Band Saw Resaw Fence

[jsburger]

The SS band saw is GREAT! Being able to skew the fence to adjust for blade drift during resawing is a great feature. I don't know why other manufactures offer this feature instead of a "resaw fence" with a point next to the blade so you can move the wood to compensate. I can consistently resaw pieces 1/32" thick with the SS fence that are dead on from end to end.

Anyhow, we needed a larger resaw capacity for my wife's scroll saw work so I bought a Powermatic 14" bandsaw from a friend that bought it new about 5 years ago. It has the mobile base and the riser block. He only used it less than 12 times. Needless to say it is virtually brand new. $750.

As you know it comes with a fence and that funky resaw point attached to it. No way to skew the fence. Here is my solution to skew the fence in the SS way. I used the resaw point as the pivot point. See the attached pictures.

I was perusing various threads and came across this one.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... =5&t=15219

The article referenced in the thread claims that band saw blade drift is a myth. If that is so then why does he need a jig to "prevent" it with his band saw? If the blade did not drift the jig should not be necessary. What is the difference between using a jig to "prevent" the drift and a jig that compensates for the drift. In either case the drift was/is still there.

Every manufacturer (well maybe not everyone but you get the idea) that makes a band saw or a band saw fence provides a way to resaw other than using a straight up fence parallel to the blade.

[dusty]

No, not every one needs a jig or some other means of compensation. There are blade saws and band saw blades that do the job naturally. But I cannot afford one of those and you probably can't either. These machines were built to do that one task while most all of the others, especially the Shopsmith bandsaw, are a bit more versatile.

I do have a blade that is advertised as a resaw blade that works much better at resawing than do any of my other band saw blades.

No, drift is not a myth. You can get rid of it or avoid it but it some how will cost you either in time or money or both.

[jsburger]

No, not every one needs a jig or some other means of compensation. There are blade saws and band saw blades that do the job naturally. But I cannot afford one of those and you probably can't either. These machines were built to do that one task while most all of the others, especially the Shopsmith bandsaw, are a bit more versatile.

I do have a blade that is advertised as a resaw blade that works much better at resawing than do any of my other band saw blades.

No, drift is not a myth. You can get rid of it or avoid it but it some how will cost you either in time or money or both.

I agree that there are machines out there that are special purpose so they don't drift much, band mills i.e., but their blades are much more robust and under higher tension and probably today have carbide teeth.

Is your resaw blade a Highland Woodslicer? I have a 1/2" one for my SS band saw and to be honest it doesn't work any better than the 3/8" Timber Wolf and the Timber Wolf is cheaper. No complaint with the Woodsclicer though.

The bottom line here is that everyone's tool and blade performs differently but fore someone to say blade drift is a myth is just plain wrong when the same person has a jig to "eliminate" it.

[JPG]

No, not every one needs a jig or some other means of compensation. There are blade saws and band saw blades that do the job naturally. But I cannot afford one of those and you probably can't either. These machines were built to do that one task while most all of the others, especially the Shopsmith bandsaw, are a bit more versatile.

I do have a blade that is advertised as a resaw blade that works much better at resawing than do any of my other band saw blades.

No, drift is not a myth. You can get rid of it or avoid it but it some how will cost you either in time or money or both.

I agree that there are machines out there that are special purpose so they don't drift much, band mills i.e., but their blades are much more robust and under higher tension and probably today have carbide teeth.

Is your resaw blade a Highland Woodslicer? I have a 1/2" one for my SS band saw and to be honest it doesn't work any better than the 3/8" Timber Wolf and the Timber Wolf is cheaper. No complaint with the Woodsclicer though.

The bottom line here is that everyone's tool and blade performs differently but fore someone to say blade drift is a myth is just plain wrong when the same person has a jig to "eliminate" it.

Observe he sets the fence parallel to the blade(that means in two directions). i.e. no drift compensation.

Now, what does the 'jig' do? It holds the workpiece tight to the fence at the bottom just ahead of the blade. I fail to see how that 'compensates' for drift.

Part of the process is increased blade tension. With the bottom secure against the fence, the increased tension reduces the likely hood of the blade not tracking straight 'through' the workpiece. The blade guides at the top position the blade just above the blade's entry into the workpiece.

Now, if the blade has a tendency to cut on one side faster than the other, it will not matter since the workpiece will not be affected by that.

I think Carl hit the center by recognizing the stability of the workpiece relative to the cutting face of the blade is what matters. Placing a 'pointed' fence just ahead of the blade amounts to almost the same thing, but requires the workpiece be skewed. This causes/requires the blade to cut at a bias angle to the feed direction. So which came first, and required the other? i.e. A 'non-drifting' blade will not cut properly with the workpiece being fed skewed.

No, band saw unequal cutting effectiveness between the two sides can be(more likely always is) real and not a myth, but I believe what this eliminates is the effect of that difference.

I admit to not doing extensive resawing, but have done enough to not see drift as a problem nor requiring 'compensation'. Slow feed is a prerequisite.

Just my humble perception. Blade proper tracking is more critical than otherwise with thick workpieces. That means nothing affects blade path including 'guides'. The guides prevent the workpiece from affecting the blade path. That leaves the workpiece grain as the last deviant force.

[jsburger]

No, not every one needs a jig or some other means of compensation. There are blade saws and band saw blades that do the job naturally. But I cannot afford one of those and you probably can't either. These machines were built to do that one task while most all of the others, especially the Shopsmith bandsaw, are a bit more versatile.

I do have a blade that is advertised as a resaw blade that works much better at resawing than do any of my other band saw blades.

No, drift is not a myth. You can get rid of it or avoid it but it some how will cost you either in time or money or both.

I agree that there are machines out there that are special purpose so they don't drift much, band mills i.e., but their blades are much more robust and under higher tension and probably today have carbide teeth.

Is your resaw blade a Highland Woodslicer? I have a 1/2" one for my SS band saw and to be honest it doesn't work any better than the 3/8" Timber Wolf and the Timber Wolf is cheaper. No complaint with the Woodsclicer though.

The bottom line here is that everyone's tool and blade performs differently but fore someone to say blade drift is a myth is just plain wrong when the same person has a jig to "eliminate" it.

Observe he sets the fence parallel to the blade(that means in two directions). i.e. no drift compensation.

Now, what does the 'jig' do? It holds the workpiece tight to the fence at the bottom just ahead of the blade. I fail to see how that 'compensates' for drift.

Part of the process is increased blade tension. With the bottom secure against the fence, the increased tension reduces the likely hood of the blade not tracking straight 'through' the workpiece. The blade guides at the top position the blade just above the blade's entry into the workpiece.

Now, if the blade has a tendency to cut on one side faster than the other, it will not matter since the workpiece will not be affected by that.

I think Carl hit the center by recognizing the stability of the workpiece relative to the cutting face of the blade is what matters. Placing a 'pointed' fence just ahead of the blade amounts to almost the same thing, but requires the workpiece be skewed. This causes/requires the blade to cut at a bias angle to the feed direction. So which came first, and required the other? i.e. A 'non-drifting' blade will not cut properly with the workpiece being fed skewed.

No, band saw unequal cutting effectiveness between the two sides can be(more likely always is) real and not a myth, but I believe what this eliminates is the effect of that difference.

I admit to not doing extensive resawing, but have done enough to not see drift as a problem nor requiring 'compensation'. Slow feed is a prerequisite.

Just my humble perception. Blade proper tracking is more critical than otherwise with thick workpieces. That means nothing affects blade path including 'guides'. The guides prevent the workpiece from affecting the blade path. That leaves the workpiece grain as the last deviant force.

First, he didn't actually say blade drift is a myth. The title of the article is "Make Band Saw Drift a Myth". To me that means it exists but I have found out a way to eliminate it.

I understand his fence is parallel to the blade. So if there were no drift why does feeding the stock by hand not work and requires a jig? He says in the article that once you get the jig properly adjusted it works. Once a skewed fence is properly adjusted it works also.

I did not say his system compensated for drift. I said it eliminates it. That also assumes the drift was there to start with. If it didn't exist there would be no need to eliminate it. The jig puts a constant pressure against the workpiece at the point of the cut which does not allow the workpiece to wander and cause an uneven cut.

What you say about the pointed fence is correct. Since the blade "drifts" you compensate for it by feeding the work piece skewed. If you try to follow a straight line free hand on a thin board flat on the table the same thing happens. You end up feeding the board skewed to follow the line. The only reason for a resaw fence is because you usually are sawing a piece of material that is much taller than it is wide so it needs vertical support. Otherwise you could just feed it free hand and skewed.

As you say uneven cutting from side to side of a band saw blade is real. That is what causes what we call drift. Weather the cause is the machine, the blade, the material or the operator the result is the same. Carl's solution apparently eliminates it with a jig, the pointed fence compensates for it via operator intervention with a jig and the skewed fence compensates for it with a jig.

In any case "drift" or what ever you want to call it exists and can be dealt with in various ways which all work.

[JPG]

. . .
So if there were no drift why does feeding the stock by hand not work and requires a jig?
. . .

Because we are incapable of maintaining that workpiece to fence contact as we move our hands to feed.

I think we see this the same. Semantics are getting our way.

Both 'methods' reduce the effect of uneven cutting by the blade.

[jsburger]

. . .
So if there were no drift why does feeding the stock by hand not work and requires a jig?
. . .

Because we are incapable of maintaining that workpiece to fence contact as we move our hands to feed.

I think we see this the same. Semantics are getting our way.

Both 'methods' reduce the effect of uneven cutting by the blade.

I agree.