Doug Mason
10-15-2007, 12:05 PM
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.
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.