01-08-2016, 06:19 AM
Brand new 1/8" - 14tpi Starrett blade won't track on my Powermatic PWBS-14 bandsaw.
1. The machine is properly tuned-up. !
2. The guides, upper and lower are completely pulled out of the way during the installation of the blade as described below.
3. When I start to tension up the blade and turn the wheels by hand and adjust the tracking (with the tilt of the top wheel) the blade (within a couple of wheel revolutions) rides off either the front or back of the wheels.
4. Once the blade starts to move towards the edge of the wheels, any attempt to correct the tracking position seems to have no effect. The blade just seems to want to drift off the wheels.
I've never tried to run a 1/8" blade on this machine, but I regularly use 3/16" blades (and larger) with no problem.
As I said above, the guides are completely pulled out of the way. So, it has nothing to do with the guides.
I'm thinking it's just a bad blade?
Any other ideas?
Thanks,
Ken
1. The machine is properly tuned-up. !
2. The guides, upper and lower are completely pulled out of the way during the installation of the blade as described below.
3. When I start to tension up the blade and turn the wheels by hand and adjust the tracking (with the tilt of the top wheel) the blade (within a couple of wheel revolutions) rides off either the front or back of the wheels.
4. Once the blade starts to move towards the edge of the wheels, any attempt to correct the tracking position seems to have no effect. The blade just seems to want to drift off the wheels.
I've never tried to run a 1/8" blade on this machine, but I regularly use 3/16" blades (and larger) with no problem.
As I said above, the guides are completely pulled out of the way. So, it has nothing to do with the guides.
I'm thinking it's just a bad blade?
Any other ideas?
Thanks,
Ken