Blade Lead - Shop fox W1749 Owner's Manual

W1749 9" Bandsaw

Blade Lead

Bandsaw blades commonly wander off of the cut line
when sawing, as shown in Figure 41. This is called blade
lead. Blade lead is commonly caused by too fast of a feed
rate, a dull or abused blade, or improper tension. If your
blade is sharp/undamaged and you still have blade lead,
perform the following instructions.
Troubleshoot and correct for blade lead in the follow-
ing order:
1. The feed rate could be too fast; push workpiece
with less force.
2. The blade tension may be too loose; go to Page 19
and re-tension the blade.
If the blade tension is correct and it is not conve-
nient to replace the blade, compensate for lead by
skewing the fence in the appropriate direction to
compensate for the amount the cut strays, or slight-
ly rotate the table.
3. The blade may be too thin for the cutting task, or
the tooth pitch may be incorrect; go to Page 32 &
Page 33 for information on blade with and tooth
styles. Choose and install the correct blade.
4. The guide blocks may be set incorrectly; go to Page
20 and adjust the guide blocks.
5. The blade tracking may be incorrect; go to Page 17
and adjust the blade tracking.
6. The blade teeth may be dull on one side, or the
blade may have been sharpened unevenly; replace
or re-sharpen the blade.
7. The blade teeth may be set heavier on one side than
the other; replace the blade.
8. Check that the miter slot or fence is parallel to the
blade line, and correct if necessary (See Aligning
Table, Page 22 and Aligning Fence, Page 23).
Figure 41. Example of blade leading away
-27-
from line of cut.