Thread: Band saw or scroll saw?

Congratulations! I am sure you won't regret your decision. It is a sweet tool.

Okay, I like the bandsaw, but I'm having some alignment issues. I've done everything the manual says, and the saw still will not cut straight. As soon as I slide in a piece of wood for cutting, the blade starts to deflect and presses up against the right side blade guide. Increasing the blade tension seems to have some positive effect, but I tightened it almost twice as much as the manual recommends and it still wouldn't cut straight. I tried adjusting the blade guides and support bearing for closer tolerances (using the "business card" test), but it still deflects. Adjusting the tracking of the blade didn't seem to do much either.

After all this, I checked online for some other tweaks and came across a guide for fine tuning bandsaws. One of the things it mentions is to check for coplanarity of the wheels. So I whip out a straight edge and check. The wheels seem to be aligned to the same plane, but the bottom one is a recessed by about 1/16" more than the top one. This is also indicated by the fact that the blade tracks slightly more forward on the bottom wheel than the top. When I stand back and look at the blade, it sure seems to be aligned to cut straight... it just doesn't.

I've only used a bandsaw a handful of times and never really had to adjust any, so I'm not sure what else to do. I certainly don't remember the last bandsaw I used deflecting like this. Any suggestions are appriciated.