Resawing Question

[Aaron Beaver]

Resawing: I am going to try some this weekend hopfully. I have the rollers that guide the blade (its a Powermatic with riser block.)

Anyway, should the rollers just touch the blade when resawing so it can't wonder as much?

[Alfred Clem]

Probably best you keep the rollers away from the blade, but about the width of a slip of paper away. I use a new dollar bill as my "feeler" gauge. Others may disagree.

[David Wilson]

The rollers should not touch the blade. I adjust mine using a dollar bill looped around the blade. set the rollers so they just touch the bill. the rollers only come into play when cutting.

[Aaron Beaver]

Thats the way I try to set up, just didin't know if resawing was different. Any tricks to keep the roller guides from moving when you are trying to tighten. One side moves toward the blade the other moves away, do I just need to hold on to it tighter?

[Mark Duginske]

Use a 1/2" hook tooth blade with 3 tpi (teeth per inch).

Stone the back of the blade. Check the weld, if it is smooth on the side you can use 1 piece of paper on one side of the bearing.

Mark Duginske

[Pete Bradley]

Roller guide manufacturers generally recommend less gap around the band than for solid blocks, on the order of .001-.002". In practice this isn't easily set with things like a dollar bill (about .004" thick). One approach is to use a feeler gauge the thickness of the band plus .001.

As far as guides moving when you tighten the screws, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again". Profanity helps too.:D

Pete

[Pete Brown]

Use a 1/2" hook tooth blade with 3 tpi (teeth per inch).

Stone the back of the blade. Check the weld, if it is smooth on the side you can use 1 piece of paper on one side of the bearing.

Mark Duginske

Mark, this is one of the pieces of passed-around wisdom I always wonder about.

At least one of the manufacturers (I think it was Lennox, but don't quote me there) said absolutely do not stone their blades.

Since we're debunking bandsaw myths lately, I didn't know if this one should go up for grabs too :)

Pete

[Mark Duginske]

I'm on a trip and my new book text is in an external hard drive at home otherwise I would copy the text and put it in this note. If some of my comments seem long winded it is because I copying some text from the book. I'm the source of that idea which I discovered by accident when I had a blade with a bad weld. Stoning the back helps the blade and the trust bearing.

I designed a stone which is dry and mounted on a stick which is now sold by Olson saw. I have not heard of a manufacturer discouraging "stoning" but if you track down the source let me know.

Thanks for the note.

Mark Duginske

[Pete Brown]

Thanks Mark

I think that stoning for curved cuts is a good idea. (I think I got that from your book), I just wasn't sure about resawing.

I'll check, but I believe it was Lennox. If I dig it up, I'll either post it here or start a new thread, depending on timing.

Pete

[lou sansone]

I can't see what reason there could be for not stoning the back of the blade. I have done it and not done it. It has little effect on my saw's performance

lou

[Aaron Beaver]

I bought a stone to do my 1/4" blade but never have done it. Not sure about doing it on a 1/2" blade. I mean, its only going straight so I am not sure what purpose it would serve or if it would help.

[Brian Hale]

Sometimes it's a bit of a struggle setting the guide wheels/blocks on a bandsaw and, as mentioned, profanity often comes into play.

Try this.... Take a scrap of wood a few inches wide and ~10" long and feed it part way into the blade and stop. Without moving the wood, trun off the saw and clamp the wood to the table. Lower the guide arm close the wood and then set the guide wheels/blocks. What this does is prevent the blade from shifting side to side as you move the wheel into the blade. Sorta takes 1 of the adjustments issues out of the equation.

FWIW, i set mine with a piece of .0015" brass shim stock wrapped around the blade.

Brian :)