I have a craftsman band saw I just purchased. When I use it the band curves to the right and I cannot get a straight cut. What should I do?
Thanks,
Harry

Harry T. Bell

Harry,
That is a tough one.
Which model did you purchase. Was it the two wheel stand alone band saw, or is it the three wheel bench top saw?
What width blades are you using?
Have you tried cutting with different width blades.
Have you gone through the setup of the blade guides?
Do you have the right tension on the blades.

It is a pretty common occurrence for the saw to not to cut straight with the bench top versions.

Another common thing to happen is that the blade guides may not be set up correctly.

Take a square and check the alignment of the blade with respect to the bench top blade guides.

Also, on most of the Craftsman saws, they use the rubbing block style blade guides which can be very good. Use a square to check to see if the block style blade guides are square with respect to the top of the miter guides on the top of the saw table.

Remember, you want the top blade guide to be as close to the work piece as possible to help guide and control the saw.

I have had a number of band saws, and I will say that I have sold all of the less expensive and bench top saws because I could never get them to cut straight. After buying the 2 wheel saw that I have now, I still had to spend a couple of months and a different set of blade guides, before I could get the saw to cut straight.

The main thing that I can suggest is that you be patient and check and adjust, try some different brands of blades, and make some changes with blade tension to see the effects of tension changes. Good luck

Harry,
Here is a pretty good collection of band saw reviews and setups.

You might run through them to help out with your problem.

Sometime one is overlooking one little step that makes all of the difference in the world.

[www.youtube.com]

Be safe

Harry
Most likely the reason a band saw will cut to one side or the other is because of two reasons. Sometimes when the blade is stamped it will get more "set" in one side or the other depending on how it's made.

The other reason is more likely, and that is if you hit something while cutting it will dull the blade on that side. The blade will cut to the side of the sharpest teeth and not cut straight. Be sure the guides are set properly to hold the blade straight too.

If you have another new blade put it on the saw and try it.

As a woodhop instructor for way to many years I have seen this a lot. I would also recommend a high quality blade like a Carter.. They are bandsaw experts. On their website there is a wealth of information about bandsaws and how it set them up.

[www.carterproducts.com]

About $20 - 25 each but well worth it. They cut perfect and last a long time even when cutting graphite blanks. Also what type of blade are you using meaning skip tooth etc. For EVA, Cork and blanks I use and recommend a 14 tooth per inch blade.

Tom

Make sure the blade is properly tensioned and that you have the guide blocks set close to the blade, with the adjustable up/down slide spacing set just above the workpiece height.

..............

Blade guide setup could also be the cause. The upper and lower stop bearing needs to be adjusted so it does not spin when there is no cutting pressure on the blade,once pressure is applied the blade touches and spins. Now adjust the blade guides so the set of the blade does not go into the guides when blade pushed up against the stop bearing. Lately adjust guides so there is about a1/32" space between guide and blade. If not aadjusted properly the teeth hit the guide changing the set and the blade does not track straight.

Blade guide setup could also be the cause. The upper and lower stop bearing needs to be adjusted so it does not spin when there is no cutting pressure on the blade,once pressure is applied the blade touches and spins. Now adjust the blade guides so the set of the blade does not go into the guides when blade pushed up against the stop bearing. Lately adjust guides so there is about a1/32" space between guide and blade. If not aadjusted properly the teeth hit the guide changing the set and the blade does not track straight.

Blade guide setup could also be the cause. The upper and lower stop bearing needs to be adjusted so it does not spin when there is no cutting pressure on the blade,once pressure is applied the blade touches and spins. Now adjust the blade guides so the set of the blade does not go into the guides when blade pushed up against the stop bearing. Lately adjust guides so there is about a1/32" space between guide and blade. If not aadjusted properly the teeth hit the guide changing the set and the blade does not track straight.

Slow down when you feed the material into the blade keep the preshure on the blade light let it cut it wont offset the blade as much .

Slow down when you feed the material into the blade keep the preshure on the blade light let it cut it wont offset the blade as much .