Kreg Bandsaw Fence and Other Bandsaw Ponderings

[Charles Wilson]

Looking to upgrade fence of a 14" Delta USA made bandsaw. Thinking of the Kreg bandsaw fence. Next project requires me to rip about a bazillion pickets made from 1" cedar. Will this do the trick? Concerned about drift and adjusting as I am new to bandsaw use.

EDIT: Just checked in "The Bandsaw Book" and there appears to be a lot more to this beast then I anticipated.

Other help sought on the following:

1. What type (pitch, teeth, width, length) and brand of blade should I be looking into to rip 1" cedar? Adding links would be great!

2. How to properly tension a blade?

3. Any other necessary upgrades/stuff to do while I am at it? I bought the saw used (used lightly).

4. Its been out in the garage and has a slight rusting to the cast iron table. What do you recommend to remove the surface rust (no pitting) and prevent in the future.

Thanks,
Chuck

[Norman Pyles]

I like mine.

[Alan Schwabacher]

1. A 1/2" wide 3 TPI blade with either skip or hook teeth is about right.
2. The tension is less important than proper alignment and settings. Usually setting it by the scale on the saw will work. If there are problems, try the next wider blade setting.
3. Use it first. Set everything as described in your book. You probably don't need to change much.
4. Try getting the Boeshield set from Rockler. It has rust remover, T9 to prevent rust from returning, as well as blade and bit cleaner.

As far as a fence goes, clamping a jointed board to the table works pretty well. It takes longer to set than a Kreg fence, but it would work for your pickets. If you'd prefer to buy something, those who own them seem to like Kreg fences.