I just assembled a Jet 14" (Deluxe) Bandsaw with a Riser block. I can't get the 105" blades to fit onto the saw. I loosened/lowered the blades, and tried the one that came with the kit, along with a Timberwolf blade. The saw wheels are aligned properly. The blade ALMOST fits on the wheels.
I was unable to find any adjustment besides the blade tension knob. Am I missing something?
I measured the riser block, and it's 6 1/16" high. That adds an 1/8" of an inch extra length necessary to the blade. Is this the problem?
I'll call Jet Tuesday, but I was wondering if anyone have some suggestions.
Are you positive the top wheel is bottomed out? On my Delta saw, sometimes the wheel will hang up and not completely slide to the bottom of the adjustment. Make absolutely certain there is slack in the tension adjustment screw and then give the wheel hub a couple whacks with a wood mallet to make sure the wheel is at the bottom of it's vertical movement.
On my saw, that 1/8" wouldn't make enough difference to make a blade not fit.
I had the same problem on my Craftsman Pro 14" bandsaw that is made by Rexon. (This saw looks EXACTLY like the Jet 14" open stand model) After I put the riser kit in the 105" blades were just a little too short. After about an hour checking everything out I found out that the adjuster for the top wheel camber (caster?) was hitting the inside of the upper housing which prevented the blade tension assembly from going all the way down. A little adjustment took care of it.
I had the same problem with my saw. I found that altough I had loosened the tension spring, the upper assembly had hung up. I had to tap it with a rubber mallet to force it down.
Thanks, Gang. Dumb error, as it turned out. (Although the manual did not mention this is a possible/required adjustment).
At the bottom on the tension knob bolt is a nut. It was 2 inches from the end of the bolt. I had to loosen the nut, which caused the entire wheel to lower one inch.
Before I did that, the minimum blade length before tensioning would have been 105 1/4 inches. I was thinking unkind things.
I wonder if some guy at Jet was chuckling at himself and was purposely setting the "default" length to be "maximum aggravation." I have no proof of this, but I also had a threadless "nut that could not be threaded." (grin)
Anyhow - today I get to turn on the motor for the first time!
One more question....
I bought 2 Timberwolf blades. One of them was 3/4" - which I bought for resawing. I figured the wider the blade, the straighter the resawing. (Newer owned a bandsaw before).
I haven't opened the package yet, so I can return it. Anyhow - I was wondering if I should return it for a 1/2" or 5/8" blade instead.
The "Duginkse Bench Guide" says the maximum practical size for non-commercial band saws is 1/2" because of the required tension for a
3/4" is too high.
The Jet specs say it's good for 3/4". And I have a low-tension blade.
Does a 3/4" cut straighter than a 1/2"? Is a low-tension 3/4" pushing the limits of a 14" Bandsaw? Has anyone tried both?
This one reference suggests the 3/4" will work fine.
In theory, the wider blade is better. I use the 1/2" because it was recommended by Suffolk Machine for my Jet. Scott Philips also said the same thing. I've not tried the 3/4" so I have never seen a comparison. If it was in my hands, I'd probably try it.
As I said, in theory wider is better, but what is best is a properly aligned and tensioned blade. If you can achieve that, it will work. Ed
I'd suggest the 1/2" blade for what I think you're wanting to do. You're not going to notice much of a difference in straightness of resawing on a well tuned bandsaw and resawing fence setup. What you might notice is that it takes quite a bit of umph for most commercial bandsaws to sling around a
3/4" blade at it's recommended tension and through 4" or more of wood for good resawing. The 1/2" blade is the right combination for me and my smaller (16" and under) bandsaws when resawing.
I do, however, use a 3/4" blade on these smaller bandsaws when I'm cutting up rough log pieces that will fit. I feel that the 3/4" blade is tougher and I can drive through the wood quicker/easier but I don't need a great finish or worry about drift, etc. I can just hog through it.
Give the 3/4" blade a try and see how you like it. You might not notice much of a difference. You bought it already so use it. It's just that after doing this for awhile and comparing the two blades on these particular bandsaws, I *prefer* to use the 1/2" for this purpose. It's not that the
The Suffolk blades are "low tension" blades and have never caused any trouble with my Jet with riser blocks. I do try to remember to detension the blade after using it. I use the 3/4" for resawing and have other widths for other purposes.
The low tension blades take a little getting used to. You tighten them, loosen them until they start to flutter, and then retighten them just a little.
I will throw in another question. I know the thread was about resawing, but what about green wood? Cutting bowl blanks ect. My saw is a 14" delta with riser blocks. 1/2 inch blade too wide for bowl blanks?? I have a Jet
My preferred width. Keep the number of TPI low and, unlike resawing, some good kerf-clearing set in 'em.
Turn off the saw, soak a paper towel with oil or WD-40 and rotate the blade backward through it to clean after sessions with acid woods like cherry, oak or elm, and you'll maintain a sharp cut longer.
I use olive oil straight, applied with the paper towel. Hell of a lot cheaper than aerosol. Minor gain in cutting ability on wet wood, but resin doesn't stick as readily.
I get my blades directly from Timberwolf (Suffolk Machinery). I follow Timberwolf's recommendations when cutting green wood for turning blanks by using a 3/8" 3 tooth with a mildly wide set to the teeth to keep the wet saw dust from binding the blade as it heats, steams and swells inside the kerf. It's the AS series and costs about $18.
When using a 1/2" blade, the min. diameter you could cut would be about
I don't know. You might try a google search of the newsgroup to see what's been said about the Viking blades.
How did you screw up a blade by attempting a too tight curve? The only thing I've run into when that happens is I can't keep the blade tight enough to the line, so end up making faceted cuts.
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