What causes bandsaw blade drift?

[ryan.s]

Are there any techniques to minimize the drift? Thanks!

[drumpriest]

Check your band saw tires, ensure that there isn't uneven wear on them. Some people claim to be able to eliminate drift with proper tracking. Track the blade to the crown of your tire.

You should also measure your drift, and set your fence to compensate for it. That way it shouldn't be a problem for your cuts.

[Hoover]

Another possibility is insufficient tension on the blade. Also you want to be sure that the upper guide assembly is close to the wood. This reduces the tendency for the blade to drift or deflect.
You might want to try another blade to see if the problem is still there. HTH

[LCHIEN]

1) Tracking of the BS blade on the wheels and tires, off the crown will twist the blade so its toed in or out
2) tooth set - some stamped blades the teeth have a bias to one side.
3) tension of the blade
4) how well the blade guides are aligned and set up.
5) characteristics of the wood being cut and possibly depth of cut
All these factors make it hard for me to believe people can set one "drift angle" and use it. It would change for almost every cutting setup.

[SARGE..g-47]

Will add to Loring's list.. sharp blade and one that has no more than 4 tpi (I prefer 3 tpi) for re-saw. Anything more doesn't have enough gullet to aid in removal of saw-dust fast enough for resaw and especially in thick stock.

Regards...

[Uncle Hook]

I recently attended an excellent 1 hour seminar on the Bandsaw at the NJ woodworking show. The speaker was Kelly Mehler, author of the table saw book, and owner of a woodworking school in Berea Kentucky.

Kelly stated that most 14" and smaller bandsaws have a crowned wheels which can cause the blade to drift if it is not centered on the wheel. Accordingly, most bandsaw blade drift can be corrected by tracking and centering the blade on the upper wheel. Kelly said to be less concerned with tracking on the lower wheel. He advised checking the upper and lower wheels to ensure they are coplaner, if an upper wheel tracking adjustment does not work.

I recommend taking advantage of any opportunity to hear Kelly speak at a woodworking show near you. He is a gifted and knowledgeable speaker.

[ryan.s]

Thanks again guys. I fine tuned the tracking and it seemed to have gotten rid of the drift. Didn't realize it was as easy as adjusting the tracking.