Fixing the blade wobble on my new Rikon 10-325 bandsaw

[JohnPeter Lee]

All,

I have a new Rikon 10-325 14" "deluxe" bandsaw, and am in the process of replacing the stock blade with a Lenox carbide 1/2" 3TPI blade. Blade wobbles front-back now, so trying to fix that. Can't seem to get the adjustments right on the set screws that align the lower wheel's shaft. I can get top-bottom adjusted to get the blade to track near the center of the wheels, but the side-to-side adjustment is killing me!

I laid the blade down on my granite countertop, and it looks good - the welds seem perfect. There are 2 welds, at ~1/2 the distance around.

I appreciate any advise as to approaching this adjustment - preferred order of operations, or tips-techniques to use. Seriously, can it be this difficult to adjust the blade?

thanks,
JP Lee

[Phil Thien]

You shouldn't have to adjust anything on the lower wheel shaft.

Where did you get the blade? I'm surprised it is welded from two segments (two welds) instead of one.

Blades moving forwards/backwards typically indicate a problem w/ welds.

Did the OEM blade move forwards/backwards? If no, then try another blade.

[Jeff Monson]

Did the OEM blade move forwards/backwards? If no, then try another blade.

What Phil said, sounds like a weld that was not square

[JohnPeter Lee]

I have to agree it's the new blade. I put the original stock blade back on, and yeah, there was a consistent periodic wobble to it in tune with the wheel rotation - I had readjusted the lower wheel to try to track the new blade - that I was able to minimize with further adjustments to the lower wheel shaft set screws. So, it has to be the new blade. Being a bandsaw newbie, I thought that having 2 welds was somewhat odd, but unsure. It does increase the chances of making things get out-of-line. The wobble in the new blade was not periodic with the wheel rotation, and that gave me pause.

Thanks for the help. I am very disappointed that the vendor even let this blade out of the shop. It's not a cheap blade.

JP

[John Bailey]

I have to agree it's the new blade. I put the original stock blade back on, and yeah, there was a consistent periodic wobble to it in tune with the wheel rotation - I had readjusted the lower wheel to try to track the new blade - that I was able to minimize with further adjustments to the lower wheel shaft set screws. So, it has to be the new blade. Being a bandsaw newbie, I thought that having 2 welds was somewhat odd, but unsure. It does increase the chances of making things get out-of-line. The wobble in the new blade was not periodic with the wheel rotation, and that gave me pause.

Thanks for the help. I am very disappointed that the vendor even let this blade out of the shop. It's not a cheap blade.

JP

Normally you would not adjust the bottom wheel for tracking, just the top. You may need to adjust the lower wheel for co-planer. Some saws are set up for wheels being not co-planer. I think a call to Rikon is in order. Something doesn't sound right.

I agree it sounds like you've got a bad blade. I've never had a blade with two welds. I know blades that have been resized or repaired may have more than one weld.

Also, I would expect the tires to be crowned, but if not, that may be contributing to the problem. My saw had a similar problem until I put a proper crown on the tires.

John

[glenn bradley]

As stated, try to get your lower wheel; back where it should be. Except for initial co-planer alignment (and then only if correcting a defect) I never touch the lower wheel. What did the seller say about the two welds? That sounds like a repair and I agree; no matter how good they look, the weld(s) are my first suspect.

[Al Weber]

I had the oscillating blade problem with my 18" Rikon. In my case it was due to some Timberwolf blades with bad welds but there is the lower wheel adjustment that seems to play into the problem also. I have some detailed instructions I obtained somewhere that applies to my 18" lower wheel adjustment. If you want a copy, I can send it to you by email. Let me know.

[JohnPeter Lee]

Thanks Al - Rikon does have lower wheel adjustment pdf on their web site for my bandsaw. I used it to successfully get myself into trouble ;-) I will need to get it back, as Glenn states, but that's difficult now - there is no way to really ascertain if the lower and upper wheels are planar, or if the wheel is vertical, due to the frame getting in the way of a long straightedge. Yuck.

I'll be calling them, and Bandsawbladesdirect.com tomorrow to sort things out, and to try to get the saw back into alignment.

Thanks for all the help.
JP

[Curt Harms]

Thanks Al - Rikon does have lower wheel adjustment pdf on their web site for my bandsaw. I used it to successfully get myself into trouble ;-) I will need to get it back, as Glenn states, but that's difficult now - there is no way to really ascertain if the lower and upper wheels are planar, or if the wheel is vertical, due to the frame getting in the way of a long straightedge. Yuck.

I'll be calling them, and Bandsawbladesdirect.com tomorrow to sort things out, and to try to get the saw back into alignment.

Thanks for all the help.
JP
You can make a straight edge out of a piece of sheet goods - 1/4" ply or similar with one straight edge. Cut that straight edge so it's sort of a "C" shape, cut away what interferes with the edge touching the top and bottom of each wheel. You have to be a little careful because the rim of the top wheel is pretty close to the edge of the cover but there should be room, I think. I recall a caution from Rikon to call them before messing with the bottom wheel. That might be a good idea, Rikon's tech support is pretty good.

[JohnPeter Lee]

Thanks, Curt. I will try that. I called Rikon in the first place to help, and they suggested the lower-wheel adjustment. The pdf on their web site was not completely thorough, and I called them out on it. I hope they change it to be more complete, as it is a delicate operation.

The blade vendor (bandsawbladesdirect.com) is shipping out a new blade, and told me to dispose of the one I initially received. Very nice customer service.

JP

[Lee Schierer]

Coplanar is a myth..in that the manufacturer sets up the saw properly. The only adjustment you should need to make is the upper wheel to get the back of the blade gullets centered on the upper wheel. Let the blade ride where it wants on the lower wheel.

Try adjusting your saw this way. Bandsaw adjustment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU) Don't touch the location or alignment of the lower wheel. This guy's method really works.

A blade that wobbles is a bad blade.

[John Lanciani]

This guy's method really works.




For small cast iron saws it may (though I don't agree with everything he says). The problem with always reccommending this video is that it does not apply to larger saws with flat tires. I run the blades on my MM20 with the bottom of the gullet even with the front of the tire. For this method to work on a flat tired saw co-planar is rather important. Throwing out absolutes like "coplanar is a myth" is doing a disservice to people with equipment that does not match this particular video.

[Gus Dundon]

Try to check if the wobble is really on the blade. Does the blade wobble back and fourth?

[Lee Schierer]

You may be correct about saws with flat wheels, but on crowned tire saws you want to leave the lower wheel alone alone. The OP said he had a 14" saw and most recent ones have crowned tires. I saw this same adjustment demo in person and was skeptical of the methods in the video until I actually tried his method and couldn't have been more pleased with the results. My saw does not have the Carter guides, but the method still works. It was like getting a different 14" saw and changing blade sizes is no longer a lengthy process of adjustments. As long as the saw frame is properly aligned so the wheels are parallel left to right, the only adjustment you need to make for tracking in the tilt on the upper wheel to get the gullets centered.

[Phil Thien]

Coplanar isn't a myth at all.

It is just that most saws come from the factory aligned close enough.

But as the wheels leave the realm of coplanar, vibration will increase. As you continue to shift the wheels out of alignment, you will reach a point where the blade won't stay mounted.

BTW, the guy in the video doesn't understand how a spring scale works. Differences in blade length don't enter into it, the spring scale measures force on the spring.

[Curt Harms]

Coplanar isn't a myth at all.

It is just that most saws come from the factory aligned close enough.

But as the wheels leave the realm of coplanar, vibration will increase. As you continue to shift the wheels out of alignment, you will reach a point where the blade won't stay mounted.

BTW, the guy in the video doesn't understand how a spring scale works. Differences in blade length don't enter into it, the spring scale measures force on the spring.

Some blade tension indicators do seem to measure wheel position rather than spring tension. I have the Rikon 10-325 and mounted a 1/4" band on it. The band must be a little long because I had to tension to nearly the 3/4" indicator in order to get the return side to quit slapping while running. The tension indicator will also move while turning the tension wheel even without a band mounted. That tension indicator may be of some use when changing bands i.e. if this band works well at 3/8" setting, resetting to 3/8" when removing and remounting should be close. Beyond that, it seems to be for entertainment purposes only:p.

[Phil Thien]

Some blade tension indicators do seem to measure wheel position rather than spring tension. I have the Rikon 10-325 and mounted a 1/4" band on it. The band must be a little long because I had to tension to nearly the 3/4" indicator in order to get the return side to quit slapping while running. The tension indicator will also move while turning the tension wheel even without a band mounted. That tension indicator may be of some use when changing bands i.e. if this band works well at 3/8" setting, resetting to 3/8" when removing and remounting should be close. Beyond that, it seems to be for entertainment purposes only:p.

I looked at one of these last time I was at Woodcraft. It worked as it should. Maybe there was something assembled incorrectly on yours?

[Gus Dundon]

Everyone suggests Alex's video and it was mentioned that there's no such thing as co planar .

[Phil Thien]

Everyone suggests Alex's video and it was mentioned that there's no such thing as co planar .

Not sure what your point is there?