Bandsaw drift question

[GentlemanArcher]

Hi All,

My band saw isn't liking ripping lams anymore.  I had it set up well.  I made an second fence and clamped it at an angle to the main fence.  Easy peasy.

That was about a month ago.  I tried to cut some hickory last night and found that the drift was to the other side now.  ?????  The drift is also a lot bigger than it used to be.

What I am looking for is why?  Does the sharpness of the blade affect drift?  The only change I'm aware of is that I moved the roller guides closer to the blade.

Any Ideas.

GA

[wood carver 2]

A dull blade will be all over the place.
Dave.

[PEARL DRUMS]

My tension causes the most wandering for me. I think the baalde stretches some after use and it seems a 1/2 turn or so will get her straightened out most often.

[Ranger44]

wood carver hit it on the head.  I was having trouble with mine and after my stepson broke the old blade I got a new one and the drift is much less and it sets up extremely easy.

[Roy from Pa]

Yup a dull blade will cause it.... I have seen it first hand:)

[GentlemanArcher]

Cool...thanks for the input.  I'll try adjusting the tension first.  Then changing the blade if needed.

I'll post when I get it figured out.

Thx
GA

[7 Lakes]

Chain saw will do the same thing.  For some reason one side of the blade will get dull first sending the cut further and further off.  Pushing the blade over far enough to hit the table stop will hurry this process along quickly.

1st:  Slightly tighten the blade and make sure the rollers are spaced a paper width away.  Does the drift continue?  

If yes

2nd:  Put on new blade, if the drift continues call back but I bet it disapears.

3d:  Don't throw the dull blade away.  Use it to cut Phonelic, Glass etc....

[Crooked Stic]

I use Bi Metal blades 6/10 varible pitch. They have a bit more backbone and you can resaw against the fence with good results.

[eflanders]

Here's a trick I learned from the bandsaw blade folks:  Be sure to loosen the tension on your blades between use.  This helps the blade and the wheel tires to maintain their proper shape.

Lots of folks know to check their guide blocks/wheels but few guys know that a new blade will still drift substantially if your band saw wheel tires are worn and/or hard. I think few folks ever think to change them.  If the tires are hard and shiney looking, they need to be replaced!

[fujimo]

good advice all. thanks

[jsweka]

Drift starts to happen when the blade begins dulling and the kerf isn't the same on both sides of the blade.

eflanders - that's a good point about the tires.  I could definitely see where hard tires would affect the kerf on one side of the blade.

[GentlemanArcher]

Hi All...

Back in business.  Adjusting the tension helped some.  But a new blade was the ticket.  I just got the saw at Christmas, I'm a little surprised the blade only lasted this long.  Didn't use it on glass, just hickory, walnut, pine, and bamboo.  

Thanks again for the input.  After I got the saw cutting, I made some backing strips of hickory and lams of walnut and bamboo.

I'll post pics when some of those turn into a bow.

Kia Kaha

[wood carver 2]

The last two blades I bought didn't last very long either. It's worth the extra money for good blades.
Dave.

[fujimo]

Dave.what do you think the better blades are- in order of preference- we cant always seem to get the same blades here as the fella's south of the line can get.