horizontal bandsaw doing a slow hip-hop

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zeeprogrammer

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I have one of those import horizontal/vertical bandsaws that you can get from Harbor Freight. (Pretty happy with it thus far.)

Up to now...smooth cutting action. Today, I put a 3/8" bar of brass in and noticed that every second or two, the arm bounced up a little. Much slower rate than it takes for the blade to rotate completely.

Has anyone else seen this or know what it is?

I haven't investigated more yet...kinda want to work on the part I chopped off. I've been out of the shop for the LAST SIX DAYS! Heck...I don't even want to be taking the time to type this. ;D

 
If it happened once per rev then the weld sometimes can do that on a worn blade, however in your case I would have a look at the teeth since some may have gone in a couple of places.....for what its worth.......MM
 
Yeah, you've broken a tooth or a few.
It'll eventually get worse, as the saw bounces up and comes back down on the following teeth, it'll break them off as well...
 
Preemptory hint here...

If you must buy a new blade, spend the money to get good bi-metal blades. They'll last much longer. Buy at least two so you have a reserve when one breaks at a most inconvenient time.
 
Thanks all. Thanks too for the tip. Well...now I have another excuse to go shopping.

I'll check the blade before I go and make sure.

Thanks again.
 
Agree with Marv. I am done with cheap blades. Also, get a couple of blades with different teeth per inch. More TPI on thin material and less TPI on thick.

I ordered my Starrett bi-metal blades from Travers. They have a page to help you select the correct blade. As I recall they are about $30 each but the cut great.
 
Thanks black85vette for the tip.

And I agree...should get better quality.
 
I agree to agree with all the the previous posters that agreed!

Cheepo blades were a place to start that became a nuisance for me.

Seemed like they were welded together by some one with a bad eye for straightness.

A new blade would make the saw head jump like a jack rabbit on steroid's!

Here's where the very best you can buy is a good choice.

-MB
 
Zee...
Spend the money to get either Starret or Lenox Bimetal blades. They cost a wee bit more but they are worth it for the increased longevity. A local Lenox dealer turned me onto what is called a "variable tooth" blade that makes even more of a difference. It is designed for use where a range of materials will be cut..... like say... model building? Again.... a little more than the cheap stuff until you realize you are going to buy a lot fewer blades over time.

Steve
 
I used to buy the cheaper carbon blades,and braze them back together when they broke.
But life's too short,and I got sick of the frequency with which they needed fixing.Since I bought 2 bi-metal blades,I've only broken one through stupidity,e.g. dropping the blade when starting. :eek:
 
Ill add vote for buying best quality blade you can afford and using variable tooth blades. I have never had success with the cheapo blades.
 
Thanks everyone. I've just been using the blade that came with with the bandsaw.
As I said, I'm pretty happy with the saw.

I'll be getting good replacement blades. The 'variable' teeth is a good tip too. I'd come across that back in February when I first started this little hobby and was learning about cutting metal. (Uh...well...I'm still learning.)
 
Some more preemptory hints...

Before removing the old blade, note the direction in which the teeth are pointing. I know you're not dumb enough to install the new blade backwards but I know of several old hands who have done so (and, no, it wasn't me).

Try to get a feel for how much tension is on the old blade. These blades like to have beaucoup tension - more than seems at first reasonable. Too little and you'll break the new blade on the first cut.

I get my wife to help me. She has near perfect pitch and can, by "twanging" the blades, tell me when I'm in the right tension regime. I, on the other hand, have near imperfect pitch - people actually ask me not to sing along when the national anthem is played.

Putting a new blade on can look like it requires another three hands. Put the blade in the blade guides first and lash it in place with those "twisty-ties" from the supermarket. Then get the blade seated on the wheels while you crank the adjustment to put on enough tension to hold everything in place. Remove the twisties before using the saw. (Did I need to tell you that?)
 
Thanks for the tips Marv.
Yeah I was going to check everything before replacing.
I knew about 'twanging' the blade...but if you could tell me what note I'm looking for then...like you...I'll get my wife to help.
 
Plunk your magic twanger before dismounting the old blade. Then try to get a note close to that with the new blade.

It's an admittedly inexact process. They make tools for measuring blade tension but they're overpriced and overkill for our purposes.

 
Marv, I have been in this game only a couple years longer than you, but I never thought about using "twisty ties" to help me install the blades in my band saw. Thanks a million. It will probably save me a million "not so nice words".
 
I guess you could use an electronic tuning device to measure the pitch of the tang IIRC you can pick one up for around $ 20. You can even use it to tune your guitar etc.
Tin
 
putputman said:
Marv, I have been in this game only a couple years longer than you, but I never thought about using "twisty ties" to help me install the blades in my band saw. Thanks a million. It will probably save me a million "not so nice words".

Glad to be of help. Now, if I could just figure out something to do with those little plastic things on the bread wrappers.

Be careful with the stored up epithets. They can build up pressure until you erupt into spontaneous Tourette-like outbursts.
 
The blade should deflect about it's own width when lightly pushed. It will deflect to almost any degree but you have to push hard to do it. A light push that is comfortable on the finger tip doing it should get a slight deflection, if you don't then it's to tight!

I found my little bandsaw to be very picky about blade tension. To much and it will derail itself when I lift it off a cut. To little and it will derail itself when I let it down completely on a cut.

This will probably turn out to be a quirk with my saw only ! ;)

Muddying the waters just a little more for ya Zee,
Kermit ;D



 
Marv
Thanks for the twisty thing idea. That one will make blade changes a bit less stressful although I'm gonna miss having a valid excuse to express myself so freely...(grin). I definitely won't miss the scratches on my hands and arms. Blood thinners are a *****.

Steve
 

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