Breaking-in a bandsaw blade?

[Allan Speers]

I got an email today from some blade company I hadn't heard of before: Sawblade "dot" com.

They are probably worth a look, (though geared mosly to the metal-cutting industries) but that's not why I'm posting. On their website, they have a page dedicated to the proper break-in of bandsaw blades. Not filing the edges even, or getting rid of weld bumps, but actual breaking-in of the teeth.

This is he first I've ever heard of this. I'm wondering how important this might be to us hobbyists with expensive carbide blades? Does it only apply to cutting metal?


Unfortunately, all three of their listed methods involve slowing down the speed, which most of us can't do, so I'm also wondering if there's an alternative way to o this, on a single-speed saw?

[Tom M King]

I doubt it matters for cutting wood.

[Myk Rian]

Never heard of breaking in the teeth. Someone might have been bored to come up with that one.
The only thing I do to a new blade is stone the back edge and back corners smooth.

[Erik Loza]

News to me.

Erik

[Ben Rivel]

Bored or looking for a solution to sell us for a non-existent problem. There are many products out there these days that are solutions looking for problems or trying to convince you there is one.

[Tom Bussey]

When a person brakes in a new metal working band saw blade they basically run the blade for a few hundred feet at half the feed pressure. Also more care is taken at the start of the cut. What it does is take the sharp crabbiness of the blade off. Mostly what they are talking about is the horizontal cut off band saws and the tilt frame saws. Vertical band saw are mostly hand fed although some have power feed. Your wood cutting blades will last longer is you don't give it a lot of feed in the beginning.

[Barry Richardson]

My local saw shop put a sheet in with my blades advising to break them in as Tom described , I had never heard of it either, but now it makes sense since they mostly are a supplier of metal workers...

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Alan, it's recommended practice for metal cutting applications...........Regards, Rod.

[Andrew Hughes]

I'm a believer in going easy on a new blade or breaking it in.Only on my steel blade tips.I will use a scrap of popler or Alder and check to see how the blade cuts.I don't want to dull it right out of the gate.I think it's good to see what kind of surface I'm gonna get.Before I offer up my project wood.