I have just bought one of the Draper diy bandsaws. I have set up the blade bearings and the rubbing blocks but the blade wanders off at an angle when cutting. I have set it up incorrectly. The tension in the blade seems ok. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks
Kevin
This is probably the reason then! No seriously you're not forcing the work through the saw are you? I do not have a bandsaw myself but remember similar problems during my apprenticeship, trying to get your bit cut quicker so you could have a longer tea/smoke break!
John
Pressing to hard against the blade when you're cutting. With a band saw you need to allow the blade to cut gently so you don't need to push anything against it to hard. You also get slight wandering if the material you're cutting is thin and the blade is wobbling around above it. To prevent this from happening you get an extension rubbing block on an arm that swings down from the top and straddles the blade just above the thing you're going to cut. The arm is slide adjustable on a finger bolt so that you get a full range for thicknesses.
Is the tension OK ? The tension needs to be pulling the blade until the point when you ping the band it rings like a crystal glass and doesn't sound like a thud. I've had a band saw blade singing in top C before. :-))
you need a new blade ..... the blade has become blunt on one side for some reason ..... this problem is caused when one side cuts faster than the other side
This is below the point at which bandsaws really become usable.
If the saw is set up correctly and it still does this, then it's called drift and you have to live with it (all bandsaws do it, some just do more than others). There's no reason why a bandsaw should cut in a line exactly at right angles to the face of the wheel.
Measure the drift angle, then set the fence up to be parallel to this angle (a decent fence is adjustable for this). It may well change with different blades.
You can measure the drift angle by taking a thin piece of stock with a straight edge, setting it up parallel to the 0° datum fence position, then letting the saw cut freely in the direction it wants to. Then either measure the angle, or use this wedge as a jig to set up the fence.
I strongly recommend Mark Duginske's "Bandsaw Handbook"
Kevin,
You are probably forcing the cut too fast, or have too long a length of blade 'exposed' (drop the top guide so it just clears the work) or the blade 'set' is insufficient for the work that you are cutting. (each tooth should be set over alternating left and right so that the kerf cut is wider than the actual blade material)
Andrew Mawson
My old B&D bandsaw, when new, could cut a perfect straight line down a 6ft length of 17mm Conti, running against the guide fence. 20 years later it will not cut any sort of straight line, even with a new blade, and precisely set up. I have been told that this is due to age/slackness in the bearings of the top and bottom front wheels.
Might be worth checking those bearings on your brand new bandsaw.
I have noted the other posts but was wondering one thing. The instructions said adjust the rubbing block 1.5mm behind the teeth but didn't say whether this was the root of the tooth or the tip of the teeth. I set them about
1.5mm from the root of the tooth. Should these blocks be nearer the tip of the teeth? Kevin
The measure of 1.5 millimetres is about right because the blade actually moves in toward the block when you begin to the cut. But the most important point is the thickness of the material you're cutting and the top block. If you leave the blade with a huge free space above the material the blade will begin to wobble around and run way off the cutting line. So if you're cutting something 50 mm thick on the table then the top block needs to be set at 60 mm from the table to keep the blade straight at it point you need it to start the cut.
Remember too that the type of blade of blade is important for different materials. Wood needs a blade with splade teeth to make clearance around the cut and help to keep the blade from heating to much and expanding and going slack. Things like plastics need a fine toothed blade so that they stay on track and don't cause chipping to the edges of the materials.
Kevin,
They need to be fully behind the teeth so the entire toothform is exposed, or they will iron out the set on the blade if they are tight enough together to guide the blade.
Andrew Mawson
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