# If you haven't set up your bandsaw the Alex Snodgrass way



## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

You should really do it. I have watched the video a couple of times, but always did the setup at another time. I thought I had everything down, but when I listened to him on the 360 Woodworking podcast this week, I realized I had not followed every step. I went to the Indy Woodworking Show today and went to his workshop, and I think I finally got the whole down.

I did it one more time on my Craftsman (Rikon) 12" bandsaw. This is not greatest bandsaw out there, but adequate. Here's a piece of walnut I re-sawed with just an ordinary 3/8" Olson blade.


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## rhett (May 11, 2008)

Agreed. I heard about him/his video on WoodTalk. I too got amazing results from a machine I once hated.


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## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

I need to find those videos.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)




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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Would some explain to me why drift is such a big deal?

Isn't drift determined by the relation of the wheel axis to the table? Plus if its a flat wheel, what difference would it make where the gullets lie?

Personally, I've tried his technique on both my saws and it did not eliminate drift.

I've researched this and found that the PM machines have parallel wheels. Other machines do not as a result drift is built in and there is nothing you can do to eliminate it. I've owned probably 5 different bandsaws and every single one of the manual has instructions on adjusting fence for drift.


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## bbasiaga (Dec 8, 2012)

I was there today too! I bought that small blade tensioner to try out too. Can't wait.

Brian


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

> Plus if its a flat wheel, what difference would it make where the gullets lie?
> for drift.
> 
> - rwe2156


because most bandsaw tires aren't flat, they're crowned, as I understand it. Mine are.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

> I ve researched this and found that the PM machines have parallel wheels. Other machines do not as a result drift is built in and there is nothing you can do to eliminate it. I ve owned probably 5 different bandsaws and every single one of the manual has instructions on adjusting fence for drift.
> 
> - rwe2156


I'm not so sure about that. I'm pretty sure the mechanism to adjust the position of the blade on the wheel on bandsaws tilts the upper wheel.


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## cracknpop (Dec 20, 2011)

Great respect for Alex Snodgrass. I had bought his guides and followed his video but was still having an alignment issue with my band saw. Talked with him at the Indy wood show the next year. A couple days later, I received a call from an engineer at the manufacturer who told me, "Alex Snodgrass asked me to call you"


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Alex did us all a great favor when he did that video. Very impressive and helpful


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## MattLinPA (Oct 18, 2015)

I've got the carter guides on my Jet 16". World of difference when added with set up per his instructions. (show demonstration) The mag fence and "FAST" set up bars are worth the price of admission. I butterflied a 8"x8"x4" block of 20 Wenge and Mahogany glueups with a 1/4" 3tpi blade. The cut was basically perfect with zero drift.


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## coxhaus (Dec 14, 2015)

I like the Alex Snodgrass bandsaw way. It works well for me on several different bandsaws with smaller blades. The only problem I see is when you use large blades, the wheels are too small. I have to position the large blades across the whole wheel.


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## AHuxley (Apr 22, 2009)

> Plus if its a flat wheel, what difference would it make where the gullets lie?
> for drift.
> 
> - rwe2156
> ...


The vast majority of European saws have flat tires (Minimax, Felder, Hammer, Laguna and Agazzani for example). His methods are aimed mainly toward small lightweight saws.


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## Desert_Woodworker (Jan 28, 2015)

> I like the Alex Snodgrass bandsaw way. It works well for me on several different bandsaws with smaller blades. The only problem I see is when you use large blades, the wheels are too small. I have to position the large blades across the whole wheel.
> 
> - coxhaus


I have the same situation with my PM14? If I use and do the Snodgrass method- I am limited to a 5/8" blade.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

Isn't that because Snodgrass (and a lot of other folks) say that you shouldn't use larger than a 1/2" blade on a 14' bandsaw?


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

> Isn t that because Snodgrass (and a lot of other folks) say that you shouldn t use larger than a 1/2" blade on a 14 bandsaw?
> 
> - CharlesA


Correct. A 14" saw cannot tension a 3/4" blade enough, despite the manufacturer's claims that the saw can handle it. A 1/2" is fine for resawing anyway. I've gotten the same results with the snodgrass setup and a 1/2" Olson blade (and a Woodslicer worked even better) on my Grizzly 14"er.


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## TheGreatJon (Jan 9, 2015)

> Plus if its a flat wheel, what difference would it make where the gullets lie?
> for drift.
> 
> - rwe2156
> ...


Really? I can't say I've inspected the tires of many European saws, but that would seem… ill advised. I would wonder what the design rational is. The crown is pretty important unless we are talking about metal-cutting saws (which spin MUCH slower), .

The crown ensures that the blade stays in position when it is spinning at high speed. It's all about centrifugal force. When you swing a bucket of water up and over your head, it doesn't spill on your head because the force is pushing it away from the center of rotation and is overcoming gravity. With a bandsaw blade, the blade will stick to the crown because it is trying to move as far from center as it can. It is being subjected to a significant amount of centrifugal force because it is being spun around your wheel.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

Highland woodworking finally came out with a 3/4" woodslicer, due to demand, but they still recommend the 1/2", I believe. For years they maintained that a 3/4" was inferior.



> Isn t that because Snodgrass (and a lot of other folks) say that you shouldn t use larger than a 1/2" blade on a 14 bandsaw?
> 
> - CharlesA
> 
> ...


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## coxhaus (Dec 14, 2015)

> Isn t that because Snodgrass (and a lot of other folks) say that you shouldn t use larger than a 1/2" blade on a 14 bandsaw?
> 
> - CharlesA


I am on a 18 inch Minimax now. The method does not work with big blades. So are you saying only use the Alex's method with small bandsaws? with a crown?

Plus the Minimax does not have a crown.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

I don't know.

I know his target is the 14" bandsaw, since it is, by far, the most common. He did reference a 17" bandsaw and said it worked for it, but I don't know enough to say beyond that.

He said he answers questions on social media. Would be interesting to see what he says.

Charles



> Isn t that because Snodgrass (and a lot of other folks) say that you shouldn t use larger than a 1/2" blade on a 14 bandsaw?
> 
> - CharlesA
> 
> ...


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

> I am on a 18 inch Minimax now. The method does not work with big blades. So are you saying only use the Alex s method with small bandsaws? with a crown?
> 
> Plus the Minimax does not have a crown.
> 
> - coxhaus


I have a MM 16. The tires are indeed flat, but the wheels have a slight crown profile. You can't really see it unless you put an indicator on it.

With regard to setup. I just square everything up. blade orthogonal to the table top, table top miter slot parallel to the blade, fence parallel to the miter slot, guide bar parallel to the blade.

No drift compensation.


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## Skatergirl46 (Oct 6, 2016)

I have a 1/2" wood slicer on my 14" Jet and it's great. I have no reason to want a 3/4" blade at this point.


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## coxhaus (Dec 14, 2015)

I don't worry about Alex's method any more with my Minimax 18 inch bandsaw. When I had my smaller bandsaws in the past I used his method and it work fine for me.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Thanks Charles.
I watched the video. I've been using bandsaws (mostly really big ones) all my life and had always believed that drift was a function of the blade not the setup. I have always set my saw up to account for the drift and it has always worked for me. However I will give his setup a go. It would be great if I could eliminate the drift setup step.

I'm a pretty old dog but I think I might be able to learn a new trick …..... maybe….


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## coxhaus (Dec 14, 2015)

I would like to know if you can eliminate the fence setup everytime there is a blade change. I just figured the bigger saws with bigger tables and longer fences required more adjustment than a small bandsaw. I would be willing to use Alex's method for smaller blades if I could skip the fence setup. My fence is a Kreg 24 inch fence.

Let us know how it works out. When I change blades I may try again but for right now everything is setup.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

That's the idea if it works for you. 


> I would like to know if you can eliminate the fence setup everytime there is a blade change. I just figured the bigger saws with bigger tables and longer fences required more adjustment than a small bandsaw. I would be willing to use Alex s method for smaller blades if I could skip the fence setup. My fence is a Kreg 24 inch fence.
> 
> Let us know how it works out. When I change blades I may try again but for right now everything is setup.
> 
> - coxhaus


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## coxhaus (Dec 14, 2015)

I would like to hear from shipwright after he has a chance to try it.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> I would be willing to use Alex's method for smaller blades if I could skip the fence setup.


What fence setup are you referring to? If you watch the video, he even deliberately uses the fence out of whack to show that he still gets a perfect cut (at about 15 min. into the video).

Cheers,
Brad


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## coxhaus (Dec 14, 2015)

I can't use my fence out of whack when I cut veneers. The thickness will vary on the veneer.

I should add as of right now I have not figured out a way.


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## AHuxley (Apr 22, 2009)

> Plus if its a flat wheel, what difference would it make where the gullets lie?
> for drift.
> 
> - rwe2156
> ...


Yes, they are flat, I didn't just make it up. It is not ill advised at all, the saw is engineered to work that way and built to close tolerances it works extremely well and at speeds of 6000+ FPM but I haven't seen a Euro saw that runs in the 8000-12000 fpm some of the large US saw do/did but it is still faster than the Asian hobby sized saws. The flat wheels are especially good at reducing stress on wide bands and reduce the tendency for them to develop gullet cracks. The setup and tracking of these saws is different from a crowned tire saw but it eliminates a lot of setup issues as well.


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## DustyM (May 16, 2016)

Hopefully not too far from the given topic here, but was wondering if anyone has addressed the issue of squaring the blade guard assembly to the blade? I've got the Grizzly G0555LANV, and while I know it's not going to have the fit and finish of a Laguna or a PM, there seems to be a bit of play in the blade guard assembly when it's moved up/down, making it difficult to align my blade guides. Neither the manual nor Grizzly's setup videos address this. Any tips, or should I just get used to adjusting the blade guides every time I move the guard?


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