Last night my bandsaw was cutting crooked. Its a 6x10 Delta made in China model. I attempted to adjust the guide bearing to correct it but still ended up with a cut that gradually slopes in toward the vise as it cuts. Is there some kind of trick to getting this right or was it just the blade was worn. It was still cutting good but I did notice the weld was starting to crack. I took down a backup blade that had broken previously but found that when it was rewelded it ended up a hair short and wouldn't fit on. So I have ordered a couple replacements but was wondering if anyone else has trouble getting the machine set up right.
Slopes IN towards the vise? I ask because if it has the spring on the one side and no bearing surface in the pivot, it will tend to wear such that right at the end 1/2" of the cut it will swing outwards. This was measurable with a T square on the vise as the saw was lowered. With the blade right at the square at the 'top of cut' as you lowered the saw, it moved way from the square such that there was a 1/8" gap when at the bottom of the square. If your blade tracks true to the square, it's something else. The some sites I know of for that problem are:
One point that may tweak your thinking on the subject is that no blade is *perfectly* set, with the set on one side of the teeth being exactly the same as the other (also can occur from uneven wear). Transferring an example from the woodworking industry and a standard bandsaw, when resawing wood to thin slices, the set-up has to compensate for this set and also other factors of the saw. To set-up for a re-sawing operation, one marks a line down the board where the cut is to be made and "free-hand" cuts this without a fence. What is generally found is that in order to follow the line exactly to slice off the face of the board, the board needs to be fed into the blade at a slight angle. Usually, after getting through about half the board, the machine is turned off and a fence is set to the angle the board was pushed so that subsequent cuts can be made off the fence and will follow the blade set.
Of course, true re-saw band saws use a very wide blade (2-3 inches for the small ones) and there is less need to adjust for set because the width of the blade helps tracking.
Anyway, the point here is..even the best quality blade is never perfect. Sometimes you need to change out the blade until you find one that cuts straighter when the cuts are critical. Save the ones that wander a little for rough chopping materials.
I've been using Morse bi-metal blades on my 4x6 for a few years now and have been getting better service for less money than other brands I've tried. YMMV.
Doug, I hav an old 4X6 Chinese made bandsaw that was doing the same thing. Had been in use for MANY years. After trying several fixes, I found my problem was worn out ball bearing guides for the blade, they were letting the blade flex inward and cutting on a slope. Replaced them and it fixed it.
the bandsaw is fairly new only had it a couple months. As far as the brand of bandsaw. Well were I work we sell Starret so I pretty much have to buy them. We actually sell Lenox to but Starrett's suppose to be our main line so for the amount of blades I use I think I'll stick to them.
The blade is being pressed against the work with too much force. Look on your saw to see if there is some spring or hydraulic mechanism which is designed to counterbalance the bandsaw. There should be a tension adjustment located somewhere near. On mine, I have to rotate a chrome-plated handle which tightens up a spring between the frame and the carriage. Weird as it may seem, but harder materials require lighter pressure.
I bought my saw at auction from a custom window fabricating shop which used it for cutting wood. It did exactly as your saw is doing now, cutting in a crooked line towards the vise. Reducing the pressure on the work now makes the saw cut straight. I just cut some 4x4x3/8" angle iron (pretty husky stuff) yesterday with it and the cuts are nice and straight. Took forever, though.
Let us know if your saw still isn't cutting straight.
Well I installed my new blade, tightened it up as much as possible by hand. Lightened up my downfeed and adjusted all the support bearings. It cuts like a champ again. Of course I still don't know what was wrong. :)
That's why you should only alter one thing at a time. That's how you find the cause.
I've always been of the school of thought that if a blade is still cutting well, it isn't dull. I'll bet that if you put your old blade back on it would cut straight now. Assuming, of course, that the old blade wasn't broken or missing teeth.
I'd have to dissagree. Its possible for a blade to be sharp but at the same time have its kerp get wacky. I have a few blades like this. It don;t take too many teeth here and there to start a blade cutting catty wompus. They may work fine on some shapes or materials and lousy on others.
I like the Lenox Diemaster series of blades however once a tooth gets missing, it does not take long for others behind it to follow and take leave of abscense either. I have been using Lenox NEO style blades on my home brew 20" bandsaw and have to say they are pretty darn good. I have been using a 3/8 and a 1/2 inch width blade for quite a while now cutting various items form 11 ga material up to 1 3/16" inch plate with a good dose of 1/4 and 1/2 inch plate in there as well and the blades are still very sharp and no not tend to cut off to one side. Best part is an 11' x 1/2" blade costs me only $9.00 and a Diemaster in that same size would run me close to $30 some buck. Next time you get a band made up have em make you a NEO type as well and give them a try. They seem to last and work well on mild steel and are not prone to loosing teeth as readily as a bi-metal. Probably won't last long with harder materials etc, but for mild steels there great. Visit my website:
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