Band Saw Set-up For a Newbie

[Jason Strauss]

Okay, so I just got a decent deal on a new Jet 14” ¾ HP band saw (Menards had a closeout in my area - $150 off). I think this is their base model with no bells and whistles, but for now I’m just excited to have a band saw in the shop. After some set-up, I attempted some uncomplicated cutouts and tried my hand at resawing some 1x3 poplar for some trim work I’m doing. Very satisfying, in deed!

I’ve never owned, much less used a band saw until now and didn’t take woodshop in high school (regrettable, I know). So, I have a couple of basic questions. A Sawmill Creek Search provided some help, but…

Please bear with me:

- Should the plastic guide blocks actually touch the blade, or do they simply rest “close” to the blade to keep it from moving too much laterally? If they don’t touch the blade, how close is too close?

- I’ve read some posts about higher end blade guides (bearing rollers?). Are they worth the money for this type of saw? Will a newbie like me really be able to tell the difference?

- The manual speaks very little about blade tension. I’ve tightened the blade to what I believe is a “good” or “safe” level. It seems like there should be more of a science to this. There’s a gauge on the back of the saw that measures the tension, but I’m not sure what it’s measuring against. It’s scaled in ¼” increments. What does this mean, and how do I know what’s right?

Any words of advice are much appreciated!

[Jerome Hanby]

This one is newb to another, so take this with a grain of salt.

If I am recalling correctly, a dollar bill is often used as the guide for setting the blocks to the blade, pin the dollar between the blade and block then slide the dollar out to leave the correct gap.

The roller guides (again best I understand it) actually ride against the blade giving the most support you can get. Drawback is they can't be used with narrow blades (the teeth would hit the bearings), so you still need blocks for that application. I hear nothing but good things about cool blocks, they are made from some phenolic resin and (surprise surprise) run cooler than standard metal blocks. I'e also see Space Age Ceramic Blocks that are supposed to run cool but be tougher than cool blocks. My gut feeling is that the bearings (I think carter makes those type of guides) would probably rock for re-sawing, but cool blocks are the best bet for everyday use (plus they aren't that expensive).

The graduations on the tension adjustment are for the blade width, 1/4" blade, tighten until the indicator hits the 1/4 mark. As I understand it, those marks are ball park at best. I think the Suffolk site has something they called a flutter test that will let you dial in the tension.

[Phil Phelps]

Jason, I've made a living on a bandsaw. I'm in my 42nd year of business. But, I don't know tech stuff about the saw, only what I was taught and what works for me. My guides are very close to the blade but the teeth of the blade are in front of the guides. There are many makes of guide blocks, but I haven't changed mine in thirty years. I don't even remember what is on my saw, but they aren't expensive ones. Make sure the back guide wheel is lubed and turnes freely. On my 16 inch bandsaw, I use a 1/4", 6 tpi. hooked blade. I tighten it, "taunt". I don't use this saw to resaw. Buy your blades from a reliable source. You may have to adjust the "set" with a wet stone if there is too much set. Just lightly touch the teeth on each side while the blade is running and test cut. A bad blade with give a washboard cut. Sometimes the weld on the blade is uneven and you'll need to file off the excess so the blade doesn't "pop" each time the weld makes a rotation. Every blade has it's own drift. Strike a straight line on a piece of lumber and follow that line on the bandsaw. You'll see you are cutting on an angle. That's the blades drift and that's how you'll be cutting straight lines. Curved objects are different. Clockwise circles, apply light pressure to the right of the blade, light pressure to the left for counter clockwise cuts. Try a meandering line to get the feel of this. Let the blade do the cutting, never force the stock. Cross grain has less resistance than with the grain. Learn to coil your blades for storage. Holding the blade in front of you and your right foot positioned on the bottom of the blade on the floor, twist the blade, clockwise, from the center at the top. It should fold to a tight ring. Be really careful and you'll love this saw.

[Jason Strauss]

Phil...Jerome,

You guys are great! Frankly, I expected short, quick answers, but you guys really came through with some detail. Now I can't wait to get home and make some saw dust!

[Jerome Hanby]

Phil, I think he just called us windbags <eg>

[glenn bradley]

Phil...Jerome,

You guys are great! Frankly, I expected short, quick answers, but you guys really came through with some detail. Now I can't wait to get home and make some saw dust!


Phil, I think he just called us windbags <eg>

Phil / Jerome, you're right. I distinctly heard the veiled "windbags" comment disguised in that 'thank you'. :D

On my saw that has block-type guides I used to slip a V shaped piece of paper between blades and blocks to set them. Same for the rear bearing. I just sort of eyeball it now but this worked quick and easy till I got the feel for it.

[Jason Strauss]

Phil, I think he just called us windbags <eg>

...knowledgeable and more experienced windbags!;)

[Myk Rian]

I use hard wood blocks that I make. Walnut ones are in the saw now. I just push them against the blade and bury the teeth in them.

Here's how I set the tension.
Get the blade to track in the middle of the wheels. If it isn't in the middle of BOTH wheels, stop right there and get the wheels aligned.
Raise the guide bar all the way up.
start the saw and watch the blade. It will flutter. Increase or decrease tension till the flutter is gone.
Adjust the guides and bearings.

[Howard Acheson]

There are two things you should throw out immediately. First is the blade they included with the saw and the second is their knock-off plastic Cool Blocks. The true Cool Blocks are made from a much different graphite impregnated fabric material. Unlike the OEM plastic blocks, they will not melt.

True Cool Blocks you can set up lighlty touching the blade so they give excellent control to the blade.

Given that you are new to a band saw, let me suggest you get a good book about setting up and using your new saw. The best are Lonnie Birds Band Saw Book or a new one by Mark Duginske that I can't recall the title. Go to Amazon, they will have them.

You'll have a good time with your new saw but take the time to learn how to use it effectively.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

If you use the riser, you'll have no choice to toss out the OEM blade. I think, if you're going to use the saw seriously, get the Carter rollers. Skip cool blocks. Not that there is anything wrong. They also last forever.

[Matthew Hills]

I'd recommend watching some of the free online videos to get oriented on bandsaws:

- From Woodworking Online:
Podcast #22: Buying & Getting the Most Out of Your Band Saw (http://www.woodworkingonline.com/2007/06/08/podcast-22-buying-getting-the-most-out-of-your-band-saw/)

- from TheWoodWhisperer:
Episode 13: Bandsaw Setup/Tuneup (http://thewoodwhisperer.com/episode-13-bandsaw-setuptuneup/)


Matt

[Mike Cruz]

My advice? Buy and install EVERY extra you could possibly imagine. Custom make a base. End up spending as much or more on this saw than if you had purchased the next size bigger. That way you will LOVE this saw and never want to get rid of it for ANY reason...mostly because you know you won't get what it is "worth". :D That's what I did... pictures to come...

[Jerome Hanby]

My advice? Buy and install EVERY extra you could possibly imagine. Custom make a base. End up spending as much or more on this saw than if you had purchased the next size bigger. That way you will LOVE this saw and never want to get rid of it for ANY reason...mostly because you know you won't get what it is "worth". :D That's what I did... pictures to come...

That sounds about right. I bought my Rockwell for $170 or $180 and just doubled up the price buying a woodslicer blade, riser block kit, and urethane tires. As soon as my new Itturra catalog comes in (maybe sooner, have to call to order anyway) going to get the hexagonal bar and receiver (or whatever you call it) for the guide post. I'm not thrilled with the round ones. Also looking at that Tension Spinner 3 and one of their stouter springs. Add in some of the beefed up replacement parts, material to build the base, and a link belt and I'm going to go 4x+ the saw price before the dust settles.

Which I'm sure some would argue is a great reason to just take all that money and go buy a Steel City or Rikon Deluxe saw. Nice saws, but you miss out on all the fun!

[Jason Strauss]

Add in some of the beefed up replacement parts, material to build the base, and a link belt and I'm going to go 4x+ the saw price before the dust settles.



Just when my wife thought I was done spending money, you guys are forcing me to spend more. At her demand, I will be giving my wife a list of your names! You'd better sleep with one eye open!

Thanks again for all the great tips!

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, Jerome, I purchased my Ridgid 14" for a steal at $150. I have got to be about $550 into the saw...with GREAT prices on my upgrades, especially the motor ($50 for a NEW 1.5 HP Leeson...including shipping). Where would the fun be in buying a new saw for $600?

Jason, MAN RULE, dude! No telling the wives about what others on the forum are doing. Kinda like Vegas, what happens here, stays here! :D

[Jerome Hanby]

especially the motor ($50 for a NEW 1.5 HP Leeson...including shipping).

Wow! What a deal! Don't suppose you have access to another one of those , do you?

[Mike Cruz]

You're gonna hate me...

The place was selling it on Ebay. When I recieved it, it had been damaged: bent base (the part with holes that bolts to the table), one of the grill vanes (best way to describe it) was broken, one of the capacitor covers was dented, and the wires coming out of it were pinched through.

I called them and asked if that is why I got it so cheap. They insisted no. Blamed it on the carrier, and get this, sent me another one...free of charge, no shipping either...and let me keep the damaged one! So now I have two of them! :D I bent the base back, rewired it (had to anyway), left the bent and broken pieces as they are and am going to use it for the 12" disc sander that I am building.

NOTE: After rewiring the banged up motor, realizing that it will do just fine, I called up the company and insisted on giving them another $25. I didn't feel right not doing something...:rolleyes:

[Jerome Hanby]

Good karma pays off again!

[Heather Thompson]

Jason,

Your wife will calm down, my husband always does, if you had a delta saw I would send cool blocks, never used mine as I went with the Carter set up. My dad worked in a machine shop his whole life, actually made the face shield for the first man on the moon, 40 years ago yesterday, we sat in front of the TV and took pictures.

Heather

[lowell holmes]

Jason,
I recommend the book by Mark Duginske, "The Bandsaw Book". I have both his book and video. He covers everything including safety.

[Jerome Hanby]

Yeah, Jerome, I purchased my Ridgid 14" for a steal at $150.

I'm sure this doesn't reflect on the Ridgid model at all, but I saw something monumentally stupid at HD last night. They had two of the bandsaws on the floor, one of them had the top part removed and lying to one side with a piece of broken casting. Not a good selling strategy, it would have scared me away fast!

[Mike Cruz]

Well, my saw being 5 years old was made by Emmerson. The NEW Ridgid company apparently doesn't use them to make the band saws (or any other tools for that matter) anymore. Apparently, the vibration issues with Ridgid band saws is with the NEW Ridgid company's saws. I also have a Ridgid TS2424 Table Saw. It is 10 years old, also made by Emmerson. I have had little to no issues/complaints with/about it. As for the BS, my upper wheel was perfectly balanced. The lower wheel needed some drilling (as per another poster's advice as how to balance the wheels) but is pefectly true now... I got it to stop in the same spot EVERY TIME! Hehe, just kidding.