can you change the alignment of a band saw blade, i.e. bend it to the left?

[Jay Jones]

I felt it would be appropriate to post the outcome of adjusting the table etc.
First the blade is brand new. It's a ½" Wood Slicer blade from Highland Woodworking.
Second I followed their instructions regarding installation and tension.
Third I've had the band saw since 2007 and just never used it much.
Fourth I followed the suggestions of Alex Snodgrass as to placement of the blade on the wheel.
Fifth I did finally get the miter slot aligned to the blade and the blade is 90° to the table.
Sixth I took out the blocks and cleaned them and flattened them and also cleaned the tires.
I have a Kreg fence that I aligned to the slot.

Then I took a 5 7/8" tall x 1" thick piece of black cherry that was squared with my jointer and proceeded to try and trim off 1/8" inch to make a 7/8" thick piece of 24" long wood.
I didn't use anything on the outside to hold the wood against the fence, other than my push stick (made for the band saw). I didn't move the fence far enough and ended up only cutting off a thin piece that measured .065 at the top and .050 bottom. I have no expectation of cutting pieces such as that normally but I am content with the band saw now.

I appreciate all the input. I still think I may get a bigger machine because the max height of this is only 6" and I could use more power.

[Lee Schierer]

I still think I may get a bigger machine because the max height of this is only 6" and I could use more power.

If we align the table on our table saws to the blade, why wouldn't we do the same thing on a new band saw?

I thought my saw needed more power as it seemed to stall when making maximum height cuts, until I tightened the belt a bit.

[Floyd Mah]

Thanks for the discussion. I was inspired to tackle my setup again. (I have a G0514X). I found that the top was poorly aligned. Even so, at the extremes of the adjustment, I still needed a slight angling of the guide fence to get a good cut, but now I can get good results.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Thanks for the discussion. I was inspired to tackle my setup again. (I have a G0514X). I found that the top was poorly aligned. Even so, at the extremes of the adjustment, I still needed a slight angling of the guide fence to get a good cut, but now I can get good results.

While I was modifying my Record Power BS350S to install the Rikon tool-free blade guides, I learned there is a lot of table adjustment available if I also loosen the two bolts that hold the trunnion to the frame and move the entire trunnion and table assembly. Fortunately, I was able to align the table to the blade without going to these extremes.

[Kevin Jenness]

I find it easier to adjust the fence for drift than the blade position relative to the crown of the wheel. I have an old Crescent 36" with Wright guides that are rather finicky to set up and are positioned far enough forward that the 1" blades I use for resawing have to have the gullets forward of the wheel's centerline. I basically leave the side guides in place and adjust the wheel tilt to put the gullets just behind the guides, then bring up the backup bearing behind the blade. At that point I adjust the fence to match the blade drift, which varies with blade width. Drift can change as the blade dulls or if I sharpen it on the saw, so I may adjust the fence periodically. My table has no miter slots so that issue is moot. If I need a precise crosscut (rare) I use a backup block against the fence at at the appropriate angle.

I made a version of this fence which is easily adjusted and can work on either side of the blade, very useful when ripping bevels with support below the cut. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/a...bandsaw-fence/

[Curt Harms]

There is a tracking knob on the bandsaw that adjusts the angle of the upper wheel and hence the position of the blade on the upper wheel. Turning it will move it relative to the crown of the upper wheel. One way moves the drift left, the other way moves the drift right. I don't recall which is which. You have to be careful of this adjustment, since it is possible to have the blade fall off of the wheel. I just did that recently. If that were to happen, you risk damaging the blade. But back to the pertinent question, why would you want to fiddle with this adjustment? Since the upper wheel has a crown which helps keep the blade on the wheel, repositioning the blade forward will cause the blade's leading edge (the teeth) to deviate to the left and moving the blade backwards will do the opposite. In any case, it has bearing on your question whether there is a way to angle the blade. Remember what I said above, that it is possible to make too much correction and have the blade fall off the wheel. It's worth a try if you want to experiment.

This is a pretty simple thing to check. Move the guides away from the blade, move the blade tracking on the upper wheel, reset the guides and try it. On my saw - Rikon 10-325 - running the blade in the middle of the wheel works pretty well. Others advocate running the bottom of gullet in the center of the upper wheel. Moving the blade forward adjusts the drift on way, moving the blade moves the drift the other. I don't recall which is which. Surely something to experiment with before throwing a bunch of money at it. One exception to this procedure, it doesn't work on saws with flat wheels, they must be crowned.

[John K Jordan]

...Moving the blade forward adjusts the drift on way, moving the blade moves the drift the other. I don't recall which is which. ...

I use an 18" Rikon. I drew a big arrow on the case above the adjustment knob with an arrow and the words "Move blade towards door" to remind me of which way to turn the knob.

I keep the center of the blade in the center of the crown to avoid biasing the drift. Be advised that some blade tracking mechanisms change the tension. For those who adjust tension by hope and prayer this is probably not a concern.

Something I forgot to mention about drift. If the teeth on one side of the blade are less sharp than the other side, perhaps worn by lots of "skimming cuts", it can aggravate the drift, especially when cutting thick, dense wood.

JKJ

[Curt Harms]

I use an 18" Rikon. I drew a big arrow on the case above the adjustment knob with an arrow and the words "Move blade towards door" to remind me of which way to turn the knob.

I keep the center of the blade in the center of the crown to avoid biasing the drift. Be advised that some blade tracking mechanisms change the tension. For those who adjust tension by hope and prayer this is probably not a concern.

Something I forgot to mention about drift. If the teeth on one side of the blade are less sharp than the other side, perhaps worn by lots of "skimming cuts", it can aggravate the drift, especially when cutting thick, dense wood.

JKJ

True about the 'less sharp on one side than the other'. That is why some people keep separate blades for curved cuts and straight/resaw cuts. A curved cut can create more wear on one side of the blade than on the other. I generally use a 1/4" blade for curved cuts, 1/2" blade for straight/resaw. That way I don't get them confused.