Storing Bandsaw Blades

[Ken Krawford]

I just got a couple of new bandsaw blades. One immediately went on the saw and I'll keep the other as a replacement. The blades come coiled and I was wondering if it's better to uncoil them until needed or leave them as is.

[Lee Schierer]

I leave mine coiled, they take up far less space and are less likely to be damaged.

[Jim Becker]

I leave them coiled when not in use and hanging on the wall, although currently, they are under my CNC machine waiting for "their spot" in the new shop.

[John TenEyck]

Same here, I leave them coiled. They are under far less stress, like almost zero, compared to being wrapped around the BS wheels with 25 ksi on them.

John

[Dave Sweeney]

Mine are coiled as well.

[John K Jordan]

I keep them coiled and coil blades I temporarily or permanently remove from the saw.
I store some new blades in the box until needed, hang some on a wall.
I hang some new blades on hangers fastened to the ceiling above the bandsaw where I can reach up and get one as needed.

I sharpen dull blades as needed. If in a rush I coil and store dull blades in a separate place and mark them with tape as dull, usually hanging on a wall.. I usually sharpen blades several times before discarding. I sharpen them by hand with a Dremel while they are mounted.

Blades take up less space when coiled.

My new blades come coiled with three loops. Before discarding old blades I re-coil with five loops so they take up less space. I sometimes make 7 loops but that’s trickier.

[Tom M King]

Here's a good video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btOSZNjWMyk&t=121s

and another one:

https://vimeo.com/97887842?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=29017205

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I store mine coiled. Some are still in the box in a cabinet. Others are coiled hanging on the wall.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I keep them coiled and coil blades I temporarily or permanently remove from the saw.
I store some new blades in the box until needed, hang some on a wall.
I hang some new blades on hangers fastened to the ceiling above the bandsaw where I can reach up and get one as needed.

I sharpen dull blades as needed. If in a rush I coil and store dull blades in a separate place and mark them with tape as dull, usually hanging on a wall.. I usually sharpen blades several times before discarding. I sharpen them by hand with a Dremel while they are mounted.

Blades take up less space when coiled.

My new blades come coiled with three loops. Before discarding old blades I re-coil with five loops so they take up less space. I sometimes make 7 loops but that’s trickier.

John, what do you use in your Dremel to sharpen your blades?

[Mel Fulks]

I notice that no one wants to teach the coiling process in print ! And even when one learns it …there are days it won’t work !

[John TenEyck]

I notice that no one wants to teach the coiling process in print ! And even when one learns it …there are days it won’t work !

Here's the way I do it. Stand on a wood floor or a mat so you won't hurt the teeth on the blade. Put the blade in front of you, teeth pointing away, with one end of the band on the floor, the other as high as it takes to make a circle. Put one foot on the blade where it meets the floor. The next part involes your hand and arm. I use my right foot to hold down the blade, so I use my right hand. Ok, with your palm down, turn one hand back towards your chest and grab the top of the blade with your fingers curled over the blade, on the smooth side. Wear gloves! Now, with your foot still holding the bottom against the floor, rotate your hand holding the blade in a horizontal arc. As the blade twists into a figure eight, lean forward and lower your hand towards the floor so the blade forms coils. Use your other hand to help the coils mesh. When you are done, you will have 3 coils and your hand that started at the top will be 2/3's lower than where you began.

To safely uncoil blades I usually go outside, stand on the grass, and just throw them away from me into the air. They uncoil before they land in the grass. Wimpy blades I can uncoil in my hands, but stout blades I do as just described.

John

[Edwin Santos]

Here's the way I do it. Stand on a wood floor or a mat so you won't hurt the teeth on the blade. Put the blade in front of you, teeth pointing away, with one end of the band on the floor, the other as high as it takes to make a circle. Put one foot on the blade where it meets the floor. The next part involes your hand and arm. I use my right foot to hold down the blade, so I use my right hand. Ok, with your palm down, turn one hand back towards your chest and grab the top of the blade with your fingers curled over the blade, on the smooth side. Wear gloves! Now, with your foot still holding the bottom against the floor, rotate your hand holding the blade in a horizontal arc. As the blade twists into a figure eight, lean forward and lower your hand towards the floor so the blade forms coils. Use your other hand to help the coils mesh. When you are done, you will have 3 coils and your hand that started at the top will be 2/3's lower than where you began.

To safely uncoil blades I usually go outside, stand on the grass, and just throw them away from me into the air. They uncoil before they land in the grass. Wimpy blades I can uncoil in my hands, but stout blades I do as just described.

John

John,
It's a worthwhile skill to learn how to uncoil a bandsaw blade in a controlled, safe way. There might be a day where inclement weather will not allow you to throw your blade on the lawn. Or maybe you will be in a shop setting where you need to uncoil a blade and there is no lawn in sight.

This is the method I use, even with 1" carbide blades:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WUiEJEZMTc

[Lee Schierer]

I notice that no one wants to teach the coiling process in print ! And even when one learns it …there are days it won’t work !


I coil mine by holding the band in front of me in my right hand with my palm up. I gently step on the blade against the floor. Then while holding onto the band, I twist my wrist to the left while turning my hand so the palm is down as I bend over and push the band toward the floor. It will coil automatically into three coils. Grasp the three coils with your left hand, release your right hand and tie the blade with a twist tie.

If you are left handed, this method works the same using the left hand palm up.

[John K Jordan]

John, what do you use in your Dremel to sharpen your blades?

I use the small abrasive cut off disks like this : https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-409-Cut-off-Wheels-thick/dp/B00004UDGX
I don't use the edge but the flat. Since the "grinding" is extremely light and only a tiny amount of metal is removed I have never worn one out.

495212

I show this method in my bandsaw classes. Someday I'd like to make a video since there is a lot of interest. Many people have sharpened this way for a bunch of years.
It takes me between 1 and 2 seconds per tooth, over 400 teeth for my 11'10" 3tpi blades. I generally sharpen 3-4 times before I toss the blade.

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

I notice that no one wants to teach the coiling process in print ! And even when one learns it …there are days it won’t work !

I've taught it many times, but in person and in a message or two. Sorry I don't have good pictures. Coiling with 3 loops takes about 4 seconds once you know how. It's all in the wrist. I don't even wear gloves for the 1/2" 3tpi blades.

Here's a picture one where I've coiled three loops, expanded one loop in preparation for holding the three on the floor with one foot to coil with 5 loops shown in the second photo. The third picture is one coiled with 7 loops (just to see if I can do it). 7 loops is never necessary it's mostly for showing off. :)

495213 495214 495215

I can coil three loops in the air but it's easier to hold the blade vertically with the bottom of the band against the floor, step on it with one foot, grab the band on the sides with both hands, and bend so the top of the loop moves towards me while bringing both hands together and crossing. Like my piano teacher always said, "everything's easy once you know how."

For me the challenging blades are for the Woodmizer sawmill - long, wide, thick steel, wicked teeth. My bandsaw blade-making guy can coil these in the air with no effort. I have to think about it and take my time so I don't get hurt. Wear heavy jeans, leather gloves and eye protection!

If I can find the time I could probably make a series of photos that the procedure.

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

To safely uncoil blades I usually go outside, stand on the grass, and just throw them away from me into the air. They uncoil before they land in the grass.
John

I'll have to try to try your method. But on first reading it sounds more complicated that what I do.

I coil most blades inside but use the "throw on the grass" method to uncoil the big bands for my Woodmizer. Those are wicked, less than 1 tpi, thick, wide, very strong spring, could sever an artery. If it's raining I throw them in the grass anyway. Getting them wet hurts nothing - my mill is outside and the blades get wet anyway.

They make a wonderfully distinctive sound when uncoiling in the air! Would make an interesting audio recording. Throwing one in the vicinity of cat might be interesting. I'm not brave enough to uncoil one near one of the horses.

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

I find doing a three loop coil to be relatively easy, but a four loop coil is less than fun. :) But regardless...WEAR GLOVES!! And long pants... LOL

[Ken Krawford]

Thanks everyone for all the posts. Seems it's pretty much unanimous - leave the blade coiled.

[John TenEyck]

I've taught it many times, but in person and in a message or two. Sorry I don't have good pictures. Coiling with 3 loops takes about 4 seconds once you know how. It's all in the wrist. I don't even wear gloves for the 1/2" 3tpi blades.

Here's a picture one where I've coiled three loops, expanded one loop in preparation for holding the three on the floor with one foot to coil with 5 loops shown in the second photo. The third picture is one coiled with 7 loops (just to see if I can do it). 7 loops is never necessary it's mostly for showing off. :)

495213 495214 495215

I can coil three loops in the air but it's easier to hold the blade vertically with the bottom of the band against the floor, step on it with one foot, grab the band on the sides with both hands, and bend so the top of the loop moves towards me while bringing both hands together and crossing. Like my piano teacher always said, "everything's easy once you know how."

For me the challenging blades are for the Woodmizer sawmill - long, wide, thick steel, wicked teeth. My bandsaw blade-making guy can coil these in the air with no effort. I have to think about it and take my time so I don't get hurt. Wear heavy jeans, leather gloves and eye protection!

If I can find the time I could probably make a series of photos that the procedure.

JKJ

I don't even attempt to coil up my sawmill blades. I just hang them on a wall in the shed until needed. Even if I travel with the mill, I put them in my Subaru uncoiled, taped in the middle. They don't even come coiled from Woodmiser. They pinch them in the middle with a U shaped piece of metal and then bend the ends towards each other to get them into a box.

I wonder how they ship those monster bandsaw blades used in sawmills?


John

[John K Jordan]

…. They don't even come coiled from Woodmiser. They pinch them in the middle with a U shaped piece of metal and then bend the ends towards each other to get them into a box.

I wonder how they ship those monster bandsaw blades used in sawmills?


John

Hmmm. I haven’t seen that method. My Woodmizer blades are shipped differently. Every one I’ve ever bought from them came coiled into 3 loops held together with two pieces of twisted soft iron wire. They come stacked in a square box separated by layers of cardboard. I still have a few new blades coiled like this in the bottom of my last box. (I think I bought about 10 at a time) Maybe they’ve changed recently or maybe different Woodmizer distributors package them differently. Or perhaps some sizes are shipped differently - my saw is a 2003 LT15.

When the local Lenox shop makes blades for my sawmill they also coil them the same way (and secure them the same way with iron wire.)

I once saw one of those monster bandmill blades transported on the interstate. Looked like it was folded in a bunch of loops. One blade strapped to a flat bed truck. I can’t imagine handling the thing without some equipment or mounting one without a crane. I’d like to watch them change one at the huge local commercial sawmill. (it’s fascinating to watch the whole operation in action

JKJ

[Zachary Hoyt]

I found it hard at first to figure out how to coil bandsaw blades but once we got a sawmill I had to learn, and got so I could coil and uncoil in my hands. It was safer with gloves, but not impossible without. We had 12' long 1-1/4" blades with 7/8" tooth spacing. If I bought a box of 10 blades they came bent in a u with a clip but if I bought 5 or fewer they were coiled. 1/2" and smaller bandsaw blades take so much less force to coil that I never wear gloves for that anymore. I bought 10 TimberWolf 133x1/2 3 TPI blades a couple or three years ago and still have some left that have been coiled in the box the whole time.

[Tom M King]

Here's the method I use, but didn't know anyone had made a video. I put the blade on a scrap of wood instead of concrete.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nIjGLJ5sbo&t=5s

To uncoil, pull one loop away a little bit, and hold the other two where they cross. Let the single loop drop, and it's easy from there.

[John K Jordan]

I find doing a three loop coil to be relatively easy, but a four loop coil is less than fun. ...

Four loops? How is that possible? I can coil a 1/2" blade into 3, 5, and, just for show, 7 loops. I've never seen one coiled with an even number of loops. When I tried I always got a big twist that could not be nested with the other loops.

JKJ

[johnny means]

I fold mine by holding the blade like a steering wheel and twisting both wrists either inward or outward.

[Jim Becker]

Four loops? How is that possible? I can coil a 1/2" blade into 3, 5, and, just for show, 7 loops. I've never seen one coiled with an even number of loops. When I tried I always got a big twist that could not be nested with the other loops.

JKJ
I could swear I got a band or three with four loops, but perhaps I was mistaken. It was more than three, however, and made the band really compact for shipping.

[John K Jordan]

…. It was more than three, however, and made the band really compact for shipping.

I suspect it was 5 loops I didn’t take a picture of 3 loops but here
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?301990-Storing-Bandsaw-Blades&p=3240005#post3240005 I show 5 and 7 loops photographed against an 8-1/2x11” notebook.

These are 142” long 1/2” blades, it gets less reasonable to coil more than 3 loops with significantly wider blades!

[Jim Becker]

Yea, my bands would be 145" so similar situation.

[Edwin Santos]

Here's a video from WoodMizer that might be useful. It demonstrates good methods for unfolding and folding large blades with control and safety. Some folks here defer to the manufacturer so this one should be credible since it's coming from WoodMizer.
For people who don't have a lawn available or don't care to throw the blade to uncoil it.
Kinda fun watching the dynamic of this old school veteran teaching a millennial how it's done. I was not familiar with the walk-towards-it folding method. It would be very good for a long blade.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk7DDmY1Nn0