EthAnswers Blade Drift myths, Why Bandsaws Should Never Drift!

/ ethanswers
Stockroom Supply's own Ethan Moore goes through why the Little Ripper completely eliminates the infamous bandsaw blade drift problem.
The Little Ripper - stockroomsuppl...

[@shanecarender9051]

Finally someone discussing bandsaw use who actually has a thorough working knowledge of the machine and its sheer mechanical simplicity. Hats off to you buddy. And thank you.

[@henryfitzgerald4965]

As you say, “The real problem is when you want to cut a board straight down the middle. Regardless of what you do, when the wood begins to stress, inevitably it will push against the fence and bind the blade...therefore causing the drift!” If you attach an auxiliary fence which ends at the front of your blade, the stressed wood can spread out without pushing against the fence and causing drift.

[@michaelmllerhansen3340]

Good one with the second fence ending at the sawing point so stresses will not cause the blade to bend.

[@Jer0da0sniper]

Damn, this is a game changer. It’s all about how you feed the material, everything else is secondary.

[@bammortgage]

FANTASTIC video. I spent hours and hours fiddling with adjustments, including the purchase of new blade guides, blades. Nothing could make my saw cut strait...... Until I understood what this video says.

[@mavenfeliciano1710]

After watching this a few times and using my bandsaw, I find you can get the same results with a fence. The key is 1) slower feed rate (especially with less tension), and 2) rip with the cutoff on the opposite side of the fence. Your hold-down jig is basically a fence with the all but the top and bottom (image a fence without the bulk of the middle). When you push the stock and put pressure, you deflect the blade and that is what makes it wander. When you have the veneer cutoff towards the fence, it has no where to go. It’s like cutting a case-hardened board on the table saw. After feeding it just past the splitter I add a shim to prevent the binding. The same could be done on the bandsaw.

[@pseudapollodorus]

Point #2 seems like the crucial point, especially.

[@alexandersangster7137]

Look I’m a sawyer and let me ask you this: What’s the most you’ve seen a board spread apart while being ripped? I’ve seen stuff spread 3+” both verticals horizontal and a compound of both. Using a fence under these circumstances will lead to the blade drifting due to being half dull. I use my fence all the time! Blades get thrown out all the time. Part of the game… all these guys literally can’t afford to Woodwork without blade drift. It’s all in the blade and like ethen said binding it under its own fence is number one cause

[@cowboycarpentry]

I totally agree, my method is I leave the end of the fence just back past the centre of the blade, the same on my table saw! Never had any problems

[@wolflahti412]

Despite having (almost) everything perfectly set up, I was getting severe drift of the blade into the fence. This was cured, finally, by rotating the _table_ on the trunnion so the fence (and miter slot) was parallel to the blade's cut.

[@stefanmikenorway]

I'm not convinced I need a Little Ripper, though I wouldn't mind having one, I do appreciate you debunking some bandsaw myths and giving us some good insight into what is going on while resawing.

[@lafamillecarrington]

Nice to see a little evidence! Presumably, if you use the fence to cut off a thin strip on the outside of a block of wood, it should cut straight as the thin piece will bend much more than the thicker piece next to the fence? Love to see a more detailed version of this video.

[@603storm]

This vid was an absolute eye opener.

[@Ibaneddie76]

Thank you, I've been saying that for years. I've never had blade drift I set up my bandsaw correctly.

[@ellieprice3396]

Wow, that's quite an eye opener, never would have thought, low blade tension, top guide much too high but perfectly straight cuts. Of course all of this is out the window if your blade is warped or dull.

[@macbirt56]

I'm just so excited that you are using a Rikon saw. I just bought a model 10-325 used, for $140. The guy I got it from didn't know anything about how to fix it. (Someone broke the upper trunnion so all I have to do is replace it.) Videos are great keep 'em coming.

[@avelinowilliams6646]

Amazing tip, now I know why, yesterday my band saw cut skew due to the fence, thanks bud.

[@christunks7512]

So well explained. Thank you! My bandsaw drift has been doing my head in! The winds of change are jingle jangling in my work shop now!

[@WesMcV]

He did not explain how to keep from binding the blade. I’m not using a fence, I’m doing exactly what he is doing and my blade still binds.

[@setsappa1540]

I wish I could take you for a beer for this! Thank you sir for both the competence AND the bravery to do this to ones own saw for unbelievers to see! I have stuff to do now!

[@mdtoolguy65]

So I had some doubt about this rig so I looked forward to seeing it in action upfront and close at the WACO S.W.A.T. show last week. Folks this thing really works and works well. Ethan's explanations and his answers to questions were spot on and accurate. I bought the mini mill and circle cutting mill package and am looking forward to receiving it and doing my own testing.

[@dwaynebrazeaux3084]

He's preventing the wood from opening up (at least on the side clamped to the jig), so this prevents the blade from being pushed over (called drift - which is what causes the set on the teeth to get changed). Once the set on the teeth are changed, it will never cut straight again. The other side is free to open up and will not affect the set on the teeth because no binding is occurring. So 2 keys things are happening here: 1. The jig is holding the wood firmly in place so it cannot move (which it normally would because of the internal stresses being released unless you have an exceptional piece of wood) 2. The wood is not binding the blade and wrecking the tooth set .

[@stefannordling6872]

THANK YOU! I bought a used bandsaw, and it was drifting to the left like crazy.. My instinct was that it was simply cutting less on the right saw, but being the millennial that I am, I had to get instructions on KZbin how to adjust a bandsaw.. So I was fiddling with guide blocks, blade tension and how the blade was running on the wheels. Finally I gave up... Your explanation made things click for me, the blade is a laser beam, unless you touch a non cutting part of it! With that in mind I went back to investigate.. Turns out the teeth set to the right were quite damaged, I guess the previous owner might have run into a nail. After setting the teeth and sharpening the blade, my bandsaw cuts straight!

[@mattedwards4533]

I never thought of the why things drift? I have never had a problem with drift unless I forced the material through the blade. I Never force my saw to cut faster than it wants to! Nice explanation!

[@rodmills4071]

I'm trying to think of what more you could have done to the machine to make it cut wrong. .......nope nothing comes to mind. ....nice demonstration of your point. Thanks. 🤣😂😁😀😎

[@cheekymonkey6791]

Could he have placed the blade on the front of the wheel instead of the back?

[@robertsullivan2396]

@@cheekymonkey6791 what about teeth at back lol

[@pc7082]

I have been having issues with this for sometimes… Was about to sell this bandsaw. Now I understand. Thanks so much !

[@veritasestveritas8646]

I stopped at 2:14. When you use a special jig (e.g. a sliding table) to hold the stock and don't use just the fence, the only point you're proving is that you'll always have problems resawing until you get this fancy jig. It's a great tool, and it works. No doubt about that. I've seen it used on other channels. Now set it on the side and do all of your resawing with just the fence.

[@rml3wood]

Eth you are the MAN! I’ll be ordering one of those for my shop when I get home 👹

[@leonardpearlman4017]

I thought he was going to say "When I did this at a woodworking show a riot broke out", something like that. It seemed kind of shocking! I've got kind of used to the idea that a band saw might cut at a certain angle and you just have to deal with it. I have to go back to the beginning here, never really thought it through, and certainly never did radical stuff like loosening the guides!

[@josmcs]

You just blew my mind! That was awesome! I've waisted so much time trying fix my band saw cuts with constant adjustments. I look forward to trying this.

[@rrob4206]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rH_Ho56jrZuYnqs

[@LaneyShaughnessy]

Excellent Video! Super informative Ethan, the information I just obtained is going to totally change my way of thinking when it comes to re sawing my boards. The Little Ripper is awesome! Must Have! Thank you for taking the time to make this video.. I look forward to future videos to come.

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks Laney!

[@horacerumpole6912]

You're as ignorant as this joker-

[@richardpatterson4312]

@@horacerumpole6912 great explanation. How is he wrong?

[@barrycarruthers]

I have watched so many videos saying so many ways to correct drift, this makes so much sense, I will give it a go, I am confidant it will work, thanks for a brilliant and common sense tutorial😀👍

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks Barry! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@joelromero5346]

Fantastic. This explains why I get terrible results doing it the common way. Thank you for thinking outside the box.

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks for your feedback Joel. I really can't take all the credit. My Dad Paul Moore designed the jig about 12 years ago. Since then I've updated and improved it significantly but still it was his stroke of genius.

[@AshleyMillsTube]

I think the general issue is, if you use a fence and your tracking is off, the probability of binding is greatly increased. I've seen tracking drive the blade toward the fence. If your saw doesn't have a dolly like yours then the fence is required and so the tracking has to be perfectly straight to prevent binding. In your example you reduce the tension and the tracking. If you have a tensioned blade then the tracking has more of an impact as it stays more "true" to the tracked angle. Try with a tense blade and tracking off.

[@firstmkb]

My world has been turned upside down, and the Truth Revealed! I didn't know this because the people I learned from didn't know either - we repeat the same myths, handing them down from generation to generation. One way to look at the Little Ripper is similar to a table saw crosscut sled, but designed for a bandsaw. In both cases, the cutting path is based on a machined track to guide the wood into the blade, rather than using the (unreliable) edge of the wood as a guide. Call it a ripping sled? The product costs more than my crappy bandsaw, but this at least lets me know what part of my technique I can change. Thanks for posting!

[@fastbow9]

Wish I had watched this 5years ago ! You made your point very clear! WOW !

[@0Myles0]

I feel like I just found Jesus! So much was revealed in ten minutes. My mind is blown. Thanks!

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks for the comment! Common sense or traditional thinking can lead to some pretty amazing things!

[@markwaltz7153]

Great video. I had "blade drift" and after changing a dead dull blade, the drift went away. I purchased the saw used and was using the blades that came with it. Invested in some new blades, the issue went away.

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks Mark! Sometimes a new blade goes a long way! Ethan

[@Andy1dude]

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR!!! Thank you! Bandsaws are not witchcraft, but the whole community seems to believe all this voodoo about drift and fence-shimming and whatnot.

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed :)

[@Putttn]

I bought the Little Ripper and it is great to use and works just as he has shown.

[@CASLUICEBOX]

you just proved your theory 100% correct? Kudos

[@Bill.L.Carroll]

Fantastic jig mate. Makes complete sense why the deflection occurs when trying to hold the larger side with just the hand, of course the deflection will push your hand away giving the illusion of drift. Going to have to invest in one of these beauties. Cheers mate.

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks Bill! Glad you like the product. :)

[@mohdalisyed]

This video is so controversial yet so compelling. It's the kind of thing that will live in mind rent free, provoking me when I try to sleep. Great video, thanks, but this will bug me for a while 😃

[@tedspens]

I make it a point to press the wood tightly against the fence, lest I get drift. Didn't know why until now. Thanks!

[@brianyee7840]

Ethan - great explanation - I agree with the logic, interesting point of view.

[@davidlang4442]

They will drift if one side of the blade had been dulled by hitting grit or some other hard substance in the cut. To correct, take a sharpening stone and very lightly hold it against the side of the running blade that leads off line. This dulls the sharp side a bit causing the blade to track straight again. One sided sharp blades track towards that side.

[@charlescfap]

BRILLIANT! I love it - you explain the ACTUAL REALITY of what's going on. : )

[@bilboburgler]

no, the drift can go either into the fence or the away from the fence. The critical issues are to make sure the blade is set up parallel to the fence and the blade is sharp.

[@Parafinn1970]

I guess this is why some people can free hand boards successfully to rough thickness without using a fence 👍

[@algorel4763]

Excellant demonstration! Who could argue with this?

[@jameswilliams5961]

I like the bowl that you made that was really good I'm sure they appreciate the present thank you

[@MsAnaCasanova]

Where can I buy that wonderful sled jig?

[@beartenon888]

Honestly, for me I was able to eliminate drift on my Laguna LT18 using 1/2" to 1" bands by placing the band at the center of the crown on the upper wheel. This adjustment on this saw is extremely easy. I've owned two generations of the LT18 over the past 20 years and so I really can't comment on what drift is like on a smaller saw with more narrow bands. I'm also very careful in all aspects of setting up my saw and I find I must clamp both ends of the fence on this saw because the aluminum fence really flexes quite a bit. If I don't clamp both ends of the fence, I really have problems with what looks like drift. Until the past couple of years, I adjusted for drift in the commonly acceptable methods and they worked for me, too.

[@StockroomSupply]

Thats great Mark! I'm happy you are having such good success. What I have found is as long as you eliminate the side pressure of the blade you do not have to be careful with any setup at all. That is what I did my best to show in the video.

[@taylor-1147]

Love this! I was trying to explain this to someone the other day and they said I was crazy to think like this! Awesome video!

[@jamesmccormick6774]

I watched this video. Put a new coarser blade on my old Ferm bandsaw and cut a thin layer of hardwood away furthest from the guide block. It worked a treat. If I cut the thin layer close to the guide block it drifts! Point proven. Thanks.

[@Ibaneddie76]

How can anyone disagree when you just proved your theory 100% correct?

[@Onlygloo]

Well, here's why : kzbin.info/www/bejne/rH_Ho56jrZuYnqs Each one prove their theory 100% correct but contradict each other ! The question is set for good if YOU do your personal testing.

[@MatSmithLondon]

@@Onlygloo To be fair, that guy says "by centring the blade, we can count on a dead straight cut" - surely anyone with an inquisitive or sceptical mind will be unconvinced by a statement like that? I'm with Eth - what he says makes total sense!

[@mathewanderson2400]

@@Onlygloo I agree with @Mat Smith - We can't assume a dead on cut by centering the blade, especially when this video shows that you can get a center cut. However, whether or not the table tracks properly is a thought to ponder. Perhaps both have their merits. I agree with you, personal testing is the only way to go. My father hated bandsaws because of that.

[@johnhendy1281]

@@Onlygloo Eth demonstrates his points. The other video says blade on front of wheel will walk one way, back of wheel will walk the other. He didn't demonstrate. Saying "if x, then y" is not personal preference :)

[@wadesaunders583]

I wasted a pile of money on a fancy Laguna saw trying to get great cuts, not to mention replacing ceramic guides...gotta figure out how to stop my blade from binding. thnx buddy

[@alexpettigrew8971]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@josephkrug8579]

I always thought you were supposed to take off the veneer on the side away from the fence, which would allow it to open up like you show here, correct? This is a cool video and interesting product. :)

[@StockroomSupply]

Joseph, you are right. It is always best to cut the thin side off away from the fence. The real problem when using a fence is when you want to cut a board straight down the middle. Regardless of what you do when that wood begins to stress inevitably it will push against then fence and bind the blade...therefor causing the drift! Thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@darrylbrook5968]

I have two bandsaws, a 14" and a 24", both cut without drift, thin or thick cuts, never had any drift on any wood, soft or hard. Always use a sharp blade, if you are trying to cut with a known blunt or abused blade then expect the worst. ... my two cents worth... cheers

[@jasonwood7340]

Yes, I have found that a sharp blade makes a world of difference. When it starts to drift in a cut, I stop and sharpen the blade, then it cuts like butter :)

[@graememudie7921]

Darryl Brook I was about to post the same observation. Sharp blade no drift. Blunt blade = drift.

[@johntcrilly241]

Absolutely brilliant tutorial enjoyed it very much I have decided to call you the wizard thank you, John

[@WoodsleeSummercraftwoodturning]

I've seen your demo at Woodstock several times and I have to say I am very impressed by this bandsaw accessory. Take care Rob

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks Rob! Hope to see you there next year.

[@WoodsleeSummercraftwoodturning]

I'm sure I won't miss it

[@WoodsleeSummercraftwoodturning]

I'm sure I won't miss it

[@WrinkleFitzGerald]

Okay…. Wow! I’ve learned so much in such a short time!

[@thomasharder9582]

It's very nice Ethan. Worth $379 Canadian? I'm sorry, the price is a hundred bucks too high. You already know about 90% (or more) of the drift problem is in the saw's setup. Do other fences accommodate twisted boards as well as your Little Ripper? Probably not. As a percentage of a Bandsaw price, do you realize what this ripping fence represents? For a lot of Bandsaws it's close to half the price of the saw!!! (Not the one you're using and maybe that's your intended audience - the professional shop) It's still very rich!

[@iq0099]

I 2nd that. Excellent video! I still cant make my 14" delta Bandsaw track properly even after days of tweeking!

[@ndo342]

Me neither.☹ Even after watching 20 bandsaw experts and trying everything suggested. I think my bandsaw was made on the first morning following a long party weekend.

[@iq0099]

@@ndo342 I have put at least 3 hours, 9 days of adjusting to my bandsaw using 4 of the leading expert advices - but its still drifting.

[@robertnoel7111]

You need to have a rip style fence that ends approximately at the blade in order to avoid binding the wood between the blade

[@googlesbitch]

The capacitive start is sticking and not closing the circuit on start which is why it stalls when started. It should be opened and inspected for wear or sawdust buildup which may be the cause of this.

[@mikehuff5606]

Just bought a Porter Cable handsaw and found that the drift was caused by the table being out of square. I removed the table, loosened the two bolts that held the tilt clamp bracket and then twisted the bracket to square it to the frame. I the reattached the table and after readjusting the rollers, I set the fence and did a test cut. The drift was non existent.

[@neilw4881]

Fantastic demo, thanks👍

[@davidgrooms3463]

I would think moving the blade to the back of the wheel as you did, would have started to bind the blade on the right side. You did say that you changed the angle of the blade. When I try to re-saw down the middle of my board using my fence, my blade is drifting towards the fence. (Left) I’ve “set up” the saw twice with the same results. Based on your video, I’m thinking maybe I’m applying more pressure on one side more than the other. Or maybe my blade is bad. Maybe I’m feeding to fast. The frustrating thing is there are all kinds of videos of people making a very straight cut using only a fence. I do like your video, and there is no arguing your results.

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks David I'm glad you liked the video! The issue with wood is there is no real way of predicting how it will move and stress as you cut it. But guaranteed when you use a fence on a bandsaw the wood will move and bind the blade. I,like you, struggle with a fence on a bandsaw. The only way to cut straight regardless of the tension, setup or blade is to use a carriage. I hope my video helped show that! Ethan

[@choochoo3985]

The fence is the problem. Start cutting a piece of wood against your fence about four inches into the wood and shup off the band saw. Now look to see which side of the blade is tighter to the wood. Adjust the fence away to make the distance equal. It may take a couple attempts to get the blade dead center, but once you have this blade will not drift.

[@glasslinger]

Wouldn't the fence work if you put the thick side towards the fence? The veneer would then bow away from the cut into the air, thus no drift, same as with that expensive contraption you have.

[@Dhammawitt]

I think it does, but the fence doesn't move along with the wood, you have to constantly apply the pressure from the wood to the fence the entire time, this is essentially a fence that moves with the wood staying square the entire time.

[@AlphaBlkHrt]

@@Dhammawitt that's why you use magnetic finger boards.

[@Dhammawitt]

@@AlphaBlkHrt Which would only work for wood that's the same thickness. The fence side has to be evenly flat as well as the featherboard side. People who cut raw woods into tonewoods this wouldn't be a solution.

[@Metalbass10000]

@@Dhammawitt I made a fixture similar to this a few days after getting my Jet 14" (+ 6" riser kit), knowing I would save some cost if I could get larger, rougher pieces of my tonewoods, or even just billet. I watched the Alex Snodgrass bandsaw videos, and did a little digging/researching, while building my fixture, which is a bit more robust, because my engineering/design/workholding/fixturing background, and most of my education in this area, was designing it myself, building it myself, setting everything up, prove-out myself, and run it until we had our significantly significant sample, so we could provide Cap Study, SPC data, etc. to our customer, and that could be 100 pcs. or 1500 pcs., and I was ALWAYS working with metal, not wood. Could be brass, aluminum, any of 30 varieties of steel, bell bronze, any of a dozen stainless steels, or any of two dozen DTM super-alloys used in deep well oil and gas drilling, or aerospace. There's similarities and differences, but rigidity of the set up, proper alignment, and proper set up of tooling, machine, and workpiece matters. It just does. This guy has said some things that are very true, some things that are misleading, and a demonstration like this really doesn't give me useful information... unless I plan to set up my saw like this. The workholding fixture he makes and sells, or my workholding fixture, is essentially like running a fence opposite side a fence normally runs, with a good grip on the wood, and put the thin cut away from the fence. It's a good strategy, but a good set up of the machine, the fixture, the workpiece, these things DO matter. And I don't own a set of featherboards, for exactly the reason you said. The pieces used to make a solid body guitar or Bass spend very little of that building process time as squared off pieces where a featherboard does you any good. And a 1 inch tall featherboard trying to hold an 8 in tall piece of ziricote or cocobolo billet as it is resawn into the pieces that I need, is probably just going to be 20 minutes of work that just cost me a lot of money and made me pieces I have to find a use for somewhere other than where I was planning to be using them.

[@Dhammawitt]

@@Metalbass10000 I was resawing the other night, what would really be helpful is a quicker way of aligning and adjusting the wood. I used the little ripper which really holds the wood well but once I see that it's not perfectly perpendicular to the blade it gets hard to adjust. I know there's something out there I can use but I haven't quite put my finger on it. Basically I could attach the wood to this device that has fine tuning built in and then attach it to the little ripper. It's not too bad the way it is but I hate wasting any wood.

[@Immolate62]

Ethan, why would a curved resaw guide not accomplish the same thing, as it is only applying pressure to the workpiece right next to the blade? The wood movement is deflecting against nothing, and therefore not pushing against the fence, and therefore not applying lateral pressure to the blade. As long as the cut is roughly parallel to the blade itself so the tail of the blade stays within the kerf, then no drift. Also, when you say that the lateral pressure "dulls" the left side of the blade, are you saying that it's actually damaging the blade, or that it's just making the left side less effective in that moment?

[@TheMattjudo26]

Dude Facebook should get you a million dollars a year to get they're "fact" checkers heads situated outside of they're asses! I like your style and just subscribed to your Chanel.

[@jamessherrill3454]

Wow, great video!

[@jimreimer6140]

I don't know what to say. After years of band saw use,this what iv'e been looking for.

[@paulmurphy612]

Love it. I like controversial views, I hold a few myself. You’ve made your case. Good job.

[@MatSmithLondon]

Greetings from London Eth! As I understand, you are saying that by placing a sideways force on the wood, you are pushing the blade sideways so that it is forced into a curve throughout the height of the cut. It's easy to see this would cause chafing of the blade, thus leading to burning. And you added that drift comes about because of the blade being more sharp on the side opposite the fence. Kind of makes sense to me. But my question is this. Surely if the blade is not tensioned enough, when you place a direct forward force on the wood into the blade, it will still bend side to side. In the same way that if you drive a boat backwards, you need to hold the rudder tight, as it will tend to immediately go one way or the other. Won't this do the same thing? I'm saying your theory doesn't seem to disprove the "correct setting of blade on wheel", but adds to it. Saying that, maybe the force towards the fence (i.e. your theory of what causes wood to come away from fence) greatly outweighs the effect that others describe... either way - informative video and I love how you invite debate!

[@MatSmithLondon]

p.s. I've only used a bandsaw once, so I have no practical experience - but I have just bought a second hand one and plan to understand as much as possible before I start to use it!

[@reedfelton762]

Excellent video! There is no arguing with the law, the laws of physics that is. You clearly understand the forces at work with a band saw and educated those capable of learning very eloquently. Fantastic job!

[@markdayneowalla]

Doesn't work for me unfortunately. I set up a piece of maple the same way as in the video squaring the stock to the blade front and back of the stock and it still cut a wedge.

[@careymitchell4731]

I have had little problem with this saw for 10 years; now it cuts toward the fence, which he says never happens. I tried his setup, low tension, all guides backed off, etc., no effect. I tried positioning the blade from front to back of the tires with zero effect. Was ready to throw this thing out the door. Installed a new blade out of the box and it now cuts perfectly straight, even though it drited with 2 previous blades. My only conclusion is that their teeth were somehow damaged on one side.

[@iannlb]

Awesome vid. Quickly getting addicted to your channel, thx man.

[@timcole9305]

This is exactly the way a sawmill carriage works on a commercial mill - as long as the carriage runs parallel to the blade. It shouldn't be surprising that this nifty device works well. It's just a miniature version of the big boys.

[@drewjohnson4673]

Wonderful video presentation and very informative. I haven't been this excited after watching a video in a long time. Mike

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks Drew! Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@recycledrecycler5305]

Very well explained and graphically demonstrated! You made one error. When you explained the offset of the teeth on the band, you called it "kerf". It's called " tooth set". Kerf is the slice made by the blade. Maybe you just misspoke.

[@StockroomSupply]

Thankyou much! Yes I did say kerf not tooth set. I do sometimes use them interchangeably but you are correct they are slightly different. Hopefully I didn't confuse anyone. :)

[@user-cb1vo1ik4b]

there is one component that makes all this happen....in fact it's the single most important one, whether your set up is hanging on to a "tooth and a preyer" or correctly set up... >> Feed Rate

[@hvrtguys]

What this indicates to me is that you cannot simply set your blade close to the fence and peel of thin sheets. You need to peel off each slice starting from the outside of the board then move your fence in for each subsequent cut. Setting the fence for each subsequent cut would not be hard if you you used some stop blocks. So you really don't need a fancy gizmo, just a change in procedure.

[@StockroomSupply]

Hey Jared, That is the best way to use a fence but there is still a major issue when trying to resaw. Picture a 1" board that you want to cut in half,so two 1/2" pieces. When this 1" board begins to stress(splits/peels off/opens up) which side of the board is moving? The side against the fence or the side away from the fence? Since you are cutting two equal boards likely those boards are opening up very similarly. Therefor you will be binding the blade against the fence. When you do this same resaw with the Little Ripper something totally different happens. The 1/2" board away from the Little Ripper will open up and stress but the piece that is held in the Little Ripper does not move. Simple reason is that the 1/2" board is clamped by at least 8 different points...it can't move. As soon as it is released from the claws it will stress. Hope this makes sense! Ethan

[@gaminawulfsdottir3253]

Okay, I'm convinced.

[@ndpinney]

What aboot a fence that is only half the length of the table, that stopped right at the blade position? The board would be registered against the fence while being guided into the blade, but then free to bend as stress is released after it exits the blade. You could even make a little 1/4" thick add-on fence that did this, since a board is unlikely to bend more than 1/4 over the length of the fence on the outfeed side. completing a cut would require attention to safety, as the board will become "unregistered" in the last few inches of the cut.

[@DIY-UK]

very good thanks you.

[@mikejenkins81]

Do you know much about large band saws they use in Wood Mills? we use seven to eight inches wide blades with a saw ker about 0.13 of an inch the blade itself is around 0.09 it runs on two hard rubber guides with a lot of Lube and we have a Crowder with extreme pressure pushing it up against a line bar just wanted to know about things I could do to avoid the blade snaking or drift as you call it

[@5280ryan]

The proof is in the pudding. Nice cuts! Makes sense.

[@robberry2377]

I would suggest that it cuts straight because the wood is raised off the table therefor allowing the sawdust to clear.

[@StockroomSupply]

Hey Rob, That certainly does help with dust removal but in my experience has nothing to do with the accuracy of the cut. Thanks for watching!

[@vincepresto759]

Love that Clamping Rig !

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks Vince! Glad you enjoyed the video

[@frankschafer1505]

On a crowned wheel the blade always moves to the highest spot

[@kirkfranks1]

Great demo. 2 questions if you don't mind. 1. You state that the pressure from the off cut due to stress is causing the binding. What makes the Little Ripper different than just using the fence on the other side or for that matter just making the standard fence have the thin slice on the outside of the board (away from the fence?) 2. I notice that there was no deflection on the off cut on the second slice. Is that from the Little Ripper or just from being deeper into the board and away from what used to be the outside edge?

[@StockroomSupply]

Thanks Kirk! 1- Great question! That is one of most difficult question for me to answer but I will do my best. For starters the absolute best way to use a fence is to cut the thin side off and readjust the fence each time. The thinner side of the cut will always stress more than the thicker side. The problem is when you cut a board right down the middle...the question becomes which side is going to stress? Both sides will stress...so inevitably you will bind the blade. OK so how is the Little Ripper any different? Why don't I bind the blade on the Little Ripper side? The wood is held by eight different points by the claws...when the wood is clamped in place it cannot move until you release it from the Little Rippers grip. At woodshows I show this by taking the wood out and laying on a flat table...because of the way wood works it will have a small twist but only after it has been removed fro the Little Ripper. I hope this makes sense....In the future I will plan an EthAswers topic on this question. 2- If you look really close you can see towards the end of the cut the piece of wood does begin to deflect but, as you said, not very much. Every piece of wood is different, every cut is different. It is neigh impossible to predict what will happen until you make the cut. My second cut just happened to be in a more "stable" part of the board. Thanks again for your questions!

[@adkchip1]

Stockroom Supply A

[@RockwoodJoe]

Drift is imaginary, but I totally understand what you're stating. 1) When pushing wood through the blade, you must theoretically only apply a straight force perfectly directly inline with the blade - preferably at a point source in front of the blade. This is just not practical to humanly do with a thin edge to the fence. It is much easier to push the thick side of wood, registering against the fence and cut off a thin strip (assuming the board is perfectly faced to the fence). I've found that drift is also highly attributable to human feeding error & setup, something I presume this jig is trying to mitigate. 2) Once again, the little ripper is a clamping sled, that only allows you to apply force directly in line with the blade, it creates two virtual datums so you don't have to face two sides of the board at 90 degrees.

[@Ibaneddie76]

Gotta love those new Rikon guid bearings they are so great.

[@nalaleah]

Why dont you set the height lower to match what you are cutting?

[@WesMcV]

So how do I stop it from binding then when I’m not even using a fence. Just a carter log mill and the blade binds.

[@StockroomSupply]

Something to keep in mind in the Little Ripper , or your log mill, doesn’t eliminate blade drift it prevents it. So if I’ve used a blade with a fence before unfortunately we’ve put drift into the blade and it won’t ever cut straight again. You need to dedicate a blade to your carriage to prevent drift. The Log Mill does a good job at making a square edge on a log but unfortunately doesn’t allow you to do much resawing beyond that. This video helps explain this a bit more - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGqygHqjls2NeKcsi=QFFQDW-tY5jf-Z4V Thanks for watching!

[@WesMcV]

@@StockroomSupply I put a brand new 3 TPI blade on and not 4 inches into the cut it swerved right towards the carrier. Good tension, tracking set and all guides set.

[@lostandfound404]

Impressive demo, but how the little ripper is any different from putting a fence on the other side? (or putting the off-cut on the others side?) It's still a mechanism that's holding the wood parallel to the wood on one side?

[@harken112]

Good stuff. I now know where I have been going wrong. Thanks...

[@ArcticFlies56]

Ethan, I apologize for my original comment. When I looked at the top wheel I was looking at the yellow rubber and it appeared as though the teeth were backwards. When I reviewed it after your response I guess my eyes adjusted and I was able to follow the teeth. The blade teeth were further back with the teeth in the middle of the wheel. The other thing I noticed is your using a device to clamp your wood. This doesn’t allow any movement of the wood. If you tried to cut the wood free handed, I bet you would get the “drift”. Most people cut without the clamping device. Where did you get that clamping device? I realized that I was not setting my band saw with the teeth set to the middle of the rubber band or the wheel. That could be my problem as well. I will try to set my band saw up like you did and try it again. Thank you.

[@jamesnasmith984]

I cut veneer from the right hand edge of the board so there is nothing to put pressure on the blade and the cut still drifts (to the right). Freehand, unsupported cuts do the same. Where’s the binding there?

[@francishodgkins4176]

I think you will get blade drift if you leave the band off center and tension it. Effectivly the wheel crown makes the teeth follow a slightly larger circle (top of the crown) than the back of the blade (bottom of the crown). Try it and see. I have a cheap ass Harbor Freight band saw, and as long as I put the gullets on the crown and don't push hard to feed, I have little trouble with drift. However your Little Riper is an interesting invention and would work great to cut boards from trees.

[@tstires1]

So mine drifts, how do I fix it? Is it just an old blade?

[@Jasoninee]

I think this assumption of drift makes a lot of sense. For the people that aren't understanding why here is the simplest way I can think of: With a fence that goes all the way next to the blade it is only possible to have side force come from the fence side. The idea is that the distance from the fence to the inside teeth is permently fixed AND the wood is free to move (even if it is minute) and this can only happen on the fence side since nothing physically stops the otherside from going away from the blade. For one: a person cannot move perfectly and for two: it is practically impossible for wood not move, even if it is a minute amount. This equates to the inevitability of more wear on the fence side as there is absolutely no room for the wood to move. On the outside it is essentially impossible for the wood to pull itself into wearing the blade more as it has just left being cut in that instant and even if it twists or whatever it will not be held by a fence and force to push against the side of the blade. This jig is different from a fence because the previously inside wood becomes the object that is not allowed to move. To move into the blade while being held like that the board would have to have something weird like bumps literally expand out of the middle of the board without bending the board since it is rigidly fixed at so many points. I would like to counter that simply using a fence that stops, or veers away, before coming to the teeth could also avoid the inevitable pressure. The wood would leave the cut and neither piece would have a fixed object to cause wood to be forced into the blade. The end becomes trickier, but you could always just plan an extra inch or two for that last unsupported exit cut.

[@StockroomSupply]

Great comment! You have it exactly correct, The Little Ripper works because it locks the wood in an unmovable state on one side and on the other it allows the wood to move, twist and bend all it wants. It does this all without binding the blade. You fence comment also in completely accurate! Te best way to use a fence is to have it end at the blade(or veer off). This still poses a problem though. In order to do this you must have a board that is face jointed so that it does not rock up against the fence as even a planed board will be warped. Not everyone has a 10" or larger jointer to use. Every board you clamp in your Little Ripper becomes perfectly jointed due to it relying on the flatness of the sled. Thanks for your comment! Ethan

[@Jasoninee]

I have just put my ~1950 PowerKing 912 together after some refinishing and have tested the short fence system out with my brand new blades as the first thing I have ever done on this saw since getting it. It definitely works and I think this verifies that what you are claiming is indeed correct. I just jointed a block to use as a fence, put it on the table only aligning by eye, and made sure that the fence ends BEFORE coming to the teeth. Also had blade gullets aligned on crown. I ripped a piece of 2x8 in half without any issues and actually pushed it through quite fast. After that I ripped some 2x4 in half twice and that went through like butter and cut super straight. The only issue I noticed was one piece of 2x4 I did had a really dense and barely slanted knot that made the blade curve away from it slightly as I sped through (I did some 2x4 FAST). I'm sure it didn't help that I had the blade guides at like 9 inches tall for everything. This actually verifies your claim also as any extra work on one side of the blade makes it veer. All this worked great even with: -horrible blade guides (old as eff, not even close to square, top ones are just misshapen pieces of old wood) -no measuring fence alignment/blade angle -low tension as spring is like 60 years old -FAST cutting (wanted to test new blade) -just a piece of squared wood as a half length fence The last inch is super tricky and must either be assumed to be wasted, or you can stop short and flip the board to finish the last inch from the fence side.