Lard
Established Member
Here’s my penny worth…..many years ago I bought my first bandsaw (small bench top version), did some setup research and proceeded to use it……snapped 2 blades within days. Being my first experience of using a bandsaw it scared the shyte out of me (the unexpected ‘bang’ etc).
Did a lot of online reading and, funnily enough, ended up joining this forum simply to ask the exact same question as the OP. Based on the advice I was given, I ended up both increasing the tension and being introduced to Tuffsaws, from whom I bought 3 new blades.
However, the problem did not go away and I very quickly snapped the 3 blades and, similarly again to the OP, it was again suggested that my tension still wasn’t high enough.
Got to the point where I was afraid to use the machine as the tension was that high that when it ‘went’….boy, you‘d feel your heart in your chest!.
As a last resort (I seriously thought about selling the machine) I sought out a local wood turning group for help. The instructor gave me a wealth of ‘over the phone‘ basic advice but the results didn’t change. In desperation I persuaded him to come out and have a look at the machine.
The VERY first thing he said was something like “bl**dy ****! you have way TOO MUCH tension on the blade“. He slackened it off to a level that was somewhat completely opposite to the amount I had. He reset the wheel and the guides and proceeded to give me a lesson….one in which had me wincing at the tightness of the curves he had me cutting (bear in mind I’d lost all confidence at this point)….he showed me/proved to me that in a worse case I would only STOP the blade and not snap it.
Long story short…..YEARS later I’ve only snapped two more and that was, I believe, simply due to fatigue.
Obviously blade tension is important and I still read about ’increasing it’ advice…..however, in my own case/experience the problem was solved by doing the opposite.
Did a lot of online reading and, funnily enough, ended up joining this forum simply to ask the exact same question as the OP. Based on the advice I was given, I ended up both increasing the tension and being introduced to Tuffsaws, from whom I bought 3 new blades.
However, the problem did not go away and I very quickly snapped the 3 blades and, similarly again to the OP, it was again suggested that my tension still wasn’t high enough.
Got to the point where I was afraid to use the machine as the tension was that high that when it ‘went’….boy, you‘d feel your heart in your chest!.
As a last resort (I seriously thought about selling the machine) I sought out a local wood turning group for help. The instructor gave me a wealth of ‘over the phone‘ basic advice but the results didn’t change. In desperation I persuaded him to come out and have a look at the machine.
The VERY first thing he said was something like “bl**dy ****! you have way TOO MUCH tension on the blade“. He slackened it off to a level that was somewhat completely opposite to the amount I had. He reset the wheel and the guides and proceeded to give me a lesson….one in which had me wincing at the tightness of the curves he had me cutting (bear in mind I’d lost all confidence at this point)….he showed me/proved to me that in a worse case I would only STOP the blade and not snap it.
Long story short…..YEARS later I’ve only snapped two more and that was, I believe, simply due to fatigue.
Obviously blade tension is important and I still read about ’increasing it’ advice…..however, in my own case/experience the problem was solved by doing the opposite.