The Mysterious Bandsaw Drift...Solved? // B4WMT #9

For as long as I’ve used bandsaws, I’ve heard of the mysterious bandsaw drift phenomenon, yet I have never been able to really get a definitive answer to the cause of this problem. With my first bandsaw, I spent months trying to get that bandsaw to resaw lumber and gave up a year later after countless hours of swapping blades and customer service phone calls that did nothing to fix my problems.
Today, we're going to look at bandsaw drift logically and try to understand why it's happening. Only then can we hope to resolve the mysterious bandsaw drift phenomenon...
Steel nose bandsaw sled → • Steel Nose Bandsaw Sled
Bitesizes from the video
20. Simple blade drift solution → • 20. Simple blade drift...
74. Obey relative humidity laws! → • 74. Obey relative humi...
129. Resawing lumber economically → • 129. Resawing lumber e...
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Tutor the Barbarian
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Gary G.
00:00 Intro
0:24 1. The Mysterious Bandsaw Blade Drift Phenomenon
2:26 2. Ancient Tried and True Methods
4:40 3. Physics, Nature and Logic
7:20 4. Gaming the System
10:32 Credits

[@Jeff1Jeff2Jeff3Jeff]

WOW! I feel like I just attend a TED Talk on band saws .. I feel ten pounds smarter! Thanks ROB!

[@jimhuitt9854]

When I worked at Woodcraft some 20 yrs ago I bought a jet bandsaw. The store owner gave me a quick lesson on setting the saw up and I have never ever had a problem with drift. I use nothing but Timber Wolf blades and not very many of those. First the blade needs to be in the center of the tire thats the teerh not the whole blade. The tire has radius and to run true the teeth need to be in center of that radius. Tension should be low, loosen the tension adjustment til the blade starts to wooble then tighten 3 turns. Next never use cheap blades that's why i only use Timber Wolf blades. This has worked for me for many years and in my 9 yrs at Woodcraft I passed this on to a lot of happy customers. Good iuck !

[@eileencollins3126]

Great information! Alex Snodgrass said in a class at Woodcraft to have the gullet (base) of the teeth in the center of the tire. It really helps. I also round the backside edges of a new blade, which also helps. I use a river rock for this. I also only use Timber Wolf blades. They seem to stay sharp longer than others I have tried.

[@jeffkowalski4936]

I agree. If you’re adjusting for drift right out of the gate then there is something improperly set up. Wheels centered over the tires is the most common problem. All guides and tensioning dialed in and you’ll never have a problem. Research Alex Snodgrass. He shows a proper tune up.

[@davidpeters8813]

Great info! Another factor is bandsaw setup/tracking. Most manufacturers say to adjust tracking so the blade is centered on the wheels. However, since a bandsaw tire is domed, that leaves the teeth unsupported and they will drift/be driven by the wood. Per Alex Snodgrass, the tracking should be adjusted so the deepest part of the gullet is on the centerline of the wheel. This supports the teeth and reduces drift also. And the blade guides should be behind the teeth, at the gullet so they don't rub against them and dull one side or the other. 👍

[@Raul28153]

every single person I've encountered that experiences "drift" all share a common feature: That is They own small weak saws that can not properly tension a blade and they also use small blades that are more prone to wandering off due to the blade/kerf width ratio. Of all the people I know who own larger heavier saws, not a one has ever mentioned the thing called "drift."

[@FixitFingers]

Well researched, presented and explained Rob. Interesting stuff.

[@atb2manboberconsulting744]

Thank you. This phenomenon has been driving me crazy. Now I know it isn’t just my incompetence but a real thing.

[@cyrilnorrie8450]

A great explanation on what happens when a bandsaw is used and what to do about it. Thanks for sharing this video!

[@tatehogan5685]

Great topic! Thanks for doing the research and sharing with us. Sadly I haven't been able to upsize to a big band saw for resawing so I'm mostly doing curvy work on my benchtop model. But when the day comes I'll be one step ahead now!

[@ncwoodworker]

Great video! Good verbal and visual explanations. Bandsaws can be intimidating.

[@guilforddave]

As soon as you started talking about resawing and drift I thought of the single point fence. I remember reading about it back in the 1980's. Probably in Popular Mechanics.

[@collapse99]

This was a very helpful video for someone like me who just bought my first (hopefully only?) floor standing bandsaw recently. Thank you!

[@andrewmazurkiewicz105]

Hi In case you didn't know your saw has a single point attachment that fits into the 2 slots on the fence. Informative video, thanks

[@froggercrak6286]

This is the reason that your fence has to slots in it. The single point fits into it. However that particular fence has a tendency to bend out of plumb, and deflect away from the blade at the top. I use a clamp to press the square base against the table top.

[@albertshilton5336]

Great video. Very professionally done.

[@jimrosson6702]

Great video with great tips thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge. Greatly appreciated

[@TheStanford01]

Many thanks for the information. I agree with you about using good material for setting up drift.

[@nefariousyawn]

Look man it's easy - you just need to check your humidity and only cut wood at the right time of night but never while Mercury is in gatorade unless you're cutting cheap pine don't forget to buy a proper blade tension tuner they're only like $200.

[@grkuntzmd]

Very useful information! Thanks.

[@sapelesteve]

Well done Rob! Band saw drift is indeed a real PITA! Your explanation is right on the money! 👍👍

[@vicsaunders9710]

From the UK, excellent video, thanks 👍👏👏

[@dtork47]

Well that was very informative, thanks. Every bit of knowledge helps.

[@colaoliver1587]

Single point Fence IS THE BEST. Keep the back of the blade centered in the kerf Also use a wide blade with proper tension AND do not push faster than the the blade can cut or the blade will distort causing a bowed cut. Tip. You find a thick piece of wood with a beautiful grain. DRAWER FRONTS!! Plane the wood then glue two drawer front blanks to each planed face. Re saw. The aim here is to then plane the veneered front to thickness. Take the good wood drop, plane flat and repeat. You now have a set of cool looking drawer fronts

[@SchurmanScrollWorks]

I have the Little Ripper from stockroom supply. Works like a dream. Never use a fence when re-sawing wood!

[@PLaTerra]

Excellent analysis! Thanks and you can count me as a new subscriber!

[@johcoppola]

Get a EZtension tension gauge and you will find that with proper guide setup you’ll have no drift. Until your blade is ready for the bin or reshaping. The gauges on saws are useless especially over time when the springs strength has changed.

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Great video! I must check this on my bandsaw - it behaves so badly that I barely use it.

[@flatroc1]

Thank you very much for this info.

[@travelmaster101]

The one and only issue with drift is the table and not the blade. Once the blade is fitted, there is no adjustment worthwhile that corrects drift. You can, however, adjust the table. I set the fence parallel to the mitre slot on the tabe. I put a magnet and steel rule on the blade and use the rule to exsentuate the angle of the blade. I then loosen the table mounting bolts and aline the fence and table together, to the rule / blade. A blunt blade on any tool will give poor results let alone a bandsaw. Its urban myth the blade is the problem when the table is the only adjustable part in the equation. If blade and fence are not parallel the cut will never be parallel, that's why I aline the fence with the table as the first step.

[@anthonymangini7986]

Great vid!

[@bamsebrumbamsebrumen5403]

I'm sure there are many different reason why one could get drift but…😊 I’ve had extreme troubles with bandsaw blade drift, one of things I noticed was that new blades cut straight, then started drifting more and more… I also noticed that less blade tension slowed that process. Then friend gave me a very old homemade bandsaw, it sawed straight plank after plank, one could even tension the blade without instantly cause a rapid increasing drift… The saw had particle board wheels and a thin rubber coating, and a noticeable crowning. I also noticed that my bought saw had a fat rubber rim than pushed against the teeth, so go figure it was ruin the blades and ruined all hopes of cutting straight

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic tips, Rob! Thanks a bunch! 😃 Now there are some bandsaw blades with carbide teeth... Have you ever tried one? Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@paulspencer7401]

Been using a blade for a couple of years working perfectly. But this last couple of weeks the blade is drifting really badly. Reset the entire bandsaw but still drifts. I needed to know if it is the blade causing the problem. Many thanks for the video, very helpful.

[@vinnyleone3427]

Nice job

[@kofdenhamsprings2701]

Been there, searched it all, tried them all...I just ordered 2 new blades. Thank you. K

[@Hichamhasan]

My father once told me the story of an argument between a shopkeeper and a customer over a piece of cloth: - Merchant: "I assure you sir it is actually 3 meters long as ordered, my wife was watching me while I was cutting it, and she will testify" - Client: "Why would I listen to your wife when I have a tape measure!" My old man - similar to you - only believed in research and methodological tests,

[@dorse72]

best video on bandsaws I've seen, gr8 job! why is my Jet 14" screeching like a banshee, only had 1 yr, fairly new to it, I've tried to check all the bearings and everything, cant figure it out. I have a 1/2" jet blade and resawing 8" wide, 2" thick white oak boards, which warp and bend when I'm done, so frustrated, new sub btw

[@subgeeze]

Excellent! I just spent a day, and wasted a bunch of wood, trying to solve this. I will make a 1-point fence!

[@TimothyHall13]

This makes me think that most bandsaw alignment videos I have watched use very new blades. If I am set on using a fence, the best solution to blade drift is to ensure I have a reasonably new/sharp blade.

[@JLang-bn3hs]

I have found that if I keep the gullet of the blade in the center of the wheel and don’t over tighten the blade, I don’t have to fight drift. When the teeth come in contact with the wheel is ruins the set. The wheel side flattens and give it the same results as if those teeth were dull, causing the blade to drift to the right or “sharp” side. Dulling with a stone makes one side dull to compensate for the low set on the other side.

[@bernkondret9981]

Setup steps: Make sure the two wheels are coplanar (easiest to do before putting on the table). Mount the blade on the tire with the teeth just off the crown. Don't over tension the blade. Tension to one size less than the blade width. Align the table miter slot to the blade (using the table attaching bolts). Align the fence to the miter miter slot (that way the fence and a miter gauge both work correctly). Adjust all the blade "bearings" to correct tolerances. Using a scrap piece of wood against the fence see if the saw cuts along a straight line marked on the board parallel to the edge against the fence. If not adjust the blade tracking until the straight line is cut without drift. Replace dull blades sooner rather than later. I check for correct tracking each time I change blades (using the same board over and over). So far I have only adjusted the tracking once. This all on an inexpensive 14 inch Grizzly bandsaw.

[@a9ball1]

I always thought that drift on a bandsaw was caused by the blade twisting right to left since it is more flexible than a table saw blade. Since it appears to be caused by blade wear i don't think it would dtift if the blade was as thick as a table saw blade. Of course it wouldn't work either 😊. Very informative.

[@billybobjoe2818]

you did a very good job Rob! Thanks (but I thought it was on jigsaws ! :)

[@generalinformation5284]

Thanks Rob. I have the same Rikon bandsaw. I was wondering if you may comment on the factory supplied fence? My fence has a spring action that, no matter how I tighten it with the knobs, it deflects when I push against the far end of the fence. While there is less movement at the blade than at the end of the fence, it is still moving when press against it. Am I doing something wrong and/or this something that I should even be concerned about? Do you know how to fix it to make it rigid? I've tried several ways, but nothing seems to work.

[@williamSmith-fv5hi]

Is it safe to say, I use a Shopsmith bandsaw and correct drift with the adjustable fence?

[@JohnColgan.]

Well you dulled the right side of the blade and I creased drift that side. Is it possible to resharpen blade edges to also counter the problem or is sharpening an engineering task?

[@zfotoguy71]

Is there a side that more commonly becomes dull? If yes, is it the inside? Could be caused by the wheels that tension and drive the band saw. Just thinking out loud. I don't really know.

[@johnr.johnston5808]

Hmmm. "You can buy a pack of these door shims? Why? You have a band saw. Make your own.

[@lmtliam]

How about clamping the work piece to a sled, then using the sled to run the piece through the saw, without using the fence? There will be no fence to push the piece off line as the cut opens up.

[@iseenochains-oops7863]

Wow!

[@rayy35]

You do know that the Rikon is equiped with a center point attachment for the fence don't you? That what the two slots in it are for.

[@garagemonkeysan]

Cool video. Super interesting. Mahalo for sharing! : )

[@KSCPMark6742]

the ethAnswers/stockroom supply channel has described this issue in depth, you've (re) discovered some of the things that they've described years ago. They are the makers of the little ripper resaw system among others

[@c.n.blodgett2942]

Alex Snodgrass method removes drift- drift is caused from an improperly setup bandsaw.

[@TheGrantAlexander]

Makes sense to me. But I still feel like in my case it is user error, lol!

[@civedm]

My 14" Rikon Came with a resaw bar that attaches to the the fence.

[@richardlopez5992]

Snodgrass will teach you

[@RoosterAndTheHen]

I have to disagree with your assessment of why drift happens. Where can I email you what I have found to be the real reason drift happens?

[@johnsanchez1619]

Can you elaborate here? I would like to know your thoughts as well.

[@MakeThings]

[e-mail]

[@ammerudgrenda]

Why can’t you tell the rest of us?

[@pc7082]

I just ordered a carbide tip bandsaw blade. It should eliminate this, since the teeth are wider than the bacl of the blade,.. Maybe ?

[@researchandbuild1751]

They DO drift. Anyone not thinking they do hasn't used a bandsaw...

[@horsetowater]

Your thumbnail is ludicrous

[@hdw5831]

I don't have any problems with drift with a saw blade with widia teeth

[@Norm7264]

your method of "sharpening" teeth on one side is misleading... it doesn't sharpen the teeth, it just removes some of the side of the tooth, reducing the "set" on that side. I don't think that asymmetric sharpness is the cause of drive, and you have not demonstrated it. You have demonstrated that reducing the "set" on one side could mitigate drift. Remember... correlation is not causation.

[@btcking8146]

Your bandsaw setup is wrong blade gullet to center of wheel not the whole blade in the center set guides correct as well drift is non existent in my band saw ... Good luck