9-INCH BAND SAW

The more you’re around the industry, the more you realize there are many ways a job can be done incorrectly but there’s only one perfect result. Great craftsmanship has driven me to know how it’s done since I was very young. Perhaps the most inspiring work comes in the form of fine woodworking. Even today I stop to appreciate intricately detailed corbels, posts, shelves, and so on. Many tools and much skill are involved in getting these pieces to their finished states. The band saw is one of those tools. Pros may gravitate toward larger, stand-alone models, but the light-duty needs of a DIYer or hobbyist fit the bill for the  9-inch Band Saw.

FEATURES

There are only a few pieces to assemble, but they are critical. In particular, I’m referring to the blade and the table. The saw’s two-door cabinet opens up without tools. Inside the cabinet are two aluminum wheels and ball-bearing supports. You’ll need to lower the lever on the back of the saw to lower the top wheel.

Simply feed the blade of the band saw through the blade guide assembly and around the wheels and shift the blade in the center of the wheels. You can fine-tune the blade tracking with an adjustment knob also located on the back of the saw.

Even if your blade tracking is a little off at this point, raise the lever to raise the top wheel. Then, spin the lower wheel by hand while using the tracking knob to get the blade centered. The process is really pretty simple, even for a first-time user.

SETTING THE BLADE TENSION

To set the blade tension on the 9-inch band saw, first close the cabinet doors. You adjust the blade tension using the top knob. Band saw blade tensioning is a mysterious process for some reason. Tensioners are expensive (more than this saw) so eyeballing the blade deflection will suffice at this level.

On one hand, tension is important so the blade stays on the wheels. On the other, you don’t want to stress the blade or motor. A band saw really only needs to be at the highest tension for thick, hardwood stock.