Bulged Bandsaw Blades - opinions

[michael case]

I would appreciate opinions on BS blades. It seems that ALL 1/2" or 3/4" blades I get have a very pronounced bend at the weld. I have purchased Olsons and Timberwolves and both brands have this problem. If I set the thrust bearing to the proper distance on the main body of the blade the distinct bulge at the weld whacks the bearing. I now set the bearing back from the weld and allow a lot more space on the rest of the blade than is commonly reccommended. Is this a common problem? Should I even consider this a defect? Are there blades that don't suffer form bulging at the weld?

Thanks in advance for your input

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'll check my 3/4" Olsen bi-metal blade and 1/2" Olsen bi-metal blade in the morning. I don't remember any bulge.

[bob hertle]

My Olsons are darn near perfect, but I'll not buy any more Timberwolf blades for this very reason. I got one good weld out of four blades. As far as setting the backup, roll your blade around so that the weld is opposite the guides--that's going to be the straightest part of the blade. You've got to do this after tensioning and tracking.

Bob

[Brent Grooms]

I have gotten a bad welded blade from Timberwolf as well but a call to them describing what was going on had another on its way to me that afternoon. Everyone can have a bad product slip thru... its how they handle it that counts.

[Jeff Willard]

I now set the bearing back from the weld and allow a lot more space on the rest of the blade than is commonly reccommended. Is this a common problem? Should I even consider this a defect? Are there blades that don't suffer form bulging at the weld?


By setting the saw up in such a manner, you are compromising the precision it is capable of. It's a defect IMO.

Since my purchase of a new saw this past summer, I have been running Lenox bands almost exclusively. From the TriMaster to the least expensive carbon bands, I have not experienced this problem. I also use a bandsaw professionally (meat industry) and have rarely seen this problem there. When I do, it usually happens in multiples, and the whole batch is returned.

FWIW, Lenox bands are no more expensive than any other comparable bands.

[Phil Phelps]

File it off.

[dan petroski]

use your dremmel tool and gring it off. i buy all my blade in 100 ft lengths and make up what i need grinding each joint

[bob hertle]

You can't file off, or grind off a misaligned (in the plane of the blade) weld. This type of error occurs for one of two reasons: poorly maintained welder whose jaws are dirty, banged up, or otherwise misaligned. Or, careless insertion of the band stock into the welder. This is not a "brand" phenomenon, it is a supplier phenomenon. I've gotten Lenox blades from a supplier who shall remain nameless, that were as bad as the poorly aligned Timberwolf blades. I'm really persnickety about blade welds, and no supplier is perfect 100% of the time. Best and most consistent welds used to come from DoAll.

Bob

[michael case]

I'm definitely going to explore new avenues for buying my BS blades.


Thanks to everybody!

[Paul Atkins]

Blades that are not straight are not worth fussing with. I just cut them and silver braze them up right. You should not be able to tell where the weld is when the saw is running, in my opinion.

[Phil Phelps]

You can't file off, or grind off a misaligned (in the plane of the blade) weld. This type of error occurs for one of two reasons: poorly maintained welder whose jaws are dirty, banged up, or otherwise misaligned. Or, careless insertion of the band stock into the welder. This is not a "brand" phenomenon, it is a supplier phenomenon. I've gotten Lenox blades from a supplier who shall remain nameless, that were as bad as the poorly aligned Timberwolf blades. I'm really persnickety about blade welds, and no supplier is perfect 100% of the time. Best and most consistent welds used to come from DoAll.

Bob
True enough. I've seen a few thousand blades since '67. If it's misaligned it needs to be cut and rewelded. I've had to dress hundreds of blades and have been through dozens of sources.