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A reader needs our help with his band saw

March 13, 2011 By

I hope someone reading this will be able to help a fellow woodworker and reader of this blog. Here is the problem with his new band saw:

  1. He adjusts the guide post that holds the blade guides to resaw a 4-inch thick piece of wood, and is able to make perfect cuts.
  2. Then he changes the work piece to resaw an 8-inch tall piece. The blade guide is way off — it is so far off that he must re-adjust the blade guides, to provide proper support for the blade.
  3. He tests the guide post, and it is “sloppy” in the steel enclosure.
  4. He thinks that the guide post bracket is too short at about 5 inches, and requested I measure mine, including a photo. Here is mine — the one on my band saw is between 4″ and 4-1/2″ tall (for visual reference, the wooden gnomon is exactly 6 inches tall):

    Grizzly band saw guide column.

  5. I tried to move the upper guide column on my 17-inch Grizzly band saw with my hand; it is very tight in place, and cannot be moved except up and down using the crank located outside the wheel cover.
  6. In addition, when I move the guide column up and down, the entire blade guide assembly stays true, and does not require any adjustment.

With my limited troubleshooting, now I believe that our friend and reader has two problems:

a) First, the “slop”, or play in the guide column must be reduced to close to nil. Will this require some shims, or machining of a new part? And

b) The vertical alignment must be fixed using the bolts accessed from outside the upper wheel case

Request: Although I have good working knowledge of the band saw, I am not certain I am 100% correct in my assessment of this problem. Therefore, so we can better help our fellow woodworker, I request that YOU, the readers of the blog, provide additional feedback either in the Comments section below, or via e-mail to me at sandal_woods@bbwi.net. Thanks!

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Band saw, Blog, Tools Tagged With: , , ,

Resawing a huge block on the band saw

March 7, 2011 By

Several months ago I received a phone call from a reader in Europe. Over the past several months we spoke about resawing requirements on the band saw, as he has a large quantity of premium rosewood to convert into blanks for guitars. We quickly became friends; we talked about his travels through the Americas over the years some decades ago. I also learned what he plans to do with all this wood; and we discussed in great detail how he should go about resawing a significant quantity of logs.

I wanted to see what my friend “Joe” was up to, and requested photos, if possible (Joe prefers to remain anonymous). He sent me the following — with his permission I share these photos:

From one side, to show the beautiful grain:

Resawing a huge block of wood, #1 — for finger boards.

A head-on shot:

Resawing a huge block of wood, #2.

Joe uses a premium blade on a no-name, 20-inch band saw purchased locally. The current setup with Euro guides and a short fence works great to resaw these large blocks into 3-mm thick slabs; these slabs will be ripped into finger boards. However, in preparation to resaw thinner sets for guitar backs and sides, he has ordered Carter guides (both upper and lower), and a very tall resaw fence.

Thanks for sharing these, Joe, and thanks for everything I have learned from you about guitar-making, and the setup you are using.

For my readers, I would like to learn from you:

  • Do you make musical instruments?
  • Do you resaw large blocks like the ones Joe shows in the photos?
  • What is your setup to resaw the large blocks?
  • What type of wood do you use for your guitars or other instruments?

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Band saw, Blog, Resaw Tagged With: ,

Resawing on the band saw safely

February 17, 2011 By

I received several comments and a bunch of e-mail following my post on “First look at the tall resaw fence…” One reader commented “…I have to say it made me wince a bit. Have you considered using a push stick to make that operation safer?”

In my reply I mentioned I used a push stick, and highlighted the times on the video at which I pick up the push stick to ensure a safe cut. Currently, the online woodworking community and also federal agencies are quite interested in power tool safety issues, as competing flesh-sensing technologies are developed, patented, and implemented on table saws, changing them forever. Maybe something will come along soon for band saws, too, as regulatory bodies and users seem to be at odds about what direction to go. Should the technology be mandated, or should it be left to the individual in his/her shop?

Meanwhile, for safety’s sake, and in the interest of following up on the reader’s comment, I show in the video below how I use a push stick and a push block to ensure I retain all my fingers without much of a chance of incurring even a scratch. Note that the push block has a piece on the back end that catches the work piece, ensuring I can push it forward; sometimes I also use a push stick to assist pushing the work piece, while the push block helps me keep the work piece flush against the fence and moving forward.

I suggest the following guidelines to everyone working with tools in the shop:

  1. Always, always, always know how a particular machine works. If not sure, don’t use it until you get proper instruction and advice. I believe it is my responsibility, and that it is also your responsibility, to learn to use the machine properly, to avoid injury.
  2. Never, never, never, ever work in the shop while tired, or under the influence of medicine, alcohol, or drugs.
  3. Always think about your next action; rehearse the cut, and make sure you have considered what could possibly go wrong.
  4. Listen to the little voice that tells you “something” is not right. I remember getting ready to rip a board on the table saw; everything seemed right, except the board I milled the day before did not feel “right”. It had twisted, and the jointed edge was no longer straight — the perfect combination that could result in the waste being pushed into the blade, resulting in kickback.
  5. Make sure your fingers are at least 3 inches away from a moving blade at all times.
  6. Use push blocks and push sticks; but do so properly, always using suitable blocks and sticks (not all are suitable). If not sure how to use them, ask for advice on proper design, and learn how how to use them.
  7. Always make sure you touch the work piece or the waste only after the blade has stopped moving completely. Do not touch anything in the vicinity of a moving blade.
  8. Maintain your tools. From time time, make sure all bolts, machine screws, belts and pulleys are tightly in place.
  9. Use machine guards. If you don’t think they are adequate, find suitable replacements. But always use them.
  10. Hand tools: Always aim hand tools, including chisels and screw drivers, away from body parts. And make sure the tip of the tool cannot hit any body part while working.

I hope the following video will help woodworkers work safely at the band saw. The push stick I use is a 6- to 7-inch long stick I normally use to stack boards on the lumber rack; and the push block is one I built to work on the table saw. The push block has 60-grit sandpaper on the bottom, to minimize the risk of slippage while pushing the work piece.

Using push sticks and push blocks
with the DriftMaster fence — Duration: 6:15 minutes

I welcome your comments, either in the Comments section below, or via e-mail.

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Band saw, Blog, Education, Resaw, Safety, Tools, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

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