Replies

1. 
   eximreb | Mar 16, 2003 04:11pm | #1

   MarkH

   I don't keep up with Grizzly any more & I throw thier catalogues away, so I don't know what size your band saw is. I purchased a 18" grizzly &

   using the information givin in the manuel I got into trouble,real fast.

    I struggled with Grizzly for a few weeks, before I discovered Iturra in Florida. This man has be more than generous with advice & information about blade manufacturs. I wound up a 1" carbide tip blade ( I resaw) & the manufacturer giving good solid information. To find the guy in Florida, look in FWW for a tension meter for band saw blades. good luck.

   The Bohemian

2. 
   JeffKurtz | Mar 16, 2003 06:37pm | #2

   Mark,

   Please don't take this the wrong way.  Do not do anything  with your new bandsaw until you have learned some basic information - including safety techniques.  (There is nothing wrong with being a novice woodworker, or just a beginner to a particular machine, but everything wrong with trying to use machinery we aren't familiar with.)

   Perhaps you can enroll in a class; if not, I suggest you buy and carefully read either The Bandsaw Book  by Lonnie Bird, Tauton Press (can be ordered on Fine Woodworking website), or Mark Duginske's Band Saw Handbook, Sterling Publishing.

   Jeff

3. 
   forestgirl | Mar 16, 2003 10:41pm | #3

   The distance-change you notice when raising and lowering the blade guard is something mine does also (1019Z).  I don't know if the more expensive saws do the same.  I've just gotten into the habit of double-checking the rear blade support whenever I change the height of the guard.  Do you know that a double thickness of paper (e.g., a dollar bill doubled over) is about the distance you want?  Makes it easy to check.

   The roller guides on the side:  Though my saw doesn't have this type of guide, I'd say "lightly" means that if you turn on the saw, the guides should spin, just.  In other words, they are set correctly if, in moving them away by a fraction of a fraction of a fraction, they'd stop spinning.   And, you do know hopefully to set the face of the bearing guides behind the set of the teeth in the blade, so the teeth aren't wearing on the guide and vice versa.

   The flutter test:  If you look at the blade straight on while the saw's running, the blade should look pretty much like a straight line (I think you want the guard set up high for this).  As you loosen the tension, the running blade would have a bit of a blur to it as it flutters.

   In addition to Iturra, which is a great company and I strongly recommend their catalog to you, you can also visit the home of Timberwolf blades at:

   http://www.suffolkmachinery.com

   There is a wealth of info on their site (confusing, a bit, because there's so much).  A strong second to the motion that you obtain one of the bandsaw books mentioned above.  Main thing with the bandsaw, while you're waiting to get the book:  Don't ever run the machine with the doors off of the wheels, keep your hands away from the blade unless the machine is unplugged, watch your cut line all the time and do not put your fingers there.

   The Timberwolf blades are adjusted with the flutter method, and they are excellent, excellent blades with a friendly and knowledgeable staff to help you with any questions or problems.  You'll probably not be happy with the stock blade for long, they are seldom great blades.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

   
   

   ---

   Edited 3/16/2003 3:41:52 PM ET by forestgirl

4. 
   forestgirl | Mar 16, 2003 10:53pm | #4

   A couple of links I found after Google-ing

   General info, including safety:  http://www.mit.edu/afs/athena/course/other/machineshop/Bandsaw/index.html

   A U.K. site with good pictures

   http://www.herts.ac.uk/lis/ltdu/projects/mm2/bandsaw/bandindex.htm

   The Google string is:

   http://www.google.com/search?q=bandsaw+safety&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

5. 
   JamesC67 | Mar 17, 2003 04:20am | #5

   Mark,  I have a "14 bandsaw also it has the same kind of guides that you are talking about on the back side of the blade. Where Grizzly says to have them lightly touch I use a thickness of a playing card yes its true that it dint touch the guides but you will see with a sharp blade they won't hardly ever touch except if you are cutting hardwoods.  As far as fluttering goes in setting the tension what is meant by that is when the blade is loosened far enough or what they call far enough it should move or flutter a little side to side between the side to side guide bearing wheels or blocks which ever the case may be. I set the tension on my saw blade by centering the blade on the guide wheels and then apply some tension but not a whole lot just enough so the blade won't slide on the wheels freely.  Then set the guide wheels/blocks that set the side to side and front to back so they are about a 1/4" away from the blade. Now start applying tension to the blade so when you push it over to touch the blade to the side to side guide wheel/block you can just fit a playing card between the side to side guide bearing/block and the blade. Now back the tension knob off just an 1/8 of a turn.  Now set the side to side wheel/block guides so you can fit the playing card between the guide wheels/blocks and the blade teeth and the same goes for the guide bearing/block for the back of the blade set it so the card fits between the back of the blade and the guide wheel /block.

    Be sure that all the guideswheels/blocks above and below the table are set the same.  Now I'm sure Mark that some folks will probably disagree with my method of setting up my saw but not all of us have all the correct calipers and measuring guages to do everything by the so called book so some of us have to improvise and adapt to what works for us so good luck and if you choose to use this method of setting up the blade I'd suggest to listen close and keep a close eye on everthing just to make sure everything is opperating correctly when you first start it. Also be sure everything is tight and all the guards are on before you start it and again Good Luck

   Sincerely,    J.Clark    at the "PUTTERIN YANKEE woodworking shop

6. 
   DougF | Mar 17, 2003 07:55pm | #6

   Mark - I too recently took delivery of the same band saw.  Others have commented on your basic questions and I agree with all of their suggestions.  Also, this is my first band saw and my results on resawing have not been good.  In fact after ruining a 1/2" Timberwolf blade trying to resaw, I called them and they were extremely helpful.

   One of the most interesting points they made was that the "flutter test" was a system developed for their low tension blades but it has been co-opted by others and it may or may not work depending on the blade being used.  One other point she made regarding flutter, at least for their blades, be sure and back off all of the roller guides as well as extending the blade guad to the highest position.  Believe me, when the tension drops, you will see the flutter.  Timberwolf recommends for their blades a full turn after you have stopped the flutter.

   Also, if you get the riser kit, tensioning settings get thrown off in order to get the system set up for the longer blade.  There must be a proper way to do it but the riser came with no explaination.

   Good luck.

   Doug

1. 
   DennisS | Mar 18, 2003 01:26am | #7

   Doug -

   Have you (or anyone else) considered the tensioning gauge from Ittura?

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   DougF | Mar 18, 2003 01:31am | #8

   Funny you should ask, I was just doing a Goggle search on tensioning guages.  I will certainly add that to my research. 

   Thanks - Doug

1. 
   forestgirl | Mar 18, 2003 04:06am | #9

   Did anyone provide the Iturra phone #??  It's 1-888-722-7078.  You won't find them on the internet, as far as I know.  forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   DougF | Mar 19, 2003 04:35pm | #10

   Thanks.  I forgot they are not on the Internet.  I just loaded the replacement Timberwolf 3/4" blade last night and by following everyone's suggestions I was able to get a decent resaw on a 5" piece of hard maple.  I think the hardest part to learn is patience.  Barbara at Timberwold passed along some great advice with respect to feed rate: push it with your thumb and you won't over-feed.  I tried it and it works, at least on that one piece.

   Thanks to all.