Need held adjusting Craftsman Band Saw and Belt Sander

tripower

I have inherited a few Craftsman power table tools. I now have a Craftsman 10" band saw and a 4 X 36 in. Belt Sander. I am having trouble with the band saw blade moving at an angle while I try to push a piece of wood through. What adjustments need to be made to prevent this? Also, I am having problems with the belt sander the belt keeps rolling off of the wheels.

In both cases I tried to make logical adjustments (no manuals) but I am not making any progress. Any help is appreciated.

DangerMouse

there should be a tightening knob on the band saw, also the wheels holding the blade may need adjustment. there should be a screw to adjust the sander. however, occasionally i find just reversing the belt fixes it if it's not too severe. once properly adjusted, the problems should be resolved.

DM

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nap

not familiar with the specific models but a bit of general info.

on a band saw, tension is important but a good saw will also have roller guides to each side of the blade and to the rear of the blade. These need to be as close to the blade as possible (lightly touching) without applying tension to the blade. You also need to avoid ramming the stock in too fast as this will cause the blade to deflect as well. Let the saw do the work. A dull blade often causes a problem such as you are having. If they are rub blocks instead of rollers, then they should not ride on the blade but kept very close.

Many band saws have a tensioning gauge built into the tensioner. Check to be sure it is properly tensioned. The tensioner itself may also be weak (most I am familiar with use a spring so as to allow for imperfect drive wheels). A new tensioner may help some but I suspect not neccesssary.

as to the belt sander. are you adjusting it while it is running? That is the only way to set one. If it is very old, there may be a problem with bearings that are loose and allow the rollers to move when usiing the sander as well. You will not overcome that situation other than by replacing the worn parts.

If you cannot get the belt to stay on at all, there may be something bent (like the axle for the front roller from somebody dropping it on its' nose). If so, it may not be repairable, or at least worth repairing.