bandsaw blade not cutting

[cody michael]

i started playing around with making simple bandsaw boxes. i got a new 3/16 blade from lee valley. it cut one fine then started burning and not cutting well. i think it is clogged up. can i fix this somehow?

[Jeff Willard]

Tooth count?

[Brendan Plavis]

Is the blade sharp? :) Try a slow feed rate, different wood, and/or different blade...

And if there are no teeth on it... then I think you found the issue... :)

[Neil Brooks]

We need more details.

What type of bandsaw?

How have you set it up/adjusted it?

Is there a blade tension/de-tension lever? Is it set correctly, to APPLY tension to the blade?

What else can YOU tell us ... that might be even remotely helpful ? ;)

[cody michael]

its a inca 10.5 inch. i think 14tpi. i started cutting bandsaw boxes out cut one it worked great started cutting another and it slowly lost cutting performance. i tried to clean the blade cause it had wood build up on it and it worked a little better but lost cutting performance really quick.

when i say bandsaw boxes i mean the simple ones i found a guide for on this website. cut off sides flip on edge cut out inside.

[Prashun Patel]

Don't take this question personally. I ask bkz I did it once:

Did you put the blade in upside down? It's easy to uncoil it the wrong way. That could explain why it worked for a little while then started burning.

Also, 14tpi is mighty fine. What's the thickness of the wood and what kind of wood is it?

[Rick Fisher]

Shawn, I have done that .. lol.

I don't like blades with that many teeth per inch for wood. They are painfully slow to cut with and don't leave that much of a better cut.. IMO..

3 TPI or 4TPI is a nice tooth count for a bandsaw, not sure if they come that fine..

[Tom Veatch]

i... 14tpi. ...

Too high a tooth count for anything much over 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. Gullets are too small and load up much too quickly to use in anything thicker.

3/16" or 1/4" x 4 tpi would be a better choice if you need a blade that narrow.

[kenneth kayser]

I frequently leave my metal cutting blade (12-14 tpi) in the saw when cutting wood. Other than being slow, I have encountered no difficulty.

For the burning problem, is it possible you hit some metal? If the blade tracks very poorly, it may have lost its cutting edge on one side.

[cody michael]

its in right. i did put it in wrong but noticed it and fixed it. it is 10 tpi. i am cuttung about a 5 in thick piece of wood. making this http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?referrerid=5960&t=81703. it seems to cut straight. after i cleaned it cut better. is there a good-best way to unclog it/clean it?

[Perry Holbrook]

Most band saw boxes are 3" to 4" thick. Cutting that thickness with a fine tooth blade is touch to do for very long. The gullets are too close together to remove the dust. Then the blade starts to heat up with the extra friction. The dust then starts sticking to the heated blade, further increasing the friction and closing up the gullets. As this starts happening the cut gets slower and slower and the blade starts drifting.

Sometimes you can remove the blade and completely clean it and it will cut again for a little while, but usually the heat build up has dulled the teeth and the blade is dead.

I know you want to use a fine tooth blade for the boxes so you have less sanding. You may want to try a blade that has a combination tooth pattern, maybe an 8-12 pattern.

I have had a little success cleaning the blade on the machine between cuts using a combination of a brass brush and one of those big erasers you use to clean snading belts.

Hope some of this helps. But do keep in mind that band saw blades are disposable items. The more you use the saw the more blades you will buy. I buy about 20 a year.

Perry

[Prashun Patel]

IMHO 5" is way too thick to be using a 10tpi blade for. I'd use a 3-4 tpi blade.

[Myk Rian]

I use a file brush to clean the teeth.
http://www.amazon.com/File-Cleaner-W-Brush/dp/B0006OG0PE/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1270731418&sr=1-9

[Jeff Willard]

i think 14tpi.


That's what I suspected. I think even 6TPI is too fine for something that thick.

[Lance Norris]

Too high a tooth count for anything much over 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick.

I disagree. I have done hundreds of boxes with 1/8" 14 tooth blades. Its all I use. I regularly cut 7-8 " thick chunks of wood. If you are cutting oily, dense, or pitchy wood, the teeth are going to load up. Its just the nature of the tooth count. Clean your blades with Formula 409 and oil them with some 3-In-One Motor Oil before storing them. Stay with your 14 tooth blades or get ready for some serious sanding. This tutorial I did on a simple bandsawn box shows a 1/8" 14 tooth blade. The center cut out of this box was 6" thick. Also... look closely at the inside of the box. The pictures were taken without any sanding of the insides.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=81703