Hey all!
I'm brand-new to this forum.... I just got a 14" bandsaw (the
Craftsman/Jet/Delta/Ridgid model built in Taiwan) for my birthday and am
having trouble with the blade tracking on the BOTTOM wheel...
I set it up with the blade-guides and rollers all out of the way and the
blade tracking true in the center of the top wheel, but it wants to run on
the outside of the lower wheel. 1/2" and bigger blades seem to be OK, but my
little scrolling blade runs right on the very edge of the rubber and looks
like it's ready to jump off.
Conversely, if I adjust the tracking so the blade runs on the extreme inside
edge of the top wheel, it runs pretty much dead-center of the bottom wheel.
Everything else is A-OK, and the saw seems to run like a champ.
The only thing I can think of is that I may need to put a shim behind the
lower wheel to move it out 1/4' - 1/2" or so... There seems to be lots of
room on the shaft to do it.
Has anyone ever had/heard of a similar problem?
Thanks,
Cheers!
Gary
I'm brand-new to this forum.... I just got a 14" bandsaw (the
Craftsman/Jet/Delta/Ridgid model built in Taiwan)
Your brand name sez it all! When you buy junk, expect to completely
re-vamp it to work properly. Sounds like the top and bottom wheels are
not parallel or aligned.
There may or may not be an adjustment to correctly align them.
Bugs
All this talk about what is junk and what isn't. I have a Craftsman
bandsaw and yes, I think it is junk. Craftsman quality has gone way
downhill. As for tracking problems on MY Crasftsman, I think all
bandsaws are tough when it comes to the 1/8" thin scrolling blades. I
have tracking problems myself. If you read your instruction book, it
will tell you that the narrow blades tend to run more to one side and
not in the center. Getting your tension right is the first step. My
bandsaw has a place on the wheel in the back to adjust the tracking.
The next step is setting those small little wheel guides and your
cooling blocks up properly. Those will also help with the tracking. Too
loose and it will slide off track, too tight and your blade will
probably break, not to mention that terrible noise it makes.
On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 21:09:55 -0500, "Gary" <[email protected]> wrote:
I have the same saw, with the orange paint and ridgid brand... great saw for the
money..
IMHO, if you can't easily align the wheels and blade, take it back and get
another saw...
Mine tracks well and when I added the riser kit (grizzly was the best deal) the
alignment stayed right on and the tracking is within the adjustment range..
>Hey all!
>
>I'm brand-new to this forum.... I just got a 14" bandsaw (the
>Craftsman/Jet/Delta/Ridgid model built in Taiwan) for my birthday and am
>having trouble with the blade tracking on the BOTTOM wheel...
>
>I set it up with the blade-guides and rollers all out of the way and the
>blade tracking true in the center of the top wheel, but it wants to run on
>the outside of the lower wheel. 1/2" and bigger blades seem to be OK, but my
>little scrolling blade runs right on the very edge of the rubber and looks
>like it's ready to jump off.
>
>Conversely, if I adjust the tracking so the blade runs on the extreme inside
>edge of the top wheel, it runs pretty much dead-center of the bottom wheel.
>
>Everything else is A-OK, and the saw seems to run like a champ.
>
>The only thing I can think of is that I may need to put a shim behind the
>lower wheel to move it out 1/4' - 1/2" or so... There seems to be lots of
>room on the shaft to do it.
>
>Has anyone ever had/heard of a similar problem?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Cheers!
>
>Gary
>
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
"Gary" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Andy Dingley" <[email protected]> wrote
>
>> The phrase you're looking for is "coplanar". Yes, shimming the wheels
>> is not uncommon. You'll want a big straight edge, a wedge to hold the
>> doors open, and a bright desklamp behind the saw. Packing washers can
>> usually be found in a local hardware shop.
>
> Thanks a ton Andy.... Coplanar, huh? Sounds scientifical ;)
>
> I'm feeling a lot better about this now.
Well, while you're at it, remember that tracking is done with _no_ contact
with any guide. Possible to get what you've got by having a thrust bearing
mis-set.
Then there's the distinct possibility that you have an off-center crown on
the lower tire.
Remember, you want _shims_ , not your garden variety stamped washer.
Update to this thread, for anyone interested:
I read the replies here, read some more material, bought some shims, and
then stopped to take a good look at the machine.
Upon inspection of the big honkin' bolt that holds the two halves (top and
bottom) of the saw together, it occurred to me that there may be room for
some adjustment there. I loosened the bolt and sure enough there was just
enough space around the two alignment pins/holes to move the top half enough
to make the wheels coplanar.
I buttoned it back up and she tracks like a champ.... I started looking
around for stuff to cut just for the heck of it :)
Anyway, the moral of the story is to not go off half-cocked and start
stuffing spacers behind your wheels (or other such remedies) until checking
to see if the tool itself provides for adjustment/tuning.
Cheers!
Gary
> "Gary" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Hey all!
>
> I'm brand-new to this forum.... I just got a 14" bandsaw (the
> Craftsman/Jet/Delta/Ridgid model built in Taiwan) for my birthday and am
> having trouble with the blade tracking on the BOTTOM wheel...
>
> I set it up with the blade-guides and rollers all out of the way and the
> blade tracking true in the center of the top wheel, but it wants to run on
> the outside of the lower wheel. 1/2" and bigger blades seem to be OK, but
> my little scrolling blade runs right on the very edge of the rubber and
> looks like it's ready to jump off.
>
> Conversely, if I adjust the tracking so the blade runs on the extreme
> inside edge of the top wheel, it runs pretty much dead-center of the
> bottom wheel.
>
> Everything else is A-OK, and the saw seems to run like a champ.
>
> The only thing I can think of is that I may need to put a shim behind the
> lower wheel to move it out 1/4' - 1/2" or so... There seems to be lots of
> room on the shaft to do it.
>
> Has anyone ever had/heard of a similar problem?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Cheers!
>
> Gary
"Bugs" <[email protected]> wrote
> Your brand name sez it all! When you buy junk, expect to completely
> re-vamp it to work properly. Sounds like the top and bottom wheels are
> not parallel or aligned.
Thanks for your awesome support Bugs! ;) Yeah, I guess it's "junk" but I
did get a brand-new 14" bandsaw for less than $200 so if I have to spend $5
or so on shims to align the wheels, that ain't TOO bad....
The fact of the matter is that there is no real Brand Name in this class of
band saw... There is an overseas factory that mass-produces them and sticks
badges on them (Craftsman, Jet, Ridgid, Delta, Matercraft, Jobmate, etc.,
etc.) as necessary.) In this day and age, brand-name loyalty is mostly a
waste of time unless one has very deep pockets. Telescopes, cars, tools:
Same-same. A smart shopper who does some research can save a bundle, though,
as long as you don't care what name has been stuck on the tool. Example:
"Delta" benchtop drill press: $200. "Jobmate" benchtop drill press: $50 on
sale. Same tool, different sticker on the belt cover. Hmmmmmmm....
I didn't have the cash for the Rikon I want (10-340) but I guess I should be
happy that my wife (thoughtful gal that she is), who knew I wanted a
bandsaw, picked this one instead of a 9" benchtop model (also built offshore
and rebadged as necessary), even if it is junk. Junk at 75% off retail ,
mind you :)
> There may or may not be an adjustment to correctly align them.
Ahhhhhhh: "May or may not be... " That clears it up! :)
Seriously, thanks for responding.
Cheers!
Gary
"Andy Dingley" <[email protected]> wrote
> The phrase you're looking for is "coplanar". Yes, shimming the wheels
> is not uncommon. You'll want a big straight edge, a wedge to hold the
> doors open, and a bright desklamp behind the saw. Packing washers can
> usually be found in a local hardware shop.
Thanks a ton Andy.... Coplanar, huh? Sounds scientifical ;)
I'm feeling a lot better about this now.
Cheers!
Gary
That doesn't mean the products aren't different. I've been comparing a
lot of metalworking tools recently. Jet has a lathe, for example, that
is nearly identical to a chinese lathe available under a number of
different brand names. But the jet has a more standard spindle taper
(and somewhat better fit and finish). The price of accessories could
easily exceed the savings over the Jet version. Replacement parts
were available for the Jet and probably will be for some time. There
was absolutely no ready availability of spares for the no-name lathe
and no guarantee the Jet parts would fit.
I've also seen some apparent differences in castings, with the higher
quality apparent in the name-brand machine.
Here's a real life example. I asked a relative who sold tooling to
gillette why the generic k-mart blades were always noticeably duller
than the name-brand gillette ones, when they were made on the exact
same production line. He pointed out that the tooling was good for
a certain run before resharpening, and the first 75% of production
was the name brand product, and the last 25% was the generic. So it
was made on the same production line, by the same factory, with the
same tooling... and was still noticeably worse.
I'm not suggesting that the name brand is always a better deal. You
just can't assume you're getting the identical item somewhere else.
Gary wrote:
> The fact of the matter is that there is no real Brand Name in this class of
> band saw... There is an overseas factory that mass-produces them and sticks
> badges on them (Craftsman, Jet, Ridgid, Delta, Matercraft, Jobmate, etc.,
> etc.) as necessary.) In this day and age, brand-name loyalty is mostly a
> waste of time unless one has very deep pockets. Telescopes, cars, tools:
> Same-same. A smart shopper who does some research can save a bundle, though,
> as long as you don't care what name has been stuck on the tool. Example:
> "Delta" benchtop drill press: $200. "Jobmate" benchtop drill press: $50 on
> sale. Same tool, different sticker on the belt cover. Hmmmmmmm....
On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 10:07:15 -0500, "Gary" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>"Bugs" <[email protected]> wrote
>
>> Your brand name sez it all! When you buy junk, expect to completely
>> re-vamp it to work properly. Sounds like the top and bottom wheels are
>> not parallel or aligned.
>
>
>The fact of the matter is that there is no real Brand Name in this class of
>band saw... There is an overseas factory that mass-produces them and sticks
>badges on them (Craftsman, Jet, Ridgid, Delta, Matercraft, Jobmate, etc.,
>etc.) as necessary.) In this day and age, brand-name loyalty is mostly a
>waste of time unless one has very deep pockets. Telescopes, cars, tools:
>Same-same. A smart shopper who does some research can save a bundle, though,
>as long as you don't care what name has been stuck on the tool. Example:
>"Delta" benchtop drill press: $200. "Jobmate" benchtop drill press: $50 on
>sale. Same tool, different sticker on the belt cover. Hmmmmmmm....
I can't speak for those other guys, but the imported Delta 14" Band
Saw is made in their owned factory on mainland China, not Taiwan. No
claims that it is any better or worse but it is not a rebadged copy
(of anything other than the U.S. made version)
>
>I didn't have the cash for the Rikon I want (10-340) but I guess I should be
>happy that my wife (thoughtful gal that she is), who knew I wanted a
>bandsaw, picked this one instead of a 9" benchtop model (also built offshore
>and rebadged as necessary), even if it is junk. Junk at 75% off retail ,
>mind you :)
>
>> There may or may not be an adjustment to correctly align them.
>
>Ahhhhhhh: "May or may not be... " That clears it up! :)
>
>Seriously, thanks for responding.
>
>Cheers!
>
>Gary
>
On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 21:09:55 -0500, "Gary" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I set it up with the blade-guides and rollers all out of the way
Well that's a good start. Bandsaws are finicky beasts - far too
difficult to try and set everything up in one go. Get the wheels right
first, then tension (this affects the wheels too), then worry about
guides.
> and the
>blade tracking true in the center of the top wheel, but it wants to run on
>the outside of the lower wheel.
The phrase you're looking for is "coplanar". Yes, shimming the wheels
is not uncommon. You'll want a big straight edge, a wedge to hold the
doors open, and a bright desklamp behind the saw. Packing washers can
usually be found in a local hardware shop.
Duginske's "Bandsaw Handbook" is the usually recommended book for all
new bandsaw owners. Google might have some advice too.
BTW - there's a bandsaw blade thread in the last day or two that you
might want to read.
"tom" <[email protected]> wrote
> Just look for an Iturra Designs catalogue. Lower wheel shims. I figure,
> as long as the teeth aren't being run in a bad place, it'll be okay.
> I think. Tom
Thanks Tom.
I did a quick web search for "Inturra Designs" and was flabberghasted at the
good things people have to say about this guy, and the number of upgrades
someone can do to a cheap saw like mine... Wow.
Needless to say, I'm gonna call for that catalog tomorrow.
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Gary
"Gary"> wrote
> "tom"> wrote
>> Just look for an Iturra Designs catalogue. Lower wheel shims. I figure,
>> as long as the teeth aren't being run in a bad place, it'll be okay.
>> I think. Tom
>
> I did a quick web search for "Inturra Designs" and was flabberghasted at
> the good things people have to say about this guy, and the number of
> upgrades someone can do to a cheap saw like mine... Wow.
Wow indeed.
I got the catalog and attempted to do a quick leaf-through, but it wouldn't
let me.
I ended up sitting there at the workbench and read the whole thing cover to
cover.
And I don't even own a bandsaw.....yet.
The man definitely knows his stuff.