Does this really exist

[Bruce Cohen]

I vaguely remember seeing a device that attaches to a band saw blade that allows you to determine if the blade is parallel to the miter slot on the table.
I'm trying to get the Kreg fence that I added to my Rikon 14" deluxe #325 saw "dead on".
I'd appreciate any help on how to get this within a few thousands correct.

Bruce

[MBG]

My experience with BS's is you will never get the slot parallel to the miter slot nor does it need to be. All blades have some amount of drift. Better BS fences have adjustments for drift.

Mike

[durango dude]

I obsessed with band saw drift for a long, long time. I bought an old Craftsman 12" unit (2 wheels) ---- and had constant issues cutting tenons. They were not square tenons.

I found out something, though ---- had nothing to do with whether or not my fence was parallel. In my case - I was using
- a dull blade
- the wrong blade

Additionally - my blade was tensioned too high.

I put a new skip tooth band on ----- and what a difference it made!

Here's a video that will help explain.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/tool-guide/video/how-to-change-a-bandsaw-blade.aspx

[woodturner]

I vaguely remember seeing a device that attaches to a band saw blade that allows you to determine if the blade is parallel to the miter slot on the table.

I don't recall such a device, and doubt that it would work well if it existed.

"Parallel" to a bandsaw blade is variable and changes with the temperature, etc. A straight fence will need to be re-aligned to cut parallel to the blade before each use, and will likely appear to be skewed when set for a straight cut.

I much prefer a single point fence for the bandsaw, as it avoids the need to constantly readjust the fence. This type of fence is just an L-shaped piece of wood with the end rounded, so that it makes a vertical "point" that is positioned near the blade and clamped. The distance between the blade and the "point" sets the distance of cut, and the board being cut is manually adjusted as needed to follow the cut line and make a straight cut.