woodknots Posted October 25, 2016 Report Posted October 25, 2016 I've been making bandsaw boxes of late well total of 4. Well the other day i decided to change the steel blocks for cool blocks and put in a new zci. Then I started to cut the second round of boxes well the blade broke and it was a new blade. I fixed the broken blade and put it back on and it broke in a new spot. Is there something i might be doing wrong it can't be the new cool blocks? I thought i bought a good blade its a timber wolf. Any help would be appreciated thanks Jeff Quote
rjones Posted October 25, 2016 Report Posted October 25, 2016 Assuming the bandsaw blade is set up properly and not making contact with the new blocks, I would try a different blade to determine weather or not the broken blade was faulty. I have used timber wolf blades in the past with no issues. Quote
Lucky2 Posted October 25, 2016 Report Posted October 25, 2016 What size of blade are you using, and at what rate are you cutting? Is the blade breaking in the same location, or is it always breaking in a new spot? And what the heck is a zci? Len Quote
Dan Posted October 26, 2016 Report Posted October 26, 2016 What size of blade are you using, and at what rate are you cutting? Is the blade breaking in the same location, or is it always breaking in a new spot? And what the heck is a zci? Len Zero Clearance Insert? Maybe. I've broken my share of blades and every time it was my fault. Either the tension or one of the bearings was not set properly. Also, if your turns are too tight the blade can get hot quickly. I make sure to use the blade wax for each new cut. Quote
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted October 26, 2016 Report Posted October 26, 2016 Cool blocks are not metal so that is not the problem. What is the plate made of?? If it is metal the blade is probably catching on it because of all the turning and when you do alot of turning with a thin blade you will heat it. Are you doing the welding of the blade?? I assume you know what you are doing if you are. Sometimes the smaller blades twist and hit the blade guard. May check that. Quote
amazingkevin Posted October 26, 2016 Report Posted October 26, 2016 I've been making bandsaw boxes of late well total of 4. Well the other day i decided to change the steel blocks for cool blocks and put in a new zci. Then I started to cut the second round of boxes well the blade broke and it was a new blade. I fixed the broken blade and put it back on and it broke in a new spot. Is there something i might be doing wrong it can't be the new cool blocks? I thought i bought a good blade its a timber wolf. Any help would be appreciated thanks Jeff there's so many adjustments on a band saw i give up trying to get it right myself Quote
woodknots Posted October 26, 2016 Author Report Posted October 26, 2016 Ok it is zero clearance but its wider than the blade. I'm using a timberwolf 1/8" blade and the curves were non existing really. Here are a few pics one is the zci and one is of the first cut i made before the blade broke and the one with the writing is and as were the blade broke both times. As stated in original post i repaired the blade and it broke again in different place. I always use blade wax. Quote
woodknots Posted October 26, 2016 Author Report Posted October 26, 2016 Cool blocks are not metal so that is not the problem. What is the plate made of?? If it is metal the blade is probably catching on it because of all the turning and when you do alot of turning with a thin blade you will heat it. Are you doing the welding of the blade?? I assume you know what you are doing if you are. Sometimes the smaller blades twist and hit the blade guard. May check that. I am the one repairing the blade I bought a wood river bandsaw brazing kit a few years back. I have fixed about 10 or so blades in that time frame with no issues it's saved me time and money as well. If the repaired blade breaks again 9 out of 10 times it breaks in new location. I bought it to repair blades on my 10" delta a picked up at a yard sale it broke blades like crazy. Quote
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted October 26, 2016 Report Posted October 26, 2016 This is hard to diagnose because you have been doing this for awhile according to you. You should know the ins and outs of what you can do and not do. 1/8" blade is fragile. You have to let the blade do the cutting and not force things. It has to be a well tuned bandsaw. I like to use the Carter bearing system for small blades such as that. You need to keep your supports as low as possible and yet be able to spin the material. I like to take a small file and round the backs of the blade slightly like we sometimes do with scrollsaw blades to prevent binding. Many times wood has internal stress and when cutting with such a thin blade the kerf will close and clamp around the blade. If we are not cutting continuously this could cause a problem. Not much more I can say. You may have gotten a bad blade. Might want to talk to the company. Maybe they can suggest a better blade for what you are doing. So many different blades out there today. Good luck Quote
Lucky2 Posted October 27, 2016 Report Posted October 27, 2016 Jeff, even though you've been doing it for a while, I think the problem is that a 1/8" blade is just to fine of a blade. It is recommended that a person use a 3/16" blade for this type of work, is there a reason for using the 1/8" blade? When I cut bandsaw boxes, I use two different blades. For the longer straight cuts (mostly exterior) I use a 1/4" blade, then I change over to a 3/16" blade to do the rest of the work. Len Jim Finn 1 Quote
woodknots Posted October 27, 2016 Author Report Posted October 27, 2016 Jeff, even though you've been doing it for a while, I think the problem is that a 1/8" blade is just to fine of a blade. It is recommended that a person use a 3/16" blade for this type of work, is there a reason for using the 1/8" blade? When I cut bandsaw boxes, I use two different blades. For the longer straight cuts (mostly exterior) I use a 1/4" blade, then I change over to a 3/16" blade to do the rest of the work. Len I only stated doing this for awhile was repairing the blades on my 10" bandsaw that i made name type key chains. The key chains is about all I've done on a bandsaw until my wife found this ridgid at a yard sale. As for using the 1/8" blade I figured for making tight turns it would be better. I think I found the problem the dust collector connector that is on the bottom door had teeth marks on it so it might have got caught on it along with the tension. I repaired the blade a second time and after doing the flutter test recommended by timberwolf for the tension setting and it cut fine. I also ordered a 3/16" blade that came in yesterday and put it on and it works good. Quote
woodknots Posted October 27, 2016 Author Report Posted October 27, 2016 Thanks to all of you for your advice I think I've got it fixed. Quote
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