Bands misbehaving

[bandmiller2]

I get many sharpenings and good service from the 1 1/2" bands I use but when the diameter reaches 1 1/4 to 1 3/8" they start riseing or dropping in the cut.Prime suspect is grinding away the induction hardened section of the tooth and the softer tooth will not hold its set and likely its edge.If I wasen't so DanGed cheap I'd just throw the bands, but they still looks so good.I think this may be the problem with bands that have been sharpened many times.What do you guys think.?? Anyone know if bands are air hardening steel,just for chuckles I may try to reharden the teeth. Frank C.

[Nomad]

     Are these WoodMizer bands?  If they are I'm sure they'd not only tell you, but wish you best of luck to boot!
     But the worst that could happen is you'd wreck a band that's already not much good.  So why not give it a try?

[customsawyer]

Before you go to the trouble of hardening the blades take a blade from a utility knife and lay it on the blade sideways and see if it is flat. If you have daylight anywhere under the utility knife blade then the saw blade is not flat and that is causing the trouble.

[hamish]

Not worth the hassle to attempt to re-harden the band.  They can still be sharpened and set just neither will last long, but are great for debarking dirty logs and suspect logs.

Could try having the bands rolled, but after so much material removal (1/4", Plus), they owe you nothing and have done there jobs for a long time, let them have a rest.

[bandmiller2]

Customsawyer,first thing I checked was the flat of the band,no cupping.Hamish perhaps you right after long faithfull service I  should have a short ceremony and commit it to the dumpster,but the Danged thing still looks so good. Frank C.

[ladylake]

 When my 1-1/4 bands get down to 1" they get retired, try a little more set on those narrow ones.  I know those narrow bands aren't in the hardened tooth area any more as the weld is at the tip of the tooth after a lot of sharpenings.  Most still cut straight but don't cut as many bf.  Steve

[Tom L]

are the teeth of the sawblade hitting the band wheel? or do you keep adjusting the guide rolls as the blades get smaller in width.
I would think if the guide rolls were still set up for 1-1/2" that a 1/4" smaller blade would hit the band wheel. maybe that is taking the set out?

[bandmiller2]

I will try taking off less material when I sharpen with the cats claw and see if I can extend band life.The cat has a powerfull motor and its only too easy to grind too much.Mayby I can extend life past the present 10-12 sharpenings. Frank C.

[bandmiller2]

Good point Tom I don't think so but I will recheck. Frank C.

[Dave Shepard]

I believe that WM bands are actually two different alloys welded side by side, and after grinding, only the tip of the tooth is the harder material. Trying to harden the main body portion of the band probably won't work well.

[delvis]

When you say you get many sharpenings from the blades, how many are you talking about and are you sharpening them yourself.  If you're sending them out, you have to figure what the sharpening costs are compared to how much that could have gone toward a new blade.  After a few sharpenings I have paid the money for a new blade but now have one that is three or four times used.  The best solution will be to have my own sharpener, but I just haven't got that much capital right now.  Lol.

[coastlogger]

So Frank a few questions come to mind!  If youre going from 1,5 to 1.25 in 12 sharps this is around 20 thou per sharp. Does this sound right?Im envious that you can get that amount of life out of your bands without breaking them. I break bands prematurely but my sharpener only removes 4 to 5 thou per sharp and I have long wondered if that is perhaps not enough to grind out gullet cracks. What grit is your stone I wonder?

[Dan Sawyer]

almost all carbon blades are made of one alloy steel - typically a high carbon steel in the 1070 - 1080 range.  The teeth are hardened and are much harder than the body of the steel blade.  Once you sharpen the blade down and don't have hardened teeth, your cutting performance will not be as good as a blade with hardened teeth.  Two alloys welded together as mentioned above would be a bi-metal blade, not carbon steel blade.

[ladylake]

So Frank a few questions come to mind!  If youre going from 1,5 to 1.25 in 12 sharps this is around 20 thou per sharp. Does this sound right?Im envious that you can get that amount of life out of your bands without breaking them. I break bands prematurely but my sharpener only removes 4 to 5 thou per sharp and I have long wondered if that is perhaps not enough to grind out gullet cracks. What grit is your stone I wonder?

  I measured how much I take off a couple of times, about 10 to 12 thousands which would add up to 20 sharpenings when down to 1" wide.   Steve

[bandmiller2]

I get around 10-12 sharpenings per band sometimes even a couple more.I use the Cooks red or blue ceramic wheels and get long service some are 60 grit outhers are not marked but are finer I'd say 80 grit.I have never broken a band on my homebuilt bandmill they just wear down to where they climb or dive.Suppose I shouldn't be complaining I get full measure from the Timberwolf bands I use. Frank C.