Band saw setup

Neal Haarberg

Neal Haarberg

Active member
So I finnaly got a riser block for my grizzly 14" bandsaw and after installing it and checking that the wheels are parallel. and setting the tension I found the blade wobbles about 1/8" on the top wheel. The wobble is "in tune" with the wheel not the blade. It looks like I have a flat spot on the tire. Will this cause the wobble? I don't know if I had the wobble before or not. The blade that came with the kit is a 3/8" 6TPI which I plan on replacing with a 1/4" 4 TPI. Any input would be appreciated.
 
Neal,

Not familiar with the Grizzly saw, but in addition to the tensioner does it have a tracking adjustment for the upper wheel that fine tunes the angle?
 
Not sure what you mean. By wobble. A flat spot on the tire would cause problems as would anything out of round on one of the wheels. About the only thing with a blade that could cause a problem is a link or a weld that wasn't ground.

One book to have a look at for anyone with a band saw is the band saw handbook.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0806963980/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

There are lots if them used. My library has 4 copies of it. I'd be surprised if yours didn't have a copy. The book will help you understand what every part does how to adjust it and how to figure out why something isn't working right.

Even once you get things running how you like I'm sure you'll find something in this book to make it run even better.

Good luck
 
Yes, it has two adjustments for the top wheel. There is knob for titling the wheel forward and back to adjust the tracking and then also a couple set screws to "steer" the wheel for alignment with the bottom wheel. I did not have to adjust these after installing the riser block. What I mean by wobble is that the blade does not stay centered on the wheel. It will move back and forth about almost 1/16" and not stay in the center. I just got my library card this weekend so it looks like a trip to the library is in order. In the meentime if anybody has any ideas please let me know.
 
The Band saw Handbook is a great book. Every band saw owner ought to have one.

As to your problem, I'm guessing insufficient tension. Try dialing in a little at a time while you watch the blade. If I'm right, you should see the blade settle down.

John
 
Neal, are you saying the blade moved forward and back, toward the work and away? If so, lay the blade on it's back on the floor, you may find that either the weld was not aligned, or there is a tweek in the blade. It should lay flat, in contact all the way around the circumference.
 
i don't think you have enough tension. Raise that red handle and let the tension off, then spin the wheels and get the blade on there aligned on both wheels, then flip the red handle back down, and add more tension with the knob.
 
Dave, Yes it is move toward and away from the work. I had to completely readjust the tensioner for the new blade Maybe I just don't have it tight enough. The local library did not have the Bandsaw Handbook but it had 4 others that I put on hold for me to pick up on my way home from work. I have had the saw for about 5 years and I can't say that I have ever had the saw "dialed in". This is gonna drive me nuts until I can get it working smoothly. I did look back through old posts and the consensus seems to be that the grizzly blades are crap and that will be remedied soon as well.
 
i would like to change my answer based on your latest comments. if its moving away from you while you are working, there is a bearing at the back of the blade near where the cut is made that adjust forward or backward based on blade width. it should contact the blade when you are pushing against it, and keep it from moving back and out of line with the center of each wheel. Does that make sense?
 
I have an older Grizzly that I am not happy with, but it works.

I will tell you this...on some things, Grizzly quality control is less than crap. I bought a riser block, and no matter what, the blade was not staying put. I checked to make sure the wheels were parallel, checked tension, etc. When not under tension, everything was awesome...better than perfect. Tension the blade, and it went to snot...with good Timberwolf blades. Now, mine didn't wobble, it just walked right off the tires.

Long and short...the riser block was not square and caused the upper assembly to "rock" when putting tension on the blade. You might check this or see if there's a high spot, etc.
 
Rick, I would beleive that. I was surprised to see that the mating surfaces on the riser were powder coated and not just the machined steel. That did bother me a bit.I was also suprized when everthing lined up like it did. When I get home I think I will take it apart see if there are any noticeable high spots.
 
Not going to speculate on the cause, but when I added a riser block to my Jet I noted any mis-tuning will be magnified by the increased distance.
 
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