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.
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.
If your bandsaw is close to the lower range, you’ll get a good cut. The general guidelines for bandsaw use to achieve a straight and true cut are not really different from those applicable to other power saws – – table, jig, chop, skill. Sharp blades, proper tension and speed, using a fence for that straight cut and letting the blade do the work will give you what you want, whether it’s simply ripping a thick slab down or making that fancy curve cut on table legs.
This in turn causes the blade to not cut in a straight line. With a dull blade, there is an expectation for it to cut slower and cut crooked. The main thing that normally goes out is the crown, which is what is holding the blade in place, Most of the time the blade is right at the center, but if the crown begins to wear out, it may start allowing more and more movement, causing the blade to not cut in a straight line.
If the blade twists and the work piece is harder to push through the cutting area, replace the blade. Loose blade tension can also cause the blade to twist and veer off course when cutting the work piece. Check blade tension by pressing in on the side of the blade using a gloved finger.
Plus, most of us actually use the band saw more than we realize, so the blade may have some serious mileage on it. If one bearing is too close to the blade and the opposite one is too far away, the blade won’t travel in a true orbit and the saw won’t cut in a straight line. The more teeth per inch, the smoother but also the slower a blade will cut, so don’t push too hard.
how to make bandsaw cut straight Related Question:
What causes band saw 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.
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.
How do you straighten a bandsaw blade?
How to straighten a bandsaw blade? It is risky but if it’s absolutely necessary, a temporary fix to straighten a bandsaw blade can be done by placing it on an anvil and gently tapping it flat with a nylon head hammer/mallet or using a pair of gas pliers to straighten out the blade.
Why are my bandsaw cuts wavy?
The clasic cause for wavy lumber is pushing a dull blade past it’s limits. Sharp don’t get it.
Why does my bandsaw blade keep twisting?
Bandsaw twisting is almost certainly a case of the blade lacking enough tension. Usually, operators will see this issue after changing blades. Bandsaw blades require quite a lot of tension to perform optimally. An inexperienced user might not realize they’ve under-tightened the new blade they’ve installed.
Why does my bandsaw blade wander?
Tim Inman: Because band saw blades ride on crowned wheels, they always have a little “camber” angle relative to the vertical axis of the wheel. This causes the blade to tip a little and makes the cut “pull” to the side.
How tight should a sawmill 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.
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.