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.
The original question of the saw not cutting square vertically is due to the fact that the blade cuts in the direction its pointing. What has been missed so far is that if the arm doesn’t fall square to the vice table, the blade, even if adjusted as above, it will still not cut square vertically. To know if you’ve got this problem, using 6″ engineers square like in the photo above, place it so the blade of the set square just touches the tip of one of the teeth that is set toward the vice and clamp it up hard.
03-24-2017, 08:08 PM #1 Horizontal bandsaw not cutting straight on 304 I’m having issues cutting 304 on my horizontal bandsaw. “Shortly after the blade makes contact, it jumps over and starts cutting ~1/8” towards the end of the bar. 03-24-2017, 08:20 PM #2 I’m having issues cutting 304 on my horizontal bandsaw.
Another very common cause of not tracking square through a cut is blade tension. Blade tension on these little saws is high… higher than you might ever imagine. If the blade isn’t precisely 90° to the table then there’s no way you’re going to get a square cut, it WILL drift.
Being a happy bandsaw owner has a lot to do with your approach to coping with the fact that a bandsaw simply will not cut straight, or, in the sage words of veteran woodworkers, “Adjusting for drift.” Even the top performing 14″ bandsaw on the market, Powermatic’s 14 Bandsaw 1791216K, comes with a no-frills fence with 4 bolts on top rather than easy and obvious thumbscrews or knobs that say, “Adjust me here!”. Making the bandsaw cut nice and straight with this fence is a snap.
I have experienced this kind of problem, if it’s not the band saw blade, it’s the tension or guides.
how to get a horizontal bandsaw to cut straight Related Question:
Why is my horizontal band saw not cutting 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.
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.
How much tension should a bandsaw blade be?
For carbon steel toothed blades (cutting blades) this is typically 15,000 to 25,000 PSI. Slitting type blades typically are tensioned in the range of 12,000 to 20,000 PSI. In general bandsaw blades are never tensioned past 35,000 psi.
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 are my bandsaw cuts wavy?
Re: Band saw Cutting Wavy Cuts. The clasic cause for wavy lumber is pushing a dull blade past it’s limits. Sharp don’t get it.
When using a horizontal band saw you should adjust the blade guide as close to the work as possible?
The upper guide and guard should be set as close to the work as possible, at least within 1/4 inch. If the band breaks, immediately shut off the power and stand clear until the machine has stopped. Examine blade before installing to see if it is cracked, do not install a cracked blade.
Can a band saw cut curves?
Whether it’s a tight curve or a closed opening, you can cut it on your band saw with a couple of easy tricks. Cutting on the band saw can be the same thing. The narrower the blade, the tighter the spots you can cut; in fact, some band saw blades rival a scroll saw for cutting tight curves.
What is the proper height for the blade guard to be set at?
Make sure the blade is positioned properly on the track. Adjust blade guard height to about 3 mm or 1/8 inch to 6mm or 1/4 inch above the top of the material being cut. Wider gaps will place tension on the blade and increase the risk of breaking.
Why do bandsaw blades break?
Machine Defects Even the best blades can fail if there is something else wrong with your bandsaw, and even a small misalignment of bearings or guides can put a twist in the blade as it goes around. Resulting in tension being applied in all the wrong ways which will lead to early breakage.