Bandsaw tracking adjustment for 1 inch blade. Help! Is Alex Snodgrass correct?

[Joel Gelman]

I have a Laguna 24/24 and am changing out the 1 inch blade to a new 1 inch Lenox carbide as I am about to resew some nice quarter sawn walnut and want the cut just right. No major issues with my current original blade, but I am not sure I always had things adjusted perfectly. The tires are around 1.25 inches wide and they really do not seem to be all what convex with a crown. Maybe this Italian made bandsaw comes with flat tires. I should know that with certainty but I do not.

When I went to an Alex Snodgrass workshop, he said the deepest part of the gullet should be in the center of the tire. His demos are in more narrow blades on Powermatic 14 inch bandsaws, but he does not say to adjust the method for wider blades.

If I have the deepest part o the gullet in the center of the tire, instead of the teeth slightly protruding in front, the teeth will be just a little bit forward of the center of the tire, and the back of the blade will protrude behind the tire. This does not seem right, especially for a tire that is not all that convex.

Maybe for this particular saw and blade, there is a different way where the blade should be so that the teeth are barely protruding in front of the tire. I can't find any info and was hoping for expert advice. Thank you!!

[Greg Quenneville]

I was taught to run the teeth off the front of the tire on my Italian saws. I have only used 3/4” and 1” blades though. I run smaller blades the usual way on my typical crowned tire 14” saw

[Tom M King]

Same as Greg here.

[John TenEyck]

Forget what Snodgrass says when considering larger saws. If your tires are flat, run the teeth off the front. If they are crowned, center the blade on the tire of the upper wheel.

John

[Joel Gelman]

Thank you. I was looking at the manual, with not much info in the front, but in the back, I found the attached information. I generally do not expect manuals of European machinery to be all that helpful. In this manual they actually pointed out the options of teeth slightly in front of the tire (which I had) and blade centered within the tire for larger blades. No option suggested for centering the deepest part of the gullet in the center of the tire. I centered the blade within the tire. It did cut the wood nicely, which is what I care about most. I tested for drift and there was none.

503083

[Dave Sabo]

Maybe this Italian made bandsaw comes with flat tires. I should know that with certainty but I do not.

The laguna LT saws have flat tires.


When I went to an Alex Snodgrass workshop, he said the deepest part of the gullet should be in the center of the tire. His demos are in more narrow blades on Powermatic 14 inch bandsaws, but he does not say to adjust the method for wider blades.

What works for a 14" cast iron saw with reg. guides really has no bearing on the 24" Italian saw you have.


the back of the blade will protrude behind the tire. This does not seem right, especially for a tire that is not all that convex.

It's not correct, just as you surmise.



Maybe for this particular saw and blade, there is a different way where the blade should be so that the teeth are barely protruding in front of the tire. I can't find any info and was hoping for expert advice. Thank you!!

What does the owner's manual say ? hint: page 30

run the blade in the center of your wheel and get to making sawdust.

[Bernie Kopfer]

The Manual that came with my 18” Rikon 347 said to center the blade on the wheel since the tire was flat. I’ve done that with both 1” and 1/2” blades and it has worked fine. Nor have I noticed any tire damage due to blade tooth set.

[Edward Weber]

On crowned wheels, center the band of the blade on the tire/wheel. That's the only part that should touch the tire.
The gullet and teeth do nothing for driving or tracking the blade.

[Richard Coers]

You pushed my button with that question. I'd say Snodgrass is right about half the time. I've been using a bandsaw for almost 50 years and don't spend 5 minutes tweaking a bandsaw. For me it either cuts and the blade stays on, or it doesn't. All the rest is a waste of time. Same goes for micro precision with resawing. I have never used a 1" blade, and you don't need one either if you feed the stock correctly. The only need for a 1" blade is on a machine with a power feeder and you are trying to make high production. I NEVER push the stock hard enough to barrel bend the blade nor fill the gullets with sawdust. I just gently feed it, let the blade do all the work, then go to my drum sander to smooth the cut.

[Tom Trees]

"Flat" tires is a misnomer, there is some profile to the Italian machines.
Having made mine actually flat,, the results one would experience is the blade walking back into the thrust guide near instantly.
Centauro mentions this is one manual
If one is speculative regarding the way Centauro do it, then how about ACM, look at the latest video on YT where they mention camber

Here's an interesting snippet which I cannot screenshot....
" MAIN TROUBLE AND RELATIVE REMEDIES "


The blade moves very far back when it receives the cutting force
- Insufficient flywheel seal convexity, notify the technical service of the area dealer



I attempted measuring the crown on my Centauro replacement tire, (which has an offset tongue)
and it seems that the apex isn't dead on centre, but 17.5mm from the front edge, it was quite difficult, and I can't be 100% this was the apex,
as the tongue does cause some twisting which took force to counter, it seems everything I've read on the subject of tracking narrow blades, or infact the theory of the edge of the wheel acting as the camber was incorrect, and everything still counting on the camber, which is baffling to me, as we all know a wide blade will work well with teeth off the wheels, should folks who are doing so to be believed, i.e does your saw cut as well as say John's Grizzly.
I'm guessing John TenEyck doesn't take it easy, and can feed the stock through speedily like evident results of a good machine on YT.

Still awaiting a decent explanation of what's goin on regarding the slight crown on Italian machines and wide blades.
It's not rocket science to note of some folks machines with wear on the front edge,
so I think the answer is narrowed down for the OP, in regards to somewhere at the front edge.
Teeth overhanging also is quite variable, in terms of what TPI the blade is.

I await to read more into this, as I cambered my tires again, with the apex at 17.5mm from the front edge,though I did likely make them slightly more pronounced for my old
vulcanized rubber, as they might not be so firm as they might have been in 1997.

Not saying I've made my machine comparable to a real good example, hoping the issue is with those two blades being damaged,
Scratching my head about that TBH, will be testing new blades now to see how things go.503097503098

Tom

[John TenEyck]

Interesting Tom - a "flywheel seal convexity". I assume they mean a crowned tire. Who writes this stuff?

Anyway, you are right. I don't baby it when resawing or cutting veneer. The 1", 1.3 tpi Woodmaster CT I cuts very easily when pulled through the wood with a 5 hp motor. The tires are definitely crowned on my saw. I center the blade on the top wheel and it always cuts straight and parallel to the miter slot. It is a joy to use.

John

[Ken Fitzgerald]

On my Minimax MM-16, I run the teeth off the front/leading edge of the tire.

[Tom Trees]

I NEVER push the stock hard enough to barrel bend the blade nor fill the gullets with sawdust. I just gently feed it, let the blade do all the work, then go to my drum sander to smooth the cut.
Richard, hope you don't mind being "attacked", but you kinda asked for it by making such a vague comment....(in a resaw thread involving 1" blades on an Italian machine.)

I'll try and take a swipe at your comment in a bit :)


Interesting Tom - a "flywheel seal convexity". I assume they mean a crowned tire. Who writes this stuff?

Anyway, you are right. I don't baby it when resawing or cutting veneer. The 1", 1.3 tpi Woodmaster CT I cuts very easily when pulled through the wood with a 5 hp motor. The tires are definitely crowned on my saw. I center the blade on the top wheel and it always cuts straight and parallel to the miter slot. It is a joy to use.

John
I agree that it had me baffled until I read the maunal properly.
Oh indeed, it doesn't appear that you baby that machine....but then again you've got a five horser motor and the Woodmaster CT.

I'll still bet you a dime you can't cut anything even slightly comparable to those sheets of veneer you be rippin with a bog standard regular skip tooth 3TPI blade.
And how bout a blade what ain't new either....

And that's where that kinda speculation ends.;)
This is performance, which I'd guess is nothing out of the ordinary for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvhPbNtJISM&t=122s
Or a 700mm Sicar machine with standard blades
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VgfXzSVX7U

I could go on, just setting the bar as far as what's to be expected from a regular blade,
and I don't think I'm there yet with my machine, eager to see though, been documenting the last of my long slog on the bandsaw forum.
Surely this is the results y'all are getting, and yer not settling for less?

And for the OP, Sam Blasco's demos, and Kris DeVo's Laguna also have notable performance, for one who wants to see performance from the Novelara made machine.
Fingers crossed myself I can get results half that good.

Tom

[John TenEyck]

Tom, the guys in the two videos are getting pretty good results, but you could measure the speed with a calendar, and they're only cutting narrow stock. Good grief that's slow. The guy in the first video is using a Timberwolf 1/2" - 3 tpi blade, and that's probably all you could expect of it. The second guy has a wider blade but probably too many teeth on it, although I can't really tell. In any case, don't use those videos as your benchmark! Even w/o a power feeder, I resaw and slice veneer of at least that quality, MUCH faster. And so can you.

Is speed all that important? No, not for many folks, but I sometimes need 100 sq ft of veneer for a project, and then it is.

John

PS: I forgot to mention how scared I was trying to slice 12" wide veneer on my saw, using the same type of hand float shown in the videos. That big blade, fully exposed before the wood entered and after it left the cut would cut off anything that gets into it. Mostly for that reason, but also to produce more consistent results, I built a featherboard with spring loaded wheels, after a design from J. Lanciani. You can learn more about it here: https://sites.google.com/view/jteneyck-woodworker/current-projects/tall-bandsaw-feather-board The featherboard makes it nearly impossible to get your hand or fingers into the blade.

John

[Dave Sabo]

"Flat" tires is a misnomer, there is some profile to the Italian machines.
Having made mine actually flat,, the results one would experience is the blade walking back into the thrust guide near instantly.
Centauro mentions this is one manual
If one is speculative regarding the way Centauro do it, then how about ACM, look at the latest video on YT where they mention camber



that's all find and dandy, except for the part where Joel has an ACM saw - specifically a Laguna LT saw. And they have flat tires:

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And blades track just fine.

[Joel Gelman]

My tires sure seem flat when I put a straight edge on it. I will not have that saw for long. I use it with a heavy co-matic Feeder and have been very happy with it except for a limited distance of only 5 inches blade to feeder. I wanted more as I rip with the bandsaw way more often than re-saw, and thought I needed a bandsaw with a bigger table to get the full capacity with the feeder. I found a restored Y-30 snowflake and hope to get it soon. Quite a different saw from the Laguna 24/24. Right after I purchased the Snowflake, I found out that it was not the table but rather a bad feeder guard design that prevented me from getting the 9 inches blade to feeder I was supposed to get with the co-matic. With a swap, all is well. Still, I am looking forward to the Snowflake as it is just a special vintage bandsaw where the bigger table will be nice, and supposedly the dust collection is second to none.

I am getting it from a guy named Ben Rock, well known in the Vintage machinery restoration world. He and others have me convinced that I should use a 3/8 blades for re-sawing and ripping and curved work and never a need for a 1 inch blade. That is what I am planning. I thought 1 inch was the way to go and that is why I have used it with the blade I had and the Lenox 1 inch carbide I purchased some time ago as the spare.

[Tom Trees]

[QUOTE=Dave Sabo;3261939]that's all find and dandy, except for the part where Joel has an ACM saw - specifically a Laguna LT saw. And they have flat tires:

That's what I thought, and presumed the spiel on the video to be a typo.
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I didn't realise this and presumed it had a flat profile
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That tongue on the underside required a gap in-between, hence the bits of timber are close
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Perhaps my tire dressing setup left a little to be desired, and although flat profiled, likely not wern't totally 90 degrees
as what I thought before improving things (now accounting for referencing off two axis instead of the one, as I made a profiled scraper which wasn't as easy as I'd expected.
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So I suppose with all the rest of the stuff I won't mention, is too variable to say that flat out in its entirety.
It's just the impression I got, seeing as many folks reckon co-planar doesn't matter, cuz the upper wheel tilts, might make them think twice perhaps.

To speculate, I suppose... fair to mention the set of these new blades could be damaged from test running with misaligned wheels,
as I thought the edges were machined and not having 0.5mm of discrepancy, which I also faced since, as to take a reading with my beam drawing a line with.
Nevertheless, would appear all you can do if going by other alignment methods,
i.e if the blade is running so the guides can be set close, should be good enough.

So be it that the blades were needing attention or not, here is about as far as I could cut this piece,
much burning smell from this ash which isn't particularly hard yet, using a 3TPI blade, not optimal I know,
basically experiencing no beam tension with this 3/4" blade, none whatsoever.
503141
Dressed the tires to the crowned profile since, and was just about able to make the cut.
What I can gather from this is there must be some improvements to be had, at the very least.

503143503144
Thinking the wheels could be trusted likely helped.
This is required to use the beam to strike a line on the chassis base.

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Not going to post a video link, but if you could believe me the blade was running smooth,
though some vibration, not evident on camera, which I'm not sure whether it were present before.
Still remains and likely I need take another lick, but will have to try some other blades to see if I'm getting closer.

Can't really explain all that with an 8 post max count.
And hopefully not upsetting the OP, which seems not since he's getting a snowflake,
just some notes which is trying to set the record straight.
Or infact to get a good ol debate going.


Keen to read some of your thoughts
All the best folks
Tom

[John Lanciani]

[QUOTE=Dave Sabo;3261939]that's all find and dandy, except for the part where Joel has an ACM saw - specifically a Laguna LT saw. And they have flat tires:

That's what I thought, and presumed the spiel on the video to be a typo.
503132
503132
I didn't realise this and presumed it had a flat profile
503135
That tongue on the underside required a gap in-between, hence the bits of timber are close
503137

Perhaps my tire dressing setup left a little to be desired, and although flat profiled, likely not wern't totally 90 degrees
as what I thought before improving things (now accounting for referencing off two axis instead of the one, as I made a profiled scraper which wasn't as easy as I'd expected.
503138
So I suppose with all the rest of the stuff I won't mention, is too variable to say that flat out in its entirety.
It's just the impression I got, seeing as many folks reckon co-planar doesn't matter, cuz the upper wheel tilts, might make them think twice perhaps.

To speculate, I suppose... fair to mention the set of these new blades could be damaged from test running with misaligned wheels,
as I thought the edges were machined and not having 0.5mm of discrepancy, which I also faced since, as to take a reading with my beam drawing a line with.
Nevertheless, would appear all you can do if going by other alignment methods,
i.e if the blade is running so the guides can be set close, should be good enough.

So be it that the blades were needing attention or not, here is about as far as I could cut this piece,
much burning smell from this ash which isn't particularly hard yet, using a 3TPI blade, not optimal I know,
basically experiencing no beam tension with this 3/4" blade, none whatsoever.
503141
Dressed the tires to the crowned profile since, and was just about able to make the cut.
What I can gather from this is there must be some improvements to be had, at the very least.

503143503144
Thinking the wheels could be trusted likely helped.
This is required to use the beam to strike a line on the chassis base.

503142

Not going to post a video link, but if you could believe me the blade was running smooth,
though some vibration, not evident on camera, which I'm not sure whether it were present before.
Still remains and likely I need take another lick, but will have to try some other blades to see if I'm getting closer.

Can't really explain all that with an 8 post max count.
And hopefully not upsetting the OP, which seems not since he's getting a snowflake,
just some notes which is trying to set the record straight.
Or infact to get a good ol debate going.


Keen to read some of your thoughts
All the best folks
Tom

Completely overcooked. Bandsaws are only complicated when people choose to make them so. Either run flat tires with the teeth off the front or crowned tires with the blade centered. Start with wheels reasonably coplanar with no blade mounted and adjust tracking and guides as needed. I've owned and used about 20 bandsaws now, from a modern Centauro to my current vintage Yates-American and more Deltas than I can remember and none of them took more than about an hour to get cutting perfectly.

[Edward Weber]

[QUOTE=Tom Trees;3261959]

Completely overcooked. Bandsaws are only complicated when people choose to make them so. Either run flat tires with the teeth off the front or crowned tires with the blade centered. Start with wheels reasonably coplanar with no blade mounted and adjust tracking and guides as needed. I've owned and used about 20 bandsaws now, from a modern Centauro to my current vintage Yates-American and more Deltas than I can remember and none of them took more than about an hour to get cutting perfectly.

I've been saying the same thing for 20 years, it all falls on deaf ears.

[Tom Trees]

Parallel with chassis to suit motor, and column of both sides was checked prior to levelling (for wheel protrusion adjustment)
503145
Pen inserted into beam
503147503146503148
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That's all after levelling and getting co-planar
503150503151503149


Just posting in effort to eliminate setup speculation, and ps the blade has a very good weld,
Not wanting to come across as I haven't been experimenting and not without putting some effort into things.

Hopefully others can chime in also regarding anything what suggests strongly to me, flatter profiled tires,
especially ones with old rubber which may be getting compressed, so perhaps flat when under blade tension?

Thanks
Tom

[Tom Trees]

I've got some to say regarding things being overcooked
How about wallowed out wheel bores, still with sound bearings, what's been popping up in recent threads...

or what'd ya do if the machine might have possibly had something dropped on it, or whatever...
I'm not going to get into all that, just highlighting some folks seemingly don't have such luck.

Say if someone has got a machine with vulcanized real rubber which is basically new and worth keeping,
but the saw won't run right, even with all the trial and error ala Rikon troubleshooting guide, (the only guide I've came across)
makes sense to have interest regarding all that.
503164

I could go on regarding lots and lots of reasons to know how to set up a bandsaw when the goin gets tough.

Not saying my workings are guaranteed success whatsoever, but seems the surest way to go about all that to me, compared to what I've seen.
I think I'm only at the s
tarting point regarding accurate dressing of the wheels, as I've tried cutting corners lots of times already.
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Sorry, no piccy of the upper wheel adjusted parallel with chassis using the ali beam...
Wheel lowered for deeper cut
503168

I've even went to the trouble of documenting it all, and should probably mention it's very difficult to see the profile on the machine, even if drawn out from the chassis.
Here's an earlier example of offering up the square to the wheel, that's before I realised the face of the wheel wasn't to be trusted.
503165


Tom

[Chris Parks]

Tom, I have read your posts on all the fora I read all around the world and I must admit that I am totally confused about the mission you appear to be on as I was when you first started it. Quite frankly I simply don't get it and this thread talks of a totally different class of machine to what we as hobbyists tend to use. Maybe it is just me so my apologies for what may be seen as criticism of your efforts. I have had more than one bandsaw from both European and Asian manufacturers and have found that getting the basics right always gives excellent results.

[Tom Trees]

Tom, I have read your posts on all the fora I read all around the world and I must admit that I am totally confused about the mission you appear to be on as I was when you first started it. Quite frankly I simply don't get it and this thread talks of a totally different class of machine to what we as hobbyists tend to use. Maybe it is just me so my apologies for what may be seen as criticism of your efforts. I have had more than one bandsaw from both European and Asian manufacturers and have found that getting the basics right always gives excellent results.
. .
Chris, I've had a previous span new 20" Far Eastern machine beforehand, (apologies, this should read)...
Chris, I've previously had a span new 20" Far Eastern machine before this one...
and couldn't get to run right aswell, and neither was the shopkeeper nor the company rep,
this was an established company in the UK, so got me money back, as they wouldn't demo the other saw from outta the box.

Steeped up to a 24" Italian machine, and none of anything I've seen solved the issues.
Change the tires FFS, one might say....
Good job folks might be aware of lining up the rubber now, on a wheel with some runout.
Not seen anyone jigging up something to centre the tire now, perhaps a done thing with a DTI...
nor have I seen anyone dress the face of the wheels either.

I'd love some criticism TBH, should the new blades not be the solution I hope...
perhaps another lick of the tires might be necessary, but after that I'll be stumped.

I've not read of any alternate solutions, and I've tried quite a lot of stuff, even silly things like swapping my upper wheel around, with no change,
so just for interest sake I'd like to get some suggestions, mean as can be would be appreciated really.
Nothing's meaner than the cold truth really, lol.

Thanks
Tom

[Chris Parks]

. .
Chris, I've had a previous span new 20" Far Eastern machine beforehand, and couldn't get to run right aswell, and neither was the shopkeeper nor the company rep,
this was an established company in the UK, so got me money back, as they wouldn't demo the other saw from outta the box.

Steeped up to a 24" Italian machine, and none of anything I've seen solved the issues.
Change the tires FFS, one might say....
Good job folks might be aware of lining up the rubber now, on a wheel with some runout.
Not seen anyone jigging up something to centre the tire now, perhaps a done thing with a DTI...
nor have I seen anyone dress the face of the wheels either.

I'd love some criticism TBH, should the new blades not be the solution I hope...
perhaps another lick of the tires might be necessary, but after that I'll be stumped.

I've not read of any alternate solutions, and I've tried quite a lot of stuff, even silly things like swapping my upper wheel around, with no change,
so just for interest sake I'd like to get some suggestions, mean as can be would be appreciated really.
Nothing's meaner than the cold truth really, lol.

Thanks
Tom

Your post does not make sense, do you read what you write?

[Tom Trees]

Grammar corrected I think, now can I have something like a right hook, instead of merely some wee jabs which ain't having any impact? :D
Hopefully if not yourself, someone might post a weighty comment concerning actual scrutiny of my efforts, or could explain why my results are as such.

All the best
Tom

[Chris Parks]

Grammar corrected I think, now can I have something like a right hook, instead of merely some wee jabs which ain't having any impact? :D
Hopefully if not yourself, someone might post a weighty comment concerning actual scrutiny of my efforts, or could explain why my results are as such.

All the best
Tom

I can't comment on something I don't understand so you will have to get someone else to do that.

[Tom Trees]

Sorry, you might be waiting for a better explanation than what I've been posting on the bandsaw forum,
as my computer ain't letting me get onto youtube studio.
I've remade most of my videos since finding out the edge of the wheels wern't to be trusted for alignment.
Shouldn't be difficult for one who wants to see my plonking show and tell in more detail.
Though my posts might have too much misery for some folk who aren't die hard bandsaw fanatics, that is
Die hard fanatics, but not by choice!. :)
Too late for me now, I've gotten the bug, and strive to know more regarding all things bandsaw related.

Ah, the dream of one day being able to slice veneers like John and the boys,
It keeps me going

Thanks for reading my rambles
Tom

[Chris Parks]

Tom, you will notice many of your posts and on the Oz forum all of your posts never get commented on for good reasons, they are simply either not comprehensible or no one understands what you are trying to do and not everyone is a YouTube fan.

To the OP, my apologies for derailing your thread with this off topic discussion.

[Tom Trees]

Tom, you will notice many of your posts and on the Oz forum all of your posts never get commented on for good reasons, they are simply either not comprehensible or no one understands what you are trying to do and not everyone is a YouTube fan.

I thought it could be many things, mainly because that I'm a tedious barsteward, or came across as a know it all, seeing as I call a spade a spade when it comes to performance,
and perhaps upset some folk whilst I was at it.
Being anal retentive aswell, seeing as I've mentioned often Alex does a great presentation of blade setup,
but hasn't made a bandsaw setup video as far as I'm aware.


To the OP, my apologies for derailing your thread with this off topic discussion.
Apologies from myself too, seeing as this thread referred to wide blades which the Italian's recommend tracking off the wheels,
as per Sam Blasco for example.
I probably should have waited for another Italian bandsaw thread, where someone was looking for opinions
where to track narrower blades on the wheels.
Having often read here of knowledgable folks having issues tracking narrow bands on the centre of the wheel,
or comments like if everything is set up perfectly, then things becomes really touchy.
This all suggests to me, that folks might be unaware of that camber, and might indeed revisit that for themselves.

Just to report back with my findings, stuck a new blade on, what hadn't been used on misaligned wheels, and so pleased with the results,
no burning, loads of beam tension, my welded faced guides which went sloppy do not need replacement,
well not for a long time yet anyway.
Shooting for the stars, but happy a few feet off the ground kinda thing, it's now much better than I expected
and I'm finally back in business again.
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Sorry, I'm still de-railing the thread again, a quick video I took of the cut doesn't show the blade,
but just to say I'm firmly sitting in both camps, as my tire profile is somewhere in-between Italian and whoever specs a larger camber.

That's it from me, regarding my findings.

More questions related to the OP's question, (I've pondered lots about this, as I have had flat tires for some time whilst fixing my machine)
and that's apart from where the beam tension of the blade comes from,
How about recommendations on where the CT blade's gullets should be, (I'm guessing that's the blade)
and if there's improved performance regarding beam tension somewhere,
Another thing might be, how much is the least amount of overhang using this blade for it not to cause wear of the front edge of the tire.

As far as I can make out from the archives, none of that has been answered.


Cheerio
Tom

[John TenEyck]

My tires sure seem flat when I put a straight edge on it. I will not have that saw for long. I use it with a heavy co-matic Feeder and have been very happy with it except for a limited distance of only 5 inches blade to feeder. I wanted more as I rip with the bandsaw way more often than re-saw, and thought I needed a bandsaw with a bigger table to get the full capacity with the feeder. I found a restored Y-30 snowflake and hope to get it soon. Quite a different saw from the Laguna 24/24. Right after I purchased the Snowflake, I found out that it was not the table but rather a bad feeder guard design that prevented me from getting the 9 inches blade to feeder I was supposed to get with the co-matic. With a swap, all is well. Still, I am looking forward to the Snowflake as it is just a special vintage bandsaw where the bigger table will be nice, and supposedly the dust collection is second to none.

I am getting it from a guy named Ben Rock, well known in the Vintage machinery restoration world. He and others have me convinced that I should use a 3/8 blades for re-sawing and ripping and curved work and never a need for a 1 inch blade. That is what I am planning. I thought 1 inch was the way to go and that is why I have used it with the blade I had and the Lenox 1 inch carbide I purchased some time ago as the spare.


Do yourself a favor and do some resawing in 8 to 12" wide stock with both a 3/8" steel blade of your choice and a 1" carbide blade Woodmaster CT. Let us know which one you prefer.

John

[Edward Weber]

I'll be brutally honest, some of you confuse the heck out of me.
Some don't seem to know the difference between flat and crowned and by extension where the blade should ride.
Some don't understand the differences between a 3/8" a 1" blade and why one is preferred over the other for different tasks.
Very basic saw setup just seems to be lost, yet some talk about power feeders.
I humbly suggest,
Please, pump the brakes, learn about your saw, set it up properly (back to basics) and give it a try for yourself, without any internet forum input. A little real world trial and error is priceless.
Try different blades, adjust the tracking, try different species, re-saw, rip, cut curves, etc.
Once you know the pros and cons, what your saw is capable of and what it's limitations are, only then can you start to tweak it.
Some of you trying to change 8 things at once will be lucky to get you machine to ever cut properly.
This really isn't as difficult as many seem to be portraying it as. A BS is very basic machine, there is no need to over complicate them. Basic things like, aligning the wheels to the frame, aligning the fence to the miter slot, aligning the blade on the wheels (tracking) for a straight parallel cut should be easily done without thinking. Other fine tuning issues make take a bit more thought.
I don't say this to be harsh or single anyone out, this is not my intention.
JMHO

[Keegan Shields]

Wider blades offer more beam strength and larger gullets for chip clearance.

Seems like that would be important when resawing 12" boards :)

Hitachi CB75F bandsaws are made for resawing and take these benefits to the extreme with a 3 inch wide blade.

"Need" has many definitions. Can you resaw with a 3/8" blade - of course! I would rather do it with a 1" low TPI blade (all other things being equal).

[Edward Weber]

Wider blades offer more beam strength and larger gullets for chip clearance.

Seems like that would be important when resawing 12" boards :)

Hitachi CB75F bandsaws are made for resawing and take these benefits to the extreme with a 3 inch wide blade.

"Need" has many definitions. Can you resaw with a 3/8" blade - of course! I would rather do it with a 1" low TPI blade (all other things being equal).

I certainly agree and add that "re-sawing" has many variations as well.
What do people considering re-sawing, 4" thick, 5" thick or above?
What species can determine what blade as well. Some extremely hard tropical species don't cut that well with a low tooth blade. Resinous species can gum up some of the biggest gullets. And the list goes on.
HP of the saw also comes into play when selecting a blade, your saw may not have enough power to pull a wide, low tpi blade through the cut.
Know what you're cutting to select the correct blade.

A 3/8" blade is usually fine for light ripping and curved work as the OP mentioned (although I prefer a 1/2").
1" blades are better suited for heavy ripping and re-sawing.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Yeah, this thread has really taken a turn, as many bandsaw threads have a tendency to do :D

I have used loads of bi metal steel 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 wide blades on my Italian 20” saw with “flat” tires. They are fine when sharp. I have found that even the “nice” ones just do not last as long as you want them to before having to toss and install a new one. Not a big deal, but a bit annoying if you use your bandsaw as often as I seem to in a small, one person “pro” shop.

About 2 years ago I bought a 1” x 1.3 tpi lennox carbide tipped blade and have yet to take it off the saw and it is still cutting very well. I am about to order a backup as surely it won’t last too much longer (will it??) but 2 years on a single blade in a range of professional use (resawing, ripping, joinery, broader curves at times) is outstanding performance in my book.

Btw, my teeth hang off the front of the saw tires on my flat-wheeled saw, which is how I have always heard and understood such saws to be run. Different situation than the Snoddgrass content.

[John Lanciani]

I'll be brutally honest, some of you confuse the heck out of me.
Some don't seem to know the difference between flat and crowned and by extension where the blade should ride.
Some don't understand the differences between a 3/8" a 1" blade and why one is preferred over the other for different tasks.
Very basic saw setup just seems to be lost, yet some talk about power feeders.
I humbly suggest,
Please, pump the brakes, learn about your saw, set it up properly (back to basics) and give it a try for yourself, without any internet forum input. A little real world trial and error is priceless.
Try different blades, adjust the tracking, try different species, re-saw, rip, cut curves, etc.
Once you know the pros and cons, what your saw is capable of and what it's limitations are, only then can you start to tweak it.
Some of you trying to change 8 things at once will be lucky to get you machine to ever cut properly.
This really isn't as difficult as many seem to be portraying it as. A BS is very basic machine, there is no need to over complicate them. Basic things like, aligning the wheels to the frame, aligning the fence to the miter slot, aligning the blade on the wheels (tracking) for a straight parallel cut should be easily done without thinking. Other fine tuning issues make take a bit more thought.
I don't say this to be harsh or single anyone out, this is not my intention.
JMHO

Couple this with an individual who is trying to shade-tree repair a saw that seems would have been better left for scrap but preaches that all bandsaws are nearly impossible to get working correctly and its a recurring train wreck.

Back to the OP, you have a modern high quality saw and a top shelf blade. Run the teeth off of the front of the wheel, set the guides accordingly and start making sawdust. Nothing that Snodgrass has to say is relevant to the tool you have. His methods are debatable in regards to 14" consumer saws and useless beyond that. Read everything on this forum that John TenEyck has written about resawing if you want some real knowledge.

[John TenEyck]

Yeah, this thread has really taken a turn, as many bandsaw threads have a tendency to do :D

I have used loads of bi metal steel 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 wide blades on my Italian 20” saw with “flat” tires. They are fine when sharp. I have found that even the “nice” ones just do not last as long as you want them to before having to toss and install a new one. Not a big deal, but a bit annoying if you use your bandsaw as often as I seem to in a small, one person “pro” shop.

About 2 years ago I bought a 1” x 1.3 tpi lennox carbide tipped blade and have yet to take it off the saw and it is still cutting very well. I am about to order a backup as surely it won’t last too much longer (will it??) but 2 years on a single blade in a range of professional use (resawing, ripping, joinery, broader curves at times) is outstanding performance in my book.

Btw, my teeth hang off the front of the saw tires on my flat-wheeled saw, which is how I have always heard and understood such saws to be run. Different situation than the Snoddgrass content.


Good decision to order another CT, Phillip. The last one I had broke after about 2 years and it had made at least a thousand square feet of veneer. Both CT's that have broken have been at the weld, which makes me wonder about the quality of the welder. It would be good to know how long one would last if it broke somewhere else. Unfortunately, when the blades broke, they crashed into the lower wheel compartment and were bent beyond hope of repair. 4500 fpm to zero in a few milliseconds will do that.

Carbide blades seem expensive at first, but when you experience how fast and smoothly they cut, and for how long compared to typical steel or even bi-metal blades, you realize they are worth the higher price.

John

[Dave Sabo]

Wider blades offer more beam strength and larger gullets for chip clearance.
Seems like that would be important when resawing 12" boards :)

"Need" has many definitions. Can you resaw with a 3/8" blade - of course! I would rather do it with a 1" low TPI blade (all other things being equal).


Problem is Keegan, all things aren't equal and most bandsaws cannot properly tension a 1" blade. Especially the ones Hobbyists have.

And that Hitachi and it's Makita cousin were so popular, needed , and beneficial that they've been outa production for about two decades. what's that tell ya ?

[Tom M King]

I cut 10,000 lineal feet of Cypress not over 5" wide on edge making shingles with a Woodmaster CT 1" 1.3tpi. I put new tires on the Centauro 600 wheels, checked them for being close to in line with each other with a string and plumb bob, put the blade on with the teeth off the front edge, and slammed the wood through it as fast as we could running it 10% overspeed with a VFD. That blade will still do a lot of work and doesn't seem to be slowed up at all. I haven't touched the machine since putting the new tires on it.

It's hard to get 1.3tpi on a 3/8's blade.

[Keegan Shields]

There are lots of reasons a product stops selling. Price point, competitor innovation, market forces, mergers and acquisitions, and CAPEX costs to name a few.

Not sure what the point you’re trying to make is here?

I have no first hand experience, but from what I’ve read, those bandsaws worked well despite a noisy, high rpm motor and gear reduction box. And the blades were expensive.

The physics principle behind them remains solid.

…and obviously a bandsaw needs to be properly setup to perform well. That’s up to the operator. I agree with following John’s advice on bandsaw setup. His blade tension jig that uses a dial indicator works great. Helped me properly tension a 1” CT on my 19” Grizzly BS.

[Erik Loza]

What Tom said is correct. For any FLAT-TIRED bandsaw:

<1/2” blade = Track blade in the center of the tire.

>1/2” blade = Track so teeth overhang the front of the tire

Erik

[John TenEyck]

Problem is Keegan, all things aren't equal and most bandsaws cannot properly tension a 1" blade. Especially the ones Hobbyists have.

And that Hitachi and it's Makita cousin were so popular, needed , and beneficial that they've been outa production for about two decades. what's that tell ya ?


True, but the OP's most likely can. And that's the point. If you want to resaw and/or cut wide veneer, and you have a saw that can handle the force needed to adequately tension a 3/4" or wider blade, then that's the best choice for those tasks. We're not talking about the ill-fated Hitachi. It was a one trick pony that never could perform that trick. But if you look at production bandsaws, the ones that saw lumber from logs, guess what, they have really wide blades without many teeth, very high tension, and running at incredible speeds. What's that tell ya?

John

[John TenEyck]

Tom, you would do well to forget anything Snodgras recommends when it comes to any saw larger than 14" and, from my experience, all saws.

John

[Bruce Page]

I was taught to run the teeth off the front of the tire on my Italian saws. I have only used 3/4” and 1” blades though. I run smaller blades the usual way on my typical crowned tire 14” saw

I do the same. I also do not run thin blades on my saw. It seems counterintuitive to me to have the blade teeth, which are offset, to be in the tire.

[Edward Weber]

Tom, you would do well to forget anything Snodgras recommends when it comes to any saw larger than 14" and, from my experience, all saws.

John
+1, on any saw.
Many "instructors" like him, say things but never seem to fully understand what they just said or simply make up nonsense reasons.

Kust one example:
Put the gullet in the center of the tire, so that the teeth are supported?????

Well I don't know about anyone else but I don't cut on the tire, so tooth support isn't an issue.
Once the band reaches about 3 o'clock, it's not supported by anything ( I think it's sorcery)

And people eat this stuff up.

[Chris Parks]

Couple this with an individual who is trying to shade-tree repair a saw that seems would have been better left for scrap but preaches that all bandsaws are nearly impossible to get working correctly and its a recurring train wreck.

Tough but true.

[Chris Parks]

+1, on any saw.
Many "instructors" like him, say things but never seem to fully understand what they just said or simply make up nonsense reasons.

Kust one example:
Put the gullet in the center of the tire, so that the teeth are supported?????

Well I don't know about anyone else but I don't cut on the tire, so tooth support isn't an issue.
Once the band reaches about 3 o'clock, it's not supported by anything ( I think it's sorcery)

And people eat this stuff up.

Your post (for me) creates more confusion by not specifying whether you have a flat wheel machine or a crowned wheel machine and I don't understand what is meant by Once the band reaches about 3 o'clock.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Who brought the popcorn? This keeps getting more entertaining but I’m starting to get a little hungry.

[Greg Quenneville]

Chris I think the comment was taking a dig at the idea that the tire has to support the teeth of the blade when in fact most of any tooth's travel is unsupported.

Like Edward, I never understood the argument that you should tun a blade with tooth set, as they all have, in the center of an uncrowned tire. Nor do I get how a crowned tire supports the teeth. I do however observe the very popular practice of just making stuff up to support an ill-conceived idea.

[John TenEyck]

Chris I think the comment was taking a dig at the idea that the tire has to support the teeth of the blade when in fact most of any tooth's travel is unsupported.

Like Edward, I never understood the argument that you should tun a blade with tooth set, as they all have, in the center of an uncrowned tire. Nor do I get how a crowned tire supports the teeth. I do however observe the very popular practice of just making sh*t up to support an ill-conceived idea.

I've never owned a BS with flat tires, but I would expect that there's no other option with narrow blades than to run them fully on the tire, whether near the front, or in the middle, probably makes no difference, but I doubt you could run a 1/4" blade with the teeth overhanging the front of the tire. How adjustable the rear thrust bearing is may ultimately dictate where narrow blades need to be run on a saw that also can support wide blades.

With crowned tires the mechanics support running the blade, whatever it's width, centered on the upper wheel.

Regardless of the type of tire or width of blade, the concept is to have the blade running parallel with the miter slot so that the table and fence never need to be adjusted once first set.

John

[Edward Weber]

Your post (for me) creates more confusion by not specifying whether you have a flat wheel machine or a crowned wheel machine and I don't understand what is meant by Once the band reaches about 3 o'clock.

Alex Snodgrass does videos about how to set up a 14" Delta (or Asian clone)
Think of the top wheel of a bandsaw as a clock face, the blade begins to make contact with the wheel/tire at 9 o'clock and has contact all the way until the 3 o'clock position, where the blade leaves.
The space between the two wheels is where we cut and the blade is tensioned, the teeth don't require support. it's nonsense words.
This leads to more nonsensical mutterings about guides and so on but I won't get into all of his ramblings.

https://www.google.com/search?q=snodgrass+bandsaw+tune+up&complete=0&hl=en&source=hp&ei=haGVZMqZK6WWkPIPjbWjiAs&iflsig=AOEireoAAAAAZJWvlTi1aWGfRNZnOyOLnW56kb-ZhikI&oq=sondgrass+bandsaw+tune&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYADIHCAAQDRCABDIGCAAQFhAeMgg IABCKBRCGAzoECAAQAzoLCAAQigUQsQMQgwE6EQguEIMBEMcBE LEDENEDEIAEOhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAzoFCC4QgAQ6Cwg AEIAEELEDEIMBOhEILhDHARDUAhCxAxDRAxCABDoFCAAQgAQ6C AguEIAEELEDOgsILhCKBRCxAxCDAToLCC4Q1AIQsQMQgAQ6Cwg uEIAEELEDEIMBOgsILhCABBDHARCvAToOCAAQgAQQsQMQgwEQy QM6CAgAEIoFEJIDOg4ILhCABBCxAxDHARDRAzoICAAQgAQQsQM 6BwgAEIAEEAo6CgguEIAEELEDEAo6BwguEIAEEAo6CggAEIAEE LEDEAo6BwguEA0QgAQ6DQguEA0QrwEQxwEQgAQ6DQguEA0QgAQ QxwEQrwE6BggAEB4QDToICAAQBRAeEA1QAFjuNWDfVGgAcAB4A IAB6wGIAa4TkgEHMTEuMTAuMZgBAKABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:69aa0b89,vid:CFZOlNsAgBU

[Joel Gelman]

On my flat tired Laguna 24/24 bandsaw, seems to be a majority opinion that best tracking for a 1 inch blade is teeth slightly overhanging the front of the tire. Interesting that the owner's manual (as I showed with the previously attached picture) mentioned that as an option but slightly favored having the blade in the center of the slightly wider tire.

Before reading the replies, I installed the new blade centered, and tested with a resaw on a 7 inch wide piece of walnut using my Co-Matic feeder. I had it to the faster speed by mistake but the board went through like butter. I do not think a tracking change would give me a better cut, but perhaps would better protect the tire.

On the idea you do not need a 1 inch blade to resow wider boards on a bigger bandsaw, when I was told by Ben Rock that this is true for the very rigid powerful Yates Y-30 snowflake with a very good 3/8 blade, I thought how nice that would be. No blade changes unless I wanted a blade smaller for certain curved cuts, and those can be done on my smaller bandsaw.

Now, I see there are skeptics on that, even though Ben has been restoring and using these vintage bandsaws for decades, and he has done that professionally. Attached is a photo from his shop I visited showing part of his setup for working on bandsaw tires and wheels. When I get the saw, I will not do a comparison as I know how my new 1 inch cuts and I do not need better if that is even possible. If I can resaw just as good on a 3/8, I am done, and saved the money on buying a 1 inch. If not as good, then I buy the wider blade. I know a lot of people use the 1 inch and I have been one of them. That does not mean it is needed, especially for these vintage saws that are properly set up. To me I will be all about how the blade cuts the wood! All advice greatly appreciated.


503252

[Robert Hazelwood]

If you can tension the 1" blade I don't see how the 3/8" blade would be as good for resawing. It doesn't have to do with your saw (other than achieving sufficient tension), it's the resistance of the band to bending backwards into the thrust guide as you feed the stock. When the blade bends backwards it will start to wander. The 1" blade will be something like 20x stiffer in that direction (cubic relationship to depth of beam vs. stiffness). The other limiting factor is gullet size- if the gullets fill with sawdust before exiting the cut the blade will wander and overheat. The wider the blade and bigger the gullets, the faster you can feed while getting good cut quality.

The 3/8" will resaw if sharp and a decent tpi, but you'll have to baby the feed rate in comparison to the 1". That may be fine if you don't resaw wide material on a production basis, and so it may be worth it to feed slower vs changing a blade. Maybe that's the tradeoff that made sense for the fellow you are reading.

[Bert McMahan]

Alex Snodgrass does videos about how to set up a 14" Delta (or Asian clone)
Think of the top wheel of a bandsaw as a clock face, the blade begins to make contact with the wheel/tire at 9 o'clock and has contact all the way until the 3 o'clock position, where the blade leaves.
The space between the two wheels is where we cut and the blade is tensioned, the teeth don't require support. it's nonsense words.
This leads to more nonsensical mutterings about guides and so on but I won't get into all of his ramblings.



I don't keep up with Alex other than from watching one of his setup videos (which took very little time and worked great for my particular saw, but I'm pretty sure he means that for a crowned blade, the maximum tension is applied at the top of the crown. Thus, it follows that you'd want the max tension in the blade to be right behind the teeth.

Whether or not the strain is actually distributed such that the peak is right at the crown or not I can't say, but it's not like he's just making up nonsense words.

If you grab a piece of paper by two adjacent corners and tighten it, the edge of the paper between those corners will be much better "supported" than the opposite edge of that piece of paper. "Supported" might not be the best word to use there but I'm not sure of a better one offhand.

[Edward Weber]

Robert is correct, it's not about being a skeptic or not, it's physics.
You can not push a board through a 3/8" blade the same as a 1" blade, for all the reasons listed above.
A 1" blade does not deflect as easily as a 3/8" blade does, it's that simple.

Also I personally didn't say NEED a 1" blade. I said they're better for their designed task, they cut straighter.

My saw is only 2HP, and I don't think a 1" blade is warranted (or possibly tightened enough for me) so I use a 3/4", 3 or 4 tpi blade when resawing.
I would say I resaw a little faster than the guys in the video, depends on the species.
It's better to have a slightly smaller blade than necessary that's set up working properly, than the maximum size blade with too little tension or requiring more power than the saw can provide.
All the pieces should match.

Last word:
If you want to resaw and cut tight curves, get good at changing blades or get two saws. There are no shortcuts or magic bullets, only compromises.

[Joel Gelman]

I am certainly wanting a shortcut and to avoid blade changes if and only if that can happen without compromises. I do have a second bandsaw to use with a smaller blade, say 1/4. I just figured if I had a 3/8 instead of a 1 inch on the bigger bandsaw, and no compromises, it would be nice to avoid blade changes when wanting to make a curved cut with the larger bandsaw.

I will find out when I get the saw. I know what it is like to cut with a 1 inch high quality blade, and it is great. I am hoping it will be equally nice with the new old saw with a smaller blade when I get it. If not, then it will have a 1 inch blade most of the time.

[Warren Lake]

mostly just used the general and when not good enough for one job bought a few wadkins then the job changed before I put time into them. Im no expert on bandsaws but when I do set these up ill likely check Michael fortune seems past saw a bandsaw you tube or part of his and he likely had five of them and different set ups.

[Edward Weber]

I would say that your best compromise would be a 1/2" 4 tpi blade.
IMO, a decent all around happy medium.
You're not going to resaw large boards or even small ones fast but it can be done. You will however, be able to cut a much tighter radius than a 1" blade.
3/8" blade, 1 1/2" radius
1/2" blade, 2 1/2" radius
1" blade, 7" radius

[Jim Becker]

Joel, unless I need to resaw something "serious" or require some more intricate scrolling, I pretty much leave a 1/2" band on my MM16 for general cutting. Resawing does happen, but I rarely scroll on the bandsaw given I have the CNC that can handle much of that kind of thing. While I "can" run a 1" band on my saw, I pretty much never run higher than 3/4".

[Chris Parks]

Chris I think the comment was taking a dig at the idea that the tire has to support the teeth of the blade when in fact most of any tooth's travel is unsupported.

Like Edward, I never understood the argument that you should tun a blade with tooth set, as they all have, in the center of an uncrowned tire. Nor do I get how a crowned tire supports the teeth. I do however observe the very popular practice of just making stuff up to support an ill-conceived idea.
I get it now, somes thicker than others! I suppose my lack of understanding was caused by the way I set up a BS, I position the band where it is going to stay and then set the guides and table to the band. I need to do it that way because I use a sliding sled for cutting small stuff and it is guided by the table slot. It is easier to get the slot parallel to the blade by moving the table than mucking around with tracking. I might do that once every year as that saw has a carbide 3/4" band which is never changed. I think doing it the way I do is the correct way to set up a hobby BS but others probably don't agree with me.

[Bill Dufour]

lumber mills resharpen their band saw blades. How would you like to do that on a 30 foot long blade 6 inches wide. with teeth on both sides? Not for me. I suppose it is theoretically possible to sharpen a hacksaw blade. It is hard o find a standard American/European style carpenters saw these days. Most are double action timber saw tooth form so they rip out regardless of direction of cut. They cut on push and pull stroke making splinters in both directions on both faces.
Bill D

[Edward Weber]

I get it now, somes thicker than others! I suppose my lack of understanding was caused by the way I set up a BS, I position the band where it is going to stay and then set the guides and table to the band. I need to do it that way because I use a sliding sled for cutting small stuff and it is guided by the table slot. It is easier to get the slot parallel to the blade by moving the table than mucking around with tracking. I might do that once every year as that saw has a carbide 3/4" band which is never changed. I think doing it the way I do is the correct way to set up a hobby BS but others probably don't agree with me.

IMO, that is backwards.
Your method just eliminates the built in tracking adjustment and you substitute it by by moving the table.

When setting up pretty much anything, set up the the adjustable parts by referencing off a fixed part. Adjust only the parts that are meant to be adjusted.
bottom wheel fixed, align upper wheel co-planer
Table and fence fixed, align blade to miter slot
Hope that makes sense to you.
You're method, while it works for you, has more potential for error.

I use sleds all the time, aligning the blade to track parallel to the fence and miter slot is a simple process and should take no more than a few minutes.

[Jim Becker]

lumber mills resharpen their band saw blades. How would you like to do that on a 30 foot long blade 6 inches wide. with teeth on both sides? N

Mills use a machine that advances the band automatically after each tooth is ground. There's no handling by persons other than loading the band onto the sharpening machine.

------

I track all bands on my MM16, other than the tiny 1/8" band I happen to own, with the teeth just off the edge of the wheel which is normal for a flat tire machine. It's a rare thing that I would use the tiny band, but if I do, I have to re-track for the very narrow band to be completely on the wheel and be careful not to over-tension. I hate retracking, so it's been a few years since I used that narrow band and it's unlikely I'll use it again since I have the CNC.

[John TenEyck]

I am certainly wanting a shortcut and to avoid blade changes if and only if that can happen without compromises. I do have a second bandsaw to use with a smaller blade, say 1/4. I just figured if I had a 3/8 instead of a 1 inch on the bigger bandsaw, and no compromises, it would be nice to avoid blade changes when wanting to make a curved cut with the larger bandsaw.

I will find out when I get the saw. I know what it is like to cut with a 1 inch high quality blade, and it is great. I am hoping it will be equally nice with the new old saw with a smaller blade when I get it. If not, then it will have a 1 inch blade most of the time.

That is not going to happen. If you have two saws that can apply equal tension to the same blade, they will cut the same. A 3/8" blade isn't going to resaw as well as a 1" blade no matter what saw it's on.

For your situation, like many of us, having two saws is the best option. I keep the 1" carbide blade on my 5 hp saw for resawing and slicing veneer, and a 1/4 to 3/8" blade on my 14" Delta for everything else. I never change blades unless it breaks, or for some rare circumstance.

John

[glenn bradley]

"Is Alex Snodgrass correct?"

I love Alex and his advice is great for the weekend warrior.


What Tom said is correct. For any FLAT-TIRED bandsaw:

<1/2” blade = Track blade in the center of the tire.

>1/2” blade = Track so teeth overhang the front of the tire

Erik

What Erik said is correct for your situation.

[Tom Trees]

I've just measured that spare Centauro tire now, it's 37mm wide, so there's 1mm in the difference from apex to centreline.
I wonder what difference that makes when tracking narrow blades?
503305

[Edward Weber]

"Is Alex Snodgrass correct?"

I love Alex and his advice is great for the weekend warrior.



HIs advise has done more harm than good.
Rambling off unsubstantiated musings about nonsense theories do nothing more than confuse those who don't know any better and/or won't bother to figure things out on their own.

Another gem or two from A.S.,
Blade Tensioning:
Tapping on the blade with one finger, you should get less than 1/8" movement, then you know it's tensioned properly, no matter what size blade.
It's not that simple
Blade guides:
Since you always put the gullet in the center of the tire, you never have to adjust the side guides, no matter what size blade.
One bad idea based off another

The most egregious thing he says, is in regards to tracking or as he refers to it co-planer.
He scares people into never touching the tracking adjustment knob for fear they'll screw things up and never be able to get it back to where the manufacturer set it.
He is a major reason why people can't, won't, don't track their blades properly and wind up moving the fence or the entire table to try and get a decent cut.
I find it sad, a little pathetic and it ticks me off.

https://www.google.com/search?q=snodgrass+bandsaw+tune+up&complete=0&hl=en&source=hp&ei=haGVZMqZK6WWkPIPjbWjiAs&iflsig=AOEireoAAAAAZJWvlTi1aWGfRNZnOyOLnW56kb-ZhikI&oq=sondgrass+bandsaw+tune&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYADIHCAAQDRCABDIGCAAQFhAeMgg IABCKBRCGAzoECAAQAzoLCAAQigUQsQMQgwE6EQguEIMBEMcBE LEDENEDEIAEOhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAzoFCC4QgAQ6Cwg AEIAEELEDEIMBOhEILhDHARDUAhCxAxDRAxCABDoFCAAQgAQ6C AguEIAEELEDOgsILhCKBRCxAxCDAToLCC4Q1AIQsQMQgAQ6Cwg uEIAEELEDEIMBOgsILhCABBDHARCvAToOCAAQgAQQsQMQgwEQy QM6CAgAEIoFEJIDOg4ILhCABBCxAxDHARDRAzoICAAQgAQQsQM 6BwgAEIAEEAo6CgguEIAEELEDEAo6BwguEIAEEAo6CggAEIAEE LEDEAo6BwguEA0QgAQ6DQguEA0QrwEQxwEQgAQ6DQguEA0QgAQ QxwEQrwE6BggAEB4QDToICAAQBRAeEA1QAFjuNWDfVGgAcAB4A IAB6wGIAa4TkgEHMTEuMTAuMZgBAKABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:69aa0b89,vid:CFZOlNsAgBU

[Frank Pratt]

HIs advise has done more harm than good.
Rambling off unsubstantiated musings about nonsense theories do nothing more than confuse those who don't know any better and/or won't bother to figure things out on their own.

Another gem or two from A.S.,
Blade Tensioning:
Tapping on the blade with one finger, you should get less than 1/8" movement, then you know it's tensioned properly, no matter what size blade.
It's not that simple
Blade guides:
Since you always put the gullet in the center of the tire, you never have to adjust the side guides, no matter what size blade.
One bad idea based off another

The most egregious thing he says, is in regards to tracking or as he refers to it co-planer.
He scares people into never touching the tracking adjustment knob for fear they'll screw things up and never be able to get it back to where the manufacturer set it.
He is a major reason why people can't, won't, don't track their blades properly and wind up moving the fence or the entire table to try and get a decent cut.
I find it sad, a little pathetic and it ticks me off.

https://www.google.com/search?q=snodgrass+bandsaw+tune+up&complete=0&hl=en&source=hp&ei=haGVZMqZK6WWkPIPjbWjiAs&iflsig=AOEireoAAAAAZJWvlTi1aWGfRNZnOyOLnW56kb-ZhikI&oq=sondgrass+bandsaw+tune&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYADIHCAAQDRCABDIGCAAQFhAeMgg IABCKBRCGAzoECAAQAzoLCAAQigUQsQMQgwE6EQguEIMBEMcBE LEDENEDEIAEOhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAzoFCC4QgAQ6Cwg AEIAEELEDEIMBOhEILhDHARDUAhCxAxDRAxCABDoFCAAQgAQ6C AguEIAEELEDOgsILhCKBRCxAxCDAToLCC4Q1AIQsQMQgAQ6Cwg uEIAEELEDEIMBOgsILhCABBDHARCvAToOCAAQgAQQsQMQgwEQy QM6CAgAEIoFEJIDOg4ILhCABBCxAxDHARDRAzoICAAQgAQQsQM 6BwgAEIAEEAo6CgguEIAEELEDEAo6BwguEIAEEAo6CggAEIAEE LEDEAo6BwguEA0QgAQ6DQguEA0QrwEQxwEQgAQ6DQguEA0QgAQ QxwEQrwE6BggAEB4QDToICAAQBRAeEA1QAFjuNWDfVGgAcAB4A IAB6wGIAa4TkgEHMTEuMTAuMZgBAKABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:69aa0b89,vid:CFZOlNsAgBU

I couldn't agree more. He reminds me of one of those hucksters that sells stuff at the annual fair. Oh wait, that is literally what he is.

[Joel Gelman]

As the OP, as an FYI, I did not necessarily think the Snodgrass setup method was applicable to my situation, but I mentioned it as one of several methods mentioned. I went to his Bandsaw workshop at Woodcraft this past year, and after the class, I was asking about the Yates Snowfake setup and he was not familiar with the word "Snowflake"... as related to vintage bandsaws. His world is the 14 inch saw.

As this thread is wandering, I will add some positives from that class.

1. Good demo of how to fold a blade several different ways, with online videos to help others.

2. Good explanation of how to address drift. He explained that you never try to correct for drift by adjusting the fence toe in-out because you want to always have the fence parallel to the miter slot. That made total sense to me. Therefore, you adjust the table or the blade (via tracking tweaks where the tire is crowned). I liked the demo of taking a long board, marking a parallel line, then cutting on the line. If the board remains parallel to the fence, there should be no drift.

3. Good demo of how you can make curved cuts with ease with the right setup and smaller blade, and it made me realize my smaller bandsaw is best off with a smaller blade and if I do not have similar performance, something on my end needs to be adjusted with the guides or something else.

[Chris Parks]

IMO, that is backwards.
Your method just eliminates the built in tracking adjustment and you substitute it by by moving the table.

Perhaps but my BS has flat tyres and the ''tracking adjustment" is really just for positioning the blade on the wheel correctly IMHO. See what I mean about discussing this sort of stuff and not including the type of wheel profile the saw has.

[Edward Weber]

Perhaps but my BS has flat tyres and the ''tracking adjustment" is really just for positioning the blade on the wheel correctly IMHO. See what I mean about discussing this sort of stuff and not including the type of wheel profile the saw has.
Well Chris, you'll have to forgive me, I just haven't heard of anyone adjusting the table when they change a blade.
As I always say, do what works for you.

[Mel Fulks]

Well Chris, you'll have to forgive me, I just haven't heard of anyone adjusting the table when they change a blade.
As I always say, do what works for you.

Some of the tables swivel a bit

[Rod Sheridan]

Well Chris, you'll have to forgive me, I just haven't heard of anyone adjusting the table when they change a blade.
As I always say, do what works for you.

Hi, it’s done once during saw assembly, unless of course the table is doweled.

The fence is aligned with the mitre slot, once during assembly.

If you have crowned tires, tracking is then adjusted to eliminate drift, often not adjusted again.

If you have flat tires tracking will be adjusted as narrow blades are on the tire, wider blades with teeth forward of the tire.

Regards, Rod