Band saw Blade too Long

[Rich Aldrich]

Last summer I bought a few bandsaw blades from my "local" Woodcraft store (Appleton, WI). I tried to install the 1/4" blade that is supposed to be 105" but it is too long, but not by much. This is an Olson regular blade.

Has anyone run into this issue before?

Last night, I was on my way back from Chicago, so I stopped in to the Appleton Woodcraft store. Unfortunatley it was 10 minutes before they closed and the people were offended that I came in minutes before they closed. Had traffic not been so bad, I would have been there an hour earlier. I could have saved about an hour if I went up I-43 to Green Bay rather than US 41 through Appleton.

I was given the big brush off by both sales people about the blade. I didnt ask them to replace it; I was wondering if there was an issue with blades lengths. This is probably the difference between dealing with the owner and the worker. I am also about 15 years younger than these guys, so obviously, I didnt have the experience to know what I was doing.

I did buy some salad bowl finish for lathe projects and a new Olson blade which works fine. Little did they know that I was going to buy another set of jaws for my chuck and a Chuck reversing adaptor. Someone else will get that business.

I live in a remote area, so I dont care if I order off the internet or buy at one of these stores. I am going to have a chat with the owner on Monday.

[Dave Sweeney]

By all means let the owner know about the treatment you received. It's attitudes like the ones those employees demonstrated to you that cost that store the business you mentioned. It's also attitudes like that that those employees displayed that will someday prevent you from giving any business to that store because it lost too much business to the Internet and went out of business.

[Rich Aldrich]

I just emailed the store. On Monday, if I have no reponse, I am going to call.

The sales guys also pointed out that there were people in the store earlier from further away than I live. That was the one that really got me thinking.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Last summer I bought a few bandsaw blades from my "local" Woodcraft store (Appleton, WI). I tried to install the 1/4" blade that is supposed to be 105" but it is too long, but not by much. This is an Olson regular blade.

Has anyone run into this issue before?





I did buy a new Olson blade which works fine.

I am going to have a chat with the owner on Monday.Did you check new blade that fits against the one that doesn't? If they are different lengths, then you problem is with Olson, not Woodcraft. You did buy them almost a year ago. Contact Olson, and I'm willing to bet they will make it right.

[Rich Aldrich]

After I put my new blade on this morning, I thought of comparing the two. Tomorrow, when I get a chance, I will remove the new blade and compare the twlo.

I relaize that my blade problem is with Olson.

How you treat a customer is Woodcraft's problem.

[Tim Lawson]

I'd recommend that you consider checking the length of blade you need on your bandsaw. With the blade off lower the top wheel to to the bottom and then back it up 1/4". Take a piece of string and have a sharpie handy. Wrap the string round the path of the blade and pull it taut. Where the string crosses at the top of the top wheel mark with the sharpie. Stretch out the string and measure the length. Round up to the nearest inch.

I'd been ordering the length recommended by the manufacturer and could never get an appropriate tension. Checking the length solve the problem.

May not solve the problem with cranky service people but may eliminate potential stress in the future.

Good luck

Tim

[Peter Quinn]

That sort of treatment would really grub my onion. The blade issue is obviously marginal, but being treated like a stooge by the sales associates is not. Too close to closing for their tastes? People who live further away came in earlier? That "We don't want or need your business" rudeness might play well with employees but I'd doubt the guy paying the rent cares to turn away sales and engender negative customer feelings.

I'd have a conversation with the owner, and if he doesn't seem to care, well, the internet is a great option. My nearest local wood working store, also a woodcraft, is over an hour away. I've always been treated well there, and I go there in spite of finding many internet sellers having better pricing on many items. But if I had to add in the cost being treated rudely, the equation would quickly change.

[george wilson]

You sound like you have a 14" Delta with riser block,or a clone. 105" is the correct length.

Years ago,having no blade welder,or any machine tools, I used some wood and made a simple jig to hold the ends of the blade in alignment for silver soldering. The wood parts had about a 2" gap where the blade was soldered. That was wide enough to prevent catching fire. You just carefully scarf the blade on an angle on each side. Try to make the angle about 3/16" long. Clamp the blade ends together. Get the blade lined up STRAIGHT. Put borax flux on and in the joint. Cut a small piece of silver solder,and lay it on the joint. Apply a torch till the solder melts. Quickly clamp the joint for a FEW seconds with some pliers to make sure the joint closed up. Don't let the blade cool off with the pliers on it,or the blade will cool too fast,and be brittle as glass.

Remove the blade,and try to file the joint flat. If it won't file,you held the pliers too long. Make the joint shiny,re clamp it in the jig,and slowly heat the joint till it turns blue. Then file it.

This makes a much stronger joint than a weld,believe me. I was teaching school shop in 1964 (so I'd have access to the shop after hours) and those joints were "boy proof" while the welds certainly were not.

[Rich Aldrich]

George, Actually, it is a Shop Fox with a riser block. I had trouble with one other blade (93") before I installed the riser block. Since, I have two other blades on the saw at 105". If Olson wont help me with the blade, I will try to shorten it with your method. I assume this is similar to soldering copper plumbing, which I do have experience.

Tim, I will check the blade length as you recommended. I like your idea.

Peter, I will call the owner tomorrow and see what happens. I really dont mind ordering off the internet, but it is nice to look at things and compare.

There is already a store in Green Bay that I no longer do business with. I do go in and look, but I don't buy anthing from them. In fact, I looked at a Jet 1442 for 20 minutes and no one asked me if I needed help. This was before I bought the 1642 elsewhere.

[John Coloccia]

There's a Woodcraft out that way? The wife and I just drove into Michigan from the south, stayed in Frankenmuth, and then NorthWest to Copper Harbor. It was the first time in my life that I had 1/8 of a tank of gas left and was still seriously concerned I may run out! Then back east through Sault St Marie, Ottowa and back into New England to get home.

This has nothing to do with your bandsaw blade. I just wanted to talk about the good time I had up there.

[Rich Aldrich]

John,

The Woodcraft store is in Appleton, WI, 3 1/2 hours from where I live.

[Rich Aldrich]

I talked to the owner of the Woodcraft store in Appleton. She is very nice and was sorry for the way this situation was handled by her employees. We had a good talk.

She said that they keep every thing a person buys on record so that we dont have to worry about sales receipts. Their suppliers back their products, so if they take something back, the suppliers don't give them a hassle, they just make it right.

At the same time, I had contacted Olson about the bandsaw blade. They told me to ship it to them with a copy of the email and they will ship a replacement to me. I will have to pay postage to ship it to Olson. So I have my choice of exchanging it with Woodcraft or dealing direct with Olson.

I will definitely go back to the Woodcraft in Appleton.