# Ryobi Band Saw From Homedepot



## prasad (Apr 4, 2016)

A few months back I got a gift from my son - a Ryobi benchtop bandsaw. It looked good and I was happy that I could retire my hacksaw. I started using it for cutting aluminum and initially it looked fine mainly because of the speed at which it could cut. As I continued I started noticing the cuts were not truly going straight even when I use the sliding guide to clamp the work that I am cutting. I studied many Youtube videos and most recommended I adjust the blade guides at top and under the platform. I have adjusted them and I still find the blade drifts to a side. I never get a cut on a straight line that I want. Let alone cutting an arc. Is there a way to make it work better? 

I have almost switched back to hand held hacksaw.

Thanks
Prasad


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## Billh50 (Apr 4, 2016)

I have one of those and only use it for wood. The blade just keeps wandering so I have to just cut as close to my lines as I dare and keep shifting part to get blade to cut better. I use it very little since I got an old craftsman for free.


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## prasad (Apr 4, 2016)

Billh50 said:


> I have one of those and only use it for wood. The blade just keeps wandering so I have to just cut as close to my lines as I dare and keep shifting part to get blade to cut better. I use it very little since I got an old craftsman for free.


Bill

I have tried cutting wood too and it drifts off at angle. I never get it straight ever. Adjusting pins made a small improvement but not like what I see in those Youtube videos. I wonder if there is a way to make it work better. 

Prasad


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## prasad (Apr 6, 2016)

prasad said:


> Bill
> 
> I have tried cutting wood too and it drifts off at angle. I never get it straight ever. Adjusting pins made a small improvement but not like what I see in those Youtube videos. I wonder if there is a way to make it work better.
> 
> Prasad


I think I managed to fix the problem. I readjusted the guides and also replaced the blade. After that I tried cutting circles. It seems to work now. I think the blade was too old. Of course I have to see how long this lasts.


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## roadie33 (Apr 6, 2016)

As blades get dull they tend to wander. 
When it starts wandering off course again, just put on a new blade.


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## Tony Wells (Apr 6, 2016)

If something is causing the blade to lose the set on one side, it will pull no matter what you do. I'd inspect the wheels as well as the guides to make sure nothing is touching the teeth that shouldn't be.


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## Billh50 (Apr 6, 2016)

the problem with mine is the guides don't stay tight. They keep loosening up.


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## prasad (Apr 6, 2016)

roadie33 said:


> As blades get dull they tend to wander.
> When it starts wandering off course again, just put on a new blade.


I agree. It was interesting to see a big difference when I changed the blade. Wish I knew this before. I wasted plenty of time and material..


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## 4GSR (Apr 8, 2016)

I have one of those saws I bought several years ago.  The guide brackets are made of a cheap die cast casting.  So when you get the blade guides adjusted, the casting starts to stretch and distort from the tightening of the square head set screws.  Eventually, you will strip out the threads or break the bracket holding the blade guides.  Make a new bracket from steel and maybe eliminate the problem.  Do what I do, live with it!


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## prasad (Apr 9, 2016)

4gsr said:


> I have one of those saws I bought several years ago.  The guide brackets are made of a cheap die cast casting.  So when you get the blade guides adjusted, the casting starts to stretch and distort from the tightening of the square head set screws.  Eventually, you will strip out the threads or break the bracket holding the blade guides.  Make a new bracket from steel and maybe eliminate the problem.  Do what I do, live with it!




Ken, 

Thank you. I see your point. I have observed the guides and set screws. The set screws that hold the guide pins become loose often which confirms your point. I have been checking and re-adjusting them if necessary before I use the saw. I will keep this replacing guides as a project to be done sometime in the near future. 

Thank you
Prasad
Eastern PA


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## ralph915 (Apr 10, 2016)

Sounds like you are losing the set on the teeth..


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## strantor (Apr 10, 2016)

Maybe I've never known exactly what I'm doing, therefore I don't know exactly what bandsaws are really capable of. But my experience has taught me not to expect any precision from bandsaws. For me,  the blades walk worse and worse the duller they get (as mentioned) but they also walk a little brand new. You can do these things to help it cut straighter:

install a wider blade (not talking about thickness; talking about the dimension from cutting edge to trailing edge) - If you can cut small circles with it, it's too narrow.
Tighten your tracking adjustment rollers
tighten your blade tension
decrease your feed force
Use sharp blade
But even after all that, you're going to square it up in a lathe or mill. Or at least, I would. I'm sure somewhere there's someone who can bandsaw cut parts with machine tool accuracy, but it ain't me.


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## strantor (Apr 10, 2016)

Oh yeah, and use coolant. If you're getting too hot, you get the workpiece heating up (and hardening) right in front of the cutting edge, which encourages the blade to track off to softer metal. Or at least that's a theory of mine to explain what I've seen,


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## prasad (Apr 10, 2016)

ralph915 said:


> Sounds like you are losing the set on the teeth..


Ralph

Could be or may be the blade teeth were slightly worn. Main reason was the number of teeth per inch. I was using the original blade that came with the bandsaw - 24 teeth per inch, for cutting aluminum. It was cutting OK but I read elsewhere that I should better use blade with lesser teeth per inch. I have replaced it with 6 teeth per inch blade. It is working OK now. I have ordered another 6 tpi blade.


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## prasad (Apr 10, 2016)

strantor said:


> Maybe I've never known exactly what I'm doing, therefore I don't know exactly what bandsaws are really capable of. But my experience has taught me not to expect any precision from bandsaws. For me,  the blades walk worse and worse the duller they get (as mentioned) but they also walk a little brand new. You can do these things to help it cut straighter:
> 
> install a wider blade (not talking about thickness; talking about the dimension from cutting edge to trailing edge) - If you can cut small circles with it, it's too narrow.
> Tighten your tracking adjustment rollers
> ...



Thanks, I have done all excepting your first bullet point. The blade I use 3/8" appears to be the widest recommended by Ryobi for this bandsaw.


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## visenfile (Apr 23, 2016)

A while back a thread appeared here on converting the Harbor Freight hand held metal band saw to a little bench unit .  I did my own version of this and can report I have had good results. I did replace the HF blade with a good US one.  An example of how well this little devil will cut...I needed some 1" wide x 18" strips of mild steel for a car seat frame.  All I had was 90 degree angle stock, about 1/16" thick. Being cheap and stubborn I decided first to try eliminating one side completely with my HF mill drill/carbide face mill.  Yikes, it worked, but took forever (probably cause I am a newbie)  Anyway I did piece 2 and up with my little band saw and the 3  pieces were done in 1/10 the time !!  I fitted an HF foot pedal to the little band saw so that both hands would be available for guiding the stock.  I used the waste (vertical) side as a kind of guide and only  had to do a little touch up /debur with a pedestal grinder.  FYI

Edit: I hope this is not a "hijack." Just trying to relate to the general subject.


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## prasad (Apr 23, 2016)

visenfile said:


> A while back a thread appeared here on converting the Harbor Freight hand held metal band saw to a little bench unit .  I did my own version of this and can report I have had good results. I did replace the HF blade with a good US one.  An example of how well this little devil will cut...I needed some 1" wide x 18" strips of mild steel for a car seat frame.  All I had was 90 degree angle stock, about 1/16" thick. Being cheap and stubborn I decided first to try eliminating one side completely with my HF mill drill/carbide face mill.  Yikes, it worked, but took forever (probably cause I am a newbie)  Anyway I did piece 2 and up with my little band saw and the 3  pieces were done in 1/10 the time !!  I fitted an HF foot pedal to the little band saw so that both hands would be available for guiding the stock.  I used the waste (vertical) side as a kind of guide and only  had to do a little touch up /debur with a pedestal grinder.  FYI
> 
> Edit: I hope this is not a "hijack." Just trying to relate to the general subject.



No, you did not hijack. It looks interesting to me except that I did not buy the HF portable band saw. I believe it comes with speed control too. 

My Ryobi is now fine. I am able to cut properly without any drift. There is only one catch - it can cut only aluminum stock. Its speed to too fast for steel. Is there any project where someone added a variable speed drive to this motor? 

Thank you for sharing your experience
Prasad
Eastern PA


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## strantor (Apr 27, 2016)

prasad said:


> Is there any project where someone added a variable speed drive to this motor?


I doubt it. I don't know exactly what kind of motor you're dealing with but it's probably a single phase induction motor, for which there is no good method of speed control. You could upgrade to a DC motor or a 3ph AC motor if you want speed control.


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