ADJUSTING BLADE TRACKING
Ideally, the blade should stay relatively centered
A
on both
the upper and lower wheels.
Due to natural variations in castings, blade thickness or den-
sity and tire wear, absolute perfect centering alignment is
rarely attainable. A slight misalignment of the blade on the
wheels is inevitable and as long as it is kept to a minimum
(following the steps listed below) will not hinder the perfor-
mance of the saw.
This misalignment is controlled and kept to a minimum pri-
marily by adjusting the tilt angle of the upper wheel.
When adjusting blade tracking to center the blade on the
wheels and assuming that perfect centering is not attainable, it is preferable to have the blade slightly off-center
towards the front of the wheels rather than towards the rear because the teeth on most band saw blades have alter-
nating hook (one inner, one outer) – therefore if the blade is centered too far back on the wheel (or if the blade
tension is too tight), inner hooked teeth will dig into the wheel tire and cause premature wear of the tire.
Nonetheless, to avoid having the blade come off of the wheels on it’s own during operation, the front edge of the
blades teeth should never be any closer than 3mm (1/8”) from the front edge of the wheel
B
.
A
B
3 mm - 1/8”
To adjust the blade tracking:
1.
Open the upper wheel cover door then rotate the wheel slowly forward by hand
A
and check (through the win-
dow of the upper wheel) the position of the blade on the wheel. The blade should remain as centered as pos-
sible on the wheel as it turns.
2.
If the blade tracking must be adjusted, loosen the jam nut
B
on the tracking adjustment handwheel using the
supplied 14 mm open end wrench, then turn the handwheel:
- Clockwise if the blade moves toward the front of the wheel. This tilts the top of the wheel to the back and moves
the blade toward the center.
- Counterclockwise if the blade moves toward the back edge. This tilts the top of the wheel to the front and
moves the blade toward the center.
Note: Turn the tracking handwheel in 1/2 turn increments, re-check and adjust again as needed.
3.
With the tracking set, re-tighten the jam nut
B
.
BLADE CLEARANCE
Note: As previously stated, when performing blade installation, removal, tensioning or tracking, maximum clearance
between the blade and both upper and lower bearing assemblies is required to minimize friction, which would be
damaging to the blade. Refer back and follow the instructions for “blade clearance” before performing blade track-
ing adjustments.
BEFORE MAKING BLADE TRACKING ADJUSTMENTS, MAKE SURE THAT THE SWITCH IS IN THE “OFF” POSITION AND
THAT THE POWER CORD IS UNPLUGGED.
Turn CW if
blade
moves to
front
Turn CCW
if blade
moves to
back
B
17
A
