Bandsaw tracking

[catta12]

All of the bandsaws that I have used before were able to adjust the top wheel for tracking while the bottom wheel ended up centered. My new Rikon 10-325 with stock blade rides (on the bottom wheel) with the front edge of a 5/8" blade on the front edge of the wheel while the top tracking is adjusted to center of the top wheel.

I have wood slicers from highland on the way, but what should I make of the current situation?

[cgallery]

From Duginske's book:

One of the things you will notice when you're using coplaner tracking is that the blade may track slightly toward the front of the wheels. This is because the front edge of the blade is minutely shorter then the back edge. When the blade was manufactured, the teeth were first ground and then hardened, causing the metal there to shrink in relationship to the unhardened back.

Now, I'm not necessarily buying that the front of the band is shorter than the back. It seems the blade stock comes in 100' and 250' coils. If the front was shorter than the back, it would seem difficult to spool 250' of the stuff.

I'm also not disregarding his explanation. I just don't know for sure.

But in my experience, he's right about the coplaner tracking. I've used several bandsaws and once I get them set for coplaner, I'm kinda surprised that the blade wanders towards the front of the bottom wheel. I am able to "move it back" on the top wheel through tracking, but I've learned to avoid trying to compensate or force the blade to move back on the bottom wheel by tracking too far back on top.

That is, I let the blade ride wherever it wants on the bottom, and I track it a little front of center on top, and I get great results.

[Hoover]

You might want to check this article out on tuning up the bandsaw
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/ar...sion_Band_Saw/

[catta12]

Thanks for the info. The blades being long in the front would make sense, but I agree that if it were a lot that the rolls of stock would be a complete mess. I am tuning up the saw all over, but I won't worry about the tracking on the bottom wheel as long as it stays put.

[Tom Hintz]

In 30-some years with bandsaws I have been able to get them all set up to cut nicely but I can't remember any that didn't have the blade running forward on the lower wheel to some extent. If the blade consistently ran at the front edge of the lower wheel, I might shim it out some but if it cuts nice and stays put, I'd probably leave it alone.