Bandsaw won’t cut straight

[Marty Barger]

Just bought Carter guides for my 14 inch ShopFox bandsaw. Never was able to cut a straight line with the fence. Thought the new guides would help. They didn’t. The two wheels are in alignment. The guides are set per the instructions. The blade gullets are centered on the wheel. The tension on this 1/2inch blade is set close to 3/4. There is no “flutter” as the blade runs. I’ve got about 1/4 inch “play” in the blade. What the heck am I doing wrong? Help?

[Andrew Hughes]

Are you using a new blade?

[Steve Jenkins]

You may just have a dull blade especially if you’ve been cutting curves.

[Mark Daily]

Are you familiar with “blade drift”? Sometimes the blade doesn’t cut straight and you need to adjust your fence to match the angle the blade is drifting off course. That means the fence won’t be set at 90 deg to the table. There should be some screws on the fence that you can loosen to adjust the fence angle.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Try with a new blade, if the problem goes away it is that your blade is unequally dull, if it stays then there is something deeper to dig into.
Zach

[Derek Cohen]

The single most common user error is to push the wood too hard and too fast into the blade. Even well set up equipment will fail.

Regards from Vienna

Derek

[Marty Barger]

Thanks everyone! Replaced the blade with a new one and the issue went away. Guess I’m too cheap to throw them away when I should

[Marty Barger]

Now I am and it works perfectly. Thank you!

[lowell holmes]

I rip on my 10" table saw using a carbide blade. If I carefully match the halves, the joint is not at all unsightly.

[Mark Daily]

Thanks everyone! Replaced the blade with a new one and the issue went away. Guess I’m too cheap to throw them away when I should
You said you have a new BS so I presumed the blade was new. Glad you got it figured out- thanks for posting the solution!

[John K Jordan]

Thanks everyone! Replaced the blade with a new one and the issue went away. Guess I’m too cheap to throw them away when I should

Dull blade will get you every time! I'm also too cheap to throw a blade away when it gets dull. I use 1/2" 3tpi blades which are easy to sharpen. I sharpen several times before discarding the blade. The cut is sometimes not as clean after the way I sharpen (touching the side of a little dremel metal-cutting disk to the front of each tooth) but it always cuts well and cuts as smooth as I need for processing green log sections into turning blanks.

422085

JKJ

[Alex Zeller]

Dull blade will get you every time! I'm also too cheap to throw a blade away when it gets dull. I use 1/2" 3tpi blades which are easy to sharpen. I sharpen several times before discarding the blade. The cut is sometimes not as clean after the way I sharpen (touching the side of a little dremel metal-cutting disk to the front of each tooth) but it always cuts well and cuts as smooth as I need for processing green log sections into turning blanks.

422085

JKJ

Just for fun I thought I would try to sharpen the blade that came with my bandsaw (not a quality blade at all) and after about 20 teeth I gave up. I'm usually cheap but the monotony would of drove me nuts sharpening 150 teeth. If it was a carbide blade I would have done it but anything less, never.

[Brian Tymchak]

So, what does everyone do with their old blades? I have a couple to discard but putting them in the trash doesn't feel right, and our recycle service is pretty particular about what they take.

[Jim Becker]

I fold them flat (with the help of pliers) and put them in the trash, but honestly, they could go in our recycling, too. Neither trash nor recycling is physically handled by humans when it's picked up at the street. The truck lifts the containers up and dumps them inside itself...driver is seated on the curb side and doesn't even leave his/her seat unless there's something "bulk" to pick up.

[John K Jordan]

Just for fun I thought I would try to sharpen the blade that came with my bandsaw (not a quality blade at all) and after about 20 teeth I gave up. I'm usually cheap but the monotony would of drove me nuts sharpening 150 teeth. If it was a carbide blade I would have done it but anything less, never.

The 3tpi blades for my 18" Rikon have 426 teeth. It feels like it takes me 15 minutes or so to sharpen but I don't look at the clock. I've sharpened this type of blade many times over the years.

Maybe it's a zen thing.

JKJ

[tom lucas]

Bandsaw blades dull pretty fast, especially if just carbon steel. I've had good service since switching to Lenox diemaster bimetal blades. The carbides will last longer, but are too pricey for me and cut a wider kerf. The bimetals are a good compromise of price and performance. A dull blade is the first thing to suspect when a properly adjusted bladed won't cut straight.

I think all band saws have some drift, though, that has to be compensated in the fence.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I sell old blades as scrap metal. Sawmill blades once they break, shop bandsaw blades once they're too dull. I'd like to learn about sharpening and (if necessary) setting my dull blades, I don't know how it's done at home. I mail out sawmill blades to a sharpening guy but I don't know if he does little blades.

I will not settle for a bandsaw having some drift, in my experience there has always been a way to make them cut straight. I guess this come from running the sawmill over the last 12 years, that blade has to cut straight since there's no way to compensate so I keep trying till it's right.
Zach

[Derek Cohen]

So, what does everyone do with their old blades? I have a couple to discard but putting them in the trash doesn't feel right, and our recycle service is pretty particular about what they take.

Brian, I re-sharpen my 1/2” blades until they cannot be sharpened any further, and then toss them. I have not thought of a way to recycle .... unlike wider 3/4” or 1” blades, which make good stock for scrapers and scratch stock.

Merry Christmas from Vienna

Derek

[John K Jordan]

.... unlike wider 3/4” or 1” blades, which make good stock for scrapers and scratch stock.


Question, when using wide bandsaw blades for scrapers do you heat treat the blade in any way or simply grind off the teeth? Some of my blades have hardened teeth.

I have a surplus of wide Woodmizer blades.

Are you vacationing in Vienna? Nice place for a holiday! A friend from the East cost of Australia told me about the dreadful heat in his area that was slowing him down.

JKJ

[Derek Cohen]

Hi John. Merry Christmas.

The 3/4" inch blades have been bi-metal, and I simply ground off the teeth - The ideal width for a scratch stock, especially the Stanley/LN #66, is 3/4". I generally use a belt sander. I am not concerned with the temper since I have not found this to become an issue. The wider, 1" blades have carbide teeth and these need to be brought close to width with a Dremel, and then belt sanded. I do not need to prepare much in advance, so this is not a chore. The shape is then created with chainsaw files.

Here is an example where I needed to radius the inside of a through mortice for a chair rail ..

The steel comes from a used ¾” bandsaw blade. The first task it to smooth it off. I used a diamond- and water stones. In the second picture the blade has been shaped with files …


http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ThChairSlottingTheStretchers(2)_html_268516c.jpg http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ThChairSlottingTheStretchers(2)_html_505b9756.jpg


The blade holder is a re-treaded marking gauge …


http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ThChairSlottingTheStretchers(2)_html_e22cd27.jpg


Here is the result …


http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ThChairSlottingTheStretchers(2)_html_369572c4.jpg


http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ThChairSlottingTheStretchers(2)_html_m71e7eb5d.jpg

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/TheChairEndofPhaseOne_html_59c09ae6.jpg

And later ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/WeavingSeatCompletingTheChair_html_67157f66.jpg


One does not need sophisticated tools for this work :)


Yes, Vienna over Christmas (and the past week). Off to Berlin next, and then Prague. Woodworking vicariously through the forum at present. :)

Regards from Vienna

Derek

[John K Jordan]

....Here is an example where I needed to radius the inside of a through mortice for a chair rail ..
...

Thank you. Beautiful work.

My interest in scrapers is primarily for hand-held work on woodturnings at and off the lathe. I like the thickness of the Woodmizer blades over some of my other small scrapers. I'm inspired to cut some of those up and grind some shapes.

JKJ

[Randy Heinemann]

Dedicating a blade to resawing only is a good idea. If you use a blade for cutting curves, especially tight curves, it can heat up and take the set out of the teeth. After that, I doubt you would get a good resaw cut with that same blade.

[Brian Tymchak]

Dedicating a blade to resawing only is a good idea. If you use a blade for cutting curves, especially tight curves, it can heat up and take the set out of the teeth. After that, I doubt you would get a good resaw cut with that same blade.

Thanks for that Randy. Did not know that.

[Brian Tymchak]

Brian, I re-sharpen my 1/2” blades until they cannot be sharpened any further, and then toss them. I have not thought of a way to recycle .... unlike wider 3/4” or 1” blades, which make good stock for scrapers and scratch stock.

Merry Christmas from Vienna

Derek

Merry Christmas Derek! And what a vacation you are on! Very nice.

Thanks for the scrapers suggestion. Certainly would not have thought of that on my own. My old blades are 1/2". Maybe I'll try to resharpen them this winter. Not like I have anything to lose by trying!

[Randall J Cox]

Nice work! We spent Christmas in Vienna once, had a great time. Thanks for postings, might try that - making scratch stock that is. Randy

[glenn bradley]

Thanks everyone! Replaced the blade with a new one and the issue went away. Guess I’m too cheap to throw them away when I should


This can be a plague for bandsaw owners. One tends to think certain cutters should last longer than they do. I tend to think of things like bandsaw blades the same way I do car brakes. I know they are a wear part. I know I will need to replace them during the life of the machine. I know I should replace them promptly when they start to perform under par. This mindset and follow-through help me avoid dissatisfaction with my tools ;-)

[Bob Wingard]

Are you familiar with “blade drift”? Sometimes the blade doesn’t cut straight and you need to adjust your fence to match the angle the blade is drifting off course. That means the fence won’t be set at 90 deg to the table. There should be some screws on the fence that you can loosen to adjust the fence angle.

There is no such thing as blade drift ... it is a sign that the saw is not properly setup/aligned.

[mark mcfarlane]

...Yes, Vienna over Christmas (and the past week). Off to Berlin next, and then Prague. Woodworking vicariously through the forum at present. :)

Regards from Vienna

Derek

Derek, the SEGWAY tour of Prague (facility on the west side of the Karluv Most bridge) was pretty awesome. Recommended. SEGWAY tours are always fun, a great way to see a lot of a city in a couple hours and much more fun than riding in a bus. If you've never ridden a SEGWAY, they are pretty easy to learn, just a few minutes practice and most people are good to go in traffic.