I have my Dad's Sears bandsaw he bought in the '80's.
It's in great shape but I have a problem getting the blade to track.
After a very short run, usually a minute or less, it is about to come off the lower pulley or does.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
JLK

Are you saying that when you track the blade it stays centered on the upper wheel but comes off the lower drive wheel?

Does this saw have bearings that run against the back of the blade? If so, move them away from the back of the blade at upper and lower points. Unplug the saw and turn the wheel by hand and adjust the tracking at the upper wheel. If it appears to track plug it back on and "bump" the power on for a second at a time and see if it will track. If it tracks ok put the bearings just touching or a papers thickness behind when it is running free and not cutting something.

If this doesn't work:
Is the lower drive wheel rubber crowned (curved) or flat ?

If you put a straight edge on the lower wheels' 2 outside edges, does it line up with the upper wheel? The 2 wheels should line up. It's possible that the drive wheel needs repositioning.

look on the back side of the upper pulley-there shoud be a screw with a nut on it. This will be your tracking adjustment screw. Run the saw and turn the screw in and out and watch the tracking of the blade.

Wood and YSR,
You have given me some good suggestions.
We recently moved and I have not unboxed the saw yet so I can't go out and take a look right now.
Ysr, you are right. There is an adjustment to the top wheel. I tried to get it to track. I even used the straightedge technique suggested but still couldn't track it.
The rubber on the lower wheel is crowned if I recall correctly. When the belt would begin to track off so would the rubber.
The bearing pressure you refer to Wood...
I am afraid I am going to have to wait until I get the saw unpacked.
I'm afraid I don't follow you there.
What puzzles me is that the saw is in such excellent shape to have this problem.
There is no obvious wear or tear that would seem to cause the tracking problem.
I have been out of RC for about 20 years but I remember going over to Dad's house and using the saw and had great luck with it.
I sure hope I can get it going again.
Thanks for your suggestions!
JLK

jlkonn....The tracking adjustment on the early Sears bandsaw is a knob on the back, near the blade. It tilts the upper wheel, which moves the blade in and out. If the lower (drive) tire is loose or stretched, you will have to glue it or replace it (same with the top tire) Fix the belt first, install a blade and try to track with the knob. It must be running when you do this. If this does not work, either the blade is too tight, welded crooked, or the wheels are crooked horizontally (new bearings...but not likely) or bent, also not likely unless the saw was dropped during moving. Also, if the wheel tire is covered with sawdust or is grooved a little you can sand the tire while it is moving (be very carefull) until it is clean. The bearings just behind the blade are adjustable (thumbscrew) as are the guide blocks (allen wrench). You want the bearings to spin as you push the wood through the blade. The guide blocks should have some clearence and be adjusted so that they are just slightly behind the teeth on the blade. This is to keep the blade from wandering (cut to the right or left). Try fixing the tire and a new blade but not the ones sold by sears. They are too thin as I remember. You can get one at tool store or at a place that sharpens blades. Hook tooth, 4 teeth per inch is standard for wood, but for balsa you might want more teeth per inch. I'm betting on the tire and then the blade. Hope this helps....Dave BTW..parts are not availble from Sears anymore. PM me if this does not work.

I don't know whether you'd want to go this far, but if you want to know everything there is to know about bandsaws, I think this inexpensive book has it. I still get the book out when my saw needs work, so I remember to do it right.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...036447-7534523

Sorry for the mis-information. The knob is on a powermatic and delta. The tracking is accomplished by turning the tracking adjustment screw in the middle of the upper wheel. It is right in the shaft of the upper wheel. Turn it in clockwise, blade goes in, counter-clockwise blade comes out. Do it carefully while the saw is running. Dave

As I was reading through this thread I made a mental note to suggest this book, you beat me to it. It should be required reading for anyone who owns a bandsaw.