Question about bandsaw set-up from new member

[Perry Underwood]

This is my first post. I'm pleased to find this forum. I've been reading it for a month or so.

My job is in Taiwan where I attempt to teach English. My hobby is building electric guitars. Within the last several years I've been able to put together a nice workshop.

Recently, I purchased a band saw and have a few questions about setting it up. Basically there are a few problems I need to tackle. I'm hoping I can get some ideas and suggestions.

My band saw was made by a company in Taiwan called OAV. They build many of the woodworking machines sold by Jet. My band saw is similar to several of the Grizzly models--so much in fact that I'm tempted to say that OAV builds them. My band saw is a 14 inch model.

The less serious problem I'm having is that I can get the wheels to be coplanar but the blade will not track in the center. I have a 1/2 inch Timberwolf blade on the machine now. The blade tracks towards the front of the wheels. I've read that this is not uncommon.

My question is if put a spacer on the upper wheel (the one that's out), should I be able to have both my wheels coplanar and have the blade track in the center of the wheels? I've read that 1/2 inch blades have a tendency to track towards the front of the wheels, so should I even be concerned about it?

The more serious problem is that the guide post (and the blade itself) moves backwards when a part of the upper wheel spins past the guide. I can see the blade shifting on the upper tire when turning the wheel by hand.

My thought is that either the tire is at fault or the wheel is not true. If the tire is the problem, I can solve the problem myself by replacing the tire. If the wheel is not true, I will need to find someone to fix it.

My question is how are band saw wheels made true? My wheels are cast iron, one of the reasons why I chose this band saw.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and ideas. Perry

[Michael Faurot]

The more serious problem is that the guide post (and the blade itself) moves backwards when a part of the upper wheel spins past the guide. I can see the blade shifting on the upper tire when turning the wheel by hand.


I have a 14" Grizzly and it had a similar issue. In particular the upper guide would, for lack of a better term, throb. When the blade was under tension and I spun the wheels manually I would see the guide move back and forth a bit. My fix was to replace the tires with Carter urethane replacements. No more throb.

[Perry Underwood]

Michael, thank you for your response. It's good to hear that the problem with my band saw may be solved with new tires.

My band saw was the showroom model, so it probably was on display for some time. This model was discontinued, and if I chose another model I would have to wait for the factory to build it. Because it had cast iron wheels and not wanting to wait a month or so for mine to be built, I asked them if they would sell the floor model. They agreed.

[glenn bradley]

Sounds like Michael has a good first step as it worked for him. The wheels are machined to be reasonably true. There are of course varying qualities of any part or assembly. My dad had good improvement from urethane tires on a 1940's Delta 14" and went the next step of Carter guide$ as well . . . start with the tires and let us know how it goes ;-)

P.s. My 1/2" ran forward on the wheels on my 12" when I had it. My 3/4" runs forward on my 17". Some of this can have to do with crown or lack of a crown. My dad did not crown his urethane tires and things seem to be better than fine. Someone with a little more BS know-how may chime in as to whether that is correct or just luck.

[Perry Underwood]

Glenn, thank you for the information.

I read in Duginske's book that blades 1/2 inch and larger have difficulty tracking in the center of the wheels. I probably have forgotten some of the information, but I remember this can be due, in part, to the making of the blade in which the tooth area becomes a little shorter during the manufacturing process.

Another reason mentioned in the book is that the crown on the tire is only about 1/4 inch wide. There's little surface to support a 1/2 inch and larger blade. These size blades find their own equilibrium, which tends to be toward the front on the wheels. I've noticed that my 3/8 inch blade tracks closer to the center with the wheels coplanar than the 1/2 does. Seems to make sense now.

I was also interested to read about coplanar tracking, which is where the wheels are coplanar but the blade is not centered on the tires. I would assume it is better for the wheels to be coplanar than to have the blade track in the center. I'd like to have both, though.

[Tony Ward]

Perry,

If you are looking for additional information this index provides a wide variety of very helpful answers ~ Bandsaws and Blades information sites (http://www.tonyward.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=3&id=38&Itemid=90%22%3E)

[Perry Underwood]

Tony, thank you for the link. Lots of good information there. I've been looking into new tires for the band saw. Rockler sells a set that has received good reviews.