# Best Homemade Tools >  Saw not cutting stright

## thehomeengineer

Hi All
While sawing up the material for the retractable internal tool holder on my 4x6 band saw I noticed how out of square it was cutting. When cutting smaller sections it is not that noticeable but as the stock size increases, it magnifies the error. This is the simply method I used to realign the bearing guides and the saw is again cutting straight. This poor little saw is now 20 years plus and sits in the workshop and gets used and abused with next to no maintenance but is still going strong.

The first couple of photos show the problem

 

The next photos show how I fixed the saw issue. To try to place a square against a ½ blade to check it is vertical is quite difficult. To overcome this a 6 rule clamped with a small tool makers clamp to the edge of the saw blade gives a good indication on how far the saw is out. With a square placed against the rule, both bearing guides are set until the rule is upright and therefore making the blade square to the base of the saw vice. 

   

The last photo shows the saw once again is cutting square.



Many thanks for taking the time to view
The Home Engineer

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Andyt (Oct 5, 2018),

Canobi (Oct 9, 2020),

garage nut (Jan 9, 2019),

greyhoundollie (Jan 11, 2019),

Karl_H (Jan 17, 2019),

Ken Koch (Oct 5, 2018),

Lima2088 (Jun 4, 2018),

lpresson (Nov 9, 2022),

martink (Jan 25, 2018),

melbakid (Feb 14, 2022),

NickP (Jan 25, 2018),

NortonDommi (Jun 5, 2018),

nova_robotics (Feb 10, 2022),

Paul Jones (Jan 25, 2018),

PJs (Jan 28, 2018),

Seedtick (Jan 25, 2018),

Sprig1 (Oct 5, 2018),

Tonyg (Oct 9, 2020),

tooly (Oct 8, 2020),

Tule (Feb 11, 2022),

yvonf (Feb 11, 2022)

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## Paul Jones

Home Engineer,
Good advice and am now curious about the accuracy of my Enco 4X6 bandsaw. I tend to take it for granted that it would remain very close to being in alignment after my initial setup. I checked this morning and the bandsaw blade was not perfectly aligned relative to the saw vise table and as you can see below. I checked by clamping a stiff 6" rule to the saw blade with a Kant Twist clamp and compared the 6" rule gap with a combination square. There was a significant gap at the top and had to be corrected.



I now fixed the errors in the blade vertical alignment and also the right angle to the stationary vise jaws. Periodically checking is the best approach rather than wasting metal stock.

Thank you,
Paul

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lpresson (Nov 9, 2022),

PJs (Jan 28, 2018),

thehomeengineer (Jan 25, 2018)

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## Frank S

If I might add I have used a very similar method for setting up saw blades on various size band saws for years the only thing was though I found that it was often a little tedious trying to clamp the scale to the blade with the small makers clamp while at the same time holding the scale positioned just above the teeth of the blade so as not to incorporate the set of the teeth into the the mix. so I made a pair of slotted gauges to fit which ever saw I needed to adjust 
they looked something like this Just a piece of sq stock with a slot cut into the end and a thumb screw to tighten it to the blade, the depth of the slot was just shy of being deep enough to reach the teeth. We made them and included a pair to fit the blades of every band saw we sold

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Al8236 (Jan 26, 2018),

baja (Oct 9, 2020),

Canobi (Oct 9, 2020),

garage nut (Jan 9, 2019),

lpresson (Nov 9, 2022),

martink (Jan 25, 2018),

Moby Duck (Jan 26, 2018),

NickP (Jan 25, 2018),

NortonDommi (Jun 5, 2018),

Paul Jones (Jan 25, 2018),

PJs (Jan 28, 2018),

thehomeengineer (Jan 25, 2018),

Tonyg (Oct 5, 2018),

Toolmaker51 (Jan 26, 2018),

tooly (Jun 2, 2018),

Tule (Feb 11, 2022),

yvonf (Feb 11, 2022)

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## DIYer

Thanks thehomeengineer! We've added your Bandsaw Guide Alignment Method to our Measuring and Marking category,
as well as to your builder page: thehomeengineer's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:















Bandsaw Guide Alignment Method
 by thehomeengineer

tags:
alignment, bandsaw

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## DIYer

Thanks Frank S! We've added your Bandsaw Blade Setting Tool to our Measuring and Marking category,
as well as to your builder page: Frank S's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:















Bandsaw Blade Setting Tool
 by Frank S

tags:
bandsaw, blade

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## Toolmaker51

I do almost exactly what Frank S uses. Mine is 5/8'' round stock about 7'' long. 2 #8 screws secure separate clamp. It fits entire blades, from 1/2'' to 1 1/2'' wide, and relief for teeth in both halves. 1/2'' is for my small power hacksaw. 
I raise saw frame as if 6'' stock was in the vise. Clamp the bar on and get it vertical [front to back] with a solid square. The round shape creates somewhat a knife edge for the square and very easy to see discrepancy.
It's at work and I'm at home...I'll post a picture come next week. There was NO such internet thing when I made it.

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Frank S (Jan 26, 2018),

PJs (Jan 28, 2018)

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## MiTasol

deleted duplicate post

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## MiTasol

> Home Engineer,
> 
> Good advice and am now curious about the accuracy of my bandsaw.
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Paul



Agreed. 

For those who want to do a full checkout of how to set up band saws I recommend you go to youtube and check out Alex Snodgrass's bandsaw clinic. He works for a band saw accessory manufacturer and specializes in woodwork but most of his tips and tricks apply equally to metalwork.




PS - I was hoping that you were referring to straightening a bent frame - the previous owner of the saw I just bought obviously left it fully tensioned with a heavy blade in it for some time as the upper support is in line with the blade when full up and over 10mm away from the blade when down near the table. Naturally the ebay photos did not show this. I am looking at making a wedge shaped version of the standard height insert that will move the upper frame forward while the angle kicks the top guide post back to true vertical.

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oldcaptainrusty (Feb 2, 2018),

Paul Jones (Feb 8, 2018),

thehomeengineer (Feb 2, 2018)

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## thehomeengineer

great video learnt a lot about setting the bearing guides and blade tension.
The Home Engineer

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## Jon

Another Alex Snodgrass bandsaw vid:

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## thehomeengineer

Again well worth a watch thank you

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Paul Jones (Feb 2, 2018)

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## pfredX1

My 4x6 may not cut stock too square but it cuts stock more square than I can.

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thehomeengineer (Jun 2, 2018)

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## johnsmachines

A bandsaw blade which is perfectly adjusted to the table can still wander to one side if the set of the teeth is not exactly even on both sides of the blade due to a manufacturing inaccuracy, or uneven wear of the teeth. I adjust my bandsaws so that they cut square, not so that they are square to the table.

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Jon (Oct 5, 2018),

Paul Jones (Oct 17, 2018),

Toolmaker51 (Oct 4, 2018)

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## Karl_H

I use a small neodymium magnet to hold the 6 inch rule against the blade. However, this makes the rule magnetic, which causes it to attract to the square.
My solution was to make an aluminum square. 
I used a piece of 1/4 inch aluminum, and "eye balled" it square on the mill table and clamped it tight. Without moving the blank, I squared up the two sides to the accuracy of the x & y axis of my mill.

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