Metal-cutting bandsaw blade getting stuck in kerf

[ericher69]

Joshua;


Try the Lenox website or call their 1-800 number.

Let them know what your intended material is and they will discuss at length with you the best application for you.

Nothing to gain here from Lenox just a fan of their blades and support team

 

[David Devuono]

I use 14 tooth per inch, bi-metal and cut just about anything and work my cheapo bandsaw to the max. I have a tube of stuff like a plasterscene that I put on the blade as a lube, but don't know if it really does any good. I have an amazing collection of broken blades. Never had an issue with the blade sticking, except for when I let the band drift down onto something when the blade is stopped and the blade gets warped ......someday I am gonna try and weld those broken blades.

 

[sal64]

are you putting oil on the blade when it cuts?

 

[joshuabardwell]

are you putting oil on the blade when it cuts?

I am not. It's a dry-cut saw, and I haven't rigged up a makeshift oiler for it... although I may prioritize that, since its blade consumption rate is a bit higher than I would like.

 

[sal64]

just use a small brush and add oil while it cuts, try it see if it sticks anymore.

 

[CNC Dan]

Can you see the kerf close up as it cuts? Could you put a wedge in the kerf and see if the cut will continue.
Some metal has lots of stress in it and cutting it can unbalence the stress making it pull or twist.

 

[BukitCase]

Josh, I've had one of those for years, still use it a lot even after getting one of the big Jet saws -

One limitation of these saws is no hydraulic feed, so the tension spring does all the work of controlling down pressure.

Because of this, I always have left the saw vertical when not being used, because this stretches the spring less.

I also welded a small crank on the end of the adjuster so I can change tension quicker.

I adjust tension to near maximum when starting cuts on whatever stock I'm cutting at the time, then slowly lowering tension while cutting until I see a good stream of filings coming off the cut - this is the setting I leave til I start cutting a different profile/thickness. Doing this (or not) seems to affect blade life somewhat.

As previously posted, so does blade quality. On any given material, HF blades might get 25-40 cuts before death, Olson maybe twice or three times that, Lenox or other higher end blades 5-10 times.

Alignment also makes a big difference - the castings for blade roller guides were a bit rough on mine, can't imagine they've gotten better...

There are adjustments for blade thickness, depth, angle and un-supported length and ALL need to be optimised if you're doing close fitment on projects - Check this link out for more -

Bandsaw Blade Adjustment - Shop Floor Talk

I use a LOT of square tubing for projects, and want it square to begin with (it's hard enough to get welded things to STAY square, without having the saw fight you too)

So, my "proof of the pudding" is this - I take about a 3/16" cut off the end of a piece of tubing (after making sure the VISE is square to the blade, and marking the TOP surface of the tubing with a magic marker line) -

then I hold the square up against the new cut - the mark tells me which is the top, so I can tell which way to adjust the "tilt" of the blade guides to correct any "un-squareness" -

I may need to repeat this "cut and try" 2-3 times to get it right.

once this is dialed in, I RARELY need to repeat it even when changing blades - I might need to tweak the eccentric on blade thickness once in a while - keeping this pretty tight cuts down on blade wandering.

I don't bother with HF blades any more - Olson and Lenox are available locally, and well worth the extra cost... Steve

 

[joshuabardwell]

As previously posted, so does blade quality. On any given material, HF blades might get 25-40 cuts before death, Olson maybe twice or three times that, Lenox or other higher end blades 5-10 times. Alignment also makes a big difference - the castings for blade roller guides were a bit rough on mine, can't imagine they've gotten better...

I'm surprised there's that much difference with the higher quality blades. I'll keep that in mind, since they're only about double the price. As for alignment, I have it aligned as best I can, but there's only so much you can do with these low-end saws. The major thing that is "wrong" is that, in order to make the blade run perpendicular to the baseplate in the vertical position, I have to adjust the top guide rollers pretty far inwards. This places additional tension on the outward guide roller, but I don't know whether it should really be a deal-breaker. After all, isn't that what the guide rollers are for? I read somewhere that you should start your alignment by adjusting the top wheel so that the blade tracks properly without the guide rollers even touching it, but if I was to do that, the blade would cut perhaps five degrees out of perpendicular in the vertical position. And, anyway, the top wheel doesn't have very substantial adjustment in the HF bandsaw.

 

[jwmorris]

I will add, don't waist your time adjusting with an old worn out blade. Properly breaking in your blade helps longevity too.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

Getting stuck in kerf........

My experience has been.....
Too many teeth per inch of blade for the size material.... Usually recomend 2-3 teeth for thin stuff, fewer for thicker.
If the saw has variable speed or pulleys, too slow a band speed, most common blades in mild steel = 300 feet per minute.
Dull worn out blade.
Along with the dull, worn out blade,with too many teeth that usually equals trying to feed it too hard.
With all these things it usually will not cut strait.

Good luck