The best approach is put the blade in the center of the top wheel and adjust the table so that the miter slot is parallel with the blade. Nothing in the world is perfect so if the blade wants to push or pull the work piece a little, yes, then you adjust the upper wheel to move the blade forward/backward until it again cuts straight and parallel with the miter slot. Setting up a bandsaw is exactly like setting up a TS. Adjust the table so the miter slots are parallel with the blade, and the fence parallel with the miter slot.
“If you put a reasonably wide blade and get it running cleanly where it belongs on the wheels, you can square the table using a straightedge to extend the blade and measuring to the miter slot. If the miter slot is square to the machined front of the table, you can just use a combination square on the table edge and visually verify that the blade and square are parallel.”You are not going to get.001” accuracy on a band saw, but you don’t really need to. Once you’ve got it as good as you can get, verify the alignment by freehand sawing with a sharp, properly set up blade a piece of hardwood stock a bit longer than the table is deep in a straight line marked parallel to the stock edge. If your saw is set up properly, the stock will be parallel of the miter slot.
Never put on a new blade and start cutting at regular down force. As a result of this, the teeth were running IN the guides, so the second you put a new blade on the saw and started it, the hardened guides wiped all the set out of the blade. The band above the teeth , allowing you to set the blade square to the vise , and to tweak the band guides into.
Even a low-end bandsaw blade tension meter can cost $300. If you use your bandsaw a lot or are doing delicate work, having the proper tension on the blade can be critical and the only way to accomplish this is with a bandsaw blade tension meter. With the bandsaw blade properly installed, and tensioned, and the blade guides properly set, the next issue is to make sure that the bandsaw table is square and level. We suggest that you go through the setup steps in this how to set up a bandsaw properly: the ultimate g guide before starting a new project and each time you change your bandsaw blade.
how to square a bandsaw blade 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.
How tight should my 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.
How do you align a saw blade?
To check your blade’s alignment, remove the guard and splitter, and install your best blade or a calibration plate. Raise the blade or calibration plate to the top of its travel, then lower it slightly. (We’ve tuned many saws that slightly skew the blade at its topmost setting, which can throw off your settings.)
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.