# Ryobi band saw not cutting straight



## birdus (Oct 31, 2014)

I have a Ryobi band saw (9") and when I feed the wood in, the blade cuts to the right and so the wood veers off to the left. So, for example, there's no way I can use a fence. I've tried to adjust it according to the instructions, but to no avail. I e-mailed Ryobi and this was their reply:

_Basically, all band saws have this characteristic. This is referred to as "lead". It has more to do with the way the blade is sharpened than the actual saw itself. If the set on the blade is not ground exactly the same along the whole blade it will "lead" in one direction or another. One work around is to get a four foot long board and draw a straight line on it, cut on this line by adjusting the board as required until cutting straight. That would indicate the lead angle for that particular blade, and any rip guide set up you are using can be adjusted to that angle to obtain straight cuts. All blades cut differently, and the next blade you use may "lead" in the opposite direction._

Does this sound right to you all? It seems crazy that I would need to keep trying blade after blade to find one that would allow me to use a fence. I guess I could just clamp a fence parallel to whatever the cutting direction.

Just looking for some feedback.

Thanks,
Jay


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Contrary to what ryobi said, that's actually called blade drift. Its normal. Some blades do, some don't and the degree of drift varies from blade to blade. Its really detrimental on smaller saws because the fences generally don't have a way to account for it like larger saws do. Clamping a board parallel to the drift angle would probably be the best option


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

birdus said:


> Does this sound right to you all? It seems crazy that I would need to keep trying blade after blade to find one that would allow me to use a fence.* I guess I could just clamp a fence parallel to whatever the cutting direction.
> *
> Just looking for some feedback.
> 
> ...


That's your answer, Jay.
A "drifting or leading blade" will cut in the direction of the sharpest side teeth or the greatest set to the teeth. The dull side will not cut as readily. Most often the solution is to adjust the fence if possible, OR make a different fence out of a scrap of wood and clamp it at the angle of drift.

Better quality blades tend to drift less or not at all. You may have difficulty finding them in that size locally, but there are sources that will make them up. 
Search for custom bandsaw blades... Suffock, Bandsaw blades Direct,...
http://www.toolcenter.com/ORDER_BANDSAW_BLADES.html

www.sawblade.com/


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

There could be a couple of other problems that could cause the blade to drift. If the tension isn't enough on the blade the blade can follow the soft grain. Another thing you might check is there us suppose to be guides on each side of the blade that should fit real close to the blade. These guides keep the blade from twisting.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Steve Neul said:


> There could be a couple of other problems that could cause the blade to drift. If the tension isn't enough on the blade the blade can follow the soft grain. *Another thing you might check is there us suppose to be guides on each side of the blade that should fit real close to the blade. These guides keep the blade from twisting.*


Actually, this isn't true. A properly tensioned blade, that has a good sharp set doesn't need the side guides. 
Falberg Saw Co. made a video showing him cutting a 15" thick pine block making quarter sized radius turns with the blade guides backed all the way off. That video is no longer on his site for some reason or I would post it here. His site: http://falbergsaws.com/about.php

I have talked to him personally and have one of the first copies of his book on building your own 3 wheel portable saws. Three wheeled saws are supposed to not track properly, another myth he dispels.
He about doubles the tension on the blade using 2 springs instead of one, and his blades have more set than normal blades.

He's still a member here, so I'll rattle his cage and see what happens....


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## birdus (Oct 31, 2014)

Thanks for the info and links, folks. I appreciate it. I'll try some different blades, fiddle with adjustments a bit, and just make the best of my inexpensive saw.

Jay


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## fareastern (Sep 19, 2014)

Its nice to see somebody asking the right questions about this subject.Too often I have seen people react by re-setting the fence and then really heaving on the locking nuts,because they are convinced that the fence has moved.I have a bandsaw with a reasonable fence,but never depend on it for accurate work as I find that freehand cutting with a well set up saw is less stressful.

The other unknown in this situation is how the blade is running when under load.The tracking and blade guides/thrust bearing are set up with no load applied to the saw in the direction of the cut.If the frame is flexing as the cut is made there is no way of being certain quite what shape the frame has assumed and the leverage from the thrust bearing acting on the upper part of the frame can be considerable.The big old cast iron framed saws used commercially in the past didn't suffer too much distortion,but few of us are lucky enough to have one of those to enjoy.


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

birdus said:


> I have a Ryobi band saw (9") and when I feed the wood in, the blade cuts to the right and so the wood veers off to the left. So, for example, there's no way I can use a fence. I've tried to adjust it according to the instructions, but to no avail. I e-mailed Ryobi and this was their reply:
> 
> _Basically, all band saws have this characteristic. This is referred to as "lead". It has more to do with the way the blade is sharpened than the actual saw itself. If the set on the blade is not ground exactly the same along the whole blade it will "lead" in one direction or another. One work around is to get a four foot long board and draw a straight line on it, cut on this line by adjusting the board as required until cutting straight. That would indicate the lead angle for that particular blade, and any rip guide set up you are using can be adjusted to that angle to obtain straight cuts. All blades cut differently, and the next blade you use may "lead" in the opposite direction._
> 
> ...


that is blade drift, and can be set easy and than the saw will cut with the board staying on the fence, i have the delta and i can resaw or cut with realy holding the board on the fence, do you know how to do this if not check back and i will tell you what to do , what this video with alex and set the saw just like that and it will cut good, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU&list=FLYDEiGLzvqQNIl-nqvD2OOQ&feature=mh_lolz


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

There's a video on my youtube channel that might help you, and although it doesn't cover ALL the bases or the problems associated with band saws, it will give you a quick tune up to follow to HOPEFULLY getting your saw running properly.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U3WVORE1Xk&list=UUJlX2V2SHUvbQEFdyQHoTSA


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

birdus said:


> I have a Ryobi band saw (9") and when I feed the wood in, the blade cuts to the right and so the wood veers off to the left. So, for example, there's no way I can use a fence. I've tried to adjust it according to the instructions, but to no avail. I e-mailed Ryobi and this was their reply:
> 
> _Basically, all band saws have this characteristic. This is referred to as "lead". It has more to do with the way the blade is sharpened than the actual saw itself. If the set on the blade is not ground exactly the same along the whole blade it will "lead" in one direction or another. One work around is to get a four foot long board and draw a straight line on it, cut on this line by adjusting the board as required until cutting straight. That would indicate the lead angle for that particular blade, and any rip guide set up you are using can be adjusted to that angle to obtain straight cuts. All blades cut differently, and the next blade you use may "lead" in the opposite direction._
> 
> ...


that is blade drift, and can be set easy and than the saw will cut with the board staying on the fence, i have the delta and i can resaw or cut with realy holding the board on the fence, do you know how to do this if not check back and i will tell you what to do , what this video with alex and set the saw just like that and it will cut good, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU&list=FLYDEiGLzvqQNIl-nqvD2OOQ&feature=mh_lolz


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## birdus (Oct 31, 2014)

I purchased a couple new blades and it's like I bought a brand new saw. The difference is like night and day! I had no idea the blade could make such a difference. What the Ryobi guy told me sounded crazy, but I guess he was right. With both of the new blades, the saw cuts perfectly parallel to the miter track and will cut curves in both directions (it would cut okay in only one direction before, obviously related to not cutting straight ahead/parallel to the miter track issue that I had mentioned). With the new blades, I made only basic, straightforward adjustments to the saw, none of which made a difference before. Now, it cuts perfectly on the first try.

I'm just shocked at the difference, and it makes my cheapo Ryobi band saw a pretty darn good value. Thanks for the helpful responses.

Jay


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## mako1 (Jan 25, 2014)

It has always baffled me why tool manufacturers ,both low end and some high quality put crap blades on there tools.I understand price points but also understand that when you buy a new tool and can't get it to cut square and true right out of the box,Next purchase you may consider a different brand.It's not a good marketing decision to me since a lot of the low end tools will work very well with a good quality blade.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

mako1 said:


> It has always baffled me why tool manufacturers ,both low end and some high quality put crap blades on there tools.I understand price points but also understand that when you buy a new tool and can't get it to cut square and true right out of the box,Next purchase you may consider a different brand.It's not a good marketing decision to me since a lot of the low end tools will work very well with a good quality blade.


For low end companies, well, if the tool sucks there no chance that there going to be making quality blades. For high end companies, I'd imagine its easier to focus more on getting the tool perfect and letting the user supply the blade, rather than setting up shop to start making their own premium blades.not to mention the price hike there'd be if table saws started shipping with Forrest blades, or bandsaws all shipped with carbide tipped timberwolfs


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## gus1962 (Jan 9, 2013)

mako1 said:


> It has always baffled me why tool manufacturers ,both low end and some high quality put crap blades on there tools.I understand price points but also understand that when you buy a new tool and can't get it to cut square and true right out of the box,Next purchase you may consider a different brand.It's not a good marketing decision to me since a lot of the low end tools will work very well with a good quality blade.


Me either. I don't get the logic behind it. I have bought a band saw years ago. The blade was useless and I have to buy new set of blades.


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## falbergsawco (Nov 25, 2009)

What I do is draw a line down the center of a 2"x4"x4' and push it freehand (without any fence) as if to cut it in half lengthwise. If you find yourself feeding the 2x4 across the table at an angle in order to cut the line straight, you have blade drift. Using the 2 x 4 as a strait-edge, draw a line across the tabletop at that angle and use that angle to align your fence. My tables are square so I just measure perpendicularly from the beginning and board-end distances to move that angle in and out parallel to the blade at that same angle. That "drift" line will hold true until you wear it dull or change the blade. You can use patio door rollers on aluminum angle rails to make a really slick feed rail then just slide your rails parallel to the drift line to adjust cut thickness. While you're freehanding a rip cut to find the drift angle, wiggle it a little to find the centerline of possible drift angles because some blades will follow a fence at any angle (if it has enough set angle). Some of my blades have an 8 degree drift variable . That's what I mean by "crabbing" through a fence rip.


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