Bandsaw blade - switched to 3/16" blade - Wont track..

[mdhills]

why would too much tension worsen tracking?

Matt

[Strokes77]

I don't know. I just couldn't get the blade to ride in the center of top wheel. No matter now I adjusted the tilt... But by backing the tension off, I was able to adjust it as normal.

[JosephP]

Pretty sure too much tension takes the wheels off of their common plane.

[Alan S]

I have seen the behavior mentioned by the OP, but only with 1/8" blades. 

The problem may be that narrow blades can stretch with too much tension, to the extent they run off the crown of the wheel to relieve that stretch.  Proper tracking depends on one edge of the band being tighter than the other as it runs off the center.  https://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/crowned_pulleys.html
If the overall band stretch significantly outweighs that difference, it may no longer track properly.


Deflecting the wheels out of planarity is likely to happen more with wider blades.  In my experience, coplanarity of wheels matters more with wider blades, which makes sense as narrow blades are so easy to twist.  If you correct coplanarity of wheels, I'd do it with my widest blade properly tensioned, and not worry about it for narrow blades.

[Strokes77]

I have seen the behavior mentioned by the OP, but only with 1/8" blades. 

The problem may be that narrow blades can stretch with too much tension, to the extent they run off the crown of the wheel to relieve that stretch.  Proper tracking depends on one edge of the band being tighter than the other as it runs off the center.  https://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/crowned_pulleys.html
If the overall band stretch significantly outweighs that difference, it may no longer track properly.


Deflecting the wheels out of planarity is likely to happen more with wider blades.  In my experience, coplanarity of wheels matters more with wider blades, which makes sense as narrow blades are so easy to twist.  If you correct coplanarity of wheels, I'd do it with my widest blade properly tensioned, and not worry about it for narrow blades.

This, I believe, is exactly what I was experiencing.  Thank you guys for helping me.  The blade in question was an "Olson 3/16" 10tpi blade.  And I had forgotten to adjust the tension from the 1/2" blade I had on before... So it was entirely too much for the blade.

[JGrout]

This, I believe, is exactly what I was experiencing.  Thank you guys for helping me.  The blade in question was an "Olson 3/16" 10tpi blade.  And I had forgotten to adjust the tension from the 1/2" blade I had on before... So it was entirely too much for the blade.

good thing it was a narrow blade. I would have liked to been a fly in the corner watching you wrap that blade on without removing/reducing the tension first. 

glad it worked out

Joe

[Strokes77]

good thing it was a narrow blade. I would have liked to been a fly in the corner watching you wrap that blade on without removing/reducing the tension first. 

glad it worked out

Joe

This saw has a lever... so I flipped the lever.. ;0

[JGrout]

This saw has a lever... so I flipped the lever.. ;0

I knew there was a good reason to dislike those levers 

you just cemented it

[Bøb]

Are the wheels coplanar?

They don't need to be ... that is another w.w. myth !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxVyKsbuwZQ

[Mike in kc]

Maybe it's just time for new tires?