delta band saw and block squaring

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 8:16 pm

Hey fellas! Man... I just squared off a block of cherry for a pipe I had drown on it for a while now. MAN O MAN!!!! I've been spending so much time squaring the block on my sander that I am SO stoked at how quickly I got something done on this band saw. I have a 9" band saw from Delta. 52 1/2" blade with 14tpi. So here's my question (s):

1) What exactly does the knob on the side of the band saw do that says it moves the blade to the front or back? And don't write back and say it moves the blad to the front or back! My question is what does this do?

2) Do all band saws want to wiggle and/or move the cutting line towards one direction?

3) Have any tips that are useful for block squaring?

Thanks!

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 9:04 pm

Hi Ben,

"1) What exactly does the knob on the side of the band saw do that says it moves the blade to the front or back? And don't write back and say it moves the blad to the front or back! My question is what does this do?"

I think that knob just slightly tilts the top wheel that the blade goes around, so you can keep the blade in the center of the wheel.

"2) Do all band saws want to wiggle and/or move the cutting line towards one direction?"

The blade does move, but I don't know if it's always the same direction.. This is why I like my disk sander for squaring blocks.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but before I got my disk/belt sander, I bought a fence for my 12 inch band saw to square blocks. Even using the fence, the blade wants to wander, and that makes it very difficult to square a block. It seems to always leave one end wider than the other.

The only thing I use my band saw for is cutting out pipe shapes from the block, and cutting Ebonite rod to length for stems.

"3) Have any tips that are useful for block squaring?"

You can buy a universal bandsaw fence from Sears, but, as I said, it is far from perfect for squaring blocks.

Hope this helps,

Rad

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 9:05 pm

Ben,

I am curious, was this a Christmas present?

If so, cool beans I just bought the exact same band saw today with a Sears gift that I received from my Mom.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 9:07 pm

It was the equivalent of a christmas present. I got cash and used some of it on this~! I love it... Like I said I used it on some cherry wood a little bit ago and I was SO STOKED at the time it's going to save me!!! This is going to be great.

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 9:20 pm

Ben,

I know the feeling. I got the band saw today with a gift card and my wife bought me a Delta drill press. I can't wait to get them setup in the garage. I have my first bamboo shaft just waiting for me to get kickin' on it...this pipe will be for me! My late Christmas present to myself. I have another $125 worth of Lowe's gift cards to use tomorrow. Not sure what I am going to get with those. I still need a combo sander and a grinder...I also need a new corded Dremel with a flexable shaft.

Decisions decisions.....

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 9:48 pm

bscofield wrote:1) What exactly does the knob on the side of the band saw do that says it moves the blade to the front or back? And don't write back and say it moves the blad to the front or back! My question is what does this do?

That provides a minute tilt to the wheel. The tilt is what the blade follows - which is why it moves the blad back and forth.

bscofield wrote:2) Do all band saws want to wiggle and/or move the cutting line towards one direction?

Yes, and no. As a general rule, smaller bandsaws are more prone to blade wiggle/wander due to a) a narrower blade and b) smaller guide parts.

A 3/8" blade will wander more than a 1/2" blade, and they both will wander more than a 3/4" blade. Also, that 3/8" blade will wander significantly more when cutting thick stock as compared to thin. Cut a 1/4" piece of wood and you can make a dead straight cut. Make no other adjustments and try to cut something 2" thick, and the blade will be more prone to deflection. Harder wood will also deflect the blade more than soft wood.

A lot of the blame can also be placed on the bandsaw itself. Some of the larger bandsaws geared towards proffessional have guide rollers, not just sacrifical blocks, to guide the bandsaw. These can be adjusted way in so that they keep the blade from deflecting at all, without eating blade speed or power.

Pretty much, the blades on all bandsaws will deflect slightly - but thicker blades defelct less, and larger guide parts will reduce the deflection. Combine the two, and you can get a system with no detectable deflection.

bscofield wrote:3) Have any tips that are useful for block squaring?

Power miter saw? No really, it works great, and is lightning fast.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 10:31 am

WOOHOO!! I got a band saw for Christmas too! And a lathe and a table saw!

Looks like it was a tool givin' season!

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 10:53 am

Nick,

What lathe did you get?

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 12:12 pm

random, oops. Squaring was the wrong word. I was not actually squaring for drilling. After seeing how crooked my band saw cuts I don't know how often I'll be doing that... I meant squaring in preperation for rounding. The only thing I think I was in danger of yesterday was "squaring" or chopping off so much that to make it round after that would mean a smaller shank than I intended.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 2:26 pm

Heya Bryan,

I got a delta midid lathe. I think its model # LA200. Kurt Huhn reccomended it to me.

Haven't cracked it open yet, but I'm dying to. It these darn 20 degree days and 5 degree nights that keep me from messing around with it in my garage. Plus, I still need to get a chuck, and a dust collector. The shop vac does OK, but not really great. I'm leaning more and more toward building a workshop in my basement, as opposed to a manly lounge type room.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 2:46 pm

Nick, that's what I have (basement shop). It's great, I love it. My only issues came with the washer/dryer being down there and my having NO dust collection. I had to hang plastic paint tarps around my shop to detour the dust from going everywhere. I also have a basement full of storage from my parents. They should be getting their home soon. When they do I get the WHOLE basement! WAHOO! I'll put up a few walls and then it's all mine!

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 3:06 pm

Hey Nick and Ben,

I envy both of you. Nick for having a new midi lathe and the option of a garage or basement workshop. Ben for having an existing basement workshop. My wife and I are going to work on cleaning out our garage tomorrow thru the rest of the week. When we get it cleaned out, we are going to designate an area for my workshop and I am going to begin building my work bench. I can't wait to get a functional work shop area set up. As it stands now, my work shop consists of an old cobblers bench in the garage and two shoe boxes full of files, rasps and sand paper. Most of my actual shaping is done on a towel spread out on our bed or in the living room floor.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 3:26 pm

OMG! My wife would kill me if I did any sanding or shaping in the house. Well, at least she would if its not in some sort of "shop area." Shaping in front of the TV sounds kinda nice!

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 4:08 pm

Yeah my wife doesn't like it too much, but I am only using files and rasps and every once in a while the dremel. She lets me get by right now. She is gung ho for me to get a workshop area set up in the garage. I must admit, she is definately behind my pipe making hobby.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 4:14 pm

Nick wrote:OMG! My wife would kill me if I did any sanding or shaping in the house. Well, at least she would if its not in some sort of "shop area." Shaping in front of the TV sounds kinda nice!

I do all my fine sanding in the living room

It is funner to do it in front of the TV. But I have to pay too much attention to detail while shaping to do that in front of the TV. I just do my finish sanding there. My wife doesn't mind if I clean up after myself. We have burbur (sp?) carpet so it's hard to tell where I was sanding before it gets vacumed up.

EDIT:
Incidently one of the main reasons I do it in front of the tv is because I have had a tendency to drop the pipe while sanding and on my hard basement floor that has resulted in more than a few breaks

When I get so upset after a break (It's a gut wrenching feeling) she has no problem letting me do it on the carpet somewhere (softer AND it puts me closer to the ground).

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 5:27 pm

Hehehe, I can just see my wife now: "You want to do WHAT on my new carpet?"

*SCHMACK*

(narrators note: the schmack you heard was the idea being smacked down. No innocent husbands, molusks or other spinless creatures were hurt in the making of this post. The management abhor violence aganinst all harmless defencless creatures, unless of course they really deserve it, in which case managers, in order of folical count, take turns beating the living *&^% out of the offending party. We now return you to your regularly scheduled post)

OOWWCCH!! Honey??! OUCH!! I mean... OUCHH!! Stop! OUCH! Hey, who let the wookie in, and why does he have a baseball...

*THUD*

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 5:44 pm

LOL Nick...

That cracked me up...just don't tell my wife I said that! 8O

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delta band saw and block squaring

delta band saw and block squaring

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