21
votes
How can I store my bandsaw blades?
You can "collapse" them into much smaller hoops (see http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/skills/folding-bandsaw-blades-simple-as-one-two-three/). It brings it down to about a third ...
- 4,146
20
votes
Why a zero clearance insert?
To prevent small pieces from falling into the gap.
To serve as a backing to minimize chipout on the back side of the cut.
I can't think of a time when you wouldn't be better off using one. However, ...
- 2,396
19
votes
Accepted
What can I do to eliminate drift when cutting with my bandsaw?
The best thing that I've found is to have a sharp blade with 3 teeth per inch. This is Michael Fortune's recommendation (a Fine Woodworking Contributor). I used to crank up the tension in my bandsaw ...
- 4,146
16
votes
What can I do to eliminate drift when cutting with my bandsaw?
A sharp 3 or 4 TPI blade is the best first thing to try. A slower feed rate can also help, but if your blade rubs against the wood fast enough and long enough to produce significant friction, too slow ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
15
votes
Accepted
My band saw blade consistently slips off. What are some common causes of this?
Your saw may be poorly adjusted.
A properly tuned band-saw has the wheel axles exactly parallel and the wheels in the same plane. The axles can be adjusted using the tilt screw on the upper wheel.
...
- 4,364
15
votes
Why a zero clearance insert?
A zero clearance insert is an insert which exactly matches the width of the blade. You can make one by slowly raising the blade through an un-cut insert.
The advantage is as aaron says, they prevent ...
- 5,394
13
votes
Accepted
What's a good way to cut a board parallel to its face?
The operation you want to do is called resawing, and is best done on a bandsaw.
Ideally, your bandsaw should be equipped with a 1/2" or wider, 2-4 TPI blade and a resaw guide or high fence that can ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
11
votes
Accepted
What are the advantages of band-saws with multiple speeds?
The primary reason for speed adjustment on bandsaws is to accommodate different materials (mainly metal). That said, dropping the speed down for some operations can stretch the capabilities of an ...
- 385
10
votes
Accepted
What is the normal end-of-life for a bandsaw blade?
Blades fatigue over time because of the bending around the tires. They will eventually break due to this. Always inspect blades for stress cracks which usually appear in the gullets, before welding. ...
- 116
10
votes
What is the normal end-of-life for a bandsaw blade?
Does breaking a bandsaw blade indicate something such as too much/too little tension?
It can but it could simply be from material fatigue or a poor weld.
So anyway, blades break or go dull, what ...
- 58.6k
10
votes
What can I do to eliminate drift when cutting with my bandsaw?
Tuning up a bandsaw is definitely equal parts art and science. There are a variety of bandsaws out there and before doing any demanding bandsaw work (i.e. re-sawing) I usually go over the whole saw to ...
- 694
10
votes
Why a zero clearance insert?
Let me add a couple things:
Here's two references for making one: Mattias Wandel's method, and Woodmagazine's method. And here's what it looks like:
They're typically made out of plywood or MDF to ...
- 4,146
10
votes
What's the best way to neatly cut a wooden cube in half, removing little material?
I am hesitant about the best way of cutting the blocks in half as cleanly as possible and without removing too much material.
Let me present a slightly different tack here.
Looking at the first link ...
- 12.1k
8
votes
Can I use a band saw to make a cutting board?
A Bandsaw will certainly cut the wood, but the edges will require additional work since the cut will have more surface striations and the overall surface would be less flat where the table saw cut ...
- 7,824
8
votes
Cutting copper with woodworking saws
Would cutting the copper tubing be likely to damage the blade
I doubt it since copper is one of the softest metals going, and bandsaw blades of spring-temper steel are already regularly used to saw ...
- 58.6k
7
votes
What's a good way to cut a board parallel to its face?
It's called resawing, and generally it is done with a bandsaw. There are blades that can make this process easier. Getting the largest (wide) blade you saw can handle is the best way, at least for ...
- 15k
7
votes
Accepted
How big or powerful does a bandsaw have to be to resaw?
The limit in size you can resaw width and height-wise is established by what size wood can fit through the exposed blade area of the bandsaw, so measure the distance between the blade and the support ...
- 7,824
7
votes
Accepted
Safety - Cutting multiple pieces at the same time
There are a couple main (safety) concerns with this: the pieces moving while cutting and the offcuts getting caught in the blade.
Pieces moving while cutting
This is not so much an issue with safety ...
- 2,602
7
votes
Upgrading a cheap bandsaw table?
That table looks like stamped sheetmetal with very little supporting structure underneath.
Take a look underneath the table, see if it's possible to fill the empty space with wood to reinforce the ...
- 4,364
7
votes
Accepted
How do I troubleshoot a bandsaw cut?
A couple of thoughts:
bandsaws do not cut clean like table saws. If you google for images of band sawed wood there is a texture from the cut.
Assuming correct tension (which also helps clean cuts), ...
- 2,216
6
votes
What can I do to eliminate drift when cutting with my bandsaw?
Lighten the feed pressure aka don't push so hard on the wood.
Drift is cause because the blade buckles under the load. You can see that by stretching a ribbon between 2 points and applying a ...
- 4,364
6
votes
Can I cut homemade plywood on a bandsaw?
A band saw is fine. I would recommend that you avoid low tooth counts such as 3 tpi (teeth per inch) and opt for a smaller/denser tooth blade. Don't get to aggressive, instead feed it through ...
- 7,824
6
votes
Why does my bandsaw blade track towards the front of the wheel?
Watching the carter band saw tips and tricks video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU) Alex Snodgrass states co-planer is not what you want.
Instead the top wheel and bottom wheel should be ...
- 342
6
votes
Accepted
Bandsaw guides: Blocks vs. Roller bearings
Factory bearings in any but high end band saws are generally not the best. Guide blocks made from plastic are not very good either. Good, aftermarket bearings, such as the ones from Carter are very ...
- 8,028
5
votes
Flattening a board using a jointer and a bandsaw
That process would certainly work, although if you want better results, you might consider a slightly different method that requires no bandsaw work at all:
Face-joint one face. Edge-joint one edge. ...
- 311
5
votes
How can I store my bandsaw blades?
They can be hung in an out of the way corner.
Ideally on a piece of wood with a curved channel the blade rests in so the it doesn't kink.
- 4,364
5
votes
What can I do to eliminate drift when cutting with my bandsaw?
Here is what I made for re-sawing. It begins with a piece of plywood that I attached to my stock table. This is a miter gauge that I repurposed from another old bandsaw. Every time I change the ...
- 1,669
5
votes
Should I resaw before or after gluing up thin panels?
I would resaw first. An 8" resaw is going to take lots of skill and luck to achieve. If the 8" board is only slightly out of plumb (an issue of skill) at any point during the cut, you will very ...
- 3,668
5
votes
What size is the T-track for Metabo Bs 0633 bandsaw table?
This is not a type of T-track, but a solution I have found is to file off the top and square the edges of the top of a M8 carriage bolt. It fits well enough for clamping operations. It has more slop ...
- 103
4
votes
What is the normal end-of-life for a bandsaw blade?
Good question. Every bandsaw blade I've gotten rid of has also been because it broke.
While this can be an indication that there is incorrect tension on the blade, it also just happens from use. If ...
- 15k
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