rayy83•1mo ago

My old band saw finally gave up mid-shift yesterday

Was breaking down a half pig and the blade just started smoking, then snapped clean. Had to finish the whole thing with a hand saw and a boning knife until the repair guy showed up around 3 PM. Anyone else holding onto a machine way past its prime?

2 comments

2 Comments

xena_jackson1mo ago

...actually that's not quite right about the blade snapping clean. Band saw blades usually don't snap clean unless they're already cracked or worn way too thin. More often they'll twist and break with a jagged edge from the tension being off or the guides being loose... I'd check your blade tension and guide alignment before you put a new one on.

amyr571mo ago

Got a buddy who runs a little woodshop out of his garage and he had this same thing happen last month. His blade snapped mid cut and he swore it was just old junk. I went over to help and sure enough the tension was cranked way too high and his upper guide bearings were so loose they rattled. He was blaming the blade quality but really it was just set up wrong. Once we got the tension right and snugged up those guides the new blade ran smooth as butter. Total night and day difference.