Maintenance Tips to Improve Efficiency of Woodworking Band Saw Blades

Band saws are the most commonly utilized cutting tool in breaking down logs. This is because their use results in less sawdust and cutting more lumber because of smaller kerfs. But if you lack correct understanding about proper bandsaw operations and maintenance, it will give you serious problems that can impact the overall process. Hence, here are some maintenance tips on how to improve the efficiency of your woodworking band saw blades.

Punching: knowing the basics of punching is very important to achieve uniform spacing and shape of saw teeth. Any machine with an automatic feed mechanism is able to do punching but it needs correct selection of the guide, die, and the punch to produce quality punching. Otherwise, if there is not enough slippage between the die and the punch, then wear is inevitable.

Tensioning: the major purpose of tensioning is to get rid of incorrect distribution of force on the blade. Most often, woodworking band saw blades are tensioned between the rollers of the machine. Several factors determine the amount of tension required such as feed rate, diameter [of the wheel, and blade thickness and width. If insufficient tensioning is in place, fluttering and pushing of the blade off the wheel will very likely to happen. Likewise, over tensioning can also cause problems such as cracks. So, you have to ensure you get the right tension level.

Straightening and leveling: these processes are intended to prevent cutting problems due to uneven surface. You can use hammers to level the surface and avoid bumps and irregularities on the blade’s surface. You may also use a special leveling machine to straighten the blade.

Swaging or spring setting: the main purpose of this step is to avoid the blade from heating up too much during the cutting process. The rule of thumb is to swag the blade to two times the thickness of the plate or the saw plus one more gauge if you are going to cut the lumber. Similarly, at the same amount mentioned, spring setting is also done to bend alternate teeth in the opposite direction.