Place the blade in the guides but don’t fit it to the drive wheels. Make sure the plates that the top wheel slides up and down between when adjusting blade tension are tight so there is no play in the adjuster block. Checking alignment with a straight edge between the wheels but it is better if you cut it to length so you can do this with the blade fitted as tension changes the top wheel mounting geometry.
On a typical wood or metal cutting blade the hook or of point of the blade should be pointing down for a vertical blade bandsaw, or for a horizontal blade saw the hook of the teeth should be pointed such that they enter the workpiece first as the blade moves. During regular cutting on a well set up bandsaw the blade will move or bow backwards a bit as you press the workpiece into it. The side guides will assist in keeping the blade cutting straight, but they are not an iron lock on the blade forcing it to cut straight.
Saws that are capable of using water soluble oils will leave an oily residue on the driving surface of the wheels when the water evaporates, causing the blade to slip off when the saw is under load. 2 – Using the blade as a gauge, check the guide bearings to ensure that they move freely and are not tight on the blade. The blade should be able to slide between the bearings without the bearings rotating when you hold the bearings with your fingers. 3 – Mount the blade on the machine and check the blade tracking.
Basically, the “Arms” move the blade closer, or further from the vise, and the “Wrists” pivot the blade’s axis. I put in a new blade, set rollers to touch and adjust it in by eye, loosen vice jaw and square it with the blade and lock down. Then do the same thing by setting square on table and eye ball that blade is vertical by sighting with square up next to blade.
how to adjust a metal cutting band saw Related Question:
How tight should metal bandsaw blade be?
The blade should deflect no more than 1/4 in. A good place to begin is to tension the blade until the meter reads proper tension for the next wider blade. For example, if you’re tensioning a 3/8-in.
Why does my metal bandsaw not cut straight?
Make sure the blade is running in the correct direction. On machines powered by three phases power so it is common to get the wiring reversed and have the blade running the wrong direction. On all vertical blade bandsaws the working portion of the blade should go down. This forces the workpiece down into the table.
Why does my bandsaw blade keeps coming off?
Blade Tension Is Too Loose The most common reason why the blade is slipping off is that there isn’t enough tension to keep it on. Blades can slowly become loose after years of wear and tear, and eventually, you’ll need to tighten or replace them.
Why can’t I cut a straight line with my bandsaw?
Band Saw: Why won’t my band saw cut straight? When the band saw cuts crooked, a dull blade, improper feeding, loose blade tension or not using a work piece guide could be the cause. Use the rip fence or miter gauge to guide the work piece uniformly through the cutting blade to make straight cuts.
What causes bandsaw drift?
Drift is cause because the blade buckles under the load. You can see that by stretching a ribbon between 2 points and applying a pressure to one of the edges, it will turn sideway easily. A sharp blade and high blade speed will help a lot with that.
What is the purpose of the blade guides on a bandsaw?
Bandsaw blade guides keep the bandsaw blade on track while cutting through materials. Blade guides should be set above and below the saw table to help reduce vibration by holding the bandsaw blade in place while cutting. This assures a precise and quality cut.
Why does my bandsaw blade wobble?
The blade on a saw left idle for long periods of time can leave an impression in the rubber tire which might cause erratic tracking. Purchase and install aftermarket replacement tires. (Search for “bandsaw tire” at woodcraft.com.) If you still see a back-and-forth motion, the culprit is probably the wheel itself.
How do you measure the tension on a bandsaw blade?
Bandsaw blade tension is usually worked out by measuring the elastic stretch (strain) of the blade under tension, and multiplying that by the Young’s modulus of steel and the blade’s cross-sectional aera to get the actual tension.