Need a bit of help/guidance maybe on Bandsaws

[hawkeyefxr]

I have a Scheppach bandsaw Basato 1, i have only ever used 1/4 wide blades and they are a royal pain to get to run on the wheels. I have now bought a 3/8 wide blade and i cannot get the blade to stay on the wheels no matter what i do.
When i set the saw blade up i set all the guides wide open, i then put the new blade in and carefully rotate the wheels by hand, i try to get the bottom of the tooth (gutter?) to run centre of the top wheel, i do this by tilting the top wheel backwards and forwards. When i get the gutter in the centre of the top wheel it runs off the bottom wheel. I have tried doing the same on the bottom wheel the blade then runs off the top wheel.
The only way i can get it to stay put is to use the back guides to push the blade forward, this means that it is rubbing all the time on the guide.
Now i know i only have a very basic bandsaw but it is what fits my shed layout, and my wallet.

Does anyone have some insight on this please. When i worked in a factory we had a reasonably big band saw there 7/8 feet tall make unknown, changing a blade on that was just take the old one off put the new one on a little adjustment and away you went.

 

[Bammer]

The only advice I can offer is to follow thew instructions carefully. Obvious I know, I have an old Record and never been completely happy with the way it run but made do. Last time I changed the blade I found the instructions and followed them exactly ... wow what a difference, runs sweet as a nut.

Got to be sdjustment knob somewhere on it

Kicked myself for not doing this sooner ...

 

[Penpal]

Go U tube look up setting up your bandsaw.

Peter.

 

[Terry Q]

You might need new tires. I do know one of the most important things is that the wheels must be co-planer. Peter offers good advice to go through setting up your saw.

Here is a Google search. setting up a bandsaw - Google Search

One time I had a 3 wheel bench sized bandsaw. It was impossible to keep the blade on. I got so frustrated I literally threw it out the door. It laid in the yard for over a month before I binned it.

 

[Phil Dart]

Does your machine not have a tracking adjustment Ken? I have a basato 3 and it's round the back of the cabinet in the area of the top wheel. Not sure if the basato 1 has the same facility or not.

 

[21William]

I find with my bandsaw it's best to make small tracking adjustments before rotating the wheels by hand. Adjusting the tension also alters the tracking so you need to keep an eye on what's happening as you make adjustments.

I've found this is the best way to set up a Bandsaw:

The Best Way to Set Up a Bandsaw! - YouTube

 

[Penpal]

I find with my bandsaw it's best to make small tracking adjustments before rotating the wheels by hand. Adjusting the tension also alters the tracking so you need to keep an eye on what's happening as you make adjustments.

I've found this is the best way to set up a Bandsaw:

The Best Way to Set Up a Bandsaw! - YouTube

I note with interest the picture of the blade guides, the back centre one is at right angles to the other two.I have spent far too much time seeking such a back bearing with a groove in the centre.

Peter.

 

[Bill Mooney]

A good setup video.

 

[Lons]

Might be completely different but I had an issue years ago when I had a DeWalt even though previously the set up was easy. I eventually found it was the new blade at fault and once returned and exchanged it was a breeze. I don't know the outcome but it was suggested at the time that the blade was twisted in some way.

Is it a good quality blade Ken? A really good blade can make a huge difference to a cheap bandsaw.

 

[hawkeyefxr]

The only advice I can offer is to follow thew instructions carefully. Obvious I know, I have an old Record and never been completely happy with the way it run but made do. Last time I changed the blade I found the instructions and followed them exactly ... wow what a difference, runs sweet as a nut.

Got to be sdjustment knob somewhere on it

Kicked myself for not doing this sooner ...

The instructions I have do not go into details, at least not on my copy of the instructions. I will get in touch with Scheppach direct and see what they have to say.

Go U tube look up setting up your bandsaw.

Peter.

This is where I got me setup details for bandsaws in general.


You might need new tires. I do know one of the most important things is that the wheels must be co-planer. Peter offers good advice to go through setting up your saw.

Here is a Google search.*setting up a bandsaw - Google Search

One time I had a 3 wheel bench sized bandsaw. It was impossible to keep the blade on. I got so frustrated I literally threw it out the door. It laid in the yard for over a month before I binned it.

The bandsaw is about two years ols and has had very little use till recently so I would have thought they were ok.

Does your machine not have a tracking adjustment Ken? I have a basato 3 and it's round the back of the cabinet in the area of the top wheel. Not sure if the basato 1 has the same facility or not.

Yes Phil it does have tracking but it’s quite fiddly to set. Like I said if I get the tracking right on the top wheel the blade comes off on the lower one.

I find with my bandsaw it's best to make small tracking adjustments before rotating the wheels by hand. Adjusting the tension also alters the tracking so you need to keep an eye on what's happening as you make adjustments.

I've found this is the best way to set up a Bandsaw:

The Best Way to Set Up a Bandsaw! - YouTube

I will look at the video. I do rotate the wheels by hands but the blade will just roll off the bottom wheel. Having said this I can get the ¼ blade to run by spinning the wheels by hand and this is the first 3/8 blade I have had from TuffSaws. Video first though.

 

[loftyhermes]

A club member bought a Basato1 from the Harrogate show a couple of years back, he had the same trouble, another member and he took nearly a day of fettling to get it to run. Can't remember what the exact problem was but something somewhere was twisted.

 

[21William]

I hate to contradict what's been said earlier but I read the advice about getting the bandsaw to run co-planer in a very good book on Bandsaws. I tried to set my Record 300E to run co-planer and it was impossible. I couldn't move the top wheel any further back and when I tried to move the bottom wheel further out I found I couldn't even shut the bottom door.

I set the machine back as it was and then found the Alex Snodgrass Video. Setting my machine up using his method and running an Axcaliber blade and it runs really well. I don't need any of this nonsense about angling the fence to get straight cuts either.

I conclude from this that being co-planer is clearly not a requirement for all bandsaws to work well. When you think about it if the tracking adjuster on a bandsaw tilts the top wheel to adjust the tracking then the wheels will not be co-planer anyway.

Bandsaws vary quite considerably in their design, construction, age and size so what is appropriate for one type may not work at all for another.