Use and Care Manual

26
The ideal blade for resawing is the widest one the
machine can handle, as the wider the blade the
better it can hold a straight line.
Resawing can be performed using the aluminum
resaw fence or the resaw pin. When using the resaw
fence, use a push block, push stick, or similar device
to keep your hands away from the blade. The resaw
pin offers a pivot point by which you can carefully
follow your layout line; it is especially useful for
sawing curves, when the fence can’t be used and
it’s difficult to control the cut freehand.
Figure 43 demonstrates resawing with the
aluminum resaw fence; Figure 44, with the resaw
pin.
Figure 43: resawing
Figure 44: resaw pin
12.5 Blade Lead
Blade lead, or drift, is when the blade begins to
wander off the cutting line even when the band saw
fence is being used. Figure 45 shows an example of
blade lead. It is more common with small, narrow
blades, and is almost always attributable to poor
blade quality, or lack of proper adjustments. Inspect
the band saw for the following:
• Fence is not parallel to miter slot and blade.
• Blade is not tensioned correctly.
• Blade is dull.
• Teeth have too much “set” on one side of the
blade.
• Workpiece is being fed too quickly.
Figure 45: blade lead
If the blade is suspect, but replacing it is not
currently an option, the blade lead can be
temporarily compensated for by skewing the fence:
1. Cut a scrap piece of wood about the same
length as the band saw table, and joint one
edge along its length, or rip it on a table saw to
give it a straight edge.
2. Draw a line on the board parallel with the
jointed, or straight edge of the board.
3. Move the band saw fence out of the way, and
carefully make a freehand cut along your drawn
line on the board. Stop about midway on the
board, and shut off the band saw (allow the
blade to come to a complete stop) but do not
allow the board to move.
4. Clamp the board to the table.
5. Slide the band saw fence over against the
board until it contacts the straight edge of the
board at some point. Lock the fence down.
6. Use the back adjustment screws (B, Figure 16)
to line up the fence against the board.
7. Re-tighten the four hex cap screws.
NOTE: Skewing the fence to correct blade lead is
effective for that particular blade; when a new blade
is installed, the fence will need re-adjustment and
re-squaring to miter slot. See appropriate section in
this manual.