upgrade rockwell band saw to 1 1/2 hp

[jteneyck]

This is utter rubbish.



All blades have/ produce drift.   If you set you saw up by adjusting the table to compensate for it and then your blade dulls or you change to a different blade - then ya gotta adjust your table again !  

WHICH TAKES A HECK OF A LOT LONGER THAN ADJUSTING ONE OF THOSE PLOY FENCES !

Clearly you don't believe me, so look up Michael Fortune's article in FWW.  Maybe you'll believe someone with just a bit of experience and credibility.  Meanwhile, I'll enjoy my very straight cutting saw, even after changing blades. 

John

Or read the manual for nearly any Grizzly bandsaw.

[Cabinet Monkey]

Clearly you don't believe me, so look up Michael Fortune's article in FWW.  Maybe you'll believe someone with just a bit of experience and credibility.  Meanwhile, I'll enjoy my very straight cutting saw, even after changing blades. 

John

Or read the manual for nearly any Grizzly bandsaw.

No I DON’T AGREE with you. 

And nor do I subscribe to MF’s practice though I agree it does work.

Michael is certainly experienced and accomplished BUT ………..

1. he dedicates a particular saw to a particular blade. 
Most don’t have the luxury of shop space or budget to allow for this. When he changes a blade he puts the same brand / type back on that saw. 

2. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him say that blade don’t have drift or that each blade’s drift is different.
he simply chooses one method of dealing with it over another. 

3. Don’t think he’s ever said adjustable fences are a gimmick like you have.
 But I coulda missed it.  

4. He makes NO ALLOWANCES , or gives any practical advice for those with bandsaws that have no miter slot or who’s tables lack sufficient slop of the table mounts to deal with the blade drift. 

5. MF to my knowledge ever said adjusting the fence won’t work. 
and it’s DEFINITELY faster.  On that point , you , he , or anyone else will never convince me otherwise. We can discuss the merits and pitfalls of the different methods for dealing with drift , but you’re gonna lose the speed race every time adjusting the table over adjusting the fence.


6. Before MF was the darling of FWW - the previous “guru” was Mark Duginske ………….he advocated dealing with drift by adjusting the fence !  He’s got a couple of bandsaw books published and is plenty experienced and accomplished too.
Nick Engler advocates adjusting the fence in his book too as well as a couple of other FWW “gurus” that preceded MF. 

7. While we’re throwing out names of experienced and credible guys……..Alex Snodgrass advocates adjusting your fence too !  Though he IS a marketing (or sales) guy 



So yea, if you think that blades do not have drift , I think you’re just plain wrong.  The mere fact that you’ve adjusted your table to align with a blade proves that they do.   If not , it woulda been done at the factory like a table saw.   
And that drift can change as a blade wears.  Fortune just changes his out for a new one. The skinflints round here tend to ride theirs a bit longer.  Which means they have to compensate for it…………..and I am saying that doing so by adjusting that gimmicky fence is faster than futzing with the table !

Lotsa ways to skin a cat and you should use what you feel works best for you.  However , I think you should be less dismissive of alternative methods.

[jteneyck]

If you read MF's article, you'll see that he says to put the blade in the middle of the upper wheel and adjust the table once, and only ever once, so that the miter slot is parallel to the side of the blade.  If you read the manual for the Grizzly G0636X, my larger saw, you will see that it says the same thing.  If have my saw adjusted that way, as well as my little 14" Delta.  They both cut straight and parallel with the miter slot regardless of what blade I install.  I may have to move the blade forward or backwards from center on the upper wheel, but that's what the adjustment is there for, and it's a lot faster to do that than to adjust for drift.  A blade that cuts straight and parallel with the miter slot allows you to actually use the miter gage as was intended by the manufacturer.  

You adjust the blade on a tablesaw so that it is parallel with the miter slot, and the fence parallel with that.  It's no different on a bandsaw except you adjust the table parallel to the blade - once and only once.  

Blades drift when the set is unequal or start to dull on one side.  That's when you adjust for drift, as a short-term Band Aide until you can install a new blade.  

Do as you will.  Perhaps others will see there is an easier way, one that allows full use of the saw's capabilities.  

There's nothing more to be said.  

John