Assembly of his new 14" Ridgid band saw was complete, but the blade would not cut straight! Even with a good fence, prior successful experience with a larger saw, and after cranking up the tension wheel (but not too much) & no dice!

The first responder had the same experience with his Ridgid band saw, and his first step was to replace the stock blade with a Timberwolf model. Just for good measure, he also installed cool blocks. To set up the fence for blade drift, he drew a 12" straight line on a piece of stock (longer than 12"), which he cut freehand. Then, turning off his saw, he held the piece in the same cutting position and if the piece was now angled, he'd adjust the fence to match the cut, observed angle of the piece. In his case he had no angle to adjust for & something he attributes to his Timberwolf blade. Another poster had the same experience on his 18" JET and recommended the Timberwolf 3/16 inch 10 TPI blade, which he lubricated with a toothbrush sprayed with TopCote. As an FYI, another woodworker noted that the Timberwolf and Viking brand from Lee Valley were supposed to be the same blade.

Agreeing with all the advice offered so far, another poster suggested moving the blade forward or backward on the tires might also help. Just make sure that both upper and lower thrust bearings start to spin when cutting.

Another Ridgid owner described the same problem, but picked up a comparable Olson blade for considerably less than the Timberwolf. He also replaced the stock guides with what he considered a better and safer Carter set. Though it's designed for a JET, he claims it's compatible with Ridgid. (In a later post a bargain hunter bought a Timberwolf blade for only $16-$17 direct from the manufacturer, Suffolk Machinery.)

A band saw veteran acknowledged that the tool could be a "little persnickety" and requires some fine-tuning. He suggested getting a book on the subject by Lonnie Bird or Mark Duginske. And going along with the prevailing wisdom of getting a better quality blade, he provided more specifics:

• For all-around use & get a 3/8" blade with 6 to 8 TPI (teeth per inch)
• For practicing freehand curves & use a 1/4" 12-14 TPI
• For re-sawing & try out a 1/2" 3-4 TPI

The original poster was convinced to upgrade to a Timberwolf blade.