New Woodfast BS-500

[rsser]

Some guys have in fact found that throwing out the supplied blade is a necessary step.

Apart from that, the website I posted a link to suggests that each blade has a 'lead' angle so you have to adjust your fence (not possible) or saw freehand. Any case, try Hickory's suggestion because its easy and quick. And play around with blade tension. If those don't work, replace the blade and start over.

And go through all the other tips trying one at a time. Bit of a bother eh.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/i...n=Custom&ID=19

http://www.americanfurnituredsgn.com...20Dec%2003.htm

My Woodfast BAS350 should arrive this week so I may be keeping you company ;-}
.

[hazard]

To all who have replied to my original post, especially Rsser and Hickory, thanks for your kind help and advice. I have just successfully cut 200mm x 300mm x 1.2mm jarrah veneeers. Consistent thickness and cutting very easily. Following Hickory's setup information and after a few retries and a lot of fiddling it works beautifully!!!! Thanks again all. What a great help this forum is to total beginners like me. Kindest regards to you all,Hazard

[rsser]

Good news Hazard; glad to hear it.

Another tip (!) if you need it. Feel the blade while it's still (relatively) sharp; then you'll know when it's blunt. Won't take long. Henry Bros bimetal blades are worth the bikkies as a replacement.

[rsser]

Looking at my new BS350 you can adjust the orientation of the whole table/trunnion assembly. Couple of fasteners that fix it to the base can be backed off for the purpose.

That makes it impossible to use the Highlandwoodworking procedure for adjusting the fence in relation to the blade. So it's either trial and error or making a reference fixture to attach to the frame.

[Solutions Aust]

I thought WF was only selling direct now ?

(off topic but Woodfast I used your website to email a query about the blade length on the BAS 350 several weeks ago and haven't had a reply.)

Hi Ern,
BAS-350 is not a Woodfast machine.
Woodfast BS-350 blade length is 2630mm

Regards
Woodfast Aust

[Big Shed]

Hi Ern,
BAS-350 is not a Woodfast machine.
Woodfast BS-350 blade length is 2630mm

Regards
Woodfast Aust

Naughty Ern......................

[Solutions Aust]

Naughty Ern......................

Completely different looking and specified Bandsaw-------
Woodfast Aust

[Alastair]

The fence does not have anything to do with drift. the drift is created when you track the blade forward or behind the crest of the wheels. Blades tracked behind the crown will drift to the right, those in front of the crown will drift left.

There are other posts questioning the tracking and set up problems, I can either repeat my suggestions or you can read those posts. Scroll down a couple of posting to the Tracking ones and you will see my suggestions.

Purely back to setup basics...

Hooray Hickory,

The first person I have heard out there who confirms what I had suspected from my own voyage of discovery!

I have also found that depending on where on the wheel you are tracking, the amount of tension you wind on can also change the drift. It could be due to distortion of frame allowing the top wheel to 'tilt' slightly. I set tension first, then do a test cut, and adjust tracking until drift is nil, and saw cuts parallel to table.

Regards

[rsser]

Completely different looking and specified Bandsaw-------
Woodfast Aust

Pretty close to the Record BAS 350 however

[Harry72]

Hickory, I dont think the wheels on the said machine have crested wheels they are flat, like most euro styled machines I've looked at.

[rsser]

On the 350 they're domed; pretty sure the 500 would be too.

[Harry72]

They looked flat to me as they have the same cast wheels as my saw.
Its the same machine as a BAS470 but streets ahead in quality control and parts.

My guess is with machines that take wide blades(1"+)domed wheels probably dont work as well as small blades, because a domed shape would put pressure on a small area rather than the whole width of the blade in effect of curving the width???
Do bandsaw mills have domed wheels?

[DJ’s Timber]

Do bandsaw mills have domed wheels?

The Woodmizer at the yard here has flat wheels and I think the blades are 1 1/2" from memory.