The March Meeting of the Grahamstown Woodworkers was held in the Design & Technology Centre at St Andrew's College.

Andrew Stevens gave a talk on the setting up and use of bandsaws

Wouter Holleman welcomes the large turnout

An interesting jewelery box made in 1864 by John Jack of Manchester, brought in by John Kinnell

Andrew's Powerpoint presentation can be downloaded by clicking here.

Andrew Stevens • The Bandsaw is one of the most versatile of all woodworking machines (and it can cut metals and plastics too).
• It can perform Rip (with the grain) cutting, Cross cutting (across the grain), curve cutting, Jig sawing, and circle cutting
• It is the best tool for Re-sawing timber for producing veneers and book-matched wood for doors, boxes etc.
• It can cut various joints (e.g. tenons for mortise and tenons) and even dovetails.
• It can be used as a mini Sawmill for producing your own timber from small (ish) logs.
• It is an essential tool for the woodturner for producing blanks for turning (and not only for bowls)

BOOKS

• Mark Duginske (1989) Bandsaw Handbook. Sterling: New York.
• Getting the most out of your Band Saw & Scroll Saw (1954). Deltacraft Manual: Pittsburgh.

ARTICLES

• Tom Begnall and John White (2001). 14-inch Bandsaws Reviewed. Fine Woodworking Tools and Shops ed. 2001.
• Vaughan, Robert (1997). Fine-Tuning a Bandsaw. Fine Woodworking May/June 1997.
• White, John (2002) Bandsaw Tune-up. Fine Woodworking July/August 2002.

VIDEOS

• http://www.finewoodworking.com/2011/04/07/how-to-set-up-a-bandsaw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBbFBf5t0Kk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQqq3rAZ4PI
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwu7GvJ76qU

After his introductory talk, Andrew then demonstrated the setting up of one of the bandsaws in the D & T centre workshop and fitted it with a new blade.

Opening the Jet bandsaw	Removing the table to inspect the guides
The new blade 6 mm wide and 4 teeth per inch	Fitting and tracking the blade
Setting the guides	Close-up of guide blocks
Re-assembled for a test cut	A jig for cutting circles