Whats your rule of thumb on a bandsaw

Rob Keeble

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GTA Ontario Canada
This may sound like a stupid question, but as i was changing my blade today on my bandsaw I looked at it and thought it was time to have a new one but truthfully i dont know.

So can anyone give me a rule of thumb for making this decision. How do you know when its time to get a new one.

I cut some baltic birch in a small arc with a 1/4 blade and it was burning all round the arc. This added to my view that the blade is had it.

Would appreciate some learned input on this one.:eek:
 
I start thinking of changing blades when I find I'm having to push the wood into the blade instead of feeding it into the blade. I may run the blade that way for a little longer if I'm just rough-cutting turning blanks, but if it ever gets to the point where I'm having to force the cut, the blade is outa here. If I saw burning in the cut, I'd most likely dump the blade, unless I could spot something else I was doing wrong to cause the burns.
 
I'm with Vaughn. Similar to the tablesaw, when the cuts start feeling different it generally leads to difficult. Once cuts get resistive I will mark the blade for rough use and run it till its dead.
 
My primary rule is Keep the thumbs from in front of the blade. :thumb:

Secrete of BS operation is a good blade, followed by good set up. Most fellows forget the principles of how a BS works. With a crowned wheel saw... blade placement on the wheel and tension will control the cut (tracking) Guides do not control the blade, The tension and tracking contols the blade. The guides and bearings contol the operator, keeping the operator from pushing the blade off track.

When you set up a saw, you should do so with the thrust bearings and guides backed off and awy from the blade. Only after correctly tracking and setting the tension on the blade do you bring the bearings and guides to close to touching the blade. They are there to keep you from pushing it off its intended path.

In a brief statement, that is my rule and I'm sticking to it. :wave:
 
I think Vaughn's description is about right. I finally changed the original blade on mine about 2 months ago. The old one was about 12 years old, boy what a difference...won't wait that long again.
 
Suffolk makes a great blade. And charges about three times as much for it than other places selling comparable products. ;)

R&D Bandsaw looks like they have pretty decent prices. I'd also check with Ellis Manufacturing to see how their prices compare and to see if they ship to Canada.


guess I caught the 'low price' day, I didn't think that my blades were all that outrageous price wise. I did get their introductory deal, but even without, I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again. That being said, I'm always up for a bargain, so I'll look at R&D too.
 
Rob, take a look at BCSaw.com. They are on your side of the border, and have really good prices if you buy I think 10 blades at a time. The good thing about doing it that way is you don't worry too much about changing the blade, until you've done it 9 times. Seriously, they are really good blades, and are also very reasonably priced.
 
I do resharpen dull blades with a diamond burr. Some people think this won't work because steel will break down diamond, but if you use a light touch I have found the burrs hold up quite well. ( If the blade metal is turning blue you are using too much pressure. ) The reason I use them is that they hold their shape relative to a carborundum burr which breaks down quick on the thin blade width. I do a lot of bowl and pen blank sawing on dirty wood blocks so blades get dull sooner than not. I have resharpened blades 2 times with good results, and it only takes 10 min.

I get the burrs from Harbor freight.

I have thought about trying to polish a blade after sharpening to see if it will last longer and if it might cut better. It would probably be cost prohibitive for most manufacturers to do this but I think it might be an improvement.

Sawmill bands are better sharpened and then polished, especially in the gullet to take out micro cracks. At the sawmill I sometimes work at, this has been a recent change that has greatly reduced band breakage. It seems there are micro cracks that develop that are hard to see with the naked eye that cause an increase of breakage.
 
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