Look what I got! (Harvey Bandsaw)

[Bill J]

Following several good discussions on this forum about bandsaws, I was checking out the Harvey website and discovered that they were having a flash sale in their 14" Ambassador 3HP BS. They do this in a kind of a weird way where only 3 are on sale but they were 27% off. So I bought one! I just installed it. That was an adventure in and of itself because my driveway is very steep, there is a 1-3" lip going into my garage and you have to either pass through a carpeted area or outside down a step to get to the shop, but that's a story for another time.
So now that it's set up, I need to refine the cut. The first test cut is in the attached picture and is a lot rougher than I had hoped for. I want to use this for resawing as well as some curve cutting. I know that I won't get a table saw smooth cut but I was hoping for better than this. I am using the blade that came with it. There are no specifications other than it is a 3/4" blade but it appears to to 3 tpi. The guides are not "dollar bill" close to the blade so I can tighten them up a bit.
Do I need a better blade?
Do I need to lower my expectations?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mike Davis]

The blades that come on saws from the factory are rarely of the highest quality.

 

[Mark Johnson]

I agree with Mike for sure, but are you sure that you have the blade tension high enough? It is not unusual for the "tnesion scale " to be somewhat unreliable on a BS.

 

[Bill J]

I agree with Mike for sure, but are you sure that you have the blade tension high enough? It is not unusual for the "tnesion scale " to be somewhat unreliable on a BS.

The tension is at the top of the scale. I am not sure that I can go much higher but I'll try. They shipped it with the tension on so it may have stretched too. It sounds like it need a new blade. The Wood slicer from Highland has gotten good reviews on this forum. Are there other suggestions?

 

[Oka]

That is a BS thing........... ........ nice saw, yeah get a better blade and run it a bit then do the final tweaking. Congrats !

 

[rcarmac]

Congratulations. Did it take a while to actually get it. I know lost table saws are +60days out.

 

[Bill J]

Congratulations. Did it take a while to actually get it. I know lost table saws are +60days out.

Not too bad - I ordered it May 26 and it arrived in Morrisville last week. It did have a brief vacation as lost freight in Atlanta...

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Definitely start w/ a new blade, especially if you plan on resawing much. My personal favorite is the 'Wood Slicer' from Highland Hdwr, but there are a number of good blades out there. I'm sure others on here will be happy to share their experiences.

 

[junquecol]

The Wood Slicer from Highland is available from other sources, at a reduced price. Call Union Saw and ask what they recommend. They bought out Woodcraft Bands recently.

 

[golfdad]

a 3/4" blade is a bit much for a 14" saw. You might have better luck with a 1/2"

 

[tvrgeek]

I use blades from sawblades.com. A re-saw blade will not give a smooth cut. Can't tell much about the OEM blade as I messed up and while adjusting, let the blade touch a guide. A kiss is all it takes. Your picture looks fine to me.

If I had a ton of re-saw to do, I would buy one of the expensive carbide tipped blades.

I have no problem with a 3/4 blade. Don't go by the tension scale, go by the finger test. I don't set my guides as tight as some suggest. If everything is running true, they don't do anything.

I think I am going to make an extension or handle for the lower guide depth knob. Kind of tight for my hand. I may make a knob or cam for the upper blade guard as it is the only thing that needs a tool to change bands. Anyway, I love mine and use it almost more than the TS now.

 

[tvrgeek]

Oh yea, finer tooth bands cut smoother. I think my 1/4 is 9. You can go finer. Cut out some armrests for a chair I was re-doing in 3/8 birch ply with the 3/8 band. Cut half the line and clean up on disk sander.

 

[LeftyTom]

Score!

 

[Bill J]

Oh yea, finer tooth bands cut smoother. I think my 1/4 is 9. You can go finer. Cut out some armrests for a chair I was re-doing in 3/8 birch ply with the 3/8 band. Cut half the line and clean up on disk sander.

Thanks - where did you get the 9tpi blade? I only see 6 tpi on Highland.