Bandsaw help

[Jonathan Harvey]

Ok so I have no clue what I have done here but I am hoping that more knowledgeable people then me can help me out. First let me state that this is my first bandsaw and I know nothing about them. This bandsaw is only two months old and is not used very often. The bandsaw is a 17" General international.

Heres my problem:

I was rounding out a bunch of bowl blanks tonight and things were going smoothly for the most part (i'm not the best at cutting out round blanks the blade is always flexing on me and the cut drifts) this happens to me weather I have the tension up or down. The blade is also running in the center of the tires. Anyways I was in the middle on cutting a bowl blank and the blade stopped cutting, even with a great deal of pressure I could not get the blade to cut safely. Rather than try to back my way out of the cut as I felt that would be unsafe I shut the bandsaw off. When I finally got the blank backed out of the bandsaw blade I noticed that the outside of the blank was burnt quite a bit and that there was plastic on the bandsaw blade itself. Not thinking too much of it I turned the saw back on but the blade would not go anywhere. Upon further inspection I found out that the blade had melted to the upper and lower tire :eek:. I got the blade off the tire but there is plastic melted all over the blade and the tires themselves seem to have a hard shiny film over them and they are not smooth anymore.

Does anyone know where I went wrong? I can assume that the blade got way to hot but am not sure how I can prevent this in the future. Do you think my blade is toast or should I just scape all the melted plastic off the blade? Also is there anyway for me to re-dress the tires so that I don't have to replace them or am I SOL?

I hate learning things the hard way :(

[Don Stutsman]

Jonathan,

I don't have the same saw, but from your description it sounds as though the blade stopped long before the saw wheels, therefore, heating the blade and melting your tires. A blade that hot probably won't be or stay sharp any longer. It is likely that the tires will need replacing, redressing them would not give you the satisfaction you would want. Why did the blade stop or slow down? Make sure you have the proper tension set and keep your blade guard just above your work. You didn't say what size blade you were using but make sure whichever the size is that you can easily cut the radius you want without dragging tha back of the blade against the kerf. You shouldn't have to place too much pressure against the work if the saw is set up correctly and the blade is sharp. Let the blade do the work, you'll develop a feel for how fast to push your workpiece. I hope this helps. If not, ask again.:)

[Jonathan Harvey]

Jonathan,

Why did the blade stop or slow down?

You didn't say what size blade you were using

The blade did not stop it was still turning as usuall. when I say it stopped I mean it stopped cutting (sorry for being vague)

The blade I am using is 3/8 3TPI IIRC

Also I was cutting a 6" round blank. this should not be a problem with a 3/8" blade should it?

[Dan Forman]

I don't know much about this, but I think you need a different blade profile for cutting green wood due to the moisture content and difficulty in clearing the waste. Could this have had something to do with it?

Dan

[Bernie Weishapl]

Jonathan I would get some new tires for your wheels and get a 1/2" 3 tpi blade from Timberwolf. I have had this blade on my Griz G0555 for over a year and it is still cutting good. I cut all my green blanks with it.

[Ron Coleman]

Not sure what caused your problems but one thing to check is your blade guide setup. You need to check the General manual and practice setting up the guides to be sure you're not allowing too much clearance or not enough with the blade.

Another thing to do is practice cutting a circle on the workbench. You need to learn to slowly rotate your stock while you keep the blade tangent to your scribed line. A bandsaw only cuts in a straight line and the reason you can cut a circle is blade leaves a kerf wide enough to twist the stock just enough to follow your line. Too many times I see people try and "horse" a piece of wood around while cutting curves and they end up twisting the blade out of alignment. Your cutting line has to be tangent to the blade at the very tip of the teeth and as the cut progresses you need to constantly rotate your work to keep from twisting the blade. Steer the work not the blade. Go slow, no need to rush.

Ron

[Brett Baldwin]

Another thought, I'm not sure what guides you have but could you have been rubbing on them hard enough to heat the blade and kill the temper? Might want to check that aspect along with the other suggestions.

[Norman Hitt]

..........also lubricate the blade a few times during the cut with "PAM" cooking spray. This will help to keep the resin from the green wood off the blade AND make the blade run cooler.

[Jonathan Harvey]

Thanks for all the tips guys. The manual that came with the bandsaw was useless and was very vague in all its descriptions. I'm sure if I had owned a bandsaw previous to this one the manual would have made since but like I said the manual was way to vague for me.

My guides on my bandsaw are dual roller bearings on each side. Does anyone know where the blade is supposed to be in relation to the bearings? I have the blade set in the center of the two roller bearings but maybe it should be further forward or maybe it is supposed to be towards the back of the roller bearings?

[Chris Struttman]

Ron Coleman is giving you great advice here.

I did the same thing you did but on a Delta 14". I built a sled that would allow me to turn the blank around a pivot point. On my first few attempts I was placing the pivot point perpendicular to the mid point of the blade. That was causing the blade to heat up terribly and it eventually melted the tire off the top wheel on the saw.

I fixed the tires on the saw and placed the pivot point perpendicular to the teeth of the blade and that fixed the whole problem.

[Marty Barron]

Jonathon, I would start off by getting The New Complete Guide to the Bandsaw by Mark Duguinske and you can purchase some good blades from R&D Bandsaws. Bandsaw Bob of R&D Bandsaws is usually at most of the woodshows and does a seminar on the bandsaw.

Hope this helps.

Marty

http://www.amazon.ca/New-Complete-Guide-Band-Saw/dp/1565233182/ref=sr_1_1/701-8871731-7729154?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193251223&sr=1-1

http://www.tufftooth.com/

[Dick Strauss]

Johnathan,
If you are pushing too hard the blade will generate lots of heat. If it isn't aligned properly or not tensioned properly you can generate lots of heat also. How are you setting blade tension?

The guides should be set so that the blade does not rub against the side rollers and barely rubs against the back rollers. You should be able to see a very thin sliver of light between the blade and the side rollers. The back roller should be set so that the blade gullet (where the teeth meet the blade band) clears the side roller bearings. You should also make sure that the top and bottom set of rollers are aligned. You should also make sure that the upper guide arm is as close to the top of the blanks as possible.

Bernie and others have suggested that you buy a BS blade specifically for green wood and I agree!!! The Suffolk Machinery blades with AS (alternate set) are great for wet wood. I use a 3/8-3tpi-AS like Bernie mentioned. I've had my blade for over a year and haven't been able to kill it yet.

FYI-I prefer standard guides instead of rollers when dealing with green wood. The green wood fibers and resin tend to glaze over the blade. It has been my experience that the side roller guides actually compress the material onto the blade.

[Reed Gray]

Do get that bandsaw book. Like the guy claims, a properly set up bandsaw will cut as well as any table saw. If you are having to force it something is wrong. If the blank surfaces are not flat, the blank can and will rock while you are cutting which will make the blank rock, and it wil bind up the blade. I broke one blade this way. Other than that, a dull blade is bad, having the proper blade is good, and you may just need to fine tune your saw.
robo hippy

[robert hainstock]

I SUSPECT THAT MOST NEW BAND SAWS NEED TO BE SET UP! WHEN NEW. SOME ONE SUGGESTED THE BLADE GUARD WAAS SET TOO HIGH./ THIS COULD ADD TOO THE PROBLEM. MOST LIKELY THE BLADE TOOTH "SET" WAS THE PROBLEM. I'VE JUST STARTED USING "THE WOODTURNERS BAND SAW BLADE" FROM HIGHLAND HARDWARE, ATLANTA, GA. IT CUT THROUGH THE HARDEST WOOD LIKE IT WAS BUTTER, AND HAS A RELITIVLY SMALL KERF. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND IT.
GET A BAND SAW BOOK AND LEARN HOW TO SET ONE UP. THEY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED EVERY TIME YOU CHANGE A BLADE. I "SET UP" MY FIRST BANDSAW IN 1953. KEEP ON MAKIN DUST AND CHIPS.:cool:
BOB

[Jerry Allen]

Johnathan,
A couple of things, one of which Dick mentioned, was the side guide position. The teeth have a set and should not be rubbing on the rollers. That will dull them really fast. There should be a little clearance from the back of the blade to the rear roller, so when adjusting the side guides make sure that when pressure is added to the blade and it moves back slightly that the teeth are still out of the path of the side rollers.
Once your blade starts twisting, you are pretty close to binding and the blade will heat quickly. There is a good chance that the blade that came stock with the saw is not the greatest. Lots of blades have a burr on one side and the set is too large which causes heat and drifting. A 3/8 blade will allow a turn easier than a 1/2" or 3/4" blade, but it still should not be allowed to twist, which it is more prone to do than a wider blade.
Taking a long cut without allowing the blade to exit can cause a problem if the kerf closes up. It's better to make more than one pass if you are having a problem than to let the blade bind. Or you can try wedging the kerf open with veneer in a long cut.
Unfortunately it sounds like the tires have had it. If you can, get poly tires. They are tougher.
Lub the blade but not too much and don't use something that will attract dust clumps. I use a little parafin or teflon spray, and as stated, PAM works. Keep the blade straight. Buy a good blade like a WoodSlicer or Timberline.