Bandsaw blade tension

[LarryS.]

Hi all,

Got a new blade for my Axminster AWFSBB Bandsaw, however when fitted it feels too loose, and the upper wheel has been adjusted to its max extension :

The blade I had before it was very similar (and broke) so wondering if that is the problem.
Am I missing something here ? (Almost certain the blade is the right length as its come from Dragon saws)

 

[OPJ]

Hi Paul,

Couple of simple things to check first... :roll:

Is there a quick-release lever on your saw? Make sure you have it set in the "tension on" position. :wink:

Take the blade off... When you turn the knob to increase the tension, is it visibly moving the wheel upwards? I had this problem once on my saw where I untightened it too much and the threaded bar came loose.

If both of the above are okay, I suggest you give Ian a call or e-mail, he may be willing to trim 5mm off the blade length if you return it to him. I order all my blades 5mm short of the manufacturer's specified length (ie. 2240mm becomes 2235mm). This means you don't have to crank the tension up as much (less work!) and it therefore saves wear on the thread. :wink:

 

[LarryS.]

ok so I checked everything and the mechanism is fine. Ian from Dragon blades got in touch with me and offered to shorten the blade at no charge (excellent service again).

So I've had the blades back a while but only fitted it tonight, and guess what = makes no difference !! The only thing I can think is that I am expecting the blade to be tighter than it needs to be, but it does wobble slightly and just doesn't seem tight enough.

Any quick and simple way to tell if its tight enough ?


Paul

 

[OPJ]

Hi Paul. When you tension a blade, you want it tight enough so that it's not going to simple fall off the wheels. I know that may not make a lot of sense but, if you push the blade with your finger then you shouldn't be able to move it off the centre of the wheels, you should feel some resistance.

If you pluck the blade (make sure the guides aren't touching), it should make a nice note, but not a very high one... I don't know, I didn't really pay attention in music lesson at school...

Something sounds very odd though, especially when you say the tensioner is already wound up to the max! :shock: Does Ian have any other suggestions?

 

[LarryS.]

olly,

thanks for the info, think I've cracked it. I did have it done up too tight, and to test the tension I looked at the blade at the 'back' i.e. on the opposite side to the cutting point. At that point its much more obvious wha the tension of the blade is (don't ask me why, but it seems to work :? )

so have slackened it off and things seem good (touching lots of wood here)

 

[OPJ]

Nice one, Paul, glad you got it sorted. I was gonna offer to come over and have a look at some point otherwise.

You want to go careful when touching wood - if that's your computer desk then, it may actually be chipboard underneath!! :shock: