Band Saw

[Jerry Thompson]

I have a 14'' Delta BS made in the mid 80's in the USA. I have a sharp 1/4'' blade installed and all is good when I free hand curves circles, etc.
Years ago I got one of the guides that attaches to the upper assembly and has a pin that is to ride on a template.
The template is then taped with double sided tape to the blank. So the pin rides on the template and the blade cuts out the desired product. I used it several times years ago without a problem.
Now I do not know what is going on. It will sometimes cut into the template. It will hold true then goes into the template. It will cut out about 1/16'' wide of the template into the blank.
I have adjusted it right and left and I still don't know what I am doing wrong.
At this point I do better following a tracing and doing it freehand then clean up afterward.
If I needed the guide to cut expensive wood I don't think I would try it.
All of the guides are where the should be as far as blade distance and the thrust bearing is also correctly placed.
All nuts are tight. I have tried four times to get it done right to no avail.

[John TenEyck]

Does your blade cut straight and parallel with the miter slot when your fence is also set parallel with the miter slot? My guess is your blade is either not tracking properly, or the set or sharpness is not the same on both sides.

John

[Lee Schierer]

I know with my circle cutting jig, the location of the center of rotation to the teeth is critical. If it is a little too far forward or back, the blade tries to cut a spiral instead of a circle. I suspect your template and pin arrangement has similar issues.

[Jerry Thompson]

I am not cutting a circle. It is only a slight arch on top and same on the bottom. The blade is square to the table and is new and sharp. I can cut cherry free had easily. When I use the template guide is when the trouble starts.
It is too the point now that I can do one free hand and not have much to clean up and I have figured out how to do two tight radii with a round rasp and sandpaper.
I bought the jig from Rockler years ago and used it twice with no problems. It has to be me doing the error. I may get my wife to look at it. She is very mechanically minded and has bail me out most of our 50 year marriage.
If I make any progress I will pass it along.
Maybe it is a blessing in disguise. I now can do stuff free hand that I would not have thought of a month or so ago.

[Jerry Thompson]

It was easy to figure out but not for me. I had the guide pin too far away from the blade. After adjusting it the cut was a lot closer.
I said to heck with it and did it free hand and cleaned it up with a card scraper, rasp and sandpaper.