John, 2 questions:
1. I have the Delta 14″ saw with 3/4 hp and 1/2″ 3tpi blade and no riser. I set it up using Michael Fortune’s “Five Tips for Better Bandsawing”, except I set the original blocks by sight & feel rather than with paper since I have only 2 hands. I cut about 3/16″ off a couple of 8/4 cherry boards about 4-1/4″ wide. Luckily, I gave myself a margin for error because, when I planed the cut face, both boards were significantly cupped. Mr. Fortune advocates a reduced blade tension, but I can’t help wondering if this was caused by inadequate tension. I had it set on the scale at about 3/8″. The saw is about 20 years old, but has seen limited use, if that makes a difference.
2. What is the function of the table slot pin? How do I know when it’s driven in far enough?
Thankis for your time & help.
Grant
Replies
Grant,
Often times a resawn board will cup from release of tension, but if the outside face stayed flat, and only the cut faces are cupped, then the blade bowed as you were cutting.
Older machines have very weak tensioning springs. Increase the tension so that the the spring, which you can see through the slot in the tension assembly, is very nearly fully compressed, but do leave a bit of space between the coils so there is still some give. You can get a better quality, stiffer, replacement spring from a number of woodworking catalogs.
Set the tension and the tracking with the guides fully backed off from the blades. Then set both of the thrust bearings so that they lightly touch the back of the blade all of the time as you rotate the wheels by hand. Then set one side block so that it just touches the blade. Lightly push the opposite block against the blade and tighten it up. Rotate the wheels by hand and if the blade doesn't drag badly or snag at the weld the blocks are set properly, repeat for the second set of guides.
Blades don't stay sharp long and are the most common cause for cutting problems, so the first thing to do is to just try a new sharp blade when adjustments don't seem to be solving your problems.
The pin is there to keep the two halves of the table aligned with each other and to make the table a bit stiffer. It should only be very lightly tapped into place.
John White
Thanks John. That's a great help.
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