Did you know that 80% of blade failure is not due to the saw blade itself? If you notice there is a section of your band saw blade with an area of very dull or missing teeth take a look at the possible causes and resolutions listed below:
Too many teeth are in the cut causing the gullets to overfill
Use a coarser tooth pitch
Too few teeth in the cut
Use a finer tooth pitch
Over penetration of teeth, causing gullets to overfill
Increase blade speed or decrease feed rate
Chips are being carried back into the cut
Adjust or replace the chip brush
Parts aren’t held securely
Use a bundle clamp or tack weld stock ends
Erratic hydraulic system
1. Check for air in the system 2. Check for low oil
Belts slip under a load
1. Check belt tension. 2. Replace belts if necessary.
If you are experiencing other problems with your blade such as: gullet cracks, weld breakage, or chip welding take a look at the "Problems and Solutions" section of our Web Site: www.detroitbandaw.com
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Blade Break-In; Why it's important!
Have you ever compared your band saw blade to a freshly sharpened pencil? Let me tell you why you should. If you try to apply too much pressure to a freshly sharpened pencil tip it's probably going to break; a band saw tooth reacts the same way. Breaking in or "honing" your band saw teeth will result in longer blade life. Band speed is not what breaks down the tooth tip during the honing process, feed pressure is. To properly break in your band saw blade, reduce your feed rate by 50% for 25 sq. inches then gradually increase your feed to the normal rate. For more tips and troubleshooting help take a look at our Resource Information Library: www.detroitbandsaw.com/store.asp?pid=31009&catid=19886
Lets cut,
Joe Bandsaw
Lets cut,
Joe Bandsaw
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Hyd-mech S20p
I am very excited to share that our first saw purchased through an auction was a complete success! In very little time were were able to: purchase a used Hyd-Mech S-20p, fine tune it to run like new, and ship it out the door. Our customer needed a saw ASAP, we provided it. We know times are still tough and new band saws don't always fit into the company budget. Our niche at Detroit Band Saw is to create solutions to help our customers become as efficient as possible. We have the skill, the knowledge, and the options to make that happen. If we can be of any assistance give us a call 877-421-3636. Not ready to make the call? Check us out: www.detroitbandsaw.com
Lets Cut!
-Joe Bandsaw
Lets Cut!
-Joe Bandsaw
Friday, December 10, 2010
Proper tooth pattern for faster cutting
One of my customers recently contacted me for assistance in improving their steel cutting production rates. They had run up against a wall in trying to get faster cut times for some large bundles of angle, i-beam, and c-channel. Their saw was running smoothly, but the cut times were way too slow for their manufacturing demands.
I made an on-site visit to get first hand look at what was going on. They were cutting a 12" x 12" bundle of c-channel, approximatley 40 pieces in the bundle, and it was taking about 50 minutes to make the cut. That was a metal removal rate of 1.38 sq. inches per minute! No wonder they were panicked! They should be cutting around 7-10 square inches per minute!
Ok, what was the problem then....well, it all came down to proper tooth selection. They had never cut those large bundles of steel before, they were used to cutting one and two pieces at a time. When they went to a larger cross section of material, they never changed the tooth pattern. They basically had about 60 teeth in the workpiece at one time- 3x too many. I brought them a much more aggressive tooth pattern, broke the blade in for one cut, then i proceeded to cut that same bundle in 9 minutes! 50 minutes to 9 minutes- ya think they love me or what!? If you want me to improve your cutting rates, improve your production output, or help with your band saw blade life, look me up at www.detroitbandsaw.com
Stay warm,
Joe Bandsaw
I made an on-site visit to get first hand look at what was going on. They were cutting a 12" x 12" bundle of c-channel, approximatley 40 pieces in the bundle, and it was taking about 50 minutes to make the cut. That was a metal removal rate of 1.38 sq. inches per minute! No wonder they were panicked! They should be cutting around 7-10 square inches per minute!
Ok, what was the problem then....well, it all came down to proper tooth selection. They had never cut those large bundles of steel before, they were used to cutting one and two pieces at a time. When they went to a larger cross section of material, they never changed the tooth pattern. They basically had about 60 teeth in the workpiece at one time- 3x too many. I brought them a much more aggressive tooth pattern, broke the blade in for one cut, then i proceeded to cut that same bundle in 9 minutes! 50 minutes to 9 minutes- ya think they love me or what!? If you want me to improve your cutting rates, improve your production output, or help with your band saw blade life, look me up at www.detroitbandsaw.com
Stay warm,
Joe Bandsaw
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Using a wood saw to cut metal
Too often, a homeowner or hobbiest tries to cut metal with the wood cutting bandsaw they have. Woodworking saws typically run much faster than metalworking saws, and bimetal blades have issues when they are run too fast. Here is a perfect example of a recent situation from a future customer named Dennis:
Joe,
My saw is a Craftsman 12” band saw. It has a 1725 rpm motor. The motor pulley is a 2-1/2” dia. and the machines pulley is a 5” dia. The saw blade mounts on two 12-1/2” wheels.
The saw is mainly used for wood but on occasion I cut metal. The heaviest I’ve cut is ½” thick stainless, but that’s very rare. Usually it’s just like 1/8” steel and nickel plated steel.
When I cut the stainless, I don’t force it, I take my time.
Of course my son has used it too, so you know how that goes.
So, was the blade I was using from McMaster Carr the right one? Bimetal 6’8”L., ½” wide, .025” thk., 10-14 Tpi.
Thanks for your help,
Dennis
Yes and no. I would recommend our M42 dieband blade over the blade McMaster Carr has sold you, but yes you were using a bimetal blade and that would be the right blade. However, I think your saw is running too fast for cutting stainless and that is part of the problem you are having. I do not know for sure the speed in feet per minute based on your response, but stainless should be cut at around 100 surface feet per minute. My guess is you are cutting at a wood cutting speed, and burning up the blades prematurely.
You are probably right about the wood cutting speed. Is your M42 a better blade then the bimetal I was using? If worst comes to worst, I can change drive pulleys to metal cutting speeds and that shouldn’t really bother the wood cutting.
What do you think?
Dennis
Yes, it has a harder tooth. About 69 rockwell. If you can slow it down, it will last longer Dennis. Make a mark on the blade and count how many times it goes around in one minute. Multiply that by the length and that will give you a ballpark of how fast you are going – feet per minute. Shoot for 100 f.p.m. for stainless, 250-300 for mild steel. The harder it is, the slower you need to go. Also the cut ease lubrication stick would help as well.
Let me know if we can help you.
According to the site I sent you for calculating SFPM, my saw runs at 2,821. A little fast to say the least.
As you can see above, the reason for his inablility to cut stainless had nothing to do with the blade, but everything to do with the saw. For a complete line of metal and wood cutting bandsaws, visit www.detroitbandsaw.com
We are here to help, thank you for looking!
Joe Bandsaw
Joe,
My saw is a Craftsman 12” band saw. It has a 1725 rpm motor. The motor pulley is a 2-1/2” dia. and the machines pulley is a 5” dia. The saw blade mounts on two 12-1/2” wheels.
The saw is mainly used for wood but on occasion I cut metal. The heaviest I’ve cut is ½” thick stainless, but that’s very rare. Usually it’s just like 1/8” steel and nickel plated steel.
When I cut the stainless, I don’t force it, I take my time.
Of course my son has used it too, so you know how that goes.
So, was the blade I was using from McMaster Carr the right one? Bimetal 6’8”L., ½” wide, .025” thk., 10-14 Tpi.
Thanks for your help,
Dennis
Yes and no. I would recommend our M42 dieband blade over the blade McMaster Carr has sold you, but yes you were using a bimetal blade and that would be the right blade. However, I think your saw is running too fast for cutting stainless and that is part of the problem you are having. I do not know for sure the speed in feet per minute based on your response, but stainless should be cut at around 100 surface feet per minute. My guess is you are cutting at a wood cutting speed, and burning up the blades prematurely.
You are probably right about the wood cutting speed. Is your M42 a better blade then the bimetal I was using? If worst comes to worst, I can change drive pulleys to metal cutting speeds and that shouldn’t really bother the wood cutting.
What do you think?
Dennis
Yes, it has a harder tooth. About 69 rockwell. If you can slow it down, it will last longer Dennis. Make a mark on the blade and count how many times it goes around in one minute. Multiply that by the length and that will give you a ballpark of how fast you are going – feet per minute. Shoot for 100 f.p.m. for stainless, 250-300 for mild steel. The harder it is, the slower you need to go. Also the cut ease lubrication stick would help as well.
Let me know if we can help you.
According to the site I sent you for calculating SFPM, my saw runs at 2,821. A little fast to say the least.
As you can see above, the reason for his inablility to cut stainless had nothing to do with the blade, but everything to do with the saw. For a complete line of metal and wood cutting bandsaws, visit www.detroitbandsaw.com
We are here to help, thank you for looking!
Joe Bandsaw
Monday, May 3, 2010
Cutting Stainless Steel at incredible speeds!
I have a band saw blade that will literally cut hard materials at a rate you have never seen! In fact this bi-metal bandsaw blade just outperformed a carbide tipped bandsaw blade. When I say outperformed, I mean it cut FASTER than carbide!
Normal rates when cutting stainless steel using bimetal: 1-2 square inches per minute.
Normal rates when cutting stainless steel using carbide: 4 square inches per minute.
Rates when cutting stainless steel using new blade: 5 square inches per minute!
Now, why am I so excited about this you ask? The new optimized bimetal blade I speak of costs HALF AS MUCH as the carbide tipped blade! Not to mention, I can and did cut faster than 5 square inches per minute, but I want the blade to last as long as I can.
I can help you cut 8.5" rounds of stainless steel in 11 minutes. I can help you cut ANYTHING that is hard to cut, or you need to cut faster. Not only will I increase your production, I will save you lots of $$$$$.
Call me
- Joe Bandsaw
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Sawing Fluid for cold weather
As spring approaches and the weather starts to improve, I am a bit puzzled by the increased interest in sawing fluid for cold weather. Either we have a lot of customers who are preparing well in advance for the next winter, or we have many customers that weren't prepared for last winter! Either way, I have a solution to keep your coolant from freezing. Not only are a lot of people out there that have a band saw in a barn, or unheated shop - but many steel yards have saws or saw shacks set up in the middle of their lots where their steel is stored. Instead of moving the material into the facility to be cut - they just cut it where it sits. The biggest problem with that is..... how can you keep your coolant from freezing in the winter?
HURRAY!! I have the solution for you. You need to purchase Koldspot. You DO NOT mix it, just pour it into your saw and use as your cutting lubricant. It can withstand cold temperatures up to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It is specifically designed for cold weather. And I hope you dont need it for many months to come....!
-Joe Bandsaw
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