can you change the alignment of a band saw blade, i.e. bend it to the left?

[Jay Jones]

I'm on the verge of buying a different band saw. I have a Delta 14" and don't do a lot with it but have some 2x6 black cherry that I want to cut into 1x6. So far I've destroyed 6 feet of it and have 166 feet to go.

I set the Kreg fence parallel to the miter grove and then attached 2 tall feather boards to the miter grove. The boards go fine for about 1½ inches and then start to cut to the left. I just want to set up something that will allow me to just push the boards through, I have not skill at following a line.

I put a steel rule in the blade and determined that it's twisted in relation to the miter slot. I found Carter has some $50 setup tools that you affix to the blade and then I guess you adjust your fence to that angle. Seems Mickey Mouse to me, plus expensive for a ruler with a magnet deal.

I wondered if there's a way to force the blade to be parallel to the miter slot.

I'm using a ½" Wood Slicer blade from Highland Woodworking.

I'm looking at a Grizzly G0513X2BF

[Bill Dufour]

Metal cutting horizontal bandsaws bend the blade 90 degrees so it can be done. I thought the fence was set more or less parallel to the mitre slot then adjusted so that blade, at that tension, cut parallel to the fence. Lots of trial and error. It is called the lead angle. I think.
Bill D

[Jim Becker]

Blade drift is often a factor with bandsaws due to their nature. You really can't do much for it "at the blade", but you can adjust the fence to be parallel to the natural cutting path (which may not be parallel to the miter slot) or use a point fence system and follow a line manually.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Without going into a lot of detail, here is the way I was taught to setup a bandsaw:

1. Use a quality blade.
2. Make sure the tension is correct for the blade.
3. Make sure the blade is tracking properly on the upper and lower wheels.
*** I don't touch the blade guides yet and I make sure they are out of the way
4. Check alignment of the fence to the miter tracks on the table. Make any adjustments needed for the fence. This includes making the fence is square to the table.
5. Check alignment of the table to the blade. This is the tricky part, but set the fence, which is properly aligned to the miter tracks, close to the blade. If the blade is angled away from the fence, loosen the hardware the holds the table to the trunnion and turn the table in the correct direction. Tighten the hardware and check the table alignment to the table.
6. Using a square, ensure the blade and table are square on the sides and the back. Depending on the bandsaw, the back angle adjustment can be a pain.
7. Set the upper and lower blade guides correctly.

This is a big hand, little map description of a process that can take a while to accomplish, depending on how out of alignment your bandsaw is.

I have a Record Power BS350S, which is also a 14-inch bandsaw. I was ready to haul it to the river and throw it in before I finally used this process to set it up. Now it resaws thick timber like it was butter.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Sounds like you are dealing with Bandsaw "Drift". Search it on Youtube, lots of solutions.

Hopefully your saw will allow you to dial /adjust this out.

It not, there are products (Magnetic Fence) from Carter than will allow you to cut parallel. I actually went this route, when faced with the same problem, before I discovered the Drift problem.

[Rod Sheridan]

The band saw should be setup so that the fence is parallel to the mitre slot.

Put a new blade on the saw, and I do mean new.

Adjust blade tracking on your saw so the blade is centered on the upper wheel, without blade guides.

Using a ruler placed gently against the blade without moving the blade, adjust the table so the fence is parallel to the ruler.

Now, adjust the thrust guides so that are almost touching the rear of the blade, using the fence, saw a few inches to see if the saw cuts straight.

If it doesn't adjust blade tracking slightly. Repeat the cut test.

Once the saw cuts straight, adjust the guides and you're good to go.

The saw should be fine now, if the saw cuts funny again, replace the blade, you may need to adjust tracking however not normally.

Bandsaws should be accurate enough to make bridle joints and tenons that fit correctly..........Rod.

[Jay Jones]

Thank you.
I just put on the new blade and set up the saw as they recommended.
It didn't occur to me to move the table. That's the obvious solution. My Kreg band saw fence is adjustable too so I can move the fence and still keep the fence parallel to it. This blade is 3 hook teeth per inch with a hard back, made specifically for resaw on the 14" band saw.
Bottom line, thank you for awakening me to the obvious answer, I feel like it was a duh moment for not considering to move the fence, especially since I just had it off to adjust everything and put on the new blade.

[John TenEyck]

Everyone should print out what Mike and Rod said and post it next to your BS. Drift is something you adjust for only when you have a dull blade or one with unequal set, as a crutch until you can install a new one. Otherwise, there's no place for drift on a saw that is set up correctly.

Jay, the 14" Delta is capable of resawing pretty well with a tall fence and feather boards but it has to be set up just about perfectly to do so because you can't apply very much tension to the blade. FWIW, the Woodslicer cuts great until it doesn't which can be a surprisingly short distance. With cherry that ought to be quite far, but I'd still be surprised if one blade could manage 166 ft of 6" wide stock before it's shot. Also FWIW, the Grizzly G0513X series saws are very well thought of around here.

john

[Floyd Mah]

There is a tracking knob on the bandsaw that adjusts the angle of the upper wheel and hence the position of the blade on the upper wheel. Turning it will move it relative to the crown of the upper wheel. You have to be careful of this adjustment, since it is possible to have the blade fall off of the wheel. I just did that recently. If that were to happen, you risk damaging the blade. But back to the pertinent question, why would you want to fiddle with this adjustment? Since the upper wheel has a crown which helps keep the blade on the wheel, repositioning the blade forward will cause the blade's leading edge (the teeth) to deviate to the left and moving the blade backwards will do the opposite. In any case, it has bearing on your question whether there is a way to angle the blade. Remember what I said above, that it is possible to make too much correction and have the blade fall off the wheel. It's worth a try if you want to experiment.

[Bert McMahan]

I watched this video 3-4 times before I set up my very first 14" bandsaw:

https://youtu.be/wGbZqWac0jU

Got it dialed in bang on after an hour or so. No drift at all.

[John K Jordan]

This may have been covered but I didn't see it: the way I know to check for drift is to draw a line on a board or a piece of plywood, parallel to one edge, then follow the line by eye without the board touching the fence. Stop about halfway through the cut and turn the saw off. Without moving the board, bring the fence up to the parallel edge of the board and see if it aligns perfectly. If not, there is drift which must be corrected. (All this must be done with the blade, tension, and guides adjusted properly.)

[Chip Byrd]

Jay, I just ordered that grizzly. As Jon said, that model has a pretty good reputation on this site. At least it contributed to me buying it. If you give me about a week, I’ll let you know my impressions. One of the reasons I upgrade it is that I have a good bit of 12/4 maple that I want to cut down. Best wishes, Chip.

[Floyd Mah]

By the way, I've found that the deeper the cut, the more the deviation. I'm always amazed at people who claim to cut veneers thinner than 1/8" when resawing wide boards. They obviously have a trick that the rest of us (well, me) don't understand. Besides the blade deviating to the side, the blade can bend when undergoing a lot of pressure (too fast a cut), so that your product is a triangle or worse.

Despite my relative lack of success (why are you listening to me), the things that seem to help are to use a wide blade with a low pitch, (variable pitch is good), moderate feed rate and forego the feather boards. One of my best feathering tools was to clamp a large, workbench brush to a support and use that to exert pressure on the work to keep it against a fence. The fence should be a vertical edge that keeps the board vertical, as tall as the work but is short horizontally( preferable just a corner and not used as a guide like a rip fence). Use a marking tool and draw a cutting guide on the edge of the work that are two lines, demarking the waste portion of the cut. A single line, unless it is as wide as the kerf, only gives you a chance to meander across it, resulting in a wavy cut. It's easier to center your blade between two marks. The brush as a feathering tool allows you to modify the feed angle as the blade inevitably wanders. Also, wear a mask and hearing protection as these procedures are dusty and noisy. Cut while watching the guide lines. Forget about automating the process with a set-once and push technique because that has never worked for me.

[Alex Zeller]

I have the slightly bigger brother to the G0513X, the 514X2. I had no problems setting it up and as long as the blades are sharp it cuts with no drift at all. In fact I was being lazy and didn't want to swap blades and used my 1/2" 3tpi circle cutting blade to resaw some 8" maple with no problems. The main reason I'm posting this is that the saw had a lot of vibration when new. There's several complaints about it if you do a Google search. It turned out to be a bad batch of urethane tires. I'm sure Grizzly would have sent me a replacement set but I just bought some from Blue Max. Now I can balance a dime on edge, start it up and then shut it down without it falling over.

After reading up on the internet and trying all sorts of "internet fixes" and some frustration I decided to remove the tires and put the (what I figure is disposable) blade that came with it back on the saw. With the guides out of the way (and do not try to cut wood) turn the saw on. If the vibrations are gone you've found your problem. I suspect that this could apply to any of the Asian imported saws. Just wanted to possibly save some people some frustration.

[Jay Jones]

John,
I think you must have provided me with my laugh for the day, . . . after I reread your post and though about it.

You said next to your BS. I thought wait, what? What did I say? Why is he saying "your' BS?

It did remind me too of the time I took my dad to the ER because he was having breathing problems and the wrote on the chart, patient is SOB. My dad said he was surprised, he didn't think they even knew him.

[Mike Kreinhop]

It did remind me too of the time I took my dad to the ER because he was having breathing problems and the wrote on the chart, patient is SOB. My dad said he was surprised, he didn't think they even knew him.

This gave me my first laugh of the day! :D (It's 00:09 AM in Germany now)

[Richard Coers]

What's to say the table slot is parallel to the blade with all the clearance around the mounting bolts to the trunnions? Adjust the fence for the drift is the easiest. Despite using that blade, how much stock have you sent through it?

[Lee Schierer]

I'm on the verge of buying a different band saw. I have a Delta 14" and don't do a lot with it but have some 2x6 black cherry that I want to cut into 1x6. So far I've destroyed 6 feet of it and have 166 feet to go.

I set the Kreg fence parallel to the miter grove and then attached 2 tall feather boards to the miter grove. The boards go fine for about 1½ inches and then start to cut to the left. I just want to set up something that will allow me to just push the boards through, I have not skill at following a line.

I put a steel rule in the blade and determined that it's twisted in relation to the miter slot. I found Carter has some $50 setup tools that you affix to the blade and then I guess you adjust your fence to that angle. Seems Mickey Mouse to me, plus expensive for a ruler with a magnet deal.

I wondered if there's a way to force the blade to be parallel to the miter slot.

I'm using a ½" Wood Slicer blade from Highland Woodworking.

I'm looking at a Grizzly G0513X2BF

I had the same issues with my Delta 14" saw, until I aligned my table to the blade. Here is an excellent video that shows how to align the table to the blade (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNdrkmx6ehI). Once I did the table alignment I can easily resaw to the max height capacity of my saw using the fence. It was like getting a brand new saw.

[Brice Rogers]

I attended a Zoom class with Alex Snodgrass, who is certainly an expert on bandsaw adjustments.

He loosened all of the bearings and blocks, changed the tracking, changed the tension, removed the initial blade and replaced it with another blade. That was to simulate a BS that needed major adjustments. Kind of a ground zero.

Then in perhaps 5 minutes he readjusted everything, while explaining what and why he was doing it. He set up the magnetic mount fence to be parallel with the blade (he used a metal strip with super magnets that snap on to the blade behind the gullet/set). He said that the table slot may or may not actually be perfectly aligned with the blade. He then checked for the blade being a 90 to the table by making a saw mark on a block of 2 x 4 and then rotating the 2 x 4 so that it was behind the blade. If you have a perfect 90, the slot should be exactly lined up with the back of the blade (cool and fast trick). Then he proceeded in resawing a 1 x 10. He mic'd it afterwards. It was perfect.

Another trick: he said that the teeth (back of gullet? I don't remember) should be aligned to be in the center of the crown and not equally spaced on the upper pulley.

Another trick: if your board has a slight curve, you'll want to put the convex side against the fence. If you do it the other way (concave curve to the fence) your resawn boards won't be uniform thickness.

I suspect that there are a lot of people who do things differently and are happy with the results. They might even challenge what I wrote. But seeing this buy in action and seeing his results convinced me that I was doing a bunch of things wrong.

I think that there are probably some Youtube videos of him in action.

[Jim Matthews]

It didn't occur to me to move the table.

It's *not* obvious.

It took multiple viewings of Michael Fortune videos for me to pick that up.

Getting the blade properly centered is only half the equation.

[glenn bradley]

Visual aids for crowned tires. View of the wheel, tire and blade from the top.

440746440744440745

[John TenEyck]

By the way, I've found that the deeper the cut, the more the deviation. I'm always amazed at people who claim to cut veneers thinner than 1/8" when resawing wide boards. They obviously have a trick that the rest of us (well, me) don't understand. Besides the blade deviating to the side, the blade can bend when undergoing a lot of pressure (too fast a cut), so that your product is a triangle or worse.

Despite my relative lack of success (why are you listening to me), the things that seem to help are to use a wide blade with a low pitch, (variable pitch is good), moderate feed rate and forego the feather boards. One of my best feathering tools was to clamp a large, workbench brush to a support and use that to exert pressure on the work to keep it against a fence. The fence should be a vertical edge that keeps the board vertical, as tall as the work but is short horizontally( preferable just a corner and not used as a guide like a rip fence). Use a marking tool and draw a cutting guide on the edge of the work that are two lines, demarking the waste portion of the cut. A single line, unless it is as wide as the kerf, only gives you a chance to meander across it, resulting in a wavy cut. It's easier to center your blade between two marks. The brush as a feathering tool allows you to modify the feed angle as the blade inevitably wanders. Also, wear a mask and hearing protection as these procedures are dusty and noisy. Cut while watching the guide lines. Forget about automating the process with a set-once and push technique because that has never worked for me.


Mike and Rod just gave you nearly all you need to know above. I cut a lot of 7 - 10" wide veneer on my 14" Delta with riser block. 0.100" +- 0.010" worst case, usually better. 1/2" x 3 tpi blade, usually bi-metal, tall fence, feather board to hold the stock against the fence and, of course, a very well set up saw. Now I have a Grizzly G0636X and it's much easier to saw veneer because I can run a wider blade and much higher tension. Deviation now is less than 0.005" and the speed is 10X. But any bandsaw (Gotta be careful using BS. You've all had enough laughs today.) can slice more than acceptable veneer if you follow what Mike and Rod said. If you do everything they have outlined and are still unsuccessful then we need to talk about wheel alignment. Despite what Mr. Snodgrass says it is important. I'll leave you with this. My 14" Delta would not cut straight no matter what I did until I adjusted the wheels to be coplaner. The wheels on my Grizzly were perfect from the factory and has always cut straight. The manual for that saw has a very well written section on how to check and adjust the wheels to be coplaner if they are not. The principles are valid for any saw. See, I didn't say BS.

John

[John K Jordan]

...if your board has a slight curve, you'll want to put the convex side against the fence. If you do it the other way (concave curve to the fence) your resawn boards won't be uniform thickness.


Did you mean this to be the other way? If the convex side is towards the fence (curved outwards so only one point touches the fence), the piece can rotate horizontally during the cut. If I have a convex edge I either first flatten it a bit by hand or use a thin shim between the fence and the wood to keep the wood from rocking during the cut. I use other methods when I have a concave edge against the fence, depending on the length of the concavity.

[Rod Sheridan]

What's to say the table slot is parallel to the blade with all the clearance around the mounting bolts to the trunnions? Adjust the fence for the drift is the easiest. Despite using that blade, how much stock have you sent through it?

Adjusting the fence for drift is exactly what you don't want to do as it makes the mitre slot unusable........Rod.

[glenn bradley]

Adjusting the fence for drift is exactly what you don't want to do as it makes the mitre slot unusable........Rod.


"So shines a good deed in a weary world". Thank you for stating what a lot of folks forget.

[Steve Demuth]

Adjusting the fence for drift is exactly what you don't want to do as it makes the mitre slot unusable........Rod.

If you're adjusting your fence for drift, then either your basic saw setup is out of whack - see early instructions from Rod et al - or your blade is asymmetrically dull and should be replaced or sharpened. A properly sharp blade on a properly adjusted band saw cuts straight and parallel to the miter slots and fence.

The only thing I would add to the Rod's instructions, is that if you're working with a bandsaw that is new to you, and potentially not factory adjusted, or one that's been through major repairs or other hell, you should check the co-planarity of the top and bottom wheels. I won't even venture into the broader debate about coplanarity as reflected in rotations around the horizontal axes perpendicular to the blade run, but you definitely want the angle between the wheel faces with respect to the perpendicular axis running from wheel center to wheel center to be zero. If it's not, you're introducing twist into the blade between the top and bottom wheels, and that's going to cause trouble.

[Melvin Feng]

Once you have your bandsaw dialed in, what I have found helpful for long and tall resaws is the bow guidepro featherboard. I bought the featherboard, the anchor bar, and the extension. I like the anchor bar so that I can set it up to use in the miter slot, and not worry about using it with the cam, and the extension goes up to 10".

It is an expensive setup, but it has been very helpful for me on what would have been more difficult resaws, especially when I am milling my own lumber that I have chainsaw milled and flattened one side with a router sled (some I've had to cut to 16" width because that is the resaw capacity of my bandsaw).

I also use a 1.25" Laguna Resaw King on my bandsaw, which is a great pairing with the Bow featherboard on my saw (a Laguna 18 BX) for resawing, it is the blade I keep on my saw 99% of the time.

Here is a quick picture for a visual of what I'm talking about:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49763930577_d33cc5ea2a_b.jpg

[Brice Rogers]

Did you mean this to be the other way? If the convex side is towards the fence (curved outwards so only one point touches the fence), the piece can rotate horizontally during the cut. If I have a convex edge I either first flatten it a bit by hand or use a thin shim between the fence and the wood to keep the wood from rocking during the cut. I use other methods when I have a concave edge against the fence, depending on the length of the concavity.

Yes, as Alex Snodgrass explained, if you put the concave side against the fence the thickness of the resawn board will vary from the ends to the middle. And yes, If you can plane the board first to eliminate the curve, that would be best.

You are right, if you put the convex side of the board against the fence, when resawing you'll have to deal with the piece rotating on the table during sawing. And you want to keep the point of contact between the board and the fence straight across from the cutting edge of the blade. By doing it this way, you will end up with a resawn board that is of uniform thickness...and with the same curve as it originally had. If you shim it so that it doesn't wobble, the thickness of the two resawn boards will vary from the ends to the middle.

One limitation on Alex's method is that while you end up with two uniform thickness boards, they will have the same bow as originally. So, if you can plane the board flat ahead of time, it is probably best. For a severely curved board that isn't planed flat, I think that your results are going to be poor in either case. But, if a person was resawing extremely thin, say 1/8", for a veneer, then the curve can be flattened when attaching to a flat substrate.

Perhaps one of Alex's videos can explain the rationale better than I can.

[John Lanciani]

Adjusting the fence for drift is exactly what you don't want to do as it makes the mitre slot unusable........Rod.

In 30 years of woodworking I’ve never, ever, used the miter slot on any of my bandsaws for anything other than to put the runner for my resaw fixture into. It seems like just one more place for new bandsaw users to end up off in the weeds to me.

[mark downing]

keep in mind that some saws do not have crowned tires and this changes the blade placement. MiniMax saws for example have flat tires. The blade positioning calls for the teeth to extend slightly over the edge of the upper tire rather than centered on the wheel.

[Jay Jones]

I felt it would be appropriate to post the outcome of adjusting the table etc.
First the blade is brand new. It's a ½" Wood Slicer blade from Highland Woodworking.
Second I followed their instructions regarding installation and tension.
Third I've had the band saw since 2007 and just never used it much.
Fourth I followed the suggestions of Alex Snodgrass as to placement of the blade on the wheel.
Fifth I did finally get the miter slot aligned to the blade and the blade is 90° to the table.
Sixth I took out the blocks and cleaned them and flattened them and also cleaned the tires.
I have a Kreg fence that I aligned to the slot.

Then I took a 5 7/8" tall x 1" thick piece of black cherry that was squared with my jointer and proceeded to try and trim off 1/8" inch to make a 7/8" thick piece of 24" long wood.
I didn't use anything on the outside to hold the wood against the fence, other than my push stick (made for the band saw). I didn't move the fence far enough and ended up only cutting off a thin piece that measured .065 at the top and .050 bottom. I have no expectation of cutting pieces such as that normally but I am content with the band saw now.

I appreciate all the input. I still think I may get a bigger machine because the max height of this is only 6" and I could use more power.

[Lee Schierer]

I still think I may get a bigger machine because the max height of this is only 6" and I could use more power.

If we align the table on our table saws to the blade, why wouldn't we do the same thing on a new band saw?

I thought my saw needed more power as it seemed to stall when making maximum height cuts, until I tightened the belt a bit.

[Floyd Mah]

Thanks for the discussion. I was inspired to tackle my setup again. (I have a G0514X). I found that the top was poorly aligned. Even so, at the extremes of the adjustment, I still needed a slight angling of the guide fence to get a good cut, but now I can get good results.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Thanks for the discussion. I was inspired to tackle my setup again. (I have a G0514X). I found that the top was poorly aligned. Even so, at the extremes of the adjustment, I still needed a slight angling of the guide fence to get a good cut, but now I can get good results.

While I was modifying my Record Power BS350S to install the Rikon tool-free blade guides, I learned there is a lot of table adjustment available if I also loosen the two bolts that hold the trunnion to the frame and move the entire trunnion and table assembly. Fortunately, I was able to align the table to the blade without going to these extremes.

[Kevin Jenness]

I find it easier to adjust the fence for drift than the blade position relative to the crown of the wheel. I have an old Crescent 36" with Wright guides that are rather finicky to set up and are positioned far enough forward that the 1" blades I use for resawing have to have the gullets forward of the wheel's centerline. I basically leave the side guides in place and adjust the wheel tilt to put the gullets just behind the guides, then bring up the backup bearing behind the blade. At that point I adjust the fence to match the blade drift, which varies with blade width. Drift can change as the blade dulls or if I sharpen it on the saw, so I may adjust the fence periodically. My table has no miter slots so that issue is moot. If I need a precise crosscut (rare) I use a backup block against the fence at at the appropriate angle.

I made a version of this fence which is easily adjusted and can work on either side of the blade, very useful when ripping bevels with support below the cut. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/american-woodworker-blog/bandsaw-fence/

[Curt Harms]

There is a tracking knob on the bandsaw that adjusts the angle of the upper wheel and hence the position of the blade on the upper wheel. Turning it will move it relative to the crown of the upper wheel. One way moves the drift left, the other way moves the drift right. I don't recall which is which. You have to be careful of this adjustment, since it is possible to have the blade fall off of the wheel. I just did that recently. If that were to happen, you risk damaging the blade. But back to the pertinent question, why would you want to fiddle with this adjustment? Since the upper wheel has a crown which helps keep the blade on the wheel, repositioning the blade forward will cause the blade's leading edge (the teeth) to deviate to the left and moving the blade backwards will do the opposite. In any case, it has bearing on your question whether there is a way to angle the blade. Remember what I said above, that it is possible to make too much correction and have the blade fall off the wheel. It's worth a try if you want to experiment.

This is a pretty simple thing to check. Move the guides away from the blade, move the blade tracking on the upper wheel, reset the guides and try it. On my saw - Rikon 10-325 - running the blade in the middle of the wheel works pretty well. Others advocate running the bottom of gullet in the center of the upper wheel. Moving the blade forward adjusts the drift on way, moving the blade moves the drift the other. I don't recall which is which. Surely something to experiment with before throwing a bunch of money at it. One exception to this procedure, it doesn't work on saws with flat wheels, they must be crowned.

[John K Jordan]

...Moving the blade forward adjusts the drift on way, moving the blade moves the drift the other. I don't recall which is which. ...

I use an 18" Rikon. I drew a big arrow on the case above the adjustment knob with an arrow and the words "Move blade towards door" to remind me of which way to turn the knob.

I keep the center of the blade in the center of the crown to avoid biasing the drift. Be advised that some blade tracking mechanisms change the tension. For those who adjust tension by hope and prayer this is probably not a concern.

Something I forgot to mention about drift. If the teeth on one side of the blade are less sharp than the other side, perhaps worn by lots of "skimming cuts", it can aggravate the drift, especially when cutting thick, dense wood.

JKJ

[Curt Harms]

I use an 18" Rikon. I drew a big arrow on the case above the adjustment knob with an arrow and the words "Move blade towards door" to remind me of which way to turn the knob.

I keep the center of the blade in the center of the crown to avoid biasing the drift. Be advised that some blade tracking mechanisms change the tension. For those who adjust tension by hope and prayer this is probably not a concern.

Something I forgot to mention about drift. If the teeth on one side of the blade are less sharp than the other side, perhaps worn by lots of "skimming cuts", it can aggravate the drift, especially when cutting thick, dense wood.

JKJ

True about the 'less sharp on one side than the other'. That is why some people keep separate blades for curved cuts and straight/resaw cuts. A curved cut can create more wear on one side of the blade than on the other. I generally use a 1/4" blade for curved cuts, 1/2" blade for straight/resaw. That way I don't get them confused.