Band saw blade drift solved

Alan Bienlein

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Well I just learned something a few days ago about blade drift on the band saw. I found out how easy it was to get rid of. It was so simple that I couldn't believe it. All this time I have been adjusting my fence and could never get it consistent with blade changes. I ended up making the blade tracking on the center of the upper wheel and then proceeded to make sure the miter gauge slot on the table was parallel with the blade and then aligned the fence to the miter gauge slot.

I got a cheap home depot brand 3/8" blade that had a few miles on it and proceeded to rip a few pieces of wood and they came out straight and parallel. I couldn't believe it so I got a different piece of wood and got the same results.

Now the real test was putting in my good 1/2" blade I got from woodcraft. I checked the tracking to make sure it was centered and got the same results as the cheap 3/8" dull blade. No drift what so ever.

All this time I've been fighting with blade drift and all I had to do was a few simple alignment checks that we normally do on our table saws.
 
Yup! When I got my Grizzly G0555 I spent a bunch of time just setting it up and used the 3/8 blade that came with it to start. Got good straight rips right out of the chute and when I put on a "real" blade (Olson Brand), it still cut just fine with no drift. Set up on any machine is 99.9% of preventing any future problems. Glad you had good results.:thumb:
 
would you go into more detail alan on how you aligned the table to the blade..you mean from under neath or just threw the upper wheel adjustment..to me a 3/8" wide surface isnt very much to register off of??
 
My G0513 17" bandsaw has crowned tires, so I have always adjusted the tracking to give me a straight cut rather than mess with the fence. Same with my new G0555 14". Bandsaws with flat tires do require fence adjustment, as I understand, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with that. :)
 
Bill whats your method to achieve this? Do you do it by trial and error. Cutting after each adjustment?

Because i had same concerns as Larry re Alans method re referencing off a strip as narrow as 3/8" to align a mitre guage slot.

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Bill whats your method to achieve this? Do you do it by trial and error. Cutting after each adjustment? ...
Trial and error, mostly. I keep a 1/2" Woodslicer on my 17" saw. I've learned about where the blade needs to be visually from doing a lot of re-saw. I use a scrap of 2x4 to test before cutting anything serious.
 
Yup! When I got my Grizzly G0555 I spent a bunch of time just setting it up and used the 3/8 blade that came with it to start. Got good straight rips right out of the chute and when I put on a "real" blade (Olson Brand), it still cut just fine with no drift. Set up on any machine is 99.9% of preventing any future problems. Glad you had good results.:thumb:

When I got my Griz 0555 setting it up and doing the adjustments was a real learning curve. I had no experience and no one to turn to for advice. That might have been the best way to learn. Now, changing blades, using is second nature. I don't have blade drift and do not (and never have) adjust the fence for drift. IMHO, sharp and proper tension are the most important factors.
 
Well by getting the saw adjusted properly it didn't matter if the blade was sharp or dull. I tensioned with the flutter method.

As far as aligning the blade to the miter slot I used the steel rule from my combination square up against the blade till there was no gaps between the two. I did it numerous times just to see if I was consistent and it came out the same every time.

Larry I loosened the bolts holding the trunnions to the top and shifted the top till it was aligned. Basically just like you would do with a table saw.

I take some step by step photos and post them.
 
Congrats Alan. I'm with Bill A. I am sure saws/blades that drift are out there because people always seem to be talking about them. Of the half a dozen or so saws I have owned or used I have not had trouble simply aligning/tuning them to track "straight". This includes my old tilt-head Craftsman and my current plastic-wheeled 10" Rockwell/Delta. I seem to change blades a lot so changing my setup for drift is not an option. I change between 3/4", 1/2" and 3/8" on my larger saw and 1/4" and 1/8" on the little guy without readjusting anything except the guides. If its luck, I sure hope it keeps up :D.
 
I could use a hands on, now that the bandsaw is finally working great,figured out the tracking and tension after 2 years, I still get a bit of drift when I resaw, but thats what I thought the planer was for.(Im lost with the bandsaw, the reason I use it very rarely, besides, Im still afraid of it since I nicked my nail off, just cant shake that fear, so it sits dorment collecting dust and holding scraps)

I need to resaw some striped/ribboned mahogany for the closet doors Im about to make, and Im hesitating.
 
Larry I had tried to correct for drift by adjusting where the blade tracks on the upper wheel with no success. It wasn't till I adjusted the table to the blade with the blade centered on the crown of the upper wheel that I was able to eliminate drift.
 
ok ,, do me a favor and look at where your blade runs on the bottom wheel if you have the blade in the center of the top wheel.. then i will know what to expect tomorrow when i try out your method.. i had always been told you adjust the fence to the saw..but if you and bill and glenn say differnt then its time to rethink..
 
Here are some pictures. I was going to take some more but the battery is to low to photograph.
001.JPG002.JPG
I don't take the teeth into account when centering the blade.
 
You can't get a straight on view of mine due to the saw body but, in case this helps anyone:
 

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ok so you have the blade centered on the tire,, now did you adjust the table as well glenn? like alan did?

Yep. On my G0513X you just loosen the trunnion screws, snug one to use as a pivot point and line 'er up. I used a spring-clip to hold a metal rule to the blade (between the teeth where its flat) and aligned to that. It doesn't have to be down to .001" like a tablesaw or anything but, I am able to slice off some pretty thin stuff. The small saw's trunnions are a joke. It is definitely a hobby-shop sort of a machine but, even there I can line things up pretty well. It is more of a trial and error on the small machine as it was never designed to be as accurate as I have been lucky enough to get it. It's kind of like setting jointer knives; you have to get used to how much the table is going to shift as you apply the torque and that just comes by repeated attempts. The larger saw is designed to be adjusted and so, is much more predictable. Once aligned, I swap blades without giving travel relative to the fence a thought; it just seems to stay put(?).
 

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Hi,

My 17 inch BS is the same as Glenn's (Grizzly G0135 x2), only a few years younger. Glenn set it up for me in the original installation. I use the fence to rip. I have never had to readjust it. Yesterday I ripped a piece of Oak. Thickness of slice was 3/64 inch. Vertical thickness 3 3/4 inch.

I love that saw. It is so much easier to change blades. I could change the blade, with the Grizzly, at least five times in the time it takes to change once on the 14 inch Delta (older than 1951*). Speaking of the Delta: Glenn adjusted it for me a year or two ago. I used the fence to re-saw with it. However, the blade was changed only a couple times during that period. I just used the half-inch, four tooth blade for whatever I was doing. I would cut pieces out; I would back-up; I just would not change the blade until really dull. It did not drift either!

I did put Carter ball bearing guides on the Delta a few years ago.

* It was my father's. I can find the exact date if anyone really cares.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
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