Bandsaw noise

[Steven Hsieh]

I put on a new Olson 93.5'' Band Saw Blades 1/2'' x 3 Hook
http://www.amazon.com/Olson-93-5-Band-Blades-Hook/dp/B000H69UJO

when resawing 1 1/2 thick wood
the first 3-4 cuts fine but after 6 cut it starts making loud noise


I am guessing the blade is already dull?
Or is it the way im tracking the blade?







http://i26.tinypic.com/eoil0.jpg

The top wheel.
http://i32.tinypic.com/2z6fb6u.jpg (http://i32.tinypic.com/2z6fb6u.jpg)

The Bottom blade is leaning towards to the left, but it stays when the machines ON.
http://i28.tinypic.com/2pqqgee.jpg (http://i28.tinypic.com/2pqqgee.jpg)



http://i30.tinypic.com/2r618xz.jpg (http://i30.tinypic.com/2r618xz.jpg)

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I might be in a minority but I ride the teeth of a 1/2" blade just over the edge of the tire. Only my 1/4" blade rides completely on the tire. Having said that, your noise is probably not caused by that.
From the pix, it appears you are attempting to cut a 2X4 standing on edge and then cutting the same board in resaw position. 2X4's contain a lot of moisture. If your blade cannot clear the wet chips, it will scream, especially if your tension is not great enough and the blade begins to run crooked inside the wood.
Check your blade tension and try again on a piece of dry lumber.
fmr

[Neil Brooks]

... and I tend to center the center OF the blade right above the crown of the wheel, but ... I doubt that's the issue.

My question would be ... are your guide bearings (can't see the pic very well. They ARE bearings, right -- not blocks ?) still a sheet of paper's width (or so) away from the blade ... or ... is it the squeal of (any of the 4 -- two upper + two lower) bearings spinning like mad ?

If your bearings are spinning while the saw is running, but you're not *doing* anything with it ... I'd follow your setup instructions, and back the bearings off the blade just a few thousandths of an inch.

[Steven Hsieh]

... and I tend to center the center OF the blade right above the crown of the wheel, but ... I doubt that's the issue.

My question would be ... are your guide bearings (can't see the pic very well. They ARE bearings, right -- not blocks ?) still a sheet of paper's width (or so) away from the blade ... or ... is it the squeal of (any of the 4 -- two upper + two lower) bearings spinning like mad ?

If your bearings are spinning while the saw is running, but you're not *doing* anything with it ... I'd follow your setup instructions, and back the bearings off the blade just a few thousandths of an inch.

Yes I have followed manual instruction on set up.
None of the bearings are touch the blade when machine is On.

I notice on the website it says it is low tension blades, it is probably the way im tensioning the blades

[David Woodruff]

When I get these weird sounds and I am certain the blade is sharp I clean everything and re-check the set up . It almost looks like a case of too many teeth in the wood at the same time. Check a saw chart for optimum tooth count for a 2 x 4. Good Luck

[Neil Brooks]

I notice on the website it says it is low tension blades, it is probably the way im tensioning the blades


Sometimes, it helps to get OTHER references for how to do some of these things.

Like ... here's another site or two for tensioning a bandsaw blade. Maybe you'll get a different perspective, here:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/pages/w00013.asp

http://www.ehow.com/how_5923378_tension-band-saw-blade.html

Good luck !

[Pete Bradley]

A 2X4 is one of the more difficult materials to cut effectively with a band saw. 2Xs are softwood, often wet, often twisted, and have very hard knots in them. Still, that's a good band choice if you're going to do it. Based on what you show, the band may be wearing, but I think the root cause is that the workpiece is not sufficiently supported and it's twisting and binding.

The cut you show appears not to be parallel to the side of the piece, and the piece appears to be pretty short. That suggests to me that the piece is twisted or you're feeding it in without a fence. If so this is asking for trouble since the piece wants to twist and bind up the band. It looks like you also tried pushing the piece in with the end on the table, something I would be very dubious of safety-wise. Did you do that barehanded? Finally, it's possible when ripping that the kerf is closing in behind the cut. A thin wedge inserted (carefully!) behind the band after you've cut 2 inches or so may help.

It's possible to get slices of a 2X that are translucent, but you need to start with a very flat side (like jointed, not good for your knives though) or you need to feed with a sled or fence and account for any twist. You should also use push blocks or sticks to insure the piece stays on the fence and to keep fingers clear. This is especially important in 2Xs where the band may clear a hard knot and suddenly rip through several inches very rapidly. If you were hand feeding and this happened at the back end of the piece, it would be very easy to lop off a digit.

[Chip Lindley]

A 1/2" blade on a light-duty 14" bandsaw is about it's limit! I tension mine just as tight as possible, and then an extra twist!

As long as the blade tracks evenly, it may not matter where it rides on the wheel. But it's my theory that a wide blade tracking predominently in the center of the tire puts less strain on the bearing than one hanging over the wheel edge. 14" bandsaws are not "overbuilt" anyhow.

With proper tension, and proper tracking, all that is left is proper blade and it's sharpness and the material you are cutting. As said, wet or resinous wood don't cut well. Maybe not even with a 3TPI blade.

[Steven Hsieh]

All my cuts are done with a fence. I thought tracking or tension would cause this But the table itself was not flat, so it cause cut at an angle.

Thanks for everyone help

[Neil Brooks]

Steven-

You may have everything fixed now, but ... if you're unsure ... I'd recommend Mark Duginske's "The Bandsaw Book."

It's a VERY well-written reference, with simple step-by-step references to get your bandsaw verrrry well tuned up !

You can even find used copies ... pretty cheaply. Very helpful reading.

[Ben Hatcher]

Use the deflection method to tension your blade. Push on the side of the blade and it should deflect no more than 1/4". Pine will gum up your guides and the blade pretty quickly. Clean them off either by carefully pressing a putty knife against the side of the blade behind the gullet as you spin the wheels by hand. The guides can be cleaned the same way or with a cleaner. There will be a noticable reduction in noise.

As for your cuts, I don't think your blade was made to do rip cuts like the one on the left of your second photo. The gullets aren't deep enough to clear such long chips.

Otherwise, I'd say much of the noise is normal. Bandsaws scream.

[Myk Rian]

I use the flutter method to tension a blade, then I make a mark on the tension gauge for that blade.

Joint the 2x4 first. Face and edge.

[Mark A Johnson]

I would double check all your guides. I would not try cutting a 2x4 or 2x6 with my bandsaw... The blades are to $$. Mine will get noisy once in awhile so I go through and readjust everyone and all is good.

[John Coloccia]

What kind of loud noise does it make? Scraping? Squealing? Does it make it constantly or is it cyclical, like a beat? If you turn it off and back on, the noise goes away? If you just turn it on and leave it for a while does the noise happen or do you have to be cutting?

[Lee Schierer]

Lots of good advice so far. Based on the photo of the 2 x 4 cut. It appears your table is not square to the blade. It also appears that your wheels may not be coplanar. Pine as others have stated can be tough to resaw if the board is fresh from a seller. Construction lumber is usually only dried to 12%. Normal cabinet grade lumber is dried to ~7-8% and that makes a world of difference when resawing.

I don't think pine would dull a blade in such a small number of cuts, but it could be covered with pitch. Coil the blade into three loops and degum it with sudsy ammonia and an old tooth brush. I normally use a 3 TPI blade for resawing on my 14" BS. If your blade gets hot while cutting it will stretch so run that tension up a bit.