Bandsaw Blade Tracking

[Ken Massingale]

Apparently I have been tracking my bandsaw blades incorrectly.

Highland Woodworking has an article with 8 Tips For Better Resawing.

Nice article until I got to the last sentence in Tip 2:

'Now adjust the tracking knob so the teeth run consistently just off the edge of the wheel as you rotate the upper bandsaw wheel by hand.'

Your thoughts folks????

K

[JR]

That doesn't sound right to me. I thought the blade was supposed to be centered on the wheel.

[Black wallnut]

Makes no sense to me either.

[LCHIEN]

never heard that before.
Try it, I don't think it can hurt...

[cwsmith]

I find that difficult to imagine and wonder what kind of bandsaw the author was using or what exactly he was thinking.

While I don't have tremendous experience with bandsaws, those that I have seen have the 'tire' which does not go all the way to the edge of the wheel. So, if one was trying to get the blade in the position described, it would most likely ride off the edge, especially if the blade was a smaller width.

I'm also of the impression (don't ask me why) that there is a slight camber to some wheels and that why it is important to have the blade riding in the middle.

Could there be some confusion with the author's terms, in that one needs to adjust guide block or bearings so that they ride in the middle of the blade spine so that the teeth are just off their edge? (In other words, the guide blocks or bearings should be evenly positioned between the bottom edge of the tooth gullet and the back edge of the blade.)

CWS

[Brian G]

The deepest part of the gullet should be centered on the wheel.

Bandsaw Clinic with Alex Snodgrass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

It's a "must watch" if you have a bandsaw. He talks about blade positioning at about 4 minutes in.

[greenacres2]

I find that difficult to imagine and wonder what kind of bandsaw the author was using or what exactly he was thinking.

While I don't have tremendous experience with bandsaws, those that I have seen have the 'tire' which does not go all the way to the edge of the wheel. So, if one was trying to get the blade in the position described, it would most likely ride off the edge, especially if the blade was a smaller width.

I'm also of the impression (don't ask me why) that there is a slight camber to some wheels and that why it is important to have the blade riding in the middle.

Could there be some confusion with the author's terms, in that one needs to adjust guide block or bearings so that they ride in the middle of the blade spine so that the teeth are just off their edge? (In other words, the guide blocks or bearings should be evenly positioned between the bottom edge of the tooth gullet and the back edge of the blade.)

CWS

Yep, my tires are crowned so if i ran that far forward seems like the blade would want to pop off. It would make a terrible noise rubbing against the upper door just before opening the door and trying to open my face.

I'm sure the author has greater experience than me, but that just sounds like something that has great potential to not end well!!

earl

[gerti]

I have close to no band saw experience, though one thing I always wondered about: if the blade has an alternate set of the teeth, and the teeth run on the wheel, will they not use up the silicon on the wheels? So maybe the author thinks the blade should be adjusted so that the body of the blade runs on the wheel, but the teeth are just of the wheel.

[Bruce Cohen]

Apparently I have been tracking my bandsaw blades incorrectly.

Highland Woodworking has an article with 8 Tips For Better Resawing.

Nice article until I got to the last sentence in Tip 2:

'Now adjust the tracking knob so the teeth run consistently just off the edge of the wheel as you rotate the upper bandsaw wheel by hand.'

Your thoughts folks????

K

Ken, I saw that somewhere else too, maybe from Carter. Tried it, works fine. But it is kinda hinky. Everyone else says the middle of the wheel.
Bruce

[lrr]

The deepest part of the gullet should be centered on the wheel.

Bandsaw Clinic with Alex Snodgrass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

It's a "must watch" if you have a bandsaw. He talks about blade positioning at about 4 minutes in.

Wow, I just watched this. Wish I would have seen it when I bought my Powermatic a couple years ago. And it was nice that he was demoing resaw blade setup on this saw. All the issues I have had with drift or perfectly uniform thickness on resawing were covered. And the narrow blade support block he used on the other bandsaw was amazing. He says you really want 2 bandsaws if you do boxes, so I think I'll show my wife the video ...

This is a MUST WATCH if you own a bandsaw. And he explains why you set the blade on the wheels as he shows.

One issue I had, though. He is so familiar with the bandsaw that he only used his hands to feed wood. I felt a little nervous watching how fast he cut on his 3 demos (3D reindeer, bandsaw box, and snake).

Simply incredible!

[Zenaca]

Yup i watched that video and ran out to the shop and set up my saw that way, I can not believe the difference.

I wish i had seen that 10years ago i was about ready to chuck that saw in the trash!! It has been driving me nuts for 10years now i am happy happy happy!!!!




bud

[Carpenter96]

Thanks Ken I am going to set up my bandsaw using the method in the video and see if it works. I have always had drift on band saws from small 9 inch up to 24 inch SCM.

Regards Bob

[lrr]

I set up my bansaw today using the methods outlined in the video. It is amazing how well it works now. I used a narrow blade, rather than my resaw blade, so I did not do a full resaw. I took a 1X4 and cut a few inches into it, standing it on its narrow edge, and then backed it out. It was even, and uniform.

I then took that same 1X4 and just did some simple freehand curves thru it. When I looked at the cut, it looked very good. So I ran a small engineers square along the cut, and it was a perfect 90 degree square cut along the entire length of the curve.

I am anxious to take that blade off and mount my resaw blade and cut some thin planks for some segmented tool handles I want to turn on the lathe. In the past I cut them thicker than necessary, and then planed them to get them to a uniform thickness. Now they could be run through the planer to take off just a tiny bit of wood to guarantee good glues-ups of multiple layers.

I am not sure I'd ever get the blade change/alignment process down to a couple minutes like Alex Snodgrass did in the video. It just confirms that I need to buy another bandsaw so I have one dedicated for resawing, and one for scrolling cuts.

I think I'll go tell my wife about my exciting discovery!

[gerti]

Thanks Brian for sharing this video! Can't wait to get in the shop and try this setup, but it got to get a bit warmer first.

[Brian G]

You're welcome. You can come over and practice on my bandsaw.