Bandsaw blade fixin'....

[Dennis Peacock]

OK....I'll open my mouth here and prove how much I do NOT know about metal work. :rolleyes:

I have a BS blade that I need to shorten by about 1". How do I cut the blade and even more a mystery...since I don't have a welder in the shop....how do I put it back together? :confused:

[Ralph Barhorst]

If it is an emergency and you need to make some dust today, you could put a 1/2" riser on your bandsaw. Just use a piece of 1/2" hardwood.:p :p

[Mark Singer]

I take mine to a Lenox dealer and he welds and fixes them

[Russ Massery]

It need to be done by someone that has a welder made for that. Because after it's welded it's needs to be annealed or the blade well break next to the weld.

[Randy Meijer]

First question....did your blade stretch "THAT" much or did you simply buy the wrong size blade??

Second, what is a "riser" that has been suggested as a solution to the problem??

[Steve Clardy]

1/2" riser block idea is good.

[Dennis Peacock]

OK....the BS blade I ordered from Suffolk was 132" for my Laguna BS. The blade was tracking just fine until it came off in the middle of a cut and it was bent in one spot. I tracked the real cause down to the blade being a little too long....so I thought I could find a way to take out the bent spot and shorten the blade a little at the same time. If I still lived in Alabama, I would have my buddy fix it....but I now live in Arkansas and know of nobody around here that can make that kind of a fix.

[Steve Clardy]

Ok. Then sounds like the real problem belongs to Suffolk if the blade is too short. Maybe give em a email or buzz.

[Carl Eyman]

Many comercial shops buy their bandsaw blades in a bulk roll and weld them up as needed. The company I used to work for had a Dozall metal cutting bandsaw that had a welder built into it complete with grinding wheels to grind the weld flat. Pf they needed to do an inside cut, they'd break the blade, feed it thru the hole in the stock, weld it back together, and off we go! So somebody nearby has that welding, anealing, grinding ability. Lokk around. Here in the swamps of Louisiana we have a Jet/Delta/Dewalt dealer that will weld bandsaw blades.

[Jerry Clark]

Harbor Freight sells a band saw blade welder -- Maybe $25?? Never bought it!:cool:

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

For about $25 you can get a blade repair kit from Woodworker's Supply (or other suppliers) and do it yourself. I probably repaired fifty blades with the kit I had. The kit will show you how to make a little jig that will allow you to grind the 3/16" bevels on the ends that you will overlap when you put the blade in the holding jig. Put flux on the ends, slip a little silver solder between the ends and heat until the solder flows. Maintin just a little pressure on the blade as it cools. I always had a damp cloth I would slap on the cooling joint to help harden the metal. When cooled file or grind off any rough places to make it smooth and reinstall and start cutting. I never had a weld break.

[Randy Meijer]

Second, what is a "riser" that has been suggested as a solution to the problem??

Can someone, in a sentence or two educate me as to what a riser is?? Thanks.

[Ernie Kuhn]

Randy,
If the bandsaw frame is not one piece but two pieces bolted together, the manufacturer often makes about a six inch riser block. You unbolt the frame, insert the block and bolt the frame back together. It allows you to cut thicker wood as in increasing the re-saw capacity of the band saw. There are a couple of ancillary pieces that usually accompany the riser block but this is the short explanation.
Ernie

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Don,

Thanks for that tip. I had never heard that there was a bandsaw blade repair kit. That sounds like a good option.

[Mike Cutler]

Randy. here are some pictures to go with Ernie's explanation. The area of the frame that has the the ON/OFF switch is a 6" riser block for a Jet 14" bandsaw. Like Ernie stated it raises the upper portion of the Bandsaw 6" for resawing.

[Charlie Plesums]

If you have a propane torch and a Dremel grinder, you can do it without a $30+ repair kit, if you can beg, borrow, or steal a few inches of silver solder and some flux.

At the break or cut, grind the ends smooth, even slightly tapered thin, and clamp them perfectly aligned about 1/32 inch apart. Brazing flux and silver solder will fill the tiny gap and hold the blade together - I find an ordinary propane plumbing torch can get the blade red hot. When it cools (slow cooling leaves it soft tempered, not brittle), use the dremel grinder to adjust the solder joint perfectly flush with the rest of the blade. I grind off a tooth or two that might be involved in the vicinity of the solder, rather than trying to assure they are perfectly aligned and sharpened.

[Dennis Peacock]

If you have a propane torch and a Dremel grinder, you can do it without a $30+ repair kit, if you can beg, borrow, or steal a few inches of silver solder and some flux.

At the break or cut, grind the ends smooth, even slightly tapered thin, and clamp them perfectly aligned about 1/32 inch apart. Brazing flux and silver solder will fill the tiny gap and hold the blade together - I find an ordinary propane plumbing torch can get the blade red hot. When it cools (slow cooling leaves it soft tempered, not brittle), use the dremel grinder to adjust the solder joint perfectly flush with the rest of the blade. I grind off a tooth or two that might be involved in the vicinity of the solder, rather than trying to assure they are perfectly aligned and sharpened.

Great tips there Charlie...!!!!! :D I'll have to give it a try!!!! ;) Thank you.!

[Randy Meijer]

Thanks to all for the explanation and the pics concerning risers. Every day I hang out here, I get a little smarter!!