got a box of hardwood from rocklers,am still young,have know way to identify wood,but it sure is a box of nice wood peices,and now for the other ,my bandsaw is not cuttin straight,it curves to the right when i start cuttin,have done what the book says to do to track and adjust guides but stiil cuts to the right,what am i doin wrong?

Here is a site that may help with the identification-

http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-identification-guide/

On the rite side of the page is a link to the database.

As for the bandsaw, most saws will track (drift) off to one side, even with proper adjustments. There are a couple of ways to over come the problem. For resawing, I use a jig similar to this-

The single pivot point allows you to move the work to follow the line.

The other method is to make some test cuts to determine the drift angle. The reposition the fence at that angle.

On my saw, the drift gets worse as I use more narrow blades.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!

To add to Lew's excellent suggestions....How do you get a straight resaw cut? The same way you get to Carnegie Hall....Practice, practice, practice. 

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Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Ron,

What make of bandsaw is it? And what type of blade are you using?

Also is it that the blade is twisting to the right? If so try a little more tension, and a slower feed rate.

You didn't state if your doing resaw cutting or scroll type cutting on thin materials.

 

Larry

Old Woodworking Machinery Forum Host

Ron, here is a link to our other site at Courtland Woodworks, we have a nice chart of hardwood samples that may help you identify your species.

Courtland Woodworks Hardwood Samples

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Homes For Our Troops and Wounded Warriors Project

 I have a 14" Jet bandsaw and purchased it second hand. The guy didn't have it 3 months and didn't like it because it would not resaw straight.  My suggestion to you is to do as I did with this saw. Go to the set up instructions and start from step one. carefully go thru and adjust as the book states. One adjustment of the many can cause problems and maybe you missed a step or forgot to lock it..I found many errors made by the first owner and some of the adjustments were not locked in place. I set it up using a half inch blade and it took me quite a while as some of the adjustments are difficult to get to and lock. Saws great now.

Also make sure you have a sharp blade. A dull blade will not cut straight either.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

here is a pix of wood that i got

The book is wrong.  At least much of both of the books by both the self appointed band saw experts are wrong.

Drift is a misnomer. There is no such thing as drift barring a damaged blade that is or a blade that is poorly sharpened or dulled on one side or is not  set correctly will heel to one side but modern CNC produced high tension steel blades don't  drift.

Some of the things that go wrong in band saws are entirely the result of one of four things:  Operator error, tension,  the guides, and the blade.  Drift is the usual  word  people use  when they  should be speaking about one of those things.

 

Blade selection pseudo drift:

Drift that is caused by a blade can be because the blade is unevenly sharp or set, It can be because the blade is poorly chosen with too many teeth or gullets that are too small.

 
  Faux Drift from inadequate tension:

Drift that is not due to the blade is almost always the result of too little tension and unfortunately hobby class saws are incapable of establishing the tension that is needed. Ergo there is a robust market in drift fences which are just a way of compensating for an inadequate saw or a saw that is being tasked outside its capacity.  
Most modern blades are well ground and can tolerate tensions that are well outside the range of a hobby class saw.   I tension my 1" Lennox Trimaster CT to better than twenty thousand pounds (it can take more) and I never see any drift, not even in 14" oak or maple.  But if I fail to tension it up properly (DAMHIKT) the blade will not track true.

 

Induced drift, operator error:

It is also possible to induce drift by shoving the work through the cut too fast overloading the gullets and feeding the teeth too deeply into the wood causing them to wander. This can be described as a wrongful blade choice, but it’s possible to feed any blade too fast.

 

False Drift from guides:

There is a false drift which is simply the relationship between the guides and the fence not being what the user anticipates. When the guides point the blade in one direction and the fence goes off in another, you don’t get good results.  Often people mistakenly use drift fences because of this too.

Surface of the cut:

Then there is cut quality (the surface left by the blade) which might not be the saw at all, but rather the blade the tension or the operator.  Position the blade so that the gullets  are centered over the middle of the crown in the  wheel. This dramatically improves blade performance.

 

Vertical square:

And of course vertical squareness is all about  the  relation between the table and the guides unless  - of course - it’s from inadequate tension or bad blade selection.