Breaking Blades

[ncsawyer]

I was milling some pine today and managed to break two blades, which is very rare for me.  I hardly ever have a blade break. 

I opened a brand new box of 4 degree 0.055 blades.  The first one maybe sawed 4 logs that were approximately 10 inches in diameter before it did this.



 

Broke at the weld at was still super sharp. It actually broke when the blade was not even in the cut. I had cut down to a 6 inch cant and had just exited the end of the cant and it broke.

I put another fresh blade on out of the same box.  It cut 2 logs and did the same thing.  I had cut it down to a 6 inch cant and was sawing a 1 inch board and it broke at the weld as well.



 

This second blade boogered up my drivewheel belt. I was none too happy.  I seem to think I have gotten a bad batch of blades. 

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

You very well could have got a bad batch of blades....it happens to every blade maker.
Woodmizer will replace them free of charge if they are broke in the weld. Tell them it ruined your belt. They may replace it also.

[ncsawyer]

Thanks for the tip.  I was wondering if WM would replace.  I will give them a call first thing Monday.

[YoungStump]

 Unfortunately your not the only one who is having problems with blade breakage at the weld. I hate to say it but Woodmizer's blade quality seems to be kind of hit and miss the last while.

[sandsawmill14]

i had 6 out of a box of 10 week before last and 3 this week :-\ they had made them up with no questions ask and said they thought they had found the problem was with the weld being ground to thin. i havent opened the box since their correction so it will be a few days before i will if know they have it fixed or not

[Dave H.]

that looks like a very rough gring job on the weld?

[4x4American]

You very well could have got a bad batch of blades....it happens to every blade maker.
Woodmizer will replace them free of charge if they are broke in the weld. Tell them it ruined your belt. They may replace it also.

I broke quite a few blades at the weld, they said to send them in, they put under a microscope and determine if it was their fault or not.  The thing that really got my goat was that I had just put brand new B57s on, and it ruined both of them.  I asked if they would replace and was told no because they're wear items...That didn't seem right to me.  Switching to Kasco.

[ladylake]

  Those blades look like the weren't fused together good, to clean of a break to blame it on being ground too thin.  Steve

[Chuck White]

I've never had issues with WM replacing blades broken at the weld!

[xlogger]

I got a dozen blades last year from a supplier here in NC that over 1/2 broke in the weld, called him and he said send them back. After a few weeks of not hearing back from him I called him and they seem to forget about them. Then another call later and they told me a lie about sending them back to the factory to get them tested and it was of no fault of them. I know it was a lie because I checked behind them. This where the only blades I've broke in the weld ever. I'm not putting his company name here but would like to, so others would be warn of him. So if you use a new supplier be sure to ask do they stand behind their work.

[Magicman]

All WM blades have serial numbers and can be traced back to the weld or grinding machine that caused the problem.  I had a bad box and every one was replaced at no cost. 

[YoungStump]

This is the difference between the welds in two boxes of bands, notice the burn marks in the grind over the weld and the notch ground into the back of the tooth on the bottom band.
These were breaking at the weld, also the weld didn't seem to be joined up right I could actually see the band jumping back and forth on the wheels everytime the weld came around. The set was also off several thousandths from one side to the other.
WoodMizer did replace this box but not the others that have broken at the welds, the response from the blade engineer that checked out the blade ID numbers from this box was that the welds had a low but in spec breaking strength and that it looks like a mill problem.  :(

[terrifictimbersllc]

I have several that broke at the weld but didn't send them back. They were resharpened a few times and the rep thought I had got my use out of them although he sent me return authorization anyway.

[drobertson]

I've had several bands break all from differing makers,  never sent one back, tried to call about it, they said send it in and we will look it over,, I maybe should've I blew it off, nothing worse than making a case only to then be shot down, I trashed them and moved on, I did switch makers soon after,,

[sandsawmill14]

i had one out of those i mentioned to brake when i was tightening the blade  it never made it passed 800 pouns before it snapped >:( but i have never been questioned on it i just call and tell them and my next box will have 13 or or 16 or how ever many to make up for the bad blades instead of the 10 they ship me every week

[Kbeitz]

I know most here dont want to waste your time but a bottle of Map gas
and a little silver solder will get those broken blades up and running again.
They seem to hold up real good after fixing.



 

[ladylake]

 

I'm amazed silver solder stands up on a band saw blade, almost all of mine that break end up really kinked up and bent they couldn't be re welded  and most likely cracked in another spot.  Steve

[Kbeitz]

Seems to work a whole lot better than brazing. I started out with that and I had some brake again.
But the silver solder I buy now is made just for soldering band saw blades and so far none has
'broke at the same place. Knock on wood....

[sandsawmill14]

Kbeit  how much pressure are you running on your blades ???  mine are as ladylake described and there is no way they could be welded and reused. i run 1000-1200 lbs pressure on the hyd gauge for blade pressure as that was timberkings recommendation  i will try to remember and take a pic tomorrow

[4x4American]

That's impressive

[Magicman]

You need to keep it in perspective.  That fix will work for hobby sawing, but I would hate to depend upon it for my tomorrow's sawing.

[Peter Drouin]

You need to keep it in perspective.  That fix will work for hobby sawing, but I would hate to depend upon it for my tomorrow's sawing.

As long as it works for him, Perspective doesn't count :D

[Kbeitz]

Kbeit  how much pressure are you running on your blades ???  mine are as ladylake described and there is no way they could be welded and reused. i run 1000-1200 lbs pressure on the hyd gauge for blade pressure as that was timberkings recommendation  i will try to remember and take a pic tomorrow

First I do agree this might not work for everyone. I have bought a Band Saw Blade Tensioning Gauge
but never used it. So I have no idea what the pressure is on my blade. I just push down on my blade with
my hand until I feel that it feels right to me. So far it's working because I'm happy with the way it's working
and thats all that counts. If I start to have problems then I will try the Band Saw Blade Tensioning Gauge.
I use a Use a high temp around 1300 F silver solder 49% manangese, 50% cadmium made just for band saw
blades. Advertised as a product that lets you make or repair band saw blades. Silver solder alloy selected specially for band saw blade splicing application has 30,000 psi tensile strength. Bought on E-bay. When I bought this
solder it was not so much to repair my blades but to cut the bands and resize them to fit my mill. The free blades
I get comes in many different sizes that dont fit my mill. If you search google or Utube you will find many people
repairing blades this way. So far it's working for me.

[sandsawmill14]

Kbeitz i dont doubt being able to weld a blade and it hold. if it can be done in a factory it can be done at home you just have to figure out how ;D i remember several years ago i took  a very odd shaped piece to a old lathe operator and ask him if he make me a new one and his only reply was"someone made that didnt they" :D :D :D next day he handed me the new one and said " if you already have one its no problem just work its the @*^*@ engineers drawing that sometimes cant be made" :D :D :D the part i was wondering about is the condition of the blade after it breaks because mine are wadded up in the dust shoot when they break and have had them break int 3 pieces 
are you welding broken blades or just cutting them down and re welding  ???

[Kbeitz]

Most of my blades just stop when they break. They are not getting tangled in anything.
But if one would get bent up or even break the second time then I would trash it.
I have been able to stop the mill most of the time when I here the death click click of the
blade right before it breaks. Like this one.I also cut blades down and re weld.



 

[sandsawmill14]

this is what mine does when the blade breaks

  

  

 
sometimes they are kinked up worse when they wad up in the corner of guard instead of coming out the dust pipe

[Kbeitz]

I'll try to get a picture next time one breaks. One end sometimes sticks in the wood but
my blade so far has stayed in the box cover.

[ncsawyer]

Two more of the blades from that same box broke at the weld today. So far I have used 5 blades out of the box and 4 have broken at the weld.  I am going to go back and look at the only one that didn't break and look at the weld and see if it shows any signs of weakness.  I would hate to send it off to get sharpened only to get it back and it break on me.

My B57 belts have some damage from the 4 broken bands in a row and I have two new ones, but I sure don't want to put new belts on and only saw for an hour with new belts and have one of those bands break and ruin my new $44 worth of new belts.

[4x4American]

I got some 9° .045 blades to try out from WM and with it they sent an instruction sheet on how to property return blades that broke at the weld. 

[sandsawmill14]

ncsawyer call and tell them they should make them up with no problems
i broke 7 out of 16 last week but this has been an ongoing problem they had with a new employee grinding the weld to thin and they moved him and said the new box i just got should be good

[4x4American]

They didn't make up for my B57's! 

[ncsawyer]

ncsawyer call and tell them they should make them up with no problems

Yes they will replace the broken ones.  I just have to send the broken ones back.  I am going to wait until I have used that whole box, so I can send all the broken ones back at one time.  I'll probably have to buy a box of new blades to use while all those broken ones are being shipped and replaced.

I got some 9° .045 blades to try out from WM and with it they sent an instruction sheet on how to property return blades that broke at the weld. 

I was wondering how I was going to get them sent back....can you post the instructions?

[sandsawmill14]

the belts are "normal wear and tear dude" :   :D :D :D

[4x4American]

Yea yea... : ...was hoping to get more than 10 min out of em  :D   oh well..I'll let that ship sail.


This is the best pic I can get of it. 

[4x4American]

Pretty much cut it on each side of the weld 12" and cut out the ID tag.  Put it in cardboard with the teeth facing in the most sensible direction, tape it, and ship it.  It doesn't say though if you do this for each blade, or if you can put multiple blades together like this. 

[sandsawmill14]

4x4 it does suck that they wont help on the belts the last 3 weeks ive had to change twice and the broken blades are whats doing it >:( i have broke 19 or 20 out of 40 blades

[4x4American]

Good grief!  I am hanging on to my weld broken blades until they fix the problem, otherwise I'm just gonna have to open an account at Napa lol

[sandsawmill14]

our blades are not welded at the same factory im sure but mine assured me they have the problem fixed. guess i will know by the end of this week if this doggone rain ever moves east :-\

[4x4American]

Just wear your floaties to the mill why don't ya?  lol


The ford cast for this week is rain mon-fri.  Gonna be a fun week swimming in the clay  :
Pulled two female deer ticks off me today, hopefully the rain this week will warsh em away.


Hope you get dried out soon.

[sandsawmill14]

thanks but if what we have is moving to the northeast you guys better get ready for swimming