a fine fence tune to the right will normally do the trick and vice versa if it's bowed to the right.
Good luck!

 

[johnnie52]

Sounds like you need to add a touch more tension to the blade. Setting the right tension is 10% know how, 10% luck and 80% magic. Keep trying until you get a nice straight cut through some scrap pieces before going after your good stock.

 

[Gary Beasley]

You might be using too high a tooth count for the thickness of your cut to get good bite on the teeth of the blade. How tall is your slab you are cutting?

 

[woodnthings]

all good advice above

You did not mention the tooth count, but you will get good results from a 3 TPI blade in hardwoods. I don't know what the Woodslicer is but if it's a 3 TPI, then that's good.

I would just try a new blade. I find that when the teeth get dull on one side, the blade will drift and the cut ends up slightly curved. Tension the "heck" out of a 1/2" blade and don't go by the indicator on the back of the machine. I use a "plucking" method to listen to the tension as I tighten it up. I have developed an ear for the sound that works best for me. There are much more sophisticated methods, like a strain gauge and such, but this works OK for me.
http://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/tension.html

OR this:
http://www.simondsinternational.com/productpages/bndsimometer.php?menu=mnuBndCarbon

 

[Lola Ranch]

try using a 1/4" 6 TPI or less hook tooth carbon steel blade. You did not mention the width of blade you are using but I'd bet it's about 3/4" wide? The wide blades start rubbing the wood if they deflect even a little and then your problems start. A 1/4" blade deflects but still the only part touching the wood is the tip of the teeth.

I know this because I can cut a 2" radius with A 1/4" blade without rubbing the side of the blade on the wood. I don't think I can even cut a 6" radius with a 3/4" blade.

I routinely re-saw the full vertical maximum of 12" in both hard and soft woods using a 1/4" blade with excellent results.

Sometimes I'll cut a kerf from each edge with the table saw in very hard wood so the band saw doesn't have to work as hard.

Bret

 

[del schisler]

Quick Background- I just purchased my own tools for my new shop, I have been woodworking for many years but not with my own stuff. Always used on base shops.

I have had my stuff for several months and have been using it quit frequently. I did all the initial setup as per the instruction manuals. I have watched videos and read many discussions on this topic. I have recently purchased a wood slicer blade and done the installation hoping for a better result with my cuts. I am using rather expensive Koa wood and need to get good results not only to save money but to get a good quality book match as I make box's for the most part. What I am finding is that although the blade cut well and I am getting a generally straight cut, the blade does wonder some and I am getting some center of the board drifting . By the time I cut the board and sand it flat on my drum-sander I find that I am loosing much more wood than I am used to and getting further from the book-match that I need. I have done a lot of test and trials with different setups. Never getting the minimal sanding that should come with the quality of equipment that I have. This is for sure a problem in the way that I am tuning the saw but I cant figure out for the life of me what I am doing wrong.

Here are the steps the I am taking
1. Remove table and install the blade and centering the teeth and gullets on the center of the top wheel.
2. Adjust all guide rollers so that they are as close to the blade as I can get without touching the blade.
3. Test all rollers to make sure they are not moving with the blade rotating
4. instal table and square it 90 to the blade
5. Install fence
6. take a square edged board and mark parallel lines to the edge, make a test cut freehand following the line until tracking straight for a few inches. Stop the saw and mark the edge of the board on the table.
7. set the fence to align with the mark that I just made to account for the drift angle. ( This line seems a bight much but I have tested it over and over)
8. Make cut ensuring not to apply to much force and maintain a steady feed rate.

I have been close but still using about 1/4 inch or a little less after clean up.

Any thoughts about what I am doing wrong?
Using a rikon 14inch band saw with a sub fence

i didn't read any other post's, i do lot's of rewawing , sound's like tention is not set right, if it is bowing on the cut in the center of the board or did the band get to close to the teeth and maybe rolled on the teeth , which runed the set in the blade?? i don't use the roller's for just that reason, i use the 1/2 x 1/2 Phenolic style so that when you set the blade gudes the blade can cut into the phenolic and not hurt the blade, not saying this has happen, but i would check the tention on the blade. good luck del i have the 20 yr old delta 12" with riser and saw is set up very good

 

[CHRIS_BOXMAKER]

Thanks for all the great advice from everyone, I use the Wood Slicer from Highland woodworking which is a 3 TPI that has an alternating tooth setup for resawing. It is a 1/2 inch blade. I fairly certain there has been now damage to any of the teeth. I will try adjusting the tension and run a few test pieces.

As far as the bowing it comes in the center of the board on one side or the other, I through a straight edge on the board after the cut and had some bowing on the left face of the board, this would tell me that I need to adjust the rear of my fence slightly right from everything I read.

I will try this again hopefully this solves my problems. Also the blade is new.

How much drift is too much? The fence is at lease 3/8 out from my table.

Again thanks for the help!

Chris

 

[SawdusttillSunset]

I'm no expert on the bandsaw, but this video might help.

It helped me out alot.

 

[robert421960]

I'm no expert on the bandsaw, but this video might help.
Band Saw Clinic with Alex Snodgrass - YouTube

It helped me out alot.

i sure learned alot from this video a while back :yes::yes:

 

[gus1962]

A dull or low quality blade will wander, as well as too fast speed.

 

[khowald]

It looks like you are using a good blade, check your tension; if that is good then it has to be Underpants Gnomes pulling your blade out of alignment...happens to me a lot. Good luck, ken

 

[CHRIS_BOXMAKER]

I'm no expert on the bandsaw, but this video might help.
Band Saw Clinic with Alex Snodgrass - YouTube

It helped me out alot.

Thanks I watched this video a few days ago and it helped me with the alignment of the blade on the top wheel, I have gone ahead and purchased the carter products micro adjust guides and replaced the blade just to be sure. I will be setting it all up this week and will let you know the results that I get. I feel this is one of the most important operations that I do in my shop and need to be as accurate as possible.