BS Tension Guage-Don't need it!

[Doug Mason]

I am an amatuer who has had an MM16 for alittle over 2 years now. Prior to buying the bandsaw, I had never seen a bandsaw up close, and as I have no friends who work wood, I bought a Starret tension guage for fear that I would have major problems without it.

Fastforward to today, and I find that I haven't pulled out that tension guage in over 9 months--even when tensioning a one-inch blade! The bottom line is that I am quite sucessful without it--I get straight cuts and can cut 1/32 veneers. Experience in cutting w/the saw has taught me how to tension the blades by feel (I use Olsen and a 1 inch trimaster--and as a side-note, I think that the 1 inch blade is too big for the MM16). And I pay no attention to the guage on the machine.

So, to me, the tension guage ($250/300??) was a waste of my money. And if today I were asked by a complete beginner, I would recommend not buying a tension guage and just learn by trial and error.

Interested if others feel the same or differently.

[glenn bradley]

I've never used one or felt the need but, I don't resaw my own veneers. I believe you are right about letting your experience build before deciding to invest in a gauge. If you routinely foul expensive material due to tension issues then it might be a good investment.

Some folks don't recommend guided sharpening systems. I have never been able to get a good edge without some type of guide motorized or not. If I had the 'bandsaw tensioning' gene failure, I might find a gauge to be a good investment.

Thanks for sharing your experience. These are the kind of posts that add value to the forum for everyone.

[Steven Wilson]

The tension guage on the Centauro bandsaws are pretty useless. Mine (MM20) reads proper tension for a 1/4" blade even If I don't have a blade on the saw. I don't routinely use a tension guage for setting the blade tension (I have a couple of pencil marks for that) but I do measure and record the tension when I detension the blade. Having charted tensions for various blades for a few years I find that I can tell when my non-carbide blades start to get dull. I end up having to increase blade tension when the blade dulls. If I have to add more than 3K psi or so then it's probably time to change the blade (at least with Timberwolf AS blades I use on bowl blanks). Of course I haven't measured any noticeable change with the Trimaster, it's still cutting like it did on day one. Do you need the Starret? Of course not, but for those of us who are rather AR it's another cool tool to have around.