How To Use A Bandsaw

Do you want to learn how to use a bandsaw? Have you tried to use one before and realized you have no idea what you’re doing? If you answered yes to either or both of those questions, you’re not alone! If you have never used a bandsaw before in your life, you might find yourself very overwhelmed and unsure of everything because you don’t know what you need to do in order to get it done.

You might want to learn by trial and error but reading everything I will discuss below is going to be the best way for you to learn how to use a bandsaw. By the end of this post, you will know everything there is to know when it comes to a bandsaw. Not only that, but you will also learn everything you need to know in the safe and proper way so that you can practice safe operation at all times.

What You Will Need To Follow This Tutorial

It might not come as much of a surprise to you when you think about it, but if you want to be able to follow this particular tutorial to the best of your ability so you can learn the most you can from it, I highly recommend trying to make sure you have a bandsaw that you can try these tips and tricks out on.

While you could learn by just watching and reading, it might be considerable easier to learn how to work it if you can actually use it as you read from the tutorial. In addition, if you do have a bandsaw handy, you should make sure you have plenty of materials that you can use to cut so you can get used to using the unit as a whole.

Step by Step Instructions - How To Use A Bandsaw

Set Up

After you have purchased the best band saw that you need to match with your needs and wants, make sure you spend a lot of time to set it up and read all of the instructions and the safety information that was provided with the bandsaw. You want to make sure you set it up in an area that is comfortable for you

to work at and it should be at a height that is waist-high for whoever will be using it. Additionally, you want to make sure there is plenty of lighting and if you buy a bench-top bandsaw as opposed to a floor model, you should make sure that it is fastened to the bench so that it does not run the risk of tipping over and causing damage.

Find The Right Blade

When it comes to looking for the blade of the saw, you need to make sure you find the right one to match with the application you are trying to cut. The two things to pay attention to are the blade width and the teeth per inch. The blade width is important and a narrow blade allows for shorter turn radius while a wider blade is considerable more durable.

In terms of the teeth per inch, you will find that a higher amount of teeth will result in a smoother cut but will take longer to cut. A lower count means it will cut a lot quicker but will be rougher all around. Last but not least, the blade thickness is important to keep in mind because the thinner blades are really important for the smaller wheels because it will continuously bend as it rolls in the band saw.

Adjust Tension

When you look at just about all of the bandsaws available on the market, you will find that there is some sort of tension adjustment screw or knob on the upper portion of the machine towards the back. You want to make sure that you ensure the blade is tight so that it will not slip when cutting but it can’t be too tight or it will damage the saw.

If you want to test to see how the blade tightness is, you can raise the guide to the maximum height and press it sideways. It should only move about ⅛ of inch and if it moves any more or any less, you will need to adjust it once again.

Check Tracking

This step is going to require a little bit more work compared to some of the other ones but you want to make sure you open the cover of the upper wheel and then the wheel by hand to observe the position of the blade on the wheel. You want to make sure that it runs on the center of the wheel without any serious movement. If it’s a problem, you can easily turn the tracking adjustment knob to correct the blade position on the wheel.

Set Up The Guides

With just about any blade saw you look at, you’re going to find that there is a moveable blade guide and a thumb knob or lever that can allow for quick and easy changes and adjustments to this product. You want to find a blade guide that is pretty close to the surface of the wood you are cutting but if it is too close, it will jam. Try and find one that gives you about a quarter inch of clearance and then lock that guide into the correct position.

Adjust Table

If you want to make a square cut, then you should use some sort of a block square or a square piece of material to make sure the blade is aligned in the proper manner. If you have a saw that is preset to zero on an angle, then you can use the zero or 90 degree mark to help ensure that you get the right cut at all time when you need to.

Mark Cut On Wood

Unless you are very experienced and know exactly what you are doing, you won’t be able to use the bandsaw free hand and you will need to make some marks on the wood to show what you plan on cutting. Ensure that you make clear and easy to see lines using a pencil or marker suitable for the material you are using.

Make sure you don’t use an ink market on a wood that is natural or stained with certain stains because it will leave a permanent mark. If you don’t know what to use, pencil is always a good choice.

Check All Clearances

THis is important step to keep in mind because the last thing you want to do is get halfway through your project or the cut you are working on only to find out that the piece is not going to turn or feed all the way through the machine. Ensure that you have more than enough room to turn the piece and you won’t have anything to worry about!

Make Your Cut

Now that you have everything there is to need set up, you can turn on the saw and get ready to make your cut you need to make. Make sure you give the blade enough time to come to full speed and watch to make sure it travels in a straight line as it is going.