# Bandsaw crooked cut or is it me?



## Kender (Apr 20, 2009)

I started collecting various tools for my shop at home so I could get into good wood working. I grew up around tools and could build basic structures but my idea of a strong joint was one that was bolted together with 2 3/4" thick bolts......fine accuracy wasn't an issue. Now that i am getting into fine wood working, accuracy is key and having the right tool makes all the difference.

While I realize that most of the time to get the better tool you have to put out more $$$$, I also have to balance that with the fact that this is a home work shop for hobby purposes so a $3000 table saw with a queen size bed for a table is not needed. To this end I try to balance my tools so that the ones I plan to use the most are of the better quality and the ones that will see less use or are not used for high accuracy are cheaper.

All this leads me to my purchase of a bench top bandsaw, the Skill 9" was on sale so I went for it. I got it set up, adjusted all the guides, blade position on the wheels, tension, etc. I made sure I had the right blade for the 2x4 of pine that I was cutting. Any forward pressure placed on the wood would cause the blade to twist. I even tried using the miter gauge that it came with to make sure that I wasn't putting any side pressure on it. I came to the conclusion that I could get straighter cuts using rocking a drill bit side to side. The saw gets boxed up and returned to the store. I figure any cuts that I would need to do with the bandsaw I can do with a combination of my jig/circular/hand saws. 

After reading through quite a few wood work magazines/books/internet articles I see that people are constantly refering to using the bandsaw for this or that then trimming up with the appropriate tool. I also see the appeal of resawing.....buying 1/4" slats in large quantity of an exotic wood is a ton more cash than getting a larger plank and putting it up to a resaw fence. So there must be something to this bandsaw that I am missing. I do some more research and find that the general thought is that bench top bandsaws make better door stops than saws. Working with my budget but still wanting good quality the grizzly 14" (g0555) comes highly reccommended. While I understand that quality can control material strength, accuracy, reliability, etc. I worry that a bandsaw is still a bandsaw and the blade still has the same ability to twist when trying to cut the same 2x4.

Obviously if so many people can effectively use the bandsaw then either the equipment is defective or I have no clue what I am doing. I don't want to waste my money buying a piece of equipment that won't get used. Please enlighten me, are bandsaws (by design) unable to make the perfect straight cuts or did I have a bad experience due to another fault. I am already leaning towards the idea that the skil saw is a cheapo saw that does a nice imitation of a bandsaw. I would like to think that the grizzly would only give me the wavy cuts if I really tried to twist the work piece.


Thanks.....oh and sorry for the long post.

D.J.


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## Midiean (Apr 13, 2009)

i have two skill saw saws, a circular and a jig saw and the only one i'm saticefied with is the circular saw. Skill is a very entry level tool for the most part and generally you are better off saving up for a different branded tool. I'm currently working up to a Rikon for resawing and mild mill work. in looking at skill's assembly of thier tools, most of it is plastic and not very good plastic. at one point i was looking at that bandsaw as well and someone knocked it off the counter accidently. needless to say, lowes had to get another one out of the box.


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## EnoughClamps (Jan 19, 2009)

I agree that Skill is an entry level brand... but you already have it. Think of it as an learning tool. Use it to teach your self about "runout". It's the drift of the blade through the cut. There are ways to compensate for it. 
Start saving up for the Grizz.


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

I think you've reached the right conclusions for the most part. Obviously a better quality saw will give you a better cut. The little 9" saw you bought can't compare to a serious 14" band saw.

But keep in mind that there are a tremendous variety of blades for different purposes. If you want to re-saw, you want the widest blade that your saw will take. The wider the blade the straighter the cut. Some band saws can take a 3" wide blade! Check out this Hitachi: http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-CB75F...ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1240205201&sr=8-3

If you have a decent saw (like the Griz) with a fairly wide, low TPI blade and a good fence and/or re-saw attachment, you should be able to get more than acceptably straight cuts. Then use the narrower blades for the curvy stuff. 

The Grizzly G0555 you mentioned will take blades from 1/8" up to 3/4" wide. A 3/4" blade, 3 TPI, hook tooth, properly tensioned and with good, correctly adjusted guides, should give you a great re-saw cut.

Bill


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## lumber jock (Apr 11, 2009)

Hello there Kender. The same thing happens to me. I bought a 9" Ryobi from Homies and even with 3 blade changes and constant tuning it still cuts sideways.Thankfully, I'm only cutting pen blanks to lenght. Most of the time I use a back saw with a plastic miter from Homies as well, it saves me from wanting to shoot the band saw.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

A bandsaw is not the tool to use to cut a straight line. Paticularly in a 2x4. I only use a bandsaw when I need to cut a curve. Even then on the very good tools that Eglin AFB has in the hobby shop my cuts are not perfect.

The right tool for the right job.

George


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Crooked cuts?*

I find it hard to believe that no one has mentioned "Proper set up" yet! :blink: Blade tension is very important. A link to FWW article: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00013.asp If there is no other means to determine tension, "twang" the blade with the guides not touching, it should have a nice clear tone, not muddy. The more tension the higher the pitch/tone. Then, adjust the blade guides so they are just touching from side to side and in the rear with the wheels rotated by hand, first, then turn on the machine and listen for grinding, whirring or other bad noises, re-adust guides if necessary. As to quality of Skil tools, my son's Craftsman 10" saw at $150, with a 1/4" blade WILL cut a straight line in a 2x4, with "Proper set-up" and operator control. You can get a reasonable larger saw for $200 to $350 depending, Sears, Harbor Freight, Grizzly etc. Sears is closing out tools in some stores, watch for great deals. I got a floor model 10 TS marked down from $1200 to $480. :thumbsup: It works great!
There are bandsaws and there are bandsaws that can Resaw! Resawing requires a 1/2" minimum blade with 3 Teeth Per Inch. Less teeth will not clear out the sawdust and the blade will overheat and not cut. A resaw fence keeps the work vertical as well as a constant distance from the blade. I wouldn't resaw freehand unless I had made saw kerfs on the tablesaw first. A sharp blade and proper tension are necessary to resaw accurately. bill


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## johnv51 (Oct 27, 2008)

I had an older Craftsman 12" that was just useless for resawing. It would bind to the point of stopping and I won't even discuss blade drift and repeatability. I broke down and got the Griz 0555 and love it. Get the riser kit if you go that route.


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## Kender (Apr 20, 2009)

Thanks for all the input. This has me feeling more confident about the grizzly purchase. I intend on buying the riser block first thing, why buy all the blades I would need for the next few months work and then have to replace them with longer blades when I find out I want to resaw a 1x10. This is one of the blades I am looking at http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=6075 does anyone know if it lives up to the hype? What about the cool blocks, do they make a difference? From the looks of some resaw fences I could attach a piece of mdf to the standard fence to make it taller......the same way you would for cutting tennons on a table saw. Unless there is something else mystical about them it looks that easy.


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## Dean Miller (Jan 29, 2009)

Thats an excellent blade for resawing. Cutting a straight line with a bandsaw is setup and practice. Try not to hug the line to close leaving room for planing or sanding. Bandsaw cuts are never perfect.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Bandsaws are used to resaw all the time!*



GeorgeC said:


> A bandsaw is not the tool to use to cut a straight line. Paticularly in a 2x4. I only use a bandsaw when I need to cut a curve. Even then on the very good tools that Eglin AFB has in the hobby shop my cuts are not perfect.
> The right tool for the right job. George


The question of cutting a 2x4 is a little vague, ripping, crosscutting or resawing? Who knows However, a quick look at a Grizzly catalog shows 10 different Bandsaws capable of resawing and fences to enable it. A woodworker starting out will assume it only cuts "curves" but experienced woodworkers know that's only one thing it does well. Woodmizer and other bandsaw mills cut accurately all day long, not perfectly, but accurately. When I resaw I run my just cut slab over the jointer to flatten one side for the next pass. I think I saw Norm Abrams cut tenons on a bandsaw once. I can cut 1/16th inch thin pieces on my 18" Mini Max.:yes: FYI bill


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## Kender (Apr 20, 2009)

The 2x4 cut I was refering to was to cut a notch out of the end. I just realized something regarding the riser block. If the guides on the saw are made for the standard height and touch the table is there enough travel in the guides so that even with a 6inch lift they will still touch the table? I'm thinking it would be a pain to have to remove the riser anytime I wanted to cut thinner boards. 

Thanks


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Riser block kit at grizzly*

The kit at $69.00 shows a blade guide xtension bar if I am correct, so do not worry about that. A call to them will clarify, but it would be useless without one.:yes: bill


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

woodnthings said:


> The question of cutting a 2x4 is a little vague, ripping, crosscutting or resawing? Who knows However, a quick look at a Grizzly catalog shows 10 different Bandsaws capable of resawing and fences to enable it. A woodworker starting out will assume it only cuts "curves" but experienced woodworkers know that's only one thing it does well. Woodmizer and other bandsaw mills cut accurately all day long, not perfectly, but accurately. When I resaw I run my just cut slab over the jointer to flatten one side for the next pass. I think I saw Norm Abrams cut tenons on a bandsaw once. I can cut 1/16th inch thin pieces on my 18" Mini Max.:yes: FYI bill


Sorry that I was sort of brief there. I was only reacting to the original question of cutting a straight line. 

Certainly resawing is a normal use of a bandsaw. I have found that to be very useful when I do not have the correct thickness wood and want something thinner. Cutting small sections is also useful.

However, my comment was regarding cutting long straight lines. That is not what a bandsaw is intended to do nor should it be used for that purpose.

G


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## Kender (Apr 20, 2009)

GeorgeC said:


> Sorry that I was sort of brief there. I was only reacting to the original question of cutting a straight line.
> 
> Certainly resawing is a normal use of a bandsaw. I have found that to be very useful when I do not have the correct thickness wood and want something thinner. Cutting small sections is also useful.
> 
> ...




Any long line (except resawing) is going to be cut on my table saw not only is it straighter but it is faster. I haven't made a jig yet for cutting the end of a board that is standing up, like what you would do for a tenon on a table saw. plus there are times that the TS is setup for one cut and you just need to remove some waste so the BS is nice.


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