What happens when a bandsaw blade snaps?

[Randall Frey]

So, the other day when I was working on the bandsaw. I got to thinking, what would happen if the blade for some reason should snap? Where would it go? Could I get hurt? So, what does happen? I usually use a 1/2" blade on a 14" saw, if that makes a difference.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I could be wrong but I would think not a whole lot would happen...the blade doesnt' have a lot of mass....it immediately loses it source of drive....

There might be a lot of possibilities but most are not very probable.

[Cody Colston]

What happens when a bandsaw blade snaps?

Some racket and no cutting. It's really anticlimactic. ;)

[glenn bradley]

+1 on pretty boring. I suppose one could have visions of the blade snaking out of the housing like some demonic beast on a rampage . . . nah.

[Dave Cav]

We break one every couple of weeks at school. Usually it's kind of noisy, sometimes the saw just quits working. Totally not a big deal. I can change a blade on a PM 141 in about 3 minutes now.

[Van Huskey]

The "ting" is the worst part and then just downhill from there. Now, I suppose there is that one in a million shot where it comes flying out like a spider monkey jacked up on Mt. Dew but I wouldn't loose sleep about it. After the first time it happened to me the wheels were barely finished spinning down when I was already looking for the weld and hoping it broke there (free replacement).

[Joshua Layne]

...comes flying out like a spider monkey jacked up on Mt. Dew...

ROFLMAO

nice imagery.

[Tom Veatch]

Never broken a blade on my wood cutter. Snapped one on the metal cutter a few days ago. Just a moderately loud "pop", and it was all over.

[scott spencer]

I usually just change my shorts, replace the blade, and go right back at it. :o

[Jeff Willard]

I don't think any trade is harder on a bandsaw than the meat industry, and after 30+ years in the business, the number of bands that have snapped in my presence must be in the hundreds. I've heard all the stories about some guy's cousin, who knew a guy that had one snap and jump out the upper door and amputate his face :eek:, but I've never witnessed it. They just lay there, and I've not seen one do otherwise. I'm not going to claim that it couldn't happen, but so far, it hasn't. Once the band snaps, there is no longer any tension with which to drive it.

[John Coloccia]

The only time I've seen it do something exciting is when I'm setup for resawing large piece. With 12" of exposed blade, if it snaps right there, the blade can be somewhat unpredictable, and I had it come out a bit. You may think a bandsaw blade doesn't have much inertia, but believe be a 1" resaw blade can be quite energetic. I definitely wouldn't have wanted to have my hands near there at the time. Now I'm just a bit more aware of where my hands are when I'm resawing. Also, there's at least one creeker that posted about have a blade go on him, and meandering through his work and inch or two before stopping, i.e. you may want to have a reasonable bit of clearance between the blade and your fingers.

[Joe Scharle]

In my experience, the smaller blades just go 'pop' and stay in place. But the 1/2" and up tend to come out like a snake and lie on the floor.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Also, there's at least one creeker that posted about have a blade go on him, and meandering through his work and inch or two before stopping, i.e. you may want to have a reasonable bit of clearance between the blade and your fingers.

I have a hard time buying that since there is so little mass in a bandsaw blade and the minute it snaps, it's drive source is removed.

Possible ??????????? Highly improbable IMHO.

[John Coloccia]

Yeah, Joe and I are foot soldiers in the global bandsaw breakage misinformation conspiracy. Why would anyone make this up? Large blades are moving fast and have plenty of energy behind them. Anyone who's ever changed a larger band saw blade knows how quicky these thing cut, even after only falling an inch or two under their own weight.

[Bruce Page]

I have broken many blades of different sizes over the years working in machine shops, I have never had one snake out. I would just hear a loud pop & clunk and shut the machine down.
Is it possible? Anything is possible.

[Richard Dragin]

bandsaw breakage misinformation conspiracy

So I guess I'm not paranoid after all.

[Harry Goodwin]

I'm not sure they are as harmless as advertised. A good safety habit is to keep your extremities out of right side of the saw. I saw a case in shop class where it slaped the table and his hand, soooo a safe way is to keep the guides low and your hand out of the line of travel. It was not a severe would but scared him to sy the least Harry

[D Randall]

I suppose mass and break location would be factors. if you hear it, step back and withdraw. hit the off switch as soon as you can muster. you'll be fine. band aid is all I can imagine anyone needing.

[ken gibbs]

When the blade breaks while using the saw, the blade stops going around the little wheely things. You hit the red button real fast.

[Richard Bell CA]

I have broken a number of blades. No serious issues, but a fully tensioned 1" blade letting go can startle you for a moment. The blade stops quickly. However, the upper wheel is now a heavy flywheel on ball bearings - it will spin silently for quite a while after everything else is stopped. Something to keep in mind before before opening the doors.

[Paul Atkins]

The centrifugal force of the blade makes it expand outwards and get stuck on the inside of the saw. It stops pretty fast and still stops my heart for a bit too.

[Lee Schierer]

I've broken several blades on a band saw and they just go pop and rub against the wheels until you turn off the power and the top one coasts to a stop where they were as the drive force is immediately reduced to zero. My experience is limited to blades under 1/2" on 18: and smaller saws.

YMMV on a large industrial resaw with an 1/8" thick blade.

[mark kosse]

Dave and I are both wood shop teachers and see a lot of broken blades. It is always about the same. A loud bang and a dumbfounded look on a kids face while he/she wonders what happened and why the machine won't cut amymore, or wonders if they're in trouble. The bandsaw is my most used tool and when we are really cutting, epecially using plywood, 1-2 a week is not unusual. A lot of the time I won't change a blade until it does break.

[Drew Loehr]

Usually a small "pop"ing sound followed by a much louder "OH DANGIT!"

Very similar to the sound you hear just after realizing that you cut your last board to short.

[Mr. Jeff Smith]

The centrifugal force of the blade makes it expand outwards and get stuck on the inside of the saw. It stops pretty fast and still stops my heart for a bit too.

It's not just the centrifugal force at work, its the tension which is perpendicular to the route it would take to "snake out".

And this is why its extremely unlikely anything seriously bad would happen to the operator, and part of the reason why band saws are one of the safest tools in the shop.

[tim rowledge]

Usually a small "pop"ing sound followed by a much louder "OH DANGIT!"

On the couple of occasions it's happened to me I find that the first thing I say is not quite that. Then I check to see if my heart is still beating; I find a blade break so startling it always worries me...

[Jeff Willard]

Then I check to see if my heart is still beating; I find a blade break so startling it always worries me...

You'll never get used to it. The bands we use at work are typically 5/8", and when they go it's as if someone snuck up behind you and fired a starters pistol.

[Randall Frey]

Wow, thanks for all of the response. Looks like the bottom line is,
* Not a real threat (unless using a 1" or larger blade)
* Always keep your hands as far from the blade as is practical.
* Keep the guides close to the work piece.
* Never allow a monkey in your shop.
Thanks guys

[Dave Cav]

Dave and I are both wood shop teachers and see a lot of broken blades. It is always about the same. A loud bang and a dumbfounded look on a kids face while he/she wonders what happened and why the machine won't cut amymore, or wonders if they're in trouble. The bandsaw is my most used tool and when we are really cutting, epecially using plywood, 1-2 a week is not unusual. A lot of the time I won't change a blade until it does break.

Yup, I almost never change a blade until it breaks unless we have been making plywood bandsaw boxes and the wood starts smoking when they are making the curved cuts; I'll usually change one then because of the smell....

[Eric DeSilva]

I usually just change my shorts, replace the blade, and go right back at it. :o

+1. Surprised no one else said it, or maybe I don't break enough blades. When I'm working on a piece of machinery that has large, heavy parts and a blade whirling around and I hear a really loud "bang," it tends to create... fairly instant anxiety.

[Dwain Lambrigger]

I usually just change my shorts, replace the blade, and go right back at it. :o


That is my answer as well...