13- Bandsaw Setup/Tuneup
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In this episode, I cover the basic setup and tuneup of one of the coolest tools in the shop: the bandsaw. Whether you plan on cutting veneer, re-sawing lumber, or cutting curves, the quality of the cut will improve if your bandsaw is properly tuned. Learn how to properly tension the blade, set the guides, adjust for drift, as well an many other tips can tricks. Having trouble deciding what blade to buy? I’ll help you with that too!
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57 Responses to “13- Bandsaw Setup/Tuneup”
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When will the USA catch up with the rest of the World and go METRIC !!
I can’t understand you when you speak in slow motion like that. :)
Marc, Could you please elaborate more on the dry lubricant you used on your new “drool” bandsaw you have aquired.
Wonderful tips Mark. I tune band saws for a living and you have some very good advice.
So did Powermatic hook you with with the sweet saw? *Jealous*
Just got a craftsman 14″ a while back. My fist BS, so some of the things you may consider common sense are new to me. Thanks for going through the setup. (shopping list; T-9 Boeshield, renaissance wax, silicon carbide stone :)
The dry lubricant I use is Super Lube and I got it from Lowes. It goes on wet and dries within seconds. Good stuff.
You’re a drummer???
You know it! Kept me sane in college. :)
I have five bandsaws (1 14″ powermatic–my own) and 4 (2 Laguna’s, 1 Yates-American and one Ricon) at the school that I teach wood working. Your information is good and accurate. I prefer the ceramic guides of the Laguna. The carter on the Yates-American is adequate. The Ricon sucks. It would be nice to have the time to do all that you suggest. But alas, most of the time I am not sure what my name is. It reminds me of an old wood worker and wholesale wood salesman that had a triple exposed picture of a rooster that said, “I am so confused that I do not know where to put my pecker”. Thanks for the good work.
nice episode! it again shows how your show is so completely different than any other woodworking show I’ve ever seen! Keep up the great work.
Now I need to go out and get myself a bandsaw so I can put all these tips to good use!
…oh and I hope Nicole didn’t beat you too bad for poking her!
Marc,
What blades do you put on your bandsaws for resawing? BC Saw? WoodSlicer? Lennox? Laguana? What has been you best performer?
Thanks,
Jeff
I like Lennox, but that is primarily because David Marks always used Lennox and I like their cut quality. I occasionally play with Timberwolf blades as well. THe other brands you mentioned all have great reputations too, so I would not recommend against them. In general, as long as you stay away from the cheapie brands, you can’t really go wrong.
Marc,
Excellent job. This is actually one of the best videos that I have seen regarding tuning up a band saw. I will be sure to pass it along.
One final comment, I understand Woodcraft also sells something equivalent to “Silicon Carbide Stone,†but they call it a “Blade Tuning Stone.†:o)
Frank
Mark,
i can’t watch the videos at all. I am using Firefox browser. I have Windows XP, quick time, & windows media player.
Hey Charles. There are two ways to view the videos, either right on the page with the flash video, or either one of the two quicktime MP4’s. If you have updated versions of your browser and Quicktime, you should be able to see the files. If not, there could be any number of reasons why. And unfortunately that goes a bit beyond my troubleshooting expertise. You can always try to download ITunes and subscribe to the show that way. The videos will all play withing ITunes.
Sorry you are having difficulty.
Marc, I want to thank you for this pod cast on tune up for band saws. I went and made all the adjustments to my band-saw after watching it and ,what do you know, It actually can re saw wood now with out drifting. Even with my bad eyes I was able to re saw a piece of willow with little to no drifting. Again I thank you.
Lance
(charger1966)
concerning blade width, wouldnt a 3/4 inch blade give you even better results in regards to cutting uber thin veneer?
Hey Nick. Some folks certainly do believe that the wider blades would be better for thin veneer. From my experience, I have seen little difference in cut quality between 3/4″ and 1/2″ blades. So since 1/2″ blades are cheaper, I stick with the 1/2″. Plus the 1/2″ blades are more versatile in terms of cutting tighter curves.
One of the things I was waiting for you to talk about with regard to the bandsaw blade tension was detensioning the blade after use. I always seem to forget to do that, and I’ve been told it is better for the saw and the blade to do so. Is this something you practice?
Hey Thomas. I personally think it depends on your usage. If you use the saw at least once a week, (or just spin the tires a half turn), I dont see any issue leaving the bandsaw tensioned. And unless you have a quick release mechanism on your saw, tensioning and detensioning every time can be a real pain as well as lead to an inaccurate tension setup. I know you can count the number of turns, but after a while, that going to get pretty old. So call me lazy, but I usually dont worry about it too much.
Marc, great site and I love the videos. You showed how to fold the blade, but what I was waiting for was the safe way to unfold the blade. I don’t have a bandsaw yet (but I’m always keeping an eye out for a deal!), so maybe unfolding a blade is not a big deal.
Hi from the wood mimer ie i’m just getting back into it. thanks for your inspiration
Great Podcast, you do a great job of adding touch of humor to the woodworking, and not to mention that you offer very good informaiton.
I see that you got the Super Lub at Lowes, where did you get the other items (T-9 Boesheild, Silicon Carbide Stone and Renaissance Wax)?
Thanks and keep up the good work.
It’s generally a very bad idea to start a bandsaw before adjusting the guides. This can often lead to destroyed blades and/or bearings. We have come across many bandsaws that the owners believed to be no good, only because the owner never adjusted the guide bearings and they were severely damaged as a result.
I saw this video when it first came out, but didn’t own a BS at the time. This past week I assembled my new BS and thought I’d gotten it set up good enough. Alas I was mistaken and disappointed when I tried to slice my first veneer. So I watched this video again it was a tremendous help in understanding the concepts. Back to the owners manual with this knowledge, and in about an hour I’d gotten the blade tracking properly, set the bearing guides correctly, lubed my blade, and sliced some veneers that while not quite perfect, were so much closer to what I expected that now I’m ecstatic with my new purchase. Thanks so much Marc…I might have gotten it done without your help but it never would have been as easy as it was.
I have a 14″ Powermatic bandsaw. The tire keeps coming off the upper wheel and I cannot seem to keep it from doing it. The guards keep it on but this is making my saw unusable for fear the blade will jump off. Why is this happening and what can I do to prevent it?
Also, the saw was in storage from some time and developed quite a bit of surface rust on the table. What is the best method for removing this surface rust and cleaning the table up to a smooth clean surface?
Thanks! Mike K.
Hey mike. If the tire is actually coming off, I am afraid there is a serious problem. A tire should be fit so snugly that its a real pain to get off. I hope you meant that the blade keeps coming off. If it is the tire though, I would not hesitate to call Powermatic and get their tech service to help you out. That’s an unusual issue.
Now if the blade is popping off, there are only so many things that could cause it. And most of those things were covered in this video. You blade should be free of any kinks. The tracking should be set so that the blade stays on the tire. And the the guides should be set properly. Also, the upper and lower wheel should both be in the same plane. So run a long straight edge to confirm this. Now if you’ve set all this right, the blade should track properly. If it doesnt, check everything again. :)
Oh and for the rust, I like to use the same treatment as I described in this video. Only start by using some sand paper and WD-40 to remove the heavy rust. I might go as low as 180 or 220 grit if the rust is really bad. Then wipe it down with mineral spirits and proceed through the rest of the process from the video.
Hope that helps.
Marc,
Thank you so much for the reply and so quickly! Well unfortunately I did mean the tire is coming off. As I mentioned, it was in storage for a year or so and I think the tire is getting old. It has a few spider cracks when you look at it really close. I was reading on some websites after I posted my question where the tires are typically glued on with a type of adhesive. I was hoping your answer would be I need to reapply some adhesive. Can I just order a replacement urethane tire or rubber one and throw the old one away? Which type would you recommend?
Thanks for the info on the table also. I will have to use some sandpaper for sure because it’s got quite a bit of surface rust. The bandsaw was my father’s and he purchased it in 1999. Up till now it has worked great for me.
I appreciate your help! Mike
Wow. That is scary Mike. Replacing the tires sounds like a great idea to me. Now i have never needed to use adhesive with my tires, but I have heard of people doing that. Truthfully, I would only do it if you notice the new tire slipping. And I would not try to salvage the old tire. Rubber is rubber and as you no, time and weather are not rubber’s friends.
I have never used them, but if I were replacing my tires I would buy these:
http://www.rockler.com/product.....;sid=AFN86
And if they fit nice and tight, then skip the adhesive for now. Of course there may be some logical reason to apply the glue anyway that I’m not aware of…… And with those new tires, I bet that thing will perform like a champ!
Good luck.
Thanks for the link to the wheel tires. The price is right, beware all you that are hunting wheel tires that not all of them are sold in pairs. The link provided previously is a good price for a pair, plus if you sign up for a year of Woodworkers Journal you get the second year free. No clue if it is a good rag or not but will have to check it out. Just a heads up you soak the rubber in soapy hot water before you put em on, then run a dowel around the wheel inside the tire to even out the tension of the rubber. (Or so I’ve heard). Please correct me if I’m wrong. You might have covered this in the vid, I have not gotten it to run yet.
Nothing more to add to what I’ve already read – I’ve had my Jet for a number of years and haven’t used it in about 5. My kids helped me move (downsize) into a retirem’t community, so nothing was taken particular care in the move – just get it in the truck and get him out of here. Can’t find anything, like the manual, so your video will really come in handy to keep me from cutting off a limb or whatever, but I was wondering how I could find other videos on the band saw on your site. I see there’s one on table saws and I would guess there probably is on a radial as well. I shot a ripped piece through the garage wall (glad no one was in front of it) because I’d forgotten how to prevent such mishaps. Got a lot of re-studying to do. Thanks to you, one has already been helped. Hadn’t de-tensioned the blade on the BS: have I created a problem? It’s probably been the same tension for 2 or 3 years!
Thanks Marc!
BB
Great work Mark – the videos are very helpful. This sort of content is amongst the best the web has to offer – expert people sharing their skills!
Kind regards
JR
Thanks for another view on blade tensioning. All I’ve had to go by is the manual and it’s nice to see some more info.
I use an alternate method of folding a blade. Hold the blade in front of you with your hand at the top of the loop. Palm up and out. Rest the bottom of the loop on the floor and step on it with your foot. Twist your hand around the verticle axis (as best you can) while lowering it toward your foot. If you’re using your right hand you will twist it counter clockwise as you lower it.
Would you please post this video on youtube.com
I would like to be able to include it in my blog.
Hi Marc,
first of all thanks for your great videos. I´m in Woodworking for just about one year and stick with handtools mostly, simply for the lack of money. But nethertheless ist dream a lot about having a BS to cut my own veneer which is thick enough to prevent me from living in fear due to the use through my family. I just dont feel confident with wood that ist as thin as paper. Beside the lack of funds it was mainly the tuneup that scared me with BS. If you only read about this process it sounds not at all easy, so again: Thanks
Thomas
PS: After picking singe videos from you I decided to look them all and thats how i came to looking this. I hope my english is at least understandable :)
how do you get the table squared up for crosscuts with the miter slot? or do you just not worry about it.
Actually, I never even thought about it. If I do a cross-cut on the bandsaw, its usually only rough anyway. Bandsaws don’t exactly leave the cleanest cuts when going cross grain. So its something i never really even take into consideration.
Oh, OK. I also noticed that the blade is really close to front, instead of sort of centered in the hole. Is that a valid concern, or nothing to worry about?
Well, that depends on how close it is. If its close enough that it might actually hit the insert at some point, then that is not ok. I would try to back the blade up a bit on your wheels. But there is really no pressing need to have it perfectly centered.
OK, cool!
It’s our first bandsaw, so I don’t know much about it.
Do you have a video on sanding the bandsaw tires? I can’t seem to find one online anywhere.
Thanks
Johnny
No, sorry Johnny. And I haven’t seen one on the web either.
Hey Marc,
I am absolutely addicted to your site. I just bought a Cal Hawk 14″ (I never heard of it either;). It was VERY poorly maintained and even more poorly setup. Since I saw this video, I knew that I could get this machine running nice and smooth.
I was all set to get the Carter ($169) upgrade for my $100 investment. Then I saw this video. I went for the graphite phenolic blocks instead. (still awaiting the shipment.
I also order a 3 pack of zero clearance inserts. (not to mention the blade lube, and file.) How do you recommend cutting the zero clearance insert? I am familiar with this process on a table saw, but have never thought of how it can safely be done on a band saw.
Any tips? Maybe you can add a short clip to the video…
Thanx for the added inspiration!!!
shotgunn
Glad you are enjoying the site Shotgunn! I actually don’t even have a zero clearance insert on my bandsaw, but it definitely is a good idea. I would probably just saw a kerf in the plastic using a hand saw. That should at least allow you to slide the insert over the blade. Then carefully turn the blade on and it should clear any excess material within a few seconds. I probably wouldn’t try to use the saw itself to make the kerf cut, unless you come up with some kind of jig to make it safe and accurate.
Good luck!
Marc,
I got my blade, lube, table inserts, and blade file. I was setting up my bandsaw last night and I accidentally broked the lower guide mount. DOH!!!!!!! I hope this machine isn’t a lemon!!!
Before I broke it, I had the machine running. (not cutting, just turned on) I noticed that the blade was moving back and forth, as in front to back. The top wheel looked to be running pretty straight, The lower wheel didn’t look as straight. Prior to realizing the I checked and adjusted the wheels to make sure they were coplanar.
Is there any way to adjust the lower wheels usually? I know you can’t posssibly know every band saw, but is there anything I can do? Or is this not a major problem? It seems to me that this would not make for a clean or safe cut.
Also, my throat plate hole in the table is just a hair less than 2 1/2″ in diameter. I bought 2 1/2″ inserts, any tips on how I can make them a bit smaller?
Too many issues, aarrrggggg!!!!!!
I just wanna cut some wood!
Thanx,
shotgunn
Troubleshooting bandsaw issues can be a real pain. In fact, a while back we had someone with that same oscillating wobble problem and pretty much everything I suggested DIDN’T work, ha. Now the only adjustment I know of for the lower wheel is simply moving it in and out. You can do this by placing washer of various sizes on the bolt. But if yours are coplanar, it doesn’t sound like you’ll need to do this. Now if you had the mount break, something sounds a little fishy to me. Why did the part break? I fear that if parts are already breaking on this thing, we can’t expect all the other parts to be precision milled and seeing some sort of wobble in the blade isn’t entire unexpected, you know?
I think the mount are made of lead… I tightened the mounts, evidently a bit too much. The metal around the bolt just sort of crumbled.
I may have to get Carter guides after all.
I have some potentially good news!!! I went to the Grizzly site, they have pretty much all of their parts available for order on the web. I searched the parts for all of their 14″ bandsaws… I found one that has what looks to be an identical lower support bracket. The great news is it is only $8 ($15.70 w/ shipping). So hopefully this will fit. I may have to tap new mounting holes, but that is totally doable.
shotgunn
Nice videos. I recently aquired a old, but not too old bandsaw and recently fixed it up (previous user had half the table rested and had some spray paint on it? I replaced the tires with the urethane (works great), and my father in law helped me build a 6 inch extention block to install on it. It currently has a 3/4 horse motor on it. I have a 12 inch jet I will be using soley as a detail machine, and this one will be always set up as a resaw machine. With the 3/4 horse motor, do you recommend installing a larger motor, or see if the 3/4 horse works fine for resawing?
Well, no doubt you’ll be better off with a full 1 HP. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do any resawing with 3/4HP. So I would probably just use the 3/4 HP and see how it goes. If you tend to use the full capacity with the new 6″ extension block, you’ll probably need to upgrade sooner than later. But I wouldn’t recommend buying a new motor until you determine that your work requires it.
I spent the last couple days messing with my band saw I have talked about it in the forum, Then I came back to this I do remember this video and it is great, I havw searched all over and read many articles on bandsaws you get so many diferant answers from diferant people. So I have a couple Qestions I hope you can answer, after watching david marks video I really want to make some veneers that is why I have been tunning up bandsaw. I got new tires from rockler, and installed very easy the problem and it might not even be a problem is after tracking the blade it is perfectly center on top but it is not center on the bottom it is to the out side but still well within the tire is this a problem or is it fine. I know yopu might say something about colplaner witch is a whole nother thing, the wheels are colplaner without tension or without the blade tracking in the middle I think it is imposable to get them colplaner with tention I am not really sure if you should check for colplaner with or with out tension. some people told me with and some told me without. but they defenetly are not colplaner when the tension is on. I do seam to get good cuts and the blade does not move around on the top or bottom, So am I good or should I be concerned.
Sounds to me like you’re ok. If the blade is tracking nicely and its not walking off the tires, and the vast majority of the blade is on both wheels, I think you’re fine. The one good thing about a bandsaw is that is something is a real problem, the bandsaw has a was of letting you know very quickly. So unless you have having problems with the cut or the blade walking, I don’t really see a reason to change anything.
Thanks Marc That is kinda what I thought as well, I did add a washerto the bottom wheel just to bring the blade a little more to the center, and to day I cut some 3/4 inch cherry and got 2 perfect 1/4 boards. Man cherry is really hard
Hey Marc,
I sure wish you would do that setup show on the jointer. Setting mine up now.
Thanks for all the good info!!
Larry
Yeah, same here. I just bought one myself. I put the knives in and followed the Jointer Pal Knife Setting Jig instructions. I did a test cut and it was AWFUL!!!
Marc to the rescue!!!
Thanx,
shotgunn