Bandsaw Drift

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:59 am

This explains the co-planer confusion regarding SS saying the ss bandsaw wheels are so.

Whew! Glad that got cleared up!!!!!!

IMHO in addition to impatience and blade tooth irregularities, is alignment(to a lesser degree). Drift is mainly a resawing issue.

Now if it should 'never' occur, why are so many folks selling resaw fences(those very short rounded ones)?:D

foxtrapper · Post by **foxtrapper** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 3:16 pm

I'm no bandsaw expert, but I've come to suspect there's about as much myth regarding drift as their is about how water circles the drain.

I've had a blade drift to either side when pushed too hard. If I'm careful, I can dictate which side it pushes to with just a little nudge on the board.

Get the teeth hot, and it expands, twisting the blade. This can only go one way, outwards of the radius the blade is rotating about.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 3:24 pm

foxtrapper wrote:I'm no bandsaw expert, but I've come to suspect there's about as much myth regarding drift as their is about how water circles the drain.

I've had a blade drift to either side when pushed too hard. If I'm careful, I can dictate which side it pushes to with just a little nudge on the board.

Get the teeth hot, and it expands, twisting the blade. This can only go one way, outwards of the radius the blade is rotating about.

I too am one of those non-expert bandsaw users. I have to say that because I have all sorts of problems trying to resaw.

I am hopeful that this current effort will change that.

I do believe, however, that drift is a function of the blade (how it was sharpened) than any other single factor.

With the blade that I have been using, I am able to resaw very successfully if I ignore the rough cut.

JOE ROSAUER · Post by **JOE ROSAUER** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:24 am

dusty wrote:I find it interesting that I have had a bandsaw for so many years and that even though I use it on a very regular basis, there is so much left to learn about it and about me and what I don't know.

I have cut up a bundle of wood this morning just resawing small pieces into even smaller pieces.

The one thing that I have learned is that feed rate makes a difference in appearance but does not change the drift and it does not correct the roughness that started this whole expedition.

I do apologize to those of you who successfully resaw on a regular basis. This is truly a do nothing thread for you. I, on the other hand, am likely to learn a lot.

there a video on saw dust sessions that adresses drift

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:32 am

JOE ROSAUER wrote:there a video on saw dust sessions that adresses drift

Thank you, Joe. This is a good reference.

keakap · Post by **keakap** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 3:29 pm

backhertz wrote:A Carter bandsaw set up video.
[url].

Seems to me there is one very important thing to remember about Carter saws, and Delta, and Sears, and Jet, and Grizzly, and any other band saw anyone can find anywhere other than ShopSmith.
They are not ShopSmith.

I do not consult my Mazda manual to check recommended tire inflation for my wife's Saab.
Likewise...

just sayin...

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 4:49 pm

keakap wrote:Seems to me there is one very important thing to remember about Carter saws, and Delta, and Sears, and Jet, and Grizzly, and any other band saw anyone can find anywhere other than ShopSmith.
They are not ShopSmith.

I do not consult my Mazda manual to check recommended tire inflation for my wife's Saab.
Likewise...

just sayin...

Good point, but other than the co-planer difference and the resultant tracking differences, just about everything else is relevant.

Those differences can lead to invalid procedures from those sources.

So we need to apply our thinking caps before trying some things.

db5 · Post by **db5** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 8:47 pm

Could it be the blade? As a blade dulls it heats up, which dulls it more, which leads to drift; which leads to forcing it to not drift, which causes more heat and more dullness, etc. You get the drift. Try a new blade or sharpen the old one. Like Chicken Soup. Couldn't hurt; might help.

bcone1381 · Post by **bcone1381** » Tue Oct 09, 2012 11:03 pm

I am a novice woodworker, and Shopsmith owner. This thread inspired me to dig deeper into my Band saw.

Things I came across that have not beed brought up here...

*I had sap & saw dust build up on my band saw blade & rubber tires, and probably guide blocks that I am sure this effected the band saw. It cleaned up with Turpentine real nice, and easy.

*When I installed the saw blade, I adjusted the tension as per the manual. But with Band Saw Cover, Band Saw Table, and Guide Blocks still removed, I turned the saw on and observed the Band Saw Blade. It had a harmonic resonance that vibrated the Band Saw Blade in a Sine Wave about 1/4 inch back and forth. I very slight additional adjustment in tension almost entirely eliminated this vibration, and I believe makes it tuned just right.

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Bandsaw Drift

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