Welding A Bandsaw Blade

[Ken Krawford]

I'be got a Timberwolf 1/2" 3 tpi blade that broke. I can't remember the exact model but I remember paying about $60 for it 7 or 8 yrs ago. It was still cutting reasonable well when it broke. I've heard of welding blades but have no idea of where to have this done. I assume there are some specifics for welding a blade.
Is pursuing the weld option a good one or am I better off just getting a new blade and if so, what's a good choice for light duty resawing? If it matters, I'm using it on a 14" Delta with riser block.

[Ronald Blue]

I found this with a quick search. Since Lee Valley is generally well regarded here I would consider this a reasonable option.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/power-tool-accessories/41049-bandsaw-blade-splicing-kit?item=03J5901

Years ago in a job early in my career we had a DoAll metal cutting vertical bandsaw with blade welder on it. So we made our own blades. If you can find a machine shop they might have such a beast and could help you out. It seemed in the metal working industry most bandsaws had blade welders. Whether new or used you made sure the ends were square, clamped the blade, hit start and first the blade heated up for 2-3 seconds and then it shoved it together. Flash butt weld complete. Then you ground off the bulge and checked it in the built in gauge and also reclamped in the jaws and used the anneal button to take the brittleness out of the weld. You kept hitting it the button until it was red hot between the jaws. I don't know that we did everything exactly right but broken welds weren't common. Usually we had teeth loss or just plain dullness. Keep in mind we were mostly cutting tool steel which can be tough even in it's raw un heat treated state.

[Jim Becker]

I don't know anything about re welding them, Ken, but I sure hope you didn't pay $60 for that band...

[Curt Harms]

I could be mistaken but I thought silver solder was used for 'field repairs' i.e. no access to a blade welder.

[Ellery Becnel]

I have been making my blades for years. Silver solder with a simple fixture. No need for annealing, or heat treating. Whenever a blade broke, it was never at the joint. Which did not happen very often.
The cost to make is about 1/3 of the cost to buy. I have actually made a few blades in 3 pieces. The end of a 100' roll is usually too short to make a blade. I braze it to the end of a new roll, then cut to size, no issues.
No special tools: silver solder, flux, fixture, plumbers propane torch.
The joint needs a 20* scarf joint along the face. This will give the joint enough surface to support the tension and not separate.

[John TenEyck]

Both Timberwolf blades I put on my 14" Delta with riser block broke and, like yours, not at the weld and not after a lot of use. I moved on.

For $60 or so you can buy an Olson MVP 105" x 1/2" x 3 tpi bimetal blade. If you look just a little, for only $40 you can buy a Lennox Diemaster II in the same configuration. Neither will leave as smooth a finish as a Woodslicer, and maybe not the Timberwolf, but both will last 5 - 10X longer.

John

[Dave Sabo]

I don't know anything about re welding them, Ken, but I sure hope you didn't pay $60 for that band...

was thinking the exact same thing.

[Ken Krawford]

Jim & Dave, you can sleep well tonight. My awful memory reared its ugly head again. The blade was a Lenox Diemaster Ii and I imagine the $60 I quoted included shipping & tax. I see about 16 different options for a 1/2” blade. Any suggestions for mostly cutting veneer?

[Zachary Hoyt]

I use TimberWolf 1/2" 3 TPI for resawing and general work in my 18" bandsaw. I tried a Diemaster II once and it broke at the weld very soon. Before it broke it was not that sharp, and it took a huge kerf, so it cut slowly and wasted wood. The blades from TimberWolf are great when new, last a while, and are not too expensive. I often resaw to 1/8" or 3/32" but not usually thinner. I buy several at a time, and change them out about every 4 months or so on average. I'm hoping to learn to resharpen them one of these days.

[Richard Coers]

I make all my blades including 3/4". I use a MAPP torch and silver brazing. You can buy a little kit on Ebay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/255895888033?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&srsltid=Ad5pg_Hq7PeLHlPdG_ujw3Sa5yTM3mpBJLL88pcuhk 3ryTXiKIaY-4K8xxY

[Myles Moran]

With this talk of soldering a blade yourself, what are you doing to file the angle for a scarf joint? And where would you source a 100' roll of blade stock? Since my last resaw blade cracked I've been interested in being able to repair/make my own blades.

[Ben Ellenberger]

I found this with a quick search. Since Lee Valley is generally well regarded here I would consider this a reasonable option.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/power-tool-accessories/41049-bandsaw-blade-splicing-kit?item=03J5901

Years ago in a job early in my career we had a DoAll metal cutting vertical bandsaw with blade welder on it. So we made our own blades. If you can find a machine shop they might have such a beast and could help you out. It seemed in the metal working industry most bandsaws had blade welders. Whether new or used you made sure the ends were square, clamped the blade, hit start and first the blade heated up for 2-3 seconds and then it shoved it together. Flash butt weld complete. Then you ground off the bulge and checked it in the built in gauge and also reclamped in the jaws and used the anneal button to take the brittleness out of the weld. You kept hitting it the button until it was red hot between the jaws. I don't know that we did everything exactly right but broken welds weren't common. Usually we had teeth loss or just plain dullness. Keep in mind we were mostly cutting tool steel which can be tough even in its raw un heat treated state.

I was a shop assistant in my college’s department machine shop. We had a bandsaw with the same welding feature. It was quick and easy to weld up new blades. Even as a student with about 2 minutes instruction I was able to get good results.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I had a bandsaw welder on my Purple Wave auction watch list (just for fun). I think I can find the sold listing...

Grob band saw welder in Wichita, KS | Item HP9294 sold | Purple Wave (https://www.purplewave.com/auction/230124/item/HP9294/Grob-Machine_Tools-Woodworking_Equip.-Kansas)

[Zachary Hoyt]

I'm interested in learning to solder blades, someday when my current box of new blades runs out. I routinely silver solder brass parts for banjos, using Harris Stay Silv 15 and a MAP torch, and I'm wondering if that kind of solder would also work for bandsaw blades. Is the 20 degrees for the scarf joint measured acutely along the blade or obtusely across it? Do you leave a little gap between the ends of the blade before heating so they will come together when they expand, or is that not needed for a bandsaw blade?

[Ken Krawford]

Ron, that kit looks interesting but appears to have been discontinued.

[Ellery Becnel]

https://www.victornet.com/tools/Bimetal-Band-Saw-Blade-Coils/331.html This is where I have purchased my bandsaw blade material. I made a small fixture to clamp the stock and file a 20* angle along the face. I used to cut the blades with aviation snips. It would roll the edge of the stock and not match up. Now I use a dremmel with a cut off blade. It makes a cleaner/flat cut. Alignment is perfect now!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnSt3XlwgOc This little video pretty much explains my procedure. My set up and process is a little more precise, and doesn't use as much heat. I also don't grind away any teeth.

It is not difficult to get set up and make up or repair your blades.

[Ken Krawford]

John, it looks like Amazon has the Olson MVP blade for $42. Any thoughts on how it compares with the Diemaster since they're almost the same price?


Both Timberwolf blades I put on my 14" Delta with riser block broke and, like yours, not at the weld and not after a lot of use. I moved on.

For $60 or so you can buy an Olson MVP 105" x 1/2" x 3 tpi bimetal blade. If you look just a little, for only $40 you can buy a Lennox Diemaster II in the same configuration. Neither will leave as smooth a finish as a Woodslicer, and maybe not the Timberwolf, but both will last 5 - 10X longer.

John

[John TenEyck]

John, it looks like Amazon has the Olson MVP blade for $42. Any thoughts on how it compares with the Diemaster since they're almost the same price?

Ken, I thought the MVP lasted quite a bit longer than the Diemaster II, but the cut isn't quite as smooth. Both could cut 10" wide veneer when the saw was set up really well. For occasional use, I'd go with the Diamaster II because of the smoother cut. For heavier use/longer life, the MVP would be my choice. And don't discount a 3/8" x 4 tpi blade. That's my favorite all around blade on my 14" Delta. It does everything pretty well, including resawing 6" + stock. You can put 33% more tension on the 3/8" blade which makes a substantial difference on that saw.

John

[Ken Krawford]

John, thanks for the reply. Does your Delta have the riser block?


Ken, I thought the MVP lasted quite a bit longer than the Diemaster II, but the cut isn't quite as smooth. Both could cut 10" wide veneer when the saw was set up really well. For occasional use, I'd go with the Diamaster II because of the smoother cut. For heavier use/longer life, the MVP would be my choice. And don't discount a 3/8" x 4 tpi blade. That's my favorite all around blade on my 14" Delta. It does everything pretty well, including resawing 6" + stock. You can put 33% more tension on the 3/8" blade which makes a substantial difference on that saw.

John

[John TenEyck]

John, thanks for the reply. Does your Delta have the riser block?

Yes, so 105" blades.

John

[Mark Balmer]

FWIW I'll add my experience.

Years ago I purchased a 125' coil of Lenox Trimaster on ebay. Carbided tipped, 3/8" wide, 3-4 TPI variable pitch.
It wasn't dirt cheap, and I forget the exact numbers, but it was less than half the per foot cost of buying a pre-made blade.
Also bought one of the ebay silver solder kits. I think the kit could be improved upon, but it worked.
Despite not being much a metal worker, I was able to cut the blade close to the correct angle with a angle grinder cutoff wheel and then cleaned it up with a file, etc.
The soldered joint wasn't perfect, but apparently was good enough because it's held up to a lot of use and I never saw any problem with the cut quality.
The carbide Trimaster on an old-school 20" Powermatic was incredibly smooth compared to anything I ever got out of my hopped-up 14" Delta with the latest and greatest non-carbide blades. I credit a combination of the better blade and being able to tension it correctly on the bigger/stouter machine.

You might ask what I was going to do with 125'? One use was to make blades for friends. The other is a 36" Northfield, that I haven't finished messing with, that has a blade length of about 20 feet.

mark

[Richard Coers]

I could be mistaken but I thought silver solder was used for 'field repairs' i.e. no access to a blade welder.
I can be both. I have never had a silver solder joint fail. In fact I think it's better. You anneal the blade stock with the torch which can be problematic with a welder.

[Richard Coers]

With this talk of soldering a blade yourself, what are you doing to file the angle for a scarf joint? And where would you source a 100' roll of blade stock? Since my last resaw blade cracked I've been interested in being able to repair/make my own blades.
I extended a fence on my disc sander miter gage. I loop the blade so I grind the angle on both ends of the blade at the same time. I'm really gentle there so the blade doesn't flex from the disc pressure. I deburr it and clamp in my fixture. I apply the flux and a place a tiny bit of silver solder on top of the blade and heat from the bottom. The silver solder flows to the heat. Then I use a sanding drum on my Dremel and grind off the flux and excess silver solder. I've never had to redo a single joint. Works great. I bought some rolls of blade stock off EBay, back in the days when it was more like the garage sale days.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I've thought about TIG welding one, might try it one of these days. Anyone do that?

[Ron Selzer]

I have more 100' boxes of 1" 3 0r 4 tooth? (Have to go look again) than I will ever use. Contact me if you want some.
Also have a 200' box of 2" metal cutting that needs a new home
Ron

[William Lessenberry]

I've thought about TIG welding one, might try it one of these days. Anyone do that?
I think that the concentrated high temperature of a TIG weld will make the repair too brittle unless you have a way to anneal it.
BillL

[Ronald Blue]

I've thought about TIG welding one, might try it one of these days. Anyone do that?
Yes, I don't recall them breaking. Bandsaw welder was not working so this was the next best option. Just fused it metal to metal no filler.

[Ellery Becnel]

We had a bandsaw welder on the back of the shop bandsaw. I used it, while I worked there. It was hit and miss. We had one really good TIG welder. He did a few for the shop.

Now that I am retired I braze all of my blades. I prefer it to welding. I think, for a personal shop, Brazing is a simple and economical way to make quality blades.

[Richard Coers]

I thought I would add some details to silver soldering (also called silver brazing, or hard solder) and brazing. Silver solder flows better than braze and will wick into a joint more easily. C2 brazing rod melts at 875C (1600F), 33% silver solder melts at 720C (1330F) 40% silver solder melts at 675C (1247F), and 55% silver solder melts at 650C (1200F).

[Bill Dufour]

I vaguely remember reading that to scarf the joint you grind both ends back to back. this cancels any angle errors.
Bill D

[Ken Krawford]

It just dawned on me - won't making a scarf joint on a broken blade shorten the length of the blade making it unusable?

[Jim Becker]

It just dawned on me - won't making a scarf joint on a broken blade shorten the length of the blade making it unusable?

Bandsaws tend to have a "range" for band length where the typical band length is what it is. So if your saw take, for example, a 105" blade off the commercial shelf, slightly shorter or slightly longer will generally work just fine. Longer does increase the risk of not being able to tension it enough if you push too far in that direction and too short can make for a difficult install. In a roundabout way, what this means is that when you do the repair, you likely are not taking away very much material to establish that scarf joint so it should be fine.

[John K Jordan]

It just dawned on me - won't making a scarf joint on a broken blade shorten the length of the blade making it unusable?

Depends on the original blade length and how much range is in the saw tensioner. If the blade was made on the short side to start with it may be a problem. I once bought a new blade I couldn’t tension since it was made just barely too long and couldn’t be tensioned on my 18” Rikon - I counted an extra tooth.

If you end up with a blade too short you might be able to cut out a shot section and weld in a piece cut from another blade. The blade shop I use keeps a box of short pieces to add as needed. Having two or more welds on one blade doesn’t affect the performance or blade life.

One thing I don’t remember discussed is when a blade breaks or jams while sawing it may get bent up a little, especially at one end. Straightening one sufficiently for a smooth-running blade can be difficult or even seem impossible at times but replacing the bent section can fix it - a good reason to keep the leftover end if you buy blade stock by the reel.

JKJ

[Bill Dufour]

Be careful of the onboar d welders. The welding process can throw hot sparks as does the grinding. If they land in sawdust it can catch fire, hours later, in the base of the saw or where ever.
BilL D

[Richard Coers]

It just dawned on me - won't making a scarf joint on a broken blade shorten the length of the blade making it unusable?
Maybe shorten the blade 1/8". It's no problem. Now a kink from the blade getting stuck in the machine is a deal killer.

[John K Jordan]

Be careful of the onboard welders. The welding process can throw hot sparks as does the grinding. If they land in sawdust it can catch fire, hours later, in the base of the saw or where ever.
BilL D

Good reminder! Playing with fire around combustibles could cause a disaster. In possible enlist a fire watcher when cutting and welding. Even an abrasive cutoff wheel can start a fire feet away.

Never hurts to remind although I suspect there are few bandsaws with welders in wood shops. And most people whoare aware and careful. Some have mentioned they only make fire outside. I built a 12x12' welding room into my wood shop with grinders, hydraulic press, horizontal metal-cutting bandsaw, welders, plasma cutter, good vise. The double doors open onto a 16' concrete pad for working outside when the weather's good or working on trailers or tractor in the driveway.

I have stick, mig, and tig but never thought about tig welding a blade - good idea, Steve, about heating with no filler needed. Might have to try it if one breaks, can always drop back to sliver soldering or brazing if needed. Easy to anneal steel.

JKJ