I recently got a Grizzly g0555lx band saw. The tires are basically new, the blades I have are new but for some reason the blade slips off either to the back or the front of the wheel. I rotate top wheel by hand and adjust the tilt knob till the blade tracks in the center (or as close to center as possible) like you're supposed to and position guide bearings a paper's width away. I lock the tilt knob and turn the saw on and immediately the blade takes off, typically to the front, makes a horrible sound and kinks the brand new blade. I've gone through three blades now and am frankly losing my patience with this thing. I'm using a 3/16" blade. I've tried co-planing the wheels and that seems to make it worse. I've plumbed the top wheel which helps but the blade still takes off. I have the tension set to what the blade requires and still nothing. I've taken the tension and blade off and noticed the top wheel has a little wiggle room in it. Is this the problem? I've tightened the top wheel as much I can and it still has a little play. Either way I could use some help as I've had this basically new saw and haven't been able to even try and cut a piece of wood.
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1Welcome to WSE. I've had a G0555 bandsaw for years without any problem tracking. My top wheel also has some 'wiggle room'. This should not be happening. Have you contacted Grizzly tech support?– Ashlar ♦Commented Aug 5, 2018 at 2:36
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Thanks, first time reaching out on a forum such as this. I just emailed tech support, hopefully they get back to me with a solution or explanation.– StevebartCommented Aug 5, 2018 at 3:41
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2@Stevebart Welcome to Woodworking:SE. This is not a forum, it's a question-and-answer site. That has quite a significant impact on what makes an appropriate post (but your question is an excellent one).– Martin Bonner supports MonicaCommented Aug 6, 2018 at 9:28
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Pertinent video: youtube.com/watch?v=bxVyKsbuwZQ– mmathisCommented Aug 6, 2018 at 19:14
1 Answer
I lock the tilt knob and turn the saw on and immediately the blade takes off, typically to the front, makes a horrible sound and kinks the brand new blade.
If the blade comes off as soon as you start the machine, it should come off with a lot less drama when you spin the wheels by hand. Don't worry about adjusting the guide bearings yet -- the first step is to get the blade on the saw and keep it there. So move the bearings out of the way, put the blade on the saw, and spin the wheels by hand until you're sure it's tracking consistently in exactly the same place on the wheel.
I have the tension set to what the blade requires and still nothing.
How do you know? The scale on the saw typically isn't all that accurate. My first thought when I read your question was that the problem seems like a blade tension issue, so try increasing or decreasing the tension to solve the problem. Again, you want to spin the wheels by hand until you're sure the blade won't move. I know that a good blade doesn't necessarily require a lot of tension to cut straight, but in setting up my own saw I found that using a little more tension helped to keep the blade from coming off.
I've taken the tension and blade off and noticed the top wheel has a little wiggle room in it. Is this the problem?
Probably not. The blade tension should be more than enough to eliminate any play in the wheels.
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True the tension scale on the back might not be that accurate so I do the 1/4" deflection technique and it feels to have decent tension on it. Is it possible to have too much tension causing it to pull off the wheel? It will track fine by hand bit as soon as I turn it on it no longer stays on the wheel. Iv heard of a Carter assist might help but they're expensive and personally I think this bandsaw shouldn't need an assist. I'll try taking some tension off and see what happens. Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 16:17