SEPT/OCT 2004
Volume 47/Issue 5

IN THIS ISSUE
Project Articles
• Living Room Sofa Table
• Nob Hill Cable Car
• Two-Shelf Telephone Stand/Side Table

DEPARTMENTS
• Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
• New Baby Workshop Calendar
 
Academy Notes
Hardwood Information You Should Know - Pt 2
 
Service Pointers
Disc Sander

Woodworking Technologies
Stepped Dowels
 
Safety
Safety Lessons I've Learned

What's New
Referral Rewards Program

EDUCATION
• Find A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You
• National Woodworking Academy in Dayton, OH

ONLINE CATALOGS
• Online Accessory Catalog
• Request Printed Accessory Catalog
• Online Replacement Parts Catalog

MARK V INFORMATION
• Find A Shopsmith
MARK V Demo Near You
• Request MARK V Information Package

LINKS
• Links Worth Visiting
• Free Woodworking Tips

FEEDBACK
Contacting Shopsmith

Copyright 2004.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

ASK SMITTY!
Here are the questions . . .
and SMITTY’S answers for this issue!

Troubles with Bandsaw Blade “Lead”
 
From “Buddy” via email:
 
I have owned my Shopsmith since 1984. The past couple of years I have had a real problem with my bandsaw not cutting a straight line. I have gone through the manual more then once making adjustments on everything I could adjust, but nothing has helped. It won't cut straight whether you're using the Fence or cutting freehand. If you're using the fence you just have a crooked line when your done. If your cutting freehand you have to keep turning the wood to compensate for the crooked cut you are making.

I have replaced the blades several times and they still don't cut straight, I've even wondered if I may have got a bad batch of blades, ( I buy several at a time) they act as though there isn't a set on one side of the blade. Could this be possible? If you have any ideas I'd appreciate the help.

Since you've repeatedly gone through all the set-up and alignment procedures in your manual...and replaced your blades “several times”....one of the following is more than likely your problem...

1) You may be trying to feed the work through the cut too rapidly. Try being more patient and slowing down your feed rate. You'd be surprised how many times this approach will solve the problem.

2) You may be expecting your bandsaw to cut like your table saw. Generally, this is not the case. Most bandsaws and blades have a certain amount of “lead” (the tendency of the blade to “wander” off the line in one direction or another) that affects the straightness of the cut line. As a 30+-year woodworker, I've learned that no two blades perform identically. As a result, a small amount of compensating is usually required for each blade. I “automatically” compensate for this without thinking about it by merely adjusting my angle of feed.

If you'd like to use a Fence to ensure line straightness, you'll have to offset (or “angle”) your fence accordingly. Here's how. Take a 3/4" x 3" wide x 24" long (or so) piece of hardwood and draw a line down its length, separating it into two 1-1/2" wide pieces.

Adjust your Bandsaw properly (guides, etc) and cut a straight line VERY SLOWLY.... compensating by adjusting your angle of feed as you cut.

When you get within 6" of the exit end of your cut, cease cutting and hold your workpiece firmly down onto the tabletop (without allowing it to move), while you turn off your bandsaw.

Now, using a sharp pencil, draw a line along the back (nearest the bandsaw's rear throat support) side of your board.

Adjust the angle of your fence to match this drawn angle and all rip cuts will be straight....PROVIDING YOU'RE USING THE SAME BLADE.

If these don't solve your problem, I suggest that you call Shopsmith's TOLL-FREE Technical Services Hotline at 1-800-762-7555. You may need to send your Bandsaw in for service

“Balancing” cradle rockers
 
From “Johnnie” via email:
 
How do you balance a cradle made with rockers? This is to make it set level after completion. Cradle has a slight list to one side.

Good question. Let me see, now..........guess you could always add weights to the ends of the rockers like balancing a tire...but somehow, that doesn't seem like the right answer. My guess is that your answer really lies in the curvature of the rocker bottoms. Unfortunately, once everything is assembled together, this may be tough to fix.

How about this.....make two duplicate rocker bottoms out of thin hardboard or plywood. Be sure the plywood rockers extend about 1/4" below the “real” rockers. Then, double-face tape them to the existing rockers....except offset them toward one side or the other slightly. Experiment until you find the right position.

Once the right position is identified, transfer the correct curvature to the bottoms of the “real” rockers and file, then sand them to the correct curvature. Hopefully, this will work. It's my best guess.

Carbide sawblade sharpening
 
From H. Staton via email:
 
What's the best way to sharpen a carbide circular saw blade?

Sharpening circular saw blades is a tricky business that's best left to a professional sharpening service. This is NOT a job for the home woodworker...especially when working with carbide blades...which require diamond wheels and specialized set-up devices to control tip angles precisely.