Bandsaw blade issue

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

I've never been a huge bandsaw user. I have a 14" Delta and it's just never been a huge part of my wood working life.

Until now I've kept thin blades on it and used it to cut curves and not much else.

Well that all changed once I put a resaw blade on there and now I'm finally starting to understand the enormous potential of this machine.

 

Anyway, I'll cut to the chase.

I installed a 5/8" resaw blade and I can't seem to keep it centered on the wheels. As soon as I turn it on, the blade moves to the front of the wheel as shown.

-- I don't think it's the tires, they're less than 1 year old.

-- the tension is correct for the blade size, at least according to the gauge on the saw.

My method for setting the blade is to de-tension, and use a scrap to push the blade to the middle of the wheel while I manually rotate the wheels. 

Once I have it centered on both wheels, I reset the tension.

Then, as soon as I turn it on, the blade comes to the front.

I have ceramic guide blocks and they're set correctly, both the upper and lower assemblies.

Could this be a camber issue?

Something else? 

It seems to run ok but I feel like the blade should be seated on the tire.

The thinner blades I've used previously (1/4", 3/16") did not have this issue. They stayed more or less in the center of the tire. I understand that the wheels are not flat, but rather there is a high point in the middle, but I still feel like this bigger blade should be seated better than this.

On the lower wheel, the teeth of the blade end up completely off the tire.

Thoughts?

 

[Chet]

Most bandsaws have a knob on the back side that allows you to change the tilt of the upper wheel which will adjust were the blade runs on the wheels.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Ok thanks @Chet I was thinking that's probably camber. 

Do you know which way to move the blade back? I'd assume tilt the top wheel back to bring the blade back?

[Chet]

2 minutes ago, applejackson said:

Do you know which way to move the blade back?

No, but if you adjust the knob a little in one direction and then spin the upper wheel by hand you should see which way the blade is adjusting. 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

 @Chet there's no know that I know of except the knob to tension the blade. Having said that I do remember adjusting the camber once or twice in the past. I'll have to play with it a bit to rediscover how that happens.

Anyway, thanks for the responses.

[wtnhighlander]

Aim for getting the bottom of tbe gullets aligned to the center of the wheel. That should keep the cutting teeth straight, and under maximum tension, resulting in the straightest, drift-free cut.

[Mark J]

You could also google 'Snodgrass bandsaw set up'.  He has a video taking you through all the steps including adjusting the saw blade tracking.  

There is certainly going to a tracking adjustment on your saw somewhere.  It just may not be a convenient knob on the back.

[gee-dub]

Possibly more or less sophisticated but, probably something like this.

 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

@Mark J @Chet @wtnhighlander

Thanks all. Yep there was a knob I just thought it was for something else. Easy fix. I used the knob to moved the wheel back toward the rear of the cabinet and it's tracking well now with the gullets resting on the raised center of the wheel.

Thanks!

[Byrdie]

I was already to type an answer and see you got it handled due to the correct and timely answers of the others.  

Simply, moving the top of the wheel toward you (screwing "out" the adjustment knob) will move the blade away from you toward the center of the wheel - what you need in the first picture above.  The opposite will have the opposite effect.  The bottom of the gullet, not the center of the band, is what should be centered on the wheel.  That, in short, is the Snodgrass set up and a very efficient one.

It's not the tool I use the most but my bandsaw is top three of my favorite tools in the shop and a proper set up, when you figure it out, makes it even more fun to use.  Don't go by the markings built into the saw.  Get a feel for proper tension and tracking by listening to the sounds your saw makes, both on good and bad cuts, and the sound it makes when you strum it like a fiddle string.  It should make a nice, tight "ping."  You'll recognize the sound when you hear it.

Happy resawing!

[Chris208]

I have the same saw. I tension 3/8” and 1/2” blades to above the 3/4 mark on the gauge. I’ve done this using a few different manufacturers of blades and never had a problem. 

Try cranking up the tension and see what it does. 

Also, you might have trouble properly tensioning a blade over 1/2”