band tension on startrite 351E

[kityuser]

I always slacken off the tension on my bandsaw after a days work in the workshop.
Maybe its a bit OCD, but it gives me a warm feeling knowing that I`ve not left the saw tensed up over night.

Does everyone else do the same? has anyone actually seen damage caused by not releasing the tension for long pperiods? a stretched band perhaps?

Steve

 

[paulm]

I have the same model Steve and have never got into the habit I'm afraid, although it is supposed to be good practice.

My worry would be that the rubber wheel covering flattens a bit where the blade remains stationary and under tension, but no signs of any such problem after quite a few years.

Not sure the blade itself is a concern ? Anyway, I soon go through the blades when doing any amount of resawing so they get replaced quite regularly anyway.

Cheers, Paul

 

[OPJ]

Until recently I was well in to the habit of releasing the tension on my machine whenever I came to a period of a couple of days where I wouldn't be using it. I don't see the point in doing it every night if I know I'm going to be using it the next day (I am self-diagnosed with OCD, by the way. )

I've read comments from other people who suggested that this practice is actually bad for the blades themselves. I've had a couple of 'unexplained' breakages on the weld and I'm trying to see now if leaving it tensioning until I change the blade will have an effect. Saying that though, I do use my saw fairly regularly, even if it's for less than five minutes on certain days.

 

[iajon69]

Perhaps I shouldn't say this but I never release the tension on a blade
When I'm cutting some thick stock then I might increase the tension a bit but generally the tension stays the same until the blade is changed

I do tell everyone that it's good practice to release the tension on the blade and the manufacturers recommend that this is done but in reality I find it a pain and once a blade is set up, when I want to use the bandsaw I just want to go straight to it and use it and not have to set the tension again!

Never noticed any problems caused by working this way and sometimes the bandsaw has sat there for over a week without being used and I've still kept the tension the same.

As a bit of a side note - of all the people that I know with metal cutting bandsaws, I can't think of one that releases the tension when the bandsaw is not in use!

Ian