I finished repainting and re-assembling my Delta BS project and wanted to see if everything was operating as it should, so I mounted a 1/2" HP motor I had and fired it up. Everything tracked in fine, so I tried a few test cuts. It cut well except it was out of square in all axis. The following are some pics of how I adjusted the saw to cut accurately. Though this tutorial is specific to the 14" Delta/Milwaukee band saw, it may be applicable to other makes as well.
For these adjustments I used a cast iron 90 degree fixturing angle. You can use 1-2-3 blocks or a square if that is what you have.
First, I started by squaring the miter gauge and adjusting the pointer.
Setting the table perpendicular to blade. Rest the angle block on end on the left side of the table so as to rest on the solid surface of the table so any deviation from the blade slot will not be telegraphed into the adjustment.
Setting the Tilt Angle Pointer. Once the table and blade are adjusted to perpendicular, the pointer on the factory angle gauge can be set to "ZERO". If you have the table leveling sleeve you may also adjust it at this time.
Using the calibrated miter gauge make a test cut. I used a 4 1/2" wide piece of scrap MDF so the material wouldn't have any hard spots which could throw off the blade and induce inaccuracies into the test.
Check the test cut for square. If the cut is out of square the miter gauge slot is cutting at a taper and the table will require axial alignment to bring it into true.
To set the table miter slot to track parallel to the blade track, loosen the six bolts holding the table trunnions, and rotate the table slightly to align the cut. Repeat the test cut after snugging the bolts. Re-adjust as needed to achieve a straight, non-tapering cut.
After completing the adjustments the saw will cut straight and true with predictable adjustments using the protractor gauges.
