Belt tracking on bandsaw

[David Song]

Hi,

I just purchased my first bandsaw. It's Craftman 10" and I just finished putting it together and have few questions.

The blade tracks on center of the upper wheel but it's slights off center on bottom wheel. I spun the wheel via hand several times and turned on the bandsaw to cut some thin spruce and the upper track and bottom remained the same as when I started.
Does it matter that blade on bottom wheel is not centered as long as belt on top wheel is centered?

What happens if your belt comes off the wheel while bandsaw is being used??? Can you get seriously injured?

This is my first major power tool and I need to know or what I'm going to need to use for dust collection. Does it need one? If so, what do you guys recommend?

thanks, David

[Steve Schoene]

As long as the blades are not shifting in use, it's not a major problem. By tuning the wheels to be co-planar you may, just possibly, be able to reduce drift in the cut.

With a band saw, when the blade comes off the wheels it no longer has power being applied to it. Usually the blade just makes a heck of a nice as it hits the blade guards. It's very rarely that a broken blade could spill itself out of the saw. Sure, you can get cut, but you aren't at all likely to cut off your hand or lose a digit. Usually it is just a scary moment. You are more likely to be cut unfolding a blade to put on the saw.

[Tom Veatch]

Steve pretty much covered it. The blade coming off the wheels has only happened to me one time. It was pretty noisy and gave me quite a start. It was my fault - backing out of a stopped cut in reaction wood, the kerf closed binding the blade. Should have turned off the saw and wedged the kerf open to free the blade, but no, there I was, like a fool, tugging on the workpiece trying to free it when the saw decided it had enough of that nonsense. Kinked the blade, but no blood.