Rough bandsaw cut. need better blade? pic

[Michael Weber]

Attached is a picture of a piece of 3/4 inch cherry I cut using my little 12 in Craftsman I just picked up. Have never used a bs before and this one is many years old. Got the tracking adjustment un-frozen and working, original metal blocks adjusted using the dollar bill method and the thrust bearing barely touching the blades back when not actually sawing. The blade is a new Craftsman 1/4 inch 6tpi. I hope the pictures manages to show how rough the cut is. Is that normal for a bandsaw? I was expecting smoother but this is like a miniature wash board. Tried different tensions/feedrates with no real difference. Tires are old and a little beat up but the blade tracks pretty much in the center. Kind of seems to wander when cutting curves but I have no frame of reference to normal. I resawed some 5 inch cherry with a 1/2 inch 4tpi blade and while it cut pretty straight the cut was even rougher. Went slow on the resaw as it only has 1/2 HP. Will a better quality blade make a difference or new tires or better blocks? thanks, Mike

[Jamie Buxton]

The teeth on steel bandsaw blades have set. That is, alternating teeth along the blade are bent to the side. This cuts a kerf which is wider than the thickness of the band. If there were no set, the kerf would only be as wide as the band, and the band would bind in the cut. Another result from the set on the teeth is that the cut is not as smooth as, say, a carbide tablesaw blade.

[John Bailey]

I suspect your bandsaw can't tension the blade enough to cut even 4" material. That being said, a high tpi count will get a much smoother cut. I've got a couple blades that are about 12-18 tpi and they cut quite smooth. Again, that being said, I've never seen a bandsaw cut that will be as smooth as a circular saw type cut.

A picture, or more detailed description of the bandsaw, should provide more information to go on.

John

[Terry Beadle]

I have had my Craftsman 12 incher since 74. It just won't die! Now it's grown on me and I will not sell it but...

Anyway, get a 1/2 inch wood slicer blade from Highland hardware. It's about $30 but you will find that it lasts a really long time ( I used one for almost 3 yrs and the current one is in it's second yr ). Additionally it cuts a really smooth cut for a resaw blade.

Regarding tention, do go to the max. Ignor that silly gauge that's inside the cover and just put enough tention on the blade so that is is not easy to deflect more than a 1/4 inch to 3/8ths when the guide is up all the way. Start there and the blade will probably do a great job right out of the box. Don't forget to dry stone the back edge.

Works for me.

My 2 c.

[Gary McKown]

If it is about 25 years old, then it is the same as my old BS. As has been said, expect a rough surface and I think your example is reasonable for 6 tpi. Couple things - you will get much better performance from quality bands (e.g., Timberwolf) than the Craftsman variety, and a 3/8" blade is about all the machine will tension properly. I even use a 1/4" 4 tpi hook tooth low-tension blade to resaw 6" hardwoods - slowly, of course, but it gets the job done. Also, Cool Blocks allow better (tighter) blade control than the stock metal ones.

One other thing - shim up the throat insert, which normally is about 1/32" below the table surface, or make a zero clearance one of the correct thickness.

[Michael Weber]

Thanks guys. I guess I was expecting too much. Appreciate the tips. I didn't want to put too much into the saw and not see major improvement and it sounds like I wouldn't. Might try a quality blade and cool blocks though.
Thanks again,
Mike

[John Nixon]

Thanks guys. I guess I was expecting too much. Appreciate the tips. I didn't want to put too much into the saw and not see major improvement and it sounds like I wouldn't. Might try a quality blade and cool blocks though.
Thanks again,
Mike

Hi Mike,

I rehabbed a 12 inch Craftsman BS last week and I picked up a blade from Sears. I had the same result as you did. I returned the blade and went over to Rockler and bought an Olsen. It's the best damn $13 blade I've ever used. I bought a 6TPI 1/2 inch hook angle blade and resawed 6 inch material without any problem whatsoever. Like David Marks said on his shop episode - bandsaw performance is 80% blade.

[Michael Weber]

Hi Mike,

I rehabbed a 12 inch Craftsman BS last week and I picked up a blade from Sears. I had the same result as you did. I returned the blade and went over to Rockler and bought an Olsen. It's the best damn $13 blade I've ever used. I bought a 6TPI 1/2 inch hook angle blade and resawed 6 inch material without any problem whatsoever. Like David Marks said on his shop episode - bandsaw performance is 80% blade.
Thanks John. May pick up a better blade. Sounds like there are a lot of the Craftsman 12 inchers out there being used. Mine is pretty old and has a couple of other issues I didn't realize until I got it home. Oh Well, live and learn. Pretty cheap lesson. I wanted to get other opinions of the saw before I invested any more money into it. Just have zero experience with bandsaws.
thanks again, Mike

[Curt Harms]

For anyone unfamiliar with bandsaws, Mark Duginske's book is well regarded. It's available on Amazon for$13.57. Search Mark's name and You'll see his book.

HTH

Curt