I hope someone here can help me with my problem. Everytime I try cutting any kind of curve, even a slight curve on my bandsaw, it bogs down and almost stalls. It is an older Rockwell 14 inch saw. As far as I can tell, everything is adjusted properly. The wheels are coplaner, the blade tracks on the middle of the tires, and the guide blocks are as close to the blade that I can get them. It seems like the slightest curve cut twists the blade, causing the saw to almost stall. How much tension should I have on the blade? It seems like cranking the tension way up makes no difference in the acutall tension of the blade. Just how tight should the blade be? Even cranked all the way up I still can't cut curves. Is it possible the blade is the wrong size? I told the guy at my local saw shop what saw I had and that is blade they gave me. Any suggestions? At this point I pretty much have a useless bandsaw,
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How wide is your blade, and how tight a curve are you trying to cut? The smaller the curve radius, the narrower the blade needs to be.
Band Saw Blade Width vs. Curve Radius ChartLarry -
It is a 1/4 inch blade. the slightest curve outside a staight line twists the blade and bogs down the saw.Comment
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What type of guides are being used? Maybe the blade is binding on the guides?Dave
BT3000
"98% of all statistics are made up"Comment
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They are the original guide blocks that came with the saw, and are actually not very flat. I did try cuttings some curves in a piece of 3/4 MDF with the guide block holder all the way up with as much of the blade exposed that I could, but that did not seem to make any difference.Comment
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I cannot think of any other reason for it to bog down, unless the motor is burning up or something in the drivetrain is off a bit. Hopefully someone much more knowledgeable than I will chime in.Dave
BT3000
"98% of all statistics are made up"Comment
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Generally speaking bandsaws differ in their guide assemblies. Some have a dual guide block that sits on both sides of the blade. There can also be a roller guide to back up the blade. All of the guides should be very close to slightly touching when the saw is running without cutting. The height of the blade guide should be close to the top of the work, leaving very little exposed blade above the stock.
The blade should be tight, and I allow no more than about 1/2" free movement front to back. It's possible that the blade may be a bit long and you are up at the tight end of adjustment and still have too much play.
The blade might not be the correct blade for the stock you're cutting. Or, it may be running too slow.
.Last edited by cabinetman; 10-08-2009, 03:22 PM.Comment
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Are the teeth of the blade protruding beyond the guides when cutting? I get the feeling your guides are not set up for the 1/4" blade and you've taken the "set" out of the teeth/blade. No "set" equals no cutting to the side when trying to cut a curve.Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas EdisonComment
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My guess is that its a tension problem. It could be that you need a new spring or a slightly smaller blade length. One other thing you might try is adjusting your feed rate._________________________
"Have a Great Day, unless you've made other plans"Comment
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I just put on one of those cobra high tension springs a few months ago, so the spring should be fine. Just how tight should the blade be? I can't trust the tensioning scale, but I really don't know how to tell if the blade is tesnioned right. Putting more tension on the blade does not seem to help with the cutting ability. How do I set up the guide blocks? Right now the are set just behind the teeth of the blade. Is that right? As far as the blade being a bit too big, don't all 14" bandsaws use the same size of blade?Comment
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I'd check the guide blocks. If you did not adjust the guide block & thrust bearing assembly when you put on the 1/4in blade (assuming your blade is correctly tracking in the center of the tires), then the blocks are probably up against the teeth, and twist puts the teeth into the guide blocks, causing binding.
Make sure 1) the blade is tracking center; 2) the thrust bearing is appropriately close to the back of the blade, and 3) the guide blocks are alongside the flat of the blade, not the teeth.Bill in Buena ParkComment
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I found these videos very informative; http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodvision/?lid=1339217207_________________________
"Have a Great Day, unless you've made other plans"Comment
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When you put the max tension on the blade, does it 'feel tight"? Can you easily get a note out of it, without really haulin' on it? If you still have play with max tension, I would have a look at the blade size. If you have your old one, measure it and compare. The difference can be as small as 1/2 ", so you really have to be accurate.You don't need a parachute to skydive, you only need a parachute to skydive twice.Comment
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Sounds correct, do the teeth currently have "set"? Does it look like this when viewed head on? or are they inline with each other?
image stolen from http://www.starrett.co.uk/support/Te...l_Information/Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas EdisonComment
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