There are a lot of different types of guides you can use for your bandsaw, but from our research we have found that greasable band saw blade roller guides seem to be the best. It has a very hard and tough outer shelling that can roll against the band saw blade. On the inside, it has two bearings that have a half inch diameter hole so it fits perfectly on a half inch arbor shaft. It’s recommended that you use these, and grease them a couple times during the day, this if of course if they are going to be used all day long.

There are some bandsaw blade guides you can buy which simply are not greasable. We strongly recommend against these because you won’t get nearly as long of life when using them. Even if you can find them cheaper, in the long run you will be spending more by constantly replacing them. It’s also important because whenever a bearing goes out it will lock up, and after about half a minute of the band saw blade rubbing the same spot it will create a flat spot to develop and the roller will cease to become useful.

When you do grease the guide you will want to grease it around the middle and end of day, and it’s very crucial that you grease towards the end of the day because after a days worth of use the rollers will become their hottest and this is when they can get damaged. Once you stop cutting they will actually draw lubricant into the baring. If you let it sit there the pitting of rust on the bearing will dillute the grease and it won’t be properly lubicrated the next time you use it.

Another important thing to take into consideration is that you take good care of the guides and grind each one as perfectly as you can. When you grind the guides it’s going to ensure that there will not be any vibration coming from it and therefore transferring over to the blade. Even if your roller is out of round, even ever so slightly, it can cause your blades to break prematurely. The vibration is a major cause of breakage, but also when the roller guide is out of round it will create a hammering effect and curve the bandsaw blade, which is no good.

The backs of the roller guides for your band saw blade will have a flange on the back, which is actually part of the hard shell. Since this flange turns together, it can’t get a groove worn into it. You can find some guides that will have a backup bearing, but these can get one spot that rubs up against the bearing and will wear a groove into it.

Ultimately there are a lot of precautions you should take when dealing with these, just like many things associated with bandsaw blades. Just make sure you do your research or talk to a professional before you delve into anything you are quite sure about. Doing so without the proper steps can cause damage to your equipment or yourself.

- The material that you want your band saw blade made from. This varies from Hardback, Flexback, Bi-Metal, etc)
- The exact length of the blade. Estimates are not usually allowed.
- The exact width of the blade. Again, no estimates.
- The tooth pitch desired on the blade. This is how many teeth will be on the blade, measured by inch.

Typically the tooth pitch amount or style will affect the price of the band saw blade. The type of material, width and length of the blade usually does however.

The first thing you need to do is find out the exact dimensions that are required by the machine. You can find these in the manual that came with the machine, or any user records that are available from the machine. You will find them in the format of Length x Width X Thickness.

Then decide what you will actually be using, cutting, dealing with, as far as materials. This can determine what type of material you will need or want for your new band saw blade. The hardness, shape, size and grade of quality will all be factors. Also, if you are dealing with bundled or single material will make a big difference. For example, if you relay all your specs to the manufacturer but fail to mention you will be cutting multiple pieces of this material they might not make the band saw blade you actually need for such jobs.

Then figure out what you need as far as performance. Is the speed of the current job more important than that life of the band saw blade? Do you have time sensitive jobs that you need done immediately, or will this be cutting with the blades you can do off and on?

Figuring out the TPI, which stands for Teeth Per Inch is crucial. When you do make the decision on what TPI you need, there are certain things you will need to factor in. The shape, dimensions and material will all be factors. Don’t forget that material can also have a finish on it which may or may not make a difference in the cutting.

Remember a few important things regarding the teeth per inch.

- The finer the TPI is, the longer the blade will last.
- If you are going to be cutting bundles, you should select a coarser TPI than you would for single units of material.
- If you don’t pick the right TPI from the beginning, you will shorten the length of your blade’s life significantly.
- Using a finer TPI will give you an overall better finish on your blade.

If you follow these basic guidelines you should be able to find a good band saw blades for your needs. If you are unfamiliar with band saw blades, or if this is all new to you, you might want to have someone more familiar with this, or a professional to assist you in selecting the appropriate blade.

1. First, put the pulleys/wheels in their working position on your saw.
2. Determine the distance from the center of the hub on the upper and lower wheels.
3. Determine the radius of the upper and lower wheels.
4. se the following formula: (R1 x 3.1416) + (R2 x 3.146) + (2 x C) = length.

If you have any questions you should contact the manufacturer of the saw or band saw blades to make sure.

1. First things first, you should always make sure that your saw is not only off, but unplugged.
2. Then you should loosen the tension in the upper wheel of the saw.
3. Back off all the blades then slip on the new band saw blade around the wheels and then set it to the correct tension.
4. When you have the tension on enough to keep the band saw blade on, track it by slowly turning the upper wheel with one hand, while you adjust the tilt of the wheel’s axis with your other hand. The band saw blade should be riding right about in the middle of the rim of the wheel.
5. Then you will need to adjust the blade guides. You should adjust the thrust bearings first, then the upper, lower and finally the left-hand side guides.
6. You can use the square to make sure you’re not moving the band saw blade out of line.
7. Place a small piece of white or light-colored paper between the band saw blade guide which will allow for the proper amount of clearance.

You should never track the band saw blade back with the motor running and the cover being open.

]]> http://theunforgivingblade.com/how-do-i-install-my-band-saw-blade/feed/ 0 http://theunforgivingblade.com/what-width-should-i-use-for-my-band-saw-blade/ http://theunforgivingblade.com/what-width-should-i-use-for-my-band-saw-blade/#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:02:41 +0000 admin http://theunforgivingblade.com/?p=5 A Band Saw Blades width is measured from the tips of the teeth of the blade, to the back of the edge of the blade.

If your band saw does have not have specifications set out, or available for you to refer to, then these basic guidelines should be followed when figuring out what band saw blade width you should use.

Blade width is measured from the tips of the teeth to the back edge of the blade as shown above.

The instructions for the particular machine being used should help you when selecting blade width.

Cut-Off Sawing:

If you are going to be doing Cut-Off sawing, then the blade should be as wide as the machine allows, because the wider the band saw blade is, the more straight the cut will end up being.

Also, it will allow for faster feeding which is always nice.

Contour Sawing:

If you will be doing Countour Sawing with your band saw blades, then the blade should be as wide as it can be.

It should however, still be narrow enough so that you have enough control over it so you can get the exact shape/radius you need.

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