A blade guide for resawing without a riser block

http://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/resaw_guide.html
A homemade blade guide to open up more resaw height on a 14" bandsaw

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• blade
• guide
• resaw
• bandsaw
• wood

[VladTepesh00]

Hi! As always, a new video of yours is a treat for me on a tuesday morning. I was wondering, though, about bandsaw blade tracking. Your cast iron saw and indeed your two wooden ones seem to track perfectly. My saw (a Metabo 3 wheel saw) doesn't do that, despite my efforts in setting it up. The blade seems to turn about the vertical axis and never stays still, so my cuts are never straight. Could you be so kind as to explain what works for you?

Regards from Slovenia,

Vladimir

[Matthiaswandel]

Could be insufficient tension. With blade guides far apart, and low tension, the blade can sort of "buckle". This is not unlike the blade in a hacksaw blade buckling when you start the cut in metal. But tightening up the tension cuts down on this.

Also a function of how much "crown" your wheels have. You could try taking the tire off, and adding a few layers of narrow tape underneath to get more crown on the wheels. Never tried this myself though.

[Wolfcritic64]

How does a riser block affect how much tension you can put on the blade?

[Matthiaswandel]

It doesn't, but it makes the frame longer, which makes it more bendy.

[Karmakameleeon]

i am not even remotely involved in wood working but for some reason, i am always intrigued by your videos. :)

[D00mPuppeh]

I always get so excited when I see a video from you in my subscriptions :D

[kght222]

if you don't like your nose, or your face in general, run without the cover on =P.

[kenny474]

@Bear5177 I got my saw and riser from Grizzly both at the same time. They are the only supplier I know of for a riser for this saw, and since it comes with a longer blade guide rod, blade guide and all the pieces necessary to make it work, it's really your best bet. It also has locator pins to keep everything lined up properly. If you used a different riser, they may not line up properly.

I think I only paid around $60 for the complete riser kit, which is a good deal in my book.

[Bear5177]

@kenny474 I've been thinking about purchasing that particular model of bandsaw for my little shop. Did you purchase the riser block from Grizzly or did you go with another resource? Do you know of any resources where this would be available besides Grizzly?

[kenny474]

Nice idea! Seems to work quite well with little to no real investment.

As for the blade tension, you can buy a stronger spring and get more tension, and aftermarket options are available for the more popular saws as well. (not an issue, as you have a better saw now)

I have a Grizzly G0555P with a 6" riser, and I have plenty of room left to apply more than enough tension, even with a 3/4" 3tpi skip tooth blade. Also, the saw is very well designed, and even with the riser, it's super rigid.

[futureboy00]

I think I might star making things from wood because of your videos :D

thanks

[drstampfli]

@TirianB With proper tension, the cuts are precise with very little side to side movement of the blade. Undertensioned blades wil move in all directions. The Carter guide I mentioned has no side bearings on top or bottom - only a back bearing on the top. That guide requires a slight forward tension on the blade, but I think that's only to prevent the blade from pushing off the top wheel during the cutting. (because (and again) the saw's frame is not sturdy enough to hold a higher tension)

[Av3rnus]

"this doesn't really cut it anymore" LOL :D

[tombatom]

@D00mPuppeh It' the same with me