The business part of the band saw. The blade and the guide wheels. The wheels keep the blade lined up. The blade moves downward…
It’s not obvious, but in this photo there are three guide wheels. One on either side of the blade and another in the back. The one in the back has a notch in which the rear of the blade runs. I like this third wheel as it presses against the rear of the blade as you push the wood forward. It also aligns the blade so the teeth stay in front of the side wheels.
Here our student is using a circle jig. She has to cut 6 circles at 18″ each. We’ve clamped a piece of wood to the saw’s table. Then, a nail in the center of the circle to be will guide the wood as Samantha turns the square. The most important thing to remember is that the nail must be in line with the blade. If it isn’t, the wood will try to guide the wood in the wrong direction.
Here we have the entire machine. The two wheels hold, support and guide the blade. The blade runs clockwise. The bottom wheel is the “drive” wheel: it has the motor attached. The top wheel simply spins. Notice that the doors are open. Never run the saw with the doors open. Always have the doors closed.
This saw is a huge heavy duty tool that even has its own blade welder. The item on the left.