It’s typically ignored, however a important step in organising a bandsaw is adjusting the desk parallel with the blade. In case you don’t, you’re left with irritating “drift,” which is nothing greater than the fence, which is often adjusted parallel to the miter slot, being skewed relative to the blade as a result of the desk isn’t arrange accurately. Rips will probably be skewed and crosscutting with a miter gauge or sled will probably be uneven and inaccurate.
Whereas squaring the desk typically takes cautious, affected person trial-and-error, iGaging’s Bandsaw Companion makes the method tremendous simple. The Companion is basically a 1⁄4-in.-thick by 12-in.-long aluminum rule with 4 rare-earth magnets mounted to 1 aspect and an area subsequent to the magnets for the bandsaw’s blade. Merely snap the rule to the blade (1⁄2 in. or wider works finest), loosen the desk bolts (maintain one comfortable as a pivot level), and align the blade and miter slot utilizing a finely graduated ruler. The size of the Companion vastly exaggerates the trail of the blade, making it a lot simpler to measure its relationship with the miter slot.
The Companion can also be an correct rule, has a sliding cease for setting distances, and can be utilized as a beam for scribing circles.
—Roland Johnson is a contributing editor.
Images: Roland Johnson
From Advantageous Woodworking #298