Wandering Bandsaw Cut

[morrisminordriver]

I have a Kity (61 something or another) and tried cutting some 2" hardwood for the first time - along the grain - yesterday. I used my widest blade (approx 3/4") and tensioned it as directed on the old Kity website but the cut resembled me walking home after a night on the tiles - wandering allover the place.

Any suggestions ref what Im doing wrong?.

Thanks MMD

 

[Anonymous]

Hi MMD

I too had this problem and got pretty fed up with it - blade often wandered so far it jammed between material and fence. I tried the Dure Edge blades and have cut dead straight lines ever since.

Same with most power tools, they work OK until you replace the blade with a good 'un and then they work properly :wink:

Other solution is one of those 'point' fences for resawing - I think Aragorn posted one a short while back.

At £10 or so, the Dure Edge is a good investment as they last much longer than standard cheapies too.

 

[Aragorn]

Also if you haven't - check all the bearings and guards.
Depending on the setup of your saw, you'll never cut a straight line with a rip fence unless the fence is parallel to your blade. Go for the "point" fence method. Very accurate.

 

[morrisminordriver]

Thank you both for that - I will save some pennies and get a couple of new Dure Edge blades and will also try out the pointy fence / jig idea.
Thanks again - MMD.

 

[Shady]

Point fence helps, but it's overcoming other problems that you should be able to 'tune out'. Get a good blade, of suitable 'length' for serious resawing (eg 3/4"), check your tension by experiment rather than recommendation (it needs to be surprisingly high) use the 'Krenov aim off' technique to set the fence for the blade's natural cut line, and tune the top and bottom bearings to eliminate the opportunity for flex...

Mine's a relatively cheapo Axminster (perform, but one of the big ones - dunno the name), but I can resaw up to 6" hardwood boards with satisfying accuracy/consistency.

 

[devonwoody]

Using a bandsaw I found was like learning to drive a motor car the first time its a technique that has to be practised and particularly with a good blade. (by the way my best blade came from Screwfix)