Band saw blade tracking

[David Kenagy]

I put a 3/4" blade on a Laguna bandsaw (18bx), and tried to have it track with the gullets in the center of the wheel. (Some folks say that reduces drift). But I can't get the blade that far back before the rear of the blade rubs on something (not sure what). Tracking as far back as I can, the cut is too wavy for making thin veneers.

Laguna's answer to my question was just to recommend their YouTube videos. Other ideas I tried were to increase the blade tension and to cut more slowly.

Is the advice to center the gullets on the wheel right?
Am I making some mistake in putting the blade on?
Are there other ways to improve the tracking and get finer, straighter cuts?

[Mick Simon]

That sounds too far back for that wide a blade. I'd try moving the gullets slightly forward of the crown (center).

[Edwin Santos]

I think you should determine what it is that's rubbing. Take a close look at the blade guide assembly. There should be a bolt or thumbscrew that you can loosen that allows you to move the guide assembly forward or back on a post. I have a suspicion that yours is too far forward for this particular blade. Move it back and you should be okay.

Another simple check is as follows - take your fence and align it perfectly to the miter slot. Then make a test cut in a piece of scrap using the fence, going only to the depth of the back of the blade (3/4" if you're using that blade). Turn off the saw, walk around to the back and inspect the back of the blade in the kerf. If the blade is rubbing one side or the other, loosen the attachment bolts under the table and tap it with a mallet in the direction it takes to center the blade in the kerf. Once you have done this, tighten everything up and make another test cut. If the blade is centered, you should get straight, drift free cuts. Here is a link to a video that explains bandsaw tuning more. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2011/04/07/how-to-set-up-a-bandsaw
9:25 in demonstrates what I have tried to explain above.

Hope this helps,
Edwin

[John TenEyck]

Center the blade on the top wheel.

John

[Thomas McCurnin]

Centering the blade on the gullets has no effect on rubbing. I suspect that when your assembly is tightened, the top wheel is rubbing against the cover. I'd take the wheel off and see if you can see where it is rubbing. I suspect the outside edge of the wheel is rubbing against something. The wheel may have to be shimmed out 10-20 thousands.

I will recommend a good band saw tuning video that actually found fun, amusing and instructive to watch, Band Saw Tuning for the Anally Retentive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DzbJYIPPNE&t=638s

[Mike Kees]

What John said. Please try this before you start adjusting everything else.

[Bill Space]

Does your saw have flat or crowned wheels?

Some Italian bandsaws have flat wheels and are designed to track with the teeth of the blade hanging off the edge of the wheel. Trying to make a blade (other than a very narrow one) track on the center of a flat wheel is going to be an exercise in frustration. Flat wheels work different than crowned wheels.

Curious which type of wheel your saw has...

[Mike King]

Laguna's are Euro style bandsaws with flat wheels. You need to adjust the blade to have the teeth off of the front of the wheel -- the wheel and tire are not crowned to use the center of wheel approach.

Once you have the blade tracking on the wheels, you need to adjust your table for the drift of the blade. Michael Fortune does not use Euro style bandsaws but only uses crowned wheels, so disregard the first 1:30 minutes of this video, but follow the rest of this:

https://youtu.be/vNdrkmx6ehI

Mike

[John TenEyck]

Laguna's are Euro style bandsaws with flat wheels. You need to adjust the blade to have the teeth off of the front of the wheel -- the wheel and tire are not crowned to use the center of wheel approach.

Once you have the blade tracking on the wheels, you need to adjust your table for the drift of the blade. Michael Fortune does not use Euro style bandsaws but only uses crowned wheels, so disregard the first 1:30 minutes of this video, but follow the rest of this:

https://youtu.be/vNdrkmx6ehI

Mike

I didn't know that Laguna saw had flat tires. If so, your are 100% correct; the teeth of the blade need to hang off the front of the tire.

John

[Mike Kees]

So does the 18 BX have flat wheels/tires on it ?

[John TenEyck]

So does the 18 BX have flat wheels/tires on it ?

Not exactly clear, but here's what the manual states:

There are different opinions on the position that the blade should be on the wheels. One group of people recommends that with large blades you should track the blade so that the teeth hang just over the front edge of the rubber. The second group recommends that all blades, regardless of their size, should run in the center of the wheel. The advantage of running the large blades with the teeth not contacting the rubber of the wheel is that they cannot damage the tire. The disadvantage is that the wheel is crowned and the blade is not tensioned in the center of the band, which gives the blade a tendency to wobble or flutter. The advantage of running large blades on the center of the wheels is that they are tensioned in the center of the band and have fewer tendencies to wobble and flutter. The disadvantage is that blades with a large set on the teeth have a tendency to damage the rubber of the tire. This does not have a great effect on the performance of the bandsaw, as all blades are running on the center section of the tire, which is not affected. We recommend that you balance all blades on the center of the wheels for optimum performance and a smoother cut. 1. To track the blade, start rotating the wheels by hand in the normal direction. As you do this, watch the blade to determine where the blade wants to track. If the blade is tracking too far forward or backward, make small adjustments with the tracking adjustment knob located at the back of the bandsaw while still rotating the wheel. Once the blade is tracking in the correct position, fully tension the blade and re-track. Lock the tracking adjustment handle.

John

[Andrew Hughes]

I have a Flat tires on one of my bandsaws. I like to adjust the tracking so the front of the blade or teeth are 90 degrees with to the table. I don’t want to resaw up hill or down with the grain. Cut the wood fibers straight at 90.
My Laguna blades and woodmaster all end up with the teeth hanging off the front .
I have a 3/8 wide blade on the the saw now and the teeth set at 90 are close to the edge of the tire.
So much voodoo with bandsaws thought I share my experience.
Good Luck everyone.

[lee cox]

My Minimax S45 has the teeth hanging off the front also. No big deal. It is just way it works.

[Kevin Beitz]

Keeping the teeth off the tire is not so much about damage to the tire as the tire will take the set out of your teeth...

[Curt Harms]

Center the blade on the top wheel.

John

That's what works for me.

[Jacob Reverb]

Center the blade on the top wheel.


That's what my Rikon 18" says to do, too.

[Bill Space]

Don’t mix your apples with your oranges and expect them to taste the same.

Flat-wheeled and crowned-wheeled bandsaws are different animals. Trying to set one up to operate like the other is unlikely to produce satisfactory results.

We should confirm which type of wheels a bandsaw has before recommending where the blade should track on the wheels.

It may may be possible to run a blade off the edge of a crowned wheel, or in the center of a flat wheel, but this is contrary to the design of those bandsaws from everything I have read. (Except with very narrow blades on a relatively large flat wheel.)

[Robert Hazelwood]

I have a 14bx and the tires are crowned. The 18bx seems in every way like a scaled up 14bx, so I'd bet the tires are crowned as well. 5 seconds with a ruler can confirm.

I still can't imagine what the blade would be running into...are you sure the thrust guides are set back far enough? The 18bx has wider wheel and you should be able to track the blade almost wherever you want. I use a 3/4" blade on my 14bx and I can almost get it back to where the gullets are centered, but I have to stop short of that because the blade gets too far forward on the lower wheel. So I track it with the whole blade centered on the top wheel (the blade still sits toward the front edge of the lower wheel), this works fine and I don't have any issues with drift.

[Alex Zeller]

I do believe the BX18 is made in Taiwan. I wouldn't assume that it has the same style wheels as the Italian made saws. Like others have said, until it's determined which type of wheels you have you can't set it up correctly.

[Wally Turbeville]

I have the Launa 18BX, it has crowned tires. If you have to use the Snodgrass method to get your blade to track you have other problems. IMO.

[Chapel Eastland]

Curiously, what are the "problems" you find with the Snodgrass method?