Does bandsaw blade tension matter?

[Carl Beckett]

This has probably been discussed/debated here before, my apologies if so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-r5utmU2Q

This video suggest bandsaw blade tension is not the primariy influencer of drift.

I just did a bunch of resaw in white oak yesterday, and my saw worked great. This included a 10.5" wide split of a 65" plank that I simply pushed through. I use a Laguna LT18 with an extra thin RK carbide blade. I have the tension maxed out on this saw.

But I do get an occasional burn mark. Can see the guides working (the ceramic guides throw some sparks from time to time. And every now and then experience drift. So am all for learning contributing factors.

This video has me thinking I should try a resaw guide at a minimum. (not sure I am ready to invest in a sliding table but every now and then something comes along on CL that could be fitted)

[Van Huskey]

The physics of cutting on a bandsaw is more complex than any other tool found in a woodworking hobby shop. The reason is simple, you are trying to get flexible tooling to act like rigid tooling. That always has to be at the forefront of your mind when you try to understand what is going on with a bandsaw. The only things you really have to produce a straight cut from a flexible bandsaw blade is tension and the feed speed. The higher the speed the more tension you need to keep the blade straight but if you reduce the speed enough you can get a straighter cut since the forces trying to push the blade offline are lower.

One of the other issues that you face with a bandsaw is harmonic vibration. All blades will vibrate and one of the ways to lower vibration is with variable spaced teeth, like you see on high quality resaw blades especially ones designed with veneer cutting in mind. Think of the blade as a string on a stringed instrument. At low tension, the string will vibrate at a low frequency but a high amplitude. This causes saw marks in the cut that are farther apart but deeper. With higher tension the band vibrates faster and at a lower amplitude. The saw marks become closer together but more shallow. So higher tension leaves a better finish meaning less sanding and saves wood, more important when cutting veneer.

The next place proper tension helps is reducing the propensity of the blade to barrel in the cut.

As for burning carbide tipped blades are more likely to produce burning simply due to the faces that touch the wood more in the cut than a blade with set teeth that only touch the one at one smaller point on each side. The carbide tipped blade produces a more polished finish but like any tooling the higher the polish the higher chance for burning. Hand feeding produces more burning than power feeding because of the inconsistent feed rate and the stop and go action that produces hesitation marks.

When the feedrate and tension are balanced you will never use the blade guides however you have to have a pretty serious saw to never touch the (properly set) thrust bearing with any depth of cut or reasonable feedrate. You can resaw without the guides but it really limits your cut and speed. Did Ethan in the video have the bottom guides backed off or was he actually sawing with half the guides, keep in mind that was a limited depth of cut with a very slow feedrate.

So yes, tension is important but it doesn't mean you can't work around a saw with limited tension otherwise there would never have been any decent veneer cut on a 14" cast iron Delta saw.

The key to all this (and the video) is that if you know what you are doing you can compensate for a poor setup. Give a MLB player a S shaped bat and they will still be able to hit the ball, give a top ranked tennis player a racquet strung with very low tension and they are still going to run me around the court and make a fool of me. Those "handicaps" would not be their choice though.

The other issue is whether the blade actually gets bound in the cut against a fence. My gut reaction is the kerf is wide enough and the backer is thin enough that there is not enough distance from the back of the teeth to the back corner of the back to cause this, I would have to take some measurements and do some geometry to determine if it is possible. If this turns out to be a significant potential issue using a half fence or cutting with the offcut away from the fence (as with a Driftmaster Fence) would alleviate this issue. There are certainly proponents of both of those options and when hand feeding I use the latter.

If I continued to address all the stream of consciousness thoughts running through my head I would likely still be typing 6 hours from now. In the end, set the tension correctly nothing positive comes from low tension. You do not need a Little Ripper to do good resaws. I would like to have one of the much larger but OOP Laguna milling stations they sold years ago for about $2k but that is a whole different kettle of fish. That said I am sure there are people that find utility in the Little Ripper for their workflow, it is simply too Little for me to consider.

[Robert Engel]

I totally disagree with that. You did it right IMO.

Without adequate tension, the blade tends to bow with feed pressure. It also has more tendency to follow the grain.

The best way, IMO to address drift, is to adjust the table, not run a blade on the gullets as Snodgrass and others advocate because it simply does not work with every brand of saw. Michael Fortune has a video out on FineWoodworking about this.


Or, do it like we've been doing it for generations: do a test cut to determine the blade path, and adjust the fence accordingly.

[Patrick McCarthy]

VAN, thank you for the insight, i never thought of it that way. Much appreciated. Patrick

[Randall J Cox]

I have read a lot of stuff on bandsawing, totally rebuilt an old Delta 14" used it for a couple of years and sold it. Bought an older MiniMax S45 18" and have been using it last 3 years (love it). And have read lots of stuff by Van Huskey and others on using the bandsaw, all good stuff. The part that spooked me from the original post was sparks coming off the ceramic guides. I have the traditional european rollers up top but installed ceramic guides underneath. And the thought of sparks being pulled into my dust collection system scares me. Never knew that could happen... Maybe if they are not set up behind the teeth sufficiently? Can't imagine why it would create sparks with just the smooth metal blade against the ceramic guides.... Is this common? Randy PS Not trying to hijack the post, but an insight on what I consider a safety issue needs to be addressed along with the blade tension issue. I'm a little paranoid as my son has been a fireman for many years and the stories I hear would make your hair stand on end.....

[Frederick Skelly]

Van, if you are so inclined, you could add-to and polish the "stream of conciousness" words above into a good article for one of the WW magazines. It was certainly interesting and informative.

[Van Huskey]

sparks coming off the ceramic guides.

All ceramic guides will spark on occasion. The majority of them seem to come from the weld area, even if it is fairly clean. It has been discussed reasonably extensively over the years. In my opinion, it is at the level of static electricity causing an explosion in a hobby shop DC system. I once pointed out that not all sparks are created equal, which if you view these ceramic guide sparks I think you will understand what I mean. They have a very short life and even in high volume air extraction don't go very far at all before burning out. They are nothing like the shower of sparks from grinding metal on a grinder or belt sander where you often see sparks hit the floor bounce and burn out after they come to rest after a couple of bounces.

Obviously, no one can say there is a zero chance of ignition (there is O2, heat and fuel after all) but IMO it is so insignificant it is not worth worrying about. YMMV

[Carl Beckett]

Thank you Van, very insightful.

Randall, search on laguna ceramic guides. It is considered ‘normal’ for OccAssional spark. Yes I do have a DC on mine. Food for thought.

[Bill Carey]

..... but an insight on what I consider a safety issue needs to be addressed along with the blade tension issue.

I've wondered the same thing when my Laguna throws a spark or 2. Just emailed Laguna and asked. I'll post the reply when I get it.

[Patrick Walsh]

Sparks are one of the reasons I git rid of my 14/12. Only one but it contributed.

Things happen fast with fire. I’m not playing that game. I don’t care what anyone saiz about them burning out or this or that is more likely to cause a fire. If I see sparks I stop.

[Van Huskey]

Van, if you are so inclined, you could add-to and polish the "stream of conciousness" words above into a good article for one of the WW magazines. It was certainly interesting and informative.

I am flattered anyone would think my drivel even when properly edited would be worthy of publication. That said the bandsaw is so controversial I would rather write about whether God exists. Before writing an article I would feel compelled to gather empirical data on every hypothesis and then have to deal with questions about the scientific method of each test. I much prefer the real time of an open forum where people are able to weigh in and agree or disagree as they see fit. I am comfortable in a situation that gets "peer reviewed" early and often, I feel better being more definitive as there will be a counter position with equal weight shortly thereafter. Even in PMs I am much less definitive. I respond to a bandsaw related PM pretty much daily and in that vacuum, I feel compelled to offer most of the counter-arguments. This is often time-consuming since I have to cover the Duginske, Iturra, Fortune, Snodgrass et al opinions including my own.

In the end a magazine couldn't pay me enough to weigh in on such a topic, I would much rather banter about it here among friends.

[Nick Lazz]

Here is an older video that has been posted before but it has great information on how to set up your saw. This helped me a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

[Van Huskey]

Sparks are one of the reasons I git rid of my 14/12. Only one but it contributed.

Things happen fast with fire. I’m not playing that game. I don’t care what anyone saiz about them burning out or this or that is more likely to cause a fire. If I see sparks I stop.

This was what I was talking about in my last post, immediate peer review. Someone reading this thread gets both sides of the ceramic spark debate and is thus forced to make their own cost-benefit analysis. It prevents taking opinion as gospel.

The workshop is an inherently dangerous place and we all should consider each risk and make our own decision so if something goes wrong the place to look for blame is in the mirror first.

BTW if someone loves the guides but has a significant fear of fire from them it is easy enough to build/buy a spark arrestor, we had some discussions about it in the turners forum prompted by the increased concern of metal dust from grinding. For DIY solutions you can search "spark bong".

[Van Huskey]

Here is an older video that has been posted before but it has great information on how to set up your saw. This helped me a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

How did I know it would be Alex Snodgrass even before clicking on it. :)

Alex makes a lot of good points, within the scope of the OP he is rather laissez-faire with tension. IMO his method is more useful for small crowned saws and as the saw gets larger and/or has no crown the method becomes less effective or downright wrong depending on which variable we are discussing.

[Randy Heinemann]

This has probably been discussed/debated here before, my apologies if so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-r5utmU2Q

This video suggest bandsaw blade tension is not the primariy influencer of drift.

I just did a bunch of resaw in white oak yesterday, and my saw worked great. This included a 10.5" wide split of a 65" plank that I simply pushed through. I use a Laguna LT18 with an extra thin RK carbide blade. I have the tension maxed out on this saw.

But I do get an occasional burn mark. Can see the guides working (the ceramic guides throw some sparks from time to time. And every now and then experience drift. So am all for learning contributing factors.

This video has me thinking I should try a resaw guide at a minimum. (not sure I am ready to invest in a sliding table but every now and then something comes along on CL that could be fitted)

Addressing the point of your original post . . . While I don't have any experience with 18" bandsaws, in the past several years I have used Alex Snodgrass's method and follow it to the letter. Since then, my resewing quality has increased significantly. I don't know about very large bandsaws, but I would think that an 18" bandsaw certainly could be set up successfully with the same method. I have a friend who has a 20" Laguna with ceramic guides. They do spark occasionally and he has found out that this is normal. Guides are there for a purpose; namely to keep the blades from straying too far from its intended path. Therefore, the blade will sometimes touch the guides. If the blade touches the guides constantly, then I would say some adjustments need to be made. Because you said that the tension is maxed out, it makes me wonder if it might not be cranked up a little too high - just a suggestion. Since you stated that you get good results, I'm not sure there is anything wrong with your setup.

[Randall J Cox]

I guess, although I have ceramic guides underneath, I never saw sparks because I was always looking at the wood and the cut. That in addition to the sparking has to be going on under the table and downward I would guess. As I have used my BS in this configuration for years, as have others no doubt, maybe its a non issue like Van says. Now I will wonder or worry about this when I use it. Of course I could always change from ceramic to some other guide configuration....its a free country - so far. Randy PS I always seem to find BS discussions interesting, I guess because I'm always wondering if there is a better way to do it... Randy

[Doug Garson]

I commented on the video a year ago and got a response from Ethan. His main point is that drift is caused by set in the blade and the Little Ripper avoids drift by preventing putting a set in the blade. Here's my question and his response.

Question

Great video, can you comment on the blade you used? You demonstrated that the saw setup (or lack of it) is overcome by the Little Ripper, can it overcome a bad blade?

REPLY

EthAnswers by Stockroom Supply (https://www.youtube.com/user/stockroomsupply)1 year ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-r5utmU2Q&lc=UgxfDh8VOj7p-lRXGc14AaABAg.8ZnVsN4jOVt8ZnY0YcleQ-)

Great question Doug!I may use your question in a future video.First off the little ripper does not eliminate blades drift, rather it prevents it. If I put a blade on my saw that already drifts the Little Ripper will not fix it. But the Little Ripper never allows you to put drift into your blade.You have to remember a standard bandsaw blade has about 0.025" kerf....if I reduce that set by 0.001" on one side of my blade its going to cut about 7-8% the opposite way. It's very easy to do this freehand, against a fence by binding the blade or twisting the blade with a resaw pin.Long story short...As long as you don't damage the set the blade will cut perfect. I've been at woodshows cutting osage orange with dirty nasty bark all weekend with the same blade. By the end of the weekend the blade is incredibly dull..but dull equally on both sides. Therefore still cuts perfectly straight.Hope this answers your question!

[Lee Schierer]

I commented on the video a year ago and got a response from Ethan. His main point is that drift is caused by set in the blade and the Little Ripper avoids drift by preventing putting a set in the blade. Here's my question and his response.

Question

Great video, can you comment on the blade you used? You demonstrated that the saw setup (or lack of it) is overcome by the Little Ripper, can it overcome a bad blade?

REPLY

EthAnswers by Stockroom Supply (https://www.youtube.com/user/stockroomsupply)1 year ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-r5utmU2Q&lc=UgxfDh8VOj7p-lRXGc14AaABAg.8ZnVsN4jOVt8ZnY0YcleQ-)

Great question Doug!I may use your question in a future video.First off the little ripper does not eliminate blades drift, rather it prevents it. If I put a blade on my saw that already drifts the Little Ripper will not fix it. But the Little Ripper never allows you to put drift into your blade.You have to remember a standard bandsaw blade has about 0.025" kerf....if I reduce that set by 0.001" on one side of my blade its going to cut about 7-8% the opposite way. It's very easy to do this freehand, against a fence by binding the blade or twisting the blade with a resaw pin.Long story short...As long as you don't damage the set the blade will cut perfect. I've been at woodshows cutting osage orange with dirty nasty bark all weekend with the same blade. By the end of the weekend the blade is incredibly dull..but dull equally on both sides. Therefore still cuts perfectly straight.Hope this answers your question!

From where I sit the "Little Ripper" is just a fancy fence. It still holds the board in a precise alignment to the blade parallel to the miter slot as the piece is being cut. The piece being cut can't move and the off cut is free to move as it sees fit. So, Ssumiing I'm cutting veneer thick strips off a larger piece, If aligned my fence to the miter gauge slot and then put the piece being cut against the fence so the cutoff was free to move isn't that the same effect as using the "Little Ripper". I'm not forcing the blade to cut away from my fence and the piece being cut stays rigidly aligned with the fence. I would just have to joint the face against the fence before starting my cuts unlike cutting veneer of of a rough cut board that was demonstrated in the video.

[Van Huskey]

You have it correct Lee. The only issue is when the offcut is away from the fence you have to reset the fence for each cut vs having the offcut on the fence side. One option that makes resetting the fence quick and easy is the Driftmaster fence from Laguna.

[Chris Parks]

I have always taken the simplistic view that blade drift is caused by the blade not being truly parallel to the fence taking for granted that is a sharp blade and tensioned correctly and I have yet to be let down using that view. I have tried for a while now to come up with a jig/device that would accurately and quickly show the alignment while the saw is running and the angle can be corrected by using the tracking adjustment. it can be done statically but it is a major PIA every time an adjustment has to be made.

[Doug Garson]

I think the Little Ripper is more like a slider than a fancy fence. Once you attach it, it ensures your workpiece moves in a straight line without any effort from you, unlike a fence where you need to maintain firm pressure to keep the workpiece against the fence and like you said you need to joint the piece before you start. Full disclosure I don't have one but I have a shop made sled which does the same thing. The real advantage is when you start with a raw log and you want to resaw it into boards or veneer.

[glenn bradley]

I saw this the other day and just sort of ignored it. Apparently many of us have been cutting veneer with a fence incorrectly for years ;-)

397388 . 397387

[Doug Garson]

I have always taken the simplistic view that blade drift is caused by the blade not being truly parallel to the fence taking for granted that is a sharp blade and tensioned correctly and I have yet to be let down using that view. I have tried for a while now to come up with a jig/device that would accurately and quickly show the alignment while the saw is running and the angle can be corrected by using the tracking adjustment. it can be done statically but it is a major PIA every time an adjustment has to be made.
My experience is that that is not the case on a bandsaw. As I said earlier, I have a shop made version of the Little Ripper. I damaged a blade once and obviously put a set in it. I tried to use it with my sled. It would immediately drift and it was impossible to resaw with it. Without the sled, I could hand feed a workpiece and it cut fine. The angle you need to feed the workpiece at to cut straight is a result of the set in the blade. I replaced the blade with one without set and I could resaw with the sled with no issues. The replacement blade was located on the wheel the same as the first blade so it was the blade set not the angle of the blade that made the difference.

[Chris Parks]

My experience is that that is not the case on a bandsaw. As I said earlier, I have a shop made version of the Little Ripper. I damaged a blade once and obviously put a set in it. I tried to use it with my sled. It would immediately drift and it was impossible to resaw with it. Without the sled, I could hand feed a workpiece and it cut fine. The angle you need to feed the workpiece at to cut straight is a result of the set in the blade. I replaced the blade with one without set and I could resaw with the sled with no issues. The replacement blade was located on the wheel the same as the first blade so it was the blade set not the angle of the blade that made the difference.

If I read that correctly you agree with me.

[Doug Garson]

If I read that correctly you agree with me.
Then I read your post incorrectly. I thought you said "I have always taken the simplistic view that blade drift is caused by the blade not being truly parallel to the fence ". I meant to say that blade drift is the result of loss of equal set on both sides of the blade so the blade does not cut straight because one side cuts more than the other which is what Ethan explained in his response to my question. So even if your blade is parallel to your fence it won't cut straight if it has a set. By set I mean it cuts more on one side than the other. In the example I described it was dramatic. I could follow a line on the workpiece freehand and cut a pretty straight cut but the workpiece was definitely not parallel to the blade. If I tried to cut parallel to the blade using the sled the cut would wander off line immediately. I've had similar experience trying to cut straight along a fence aligned parallel with a blade with set. The cut wanders off line no matter how hard you try to keep the workpiece against the fence. At that time I didn't understand what was happening.

[Chris Parks]

I am sure I qualified my response by saying a well sharpened blade which by definition will not have any differences in set from one side to another. Taking that for granted I absolutely stand by what I wrote, get the blade parallel to the fence, the correct tension, bearings or guides set correctly and there will be no "drift". It has certainly worked for me over many years.

[Doug Garson]

My bad, I guess I missed the words "a well sharpened blade which by definition will not have any differences in set from one side to another. " in your earlier post. That said, I think the main advantage of the Little Ripper or a shop made sled is when slabbing small logs on a bandsaw. The main disadvantage is that it relies on "a blade that does not have any differences in set from one side to another " since, unlike a fence, it cannot be adjusted for drift.

[Van Huskey]

I have always taken the simplistic view that blade drift is caused by the blade not being truly parallel to the fence taking for granted that is a sharp blade and tensioned correctly and I have yet to be let down using that view.

When I read this it makes me think we use the word drift in this situation differently. What you are calling drift I consider part of the setup of the saw. The blade should initially be setup perfectly parallel to the fence (and the miter slot if you are using it) but in my lexicon blade drift is when the blades actual cut is different from the actual setup ie when it is setup perfectly parallel to the fence but the result of the cut is not parallel. While there can be multiple causes of drift the cause most often seen is a difference between the set or sharpness on one side of the blade compared t the other, this is the basis of Ethan's hypothesis in the original video. This can be a result of poor manufacturing tolerances or use/abuse of the blade.

An analogy for the set/sharpness issue is the front tires on a car.* When both tires have the same pressure and the steering input is zero the car moves forward in a perfectly straight line. When you reduce the pressure in one tire (analogous to having a set/sharpness differential between the sides of the blade) the car no longer goes straight, it turns in the direction of the tire with the lower pressure. The bandsaw cut will also veer off. The video suggests that cutting with the offcut against the fence will induce this sharpness/set differential as a result of binding the blade I am not sure I agree this can happen but it depends on the kerf vs backer width and the tooth to the back of the blade distance. My gut tells me the kerf is wide enough on most blades to prevent the binding of the back of the blade but I would have to measure and investigate that.

The core of the video's message is to start with a blade with correct set and sharpness and don't do anything to impact the left-right balance of those attributes. This is absolutely correct and the Little Ripper helps to accomplish that, however, it is by far not the only means to that end, which is the key.




*1 this analogy assume the tires are physically the same and the suspension is set exactly the same on both sides of the car, in other words the pressure in the tires is the only variable

[John K Jordan]

I often dull the teeth on one side of the blade quicker than the other. I cut and dry a lot of woodturning blanks. After dry and before use, I sometimes make "skimming" cuts to square up warped blanks and expose the wood to evaluate and check for cracks and such. Since I have the block to the left of the blade and since the dust collector pickup is to the right the left teeth get dulled a bit quicker than the right. Since the blade is still cutting well overall, sometimes the tendency to drift is my cue to sharpen or replace.

[David Ragan]

My rather limited experience is this:

When am cutting pricey veneer, I put the band on, tension it, get correct riser height, and then cut an appropriate piece of scrap a couple inches

Shut down saw; leave blade in cut as is

I then go around to back side of table w a light illuminating my view....I’m looking down the cut, from the back (horizontally) to see how to minutely adjust the fence so that the blade runs exactly parallel to the surface of woodin the cut

My experience is in this way I get a very smooth sawn surface requiring minimal further work

NB: I said nothing about my $400 Starrett BS tension gage that I have buyers remorse over


YMMV

[Doug Garson]

I thought you were going to say you cut your pricey veneer into scrap :p. https://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/core/images/smilies/1rofl.gif

[Rod Sheridan]

LOL............Yup I'm in that camp, the only difference for me is that I use a short fence.........Rod.

[Carl Beckett]

These type of things come up in my area from time to time. Makes we wonder if worth experimenting with on the bandsaw...

https ://boston.craigslist.org/sob/tls/d/sliding-table-saw-attachment/6761581578.html

[Doug Garson]

Not sure what your text links to, unfortunate we can't use live links. Look up ncwoodworker.net and search resaw sled for bandsaw. I made a very similar one for my bandsaw with infeed and outfeed extensions. It runs in the mitre track. I can post some additional pictures if interested.


397769 397770

[Van Huskey]

The Laguna Timbermaster (no longer imported by Laguna) is a well thought out sled.

397771

You can find more pics by Googling Laguna Timbermaster

[Carl Beckett]

Sorry about the link, didnt realize I couldnt post it.

It was just an auxilary sliding table on CL for $100. Nothing special.

Van, I have seen the Laguna product some years ago. Way too much for my thinking, I would go purchase a wood mill before I tried pushing logs through my bandsaw (oh what am I saying, I DO push logs through the bandsaw... but little logs!). Have a chainsaw bolt on ($30) that lets me rip sides off logs and slab them. Then I am able to handle them to get them through the saw. But not anything I would want to do very much of...

Think I am better off spending time making furniture.

:)

[John K Jordan]

Sorry about the link, didnt realize I couldnt post it.
It was just an auxilary sliding table on CL for $100. Nothing special.


No problem. They don't want live links to CL but it's ok to include the URL but disable it so a reader can still piece it together it if desired. One thing that works well just to show the concept is to copy photos to your computer and upload and insert the photos into your message. This gets the idea across.

Sliding table saw attachment universal
Attaches to where left leaf of table would be. Fits any saw!! great for panels and large cross cuts @ $100 firm
397780 397781

This only takes a couple of minutes (if you know how!) Or quicker and easier, copy the link into the Insert Image control and have it upload:
397782

Including an image in the message will insure the thread will still make sense to a future reader long after the CL listing is gone.

BTW, I have the Robland sliding table attachment on my PM66. I don't have a good photo but here's a drawing from the manual.

397783

It's very precise and a joy to use - heavy cast iron table, clamp, fence can be accurately angled, uses ball bearing rollers on precision tracks, not cheap. I don't know how a $100 attachment would compare.


JKJ

[mark downing]

In the Snodgrass video, he insists "there should Never be drift on a bandsaw". He simply preaches the positioning of the blade gullet at the center of the tire and the close positioning of the thrust bearing and side guides. In the video he even loosens the tensioner and says a fence that's up to 1/4" out of parallel is fine when resawing.
My saw is a 16" Mini Max. I've followed his instructions carefully and still struggle with drift when resawing.
If blade set is much the contributing factor, why is it not even mentioned?
The manual that came with my saw has clear instructions that the blade's teeth should extend slightly beyond the front edge of the upper wheel. On most blades that's 1/2" from the tire's center.

I'm lost, what to believe? Is his stuff all hokus pokus? Getting cranky.

[Rod Sheridan]

Mark, you have a flat tire saw. The teeth are indeed meant to hang over the edge of the tire.

Your mitre slot should be adjusted to be parallel with the blade ( if the table is adjustable, some have pins locking the table in alignment).

Once your mitre slot is parallel, then your fence should be adjusted for parallel.

With high enough tension and a blade in good condition your saw should saw properly.......rod.

[Van Huskey]

^ what Rod said.

The Snodgrass video, by and large, does not apply to non-crowned saws.

[jack forsberg]

its not rocket science. this guy is spam we had him in Canada and made a joke of him .

here is one the videos i did all wrong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDASh_QZ_ig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDASh_QZ_ig

[Patrick Walsh]

Laugh out freaking loud!

Oh man that made me feel better.


its not rocket science. this guy is spam we had him in Canada and made a joke of him .

here is one the videos i did all wrong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDASh_QZ_ig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDASh_QZ_ig

[jack forsberg]

I saw this the other day and just sort of ignored it. Apparently many of us have been cutting veneer with a fence incorrectly for years ;-)

397388 . 397387
child's play


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFB80guYDLs&list=UUI6jpIs2zjN9DmVvK2ZAWXA& index=22

[Van Huskey]

Jack, what was the result of the "resaw challenge"? Somehow I missed the judging and had forgotten about it. IIRC you used the full-length fence. Rod used the half fence again IIRC.

[jack forsberg]

Jack, what was the result of the "resaw challenge"? Somehow I missed the judging and had forgotten about it. IIRC you used the full-length fence. Rod used the half fence again IIRC.
that Jeff mailed hes suff to my shop and it still has to go to a machinest . i did put a dial on the ripper stuff and it was bad . Matt Mattt on the Do all can in first i was with in .003". the ripper was last

[Van Huskey]

child's play

I am not 100% sure but I think Glenn was talking about cutting with the veneer cutoff AGAINST the fence. When I cut veneer hand feeding I cut with the offcut away from the fence like in your video and use a Drift Master fence in place of your gauge blocks to advance the fence a specific amount. When I power feed I cut with the veneer offcut against the fence, what Ethan suggests is poor form and the Little Ripper "fixes".

[jack forsberg]

I am not 100% sure but I think Glenn was talking about cutting with the veneer cutoff AGAINST the fence. When I cut veneer hand feeding I cut with the offcut away from the fence like in your video and use a Drift Master fence in place of your gauge blocks to advance the fence a specific amount. When I power feed I cut with the veneer offcut against the fence, what Ethan suggests is poor form and the Little Ripper "fixes". Doesn’t matter how you cut it . If you know how to set up so you don’t need to buy a gimmick. Proofs in the putting It doesn’t much matter how you cut it it matters how good your veneers who cares about blade drift that has nothing to do with the quality of the cut


https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&ar=2&video_id=zRcRd5XYI1s

in the contest I got the long fence so the short straw. Here is how I did it


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us8wNwzS5gM

[Matt Mattingley]

Lol... I have three sets acclimatizing... I was waiting for Rod’s entries. If I don’t have them by Christmas vacation I will leave his out.