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Thread: Agazzani B-24 band saw blade drift

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Agazzani B-24 band saw blade drift

    Hello Everybody. Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving.

    Just bought this Agazzani B-24 band saw. Long lusted for and finally acquired. Now begins the work of dialing it in. Despite a new 3/8" 3-4 tpi blade and Carter guides, when trying to cut even a fairly thin stock, I have blade drift to the right within a few inches of initiating the cut. So I know it's not the fence. Seems to happen only when cutting through any solid wood, regardless of maple or pine. When I was checking the fence, I used 3/8" plywood and had no problem cutting a straight line.

    I have the side guides adjusted to sit just behind the gullet of the blade. And the guide behind the blade is about hair behind the back of the blade. The tension of the blade is good. So I'm a little stumped. Putting a new blade on there later today to see if it makes a difference. But wondering if anybody has experience and insights with this set up that they'd like to share.

    Thank you all in advance.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    I’m pretty good at setting up my Aggi B 20-20. I find a new blade solves most problems with my bandsaws.
    If it doesn’t change I’d be surprised.

    Good Luck ,Nice saw.
    Aj

  3. #3
    Did you ever solve the problem? If so, how? Blade change? Shift the table a bit from underneath which then adjusts the fence? Adjust the fence-rail? How do you like the saw?

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Joel Gelman View Post
    Did you ever solve the problem? If so, how? Blade change? Shift the table a bit from underneath which then adjusts the fence? Adjust the fence-rail? How do you like the saw?
    Hi Joel, here is my experience: Blade "drift" is almost always caused by either inadequate blade tension (where the blade "wanders" and follows the grain, which some people think is drift) or a dull blade. And you would be surprised how many times that brand-new blade is really not that sharp after all. Bandsaw blades are as consumable as a consumable can be and you really should own several dupes of each grind. I would, under no circumstances, start trying to shift the cast iron table. That's opening a whole different can of worms that has nothing to with blade performance. Also, and this is my personal opinion: Trying to properly tension a 3/8" blade on a 24" bandsaw and get it to cut straight can be an uphill battle. 1/2" minimum, in my experience, and even then. You invest in a big saw like this for resawing and keep the 14-incher for thin blades. Hope this helps,

    Erik
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

  5. #5
    Thanks Erik. I was curious because I have had the Agazzani B-20 for some time and never had it dialed it. That was with more than 1 new blade and attention to some detail on the tensioning and tracking. The fence was never square and it is not really adjustable like the Kreg for square and drift. I was thinking of drilling out holes for the Kreg rail to change to that or perhaps a different aftermarket fence (not the drift master as I want the option of easily removing the fence rather than sliding it over and having it in the way), and it was Jesse at Eagle Tools (great guy I have known for many years who sold the Agazzani saws before they went out of business) who just recently suggested adjusting the table. Then when I saw this thread, it made me wonder how someone else addressed this issue with a similar saw.

    I always wonder if I should have got the B-24 over the B-20. I have a separate bandsaw with a permanently mounted Co-matic 110 feeder for resawing and ripping narrow long boards , so I am not needing the increased resaw capacity of a larger machine, but the table on the B-20 seems a bit smallish for curved cuts and larger pieces.

  6. #6
    Joel, I don't have an answer for you except to say that European bandsaws, regardless of brand, have always seemed super-easy to set up. At least for me. Basically, it's tracking, tension, quick and dirty guide adjustment, then align the fence so it's parallel with the mitre slot and you're good to go. I have seen the aluminum extrusions on Italian fences get really chewed up from repeated loosening and tightening. Where the bolts bite in. Maybe a fence could get gnarly enough from repeated tightening in the same spots to mess with alignment? I'm not sure; my saws had cast iron fences. Just thinking out loud. One note: I would be wary of hanging extension tables or anything heavy from the cast iron table of an Agazzani. That particular machine had the thinnest iron castings of any of the Italian saws. You're probably already aware of all this.

    Erik
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

  7. #7
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    Perhaps Ollie should consider the adjustments to the table alignment that were discussed recently in the Band Saw Setup thread
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joel Gelman View Post
    Did you ever solve the problem? If so, how? Blade change? Shift the table a bit from underneath which then adjusts the fence? Adjust the fence-rail? How do you like the saw?
    Hi Joel et al. I did indeed end up dialing this band saw in. Took me a while because there was some sort of long delay in the blade getting to me. So I changed the blade. 3/4” carbide. Aligned the fence to the miter slot. Then had to loosen the bolt on the bottom of the table and had to adjust slightly. A good bit of tweaking and the saw is running great. Love it.

  9. #9
    I just got back from visiting Jesse at Eagle tools. Came back, placed a thin long Starrett ruler-straight edge along the blade parallel using optical magnification, inched the fence up next to it. Not parallel at all. Loosened the 4 bolts, adjusted the table to parallel, tightened, fixed! No drift with a fence that is parallel to the blade and the miter slot. For me, that is what was the problem and solution. I suppose there can be other causes of problems and other fixes. I am glad my fix was simple.

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