[RiverMan]

I have cut out dozens and dozens of baits with my bandsaw and yet I still have trouble keeping them consistent from one to the next. I don't expect them to be perfect but I would like to get them close. I am using a thin blade because the wider blades and thus bigger teeth cause me to cut too fast and then I end up with more problems. I seem to have the most problems with keeping the back and belly consistent....any suggestion on how to improve this?

Thank you!

jed

[cheesehead]

Doy you gang cut your baits?
I "laminate" several blanks together with double stick tape and cut them all at once. a quick trip to the belt sander smoothes out the saw marks and evens things up. Pry them apart with a stiff putty knife and round the edges with a dremel router table. a quick hand sanding cleans up any rough spots and i'm ready for paint.

[Mylures]

Hi there, I use a belt grinder/sander to do my baits. The first thing I do is to cut the lip slot into a board long enough for two baits tail to tail = an extra 1/2 inch inbetween the baits. The picture should be self explanitory. Once the lip slot is cut in on each side, I then cut a stop cut for each sideof the tail end. Once that is done I slice off the blanks to the desired width. Once they are slice off I trace the pattern and taper the tail end of each bait with the belt sander. Then I trace the top and bottom pattern and again use the belt sander grinder. Then I place a scrap piece of wood on each side of the blank and put it in the vise to hold it for sanding and rounding. If you have any questions please email or pm me and I will try to clarify this for you. Thanks Ken Schmitz

[Skeeter]

The best advice I can give is to use as thin of a blade that you can. That is from front of the blade to the back. Thick blades make turning in the curves difficult because the back of the blade can sometimes keep the front from turning easily enough. That is the reason that I use a scroll saw. The blace that I use is for cutting PVC pipe. It is fine toothed and thin. I can also look down on the work as I am cutting it. This helps me stay on the line. The only other way is to cut outside of the line with the band saw, and then take the piece to a drum sander and finish sanding down the outside to the line. That way your pieces will be pretty consistant in size.
Skeeter

[RiverMan]

I like all three of the ideas you guys shared, thank you. Those things you create Ken are amazing!

I traced out the baits like I usually do and tried doing what you said Skeeter and cut just along the outside. I'm a tall lanky guy and I tend to have the band saw a fair distance below me so I moved it up a bit which helped me follow the blade line considerably. These two things helped alot...still not perfect but way better.

Thank you again guys.

Jed

[MagicBob]

I use a scroll saw, but I think this might work on a bandsaw. I keep the blade tention as tight as I dare, and watch the feed rate so the blade isn't being forced. Let it cut its way through. I also use a really coarse toothed and thin blade when making thick cuts.

[saltybugger]

make sure your guides are adjusted properly also. If not it will cause the blade to wander and twist. If you got cheap guides get some of the good ceramic one's they make a difference.

[RiverMan]

Now that you mention it Bob my blade does have a significant amount of flex to it, particularly when cutting around corners. I set it up according to the saw instructions but will play some with tightening it up. I always watch the guides closely.

TY.

RM

[out2llunge]

Jed,

If you don't have feeler gauges, try putting a piece of paper (maybe folded once or twice) between the blade and the guide when setting the guides. Aside from that are you having a specific problem with the saw or is it just difficulty in duping the same bait?

[RiverMan]

Good questions Lunge...I don't really know for sure. What I do know is that when I cut out 30 baits, at least 10 of them will have minor ups and downs along the back and belly which require me to adjust them on the belt sander. These baits swim the same as all the rest but it just buggs me, that's all. I cut out 30 the other night tho as I mentioned above and they were much better...maybe 5 or so with some waves along the back and belly. I will experiment with tightening the blade some next time, that may be part of the problem too as I do notice it flexing considerably.

Jed