Bandsaw question.

L6steel

L6steel

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
Messages
5,855
Would a bandsaw with a 118" long blade cut more efficiently than one with a 59" blade if they were the same in every other way?
The reason I ask this I was in the shop today and thinking about what Kit said in the chat room last night about cutting out 41 sets of liners yesterday. Man, I would be thrilled to get 1/4th of that out put in one day, lol. That made me wonder if maybe I could pep my bandsaw up a little. It started out as the usual HF horizontal model but I took the working parts off and bolted them to a frame I made out of 2" square tube and 1/4" plate and turned it into an upright model. Looked at it today and thought it would be simple enough to replace the section of 2" tubing with a longer piece and just buy longer blades if that would make cutting liners and such more efficient. I know the blade wouldn't actually cut faster but it just seems like over all you'd get more done with a longer blade. Make any sense??
 
Yes it does and I agree with your idea. Same general idea as using 72 vs 48 inch belts. Presumably the price of the longer blade is similar?

Dave
 
Longer has more teeth, means each one has less work to do so the blade stays sharp longer. Probably doesn't heat up as quickly either.
 
Thanks guys!!
I think I'm gonna give it a try.
I'll look around and find out what length blades are out there and make my saw the right size for the most available blade. It sure would be nice to take some of the tedium out of that part of the knife making process!

Darren, click on this link and download the IRC program.
Click on IRC and then on Perform. Put a check mark in the box "On connect, Perform these commands" Then type /join #Bladeforums.com in the box.
Then click on File, then Options, then connect and a scroll window will come down. Choose Random Newnet and then click on Connect.
This will connect you to the IRC network the BFC chat room is on and send you to the BFC chat room. The next time you open the IRC program it will do this automatically.
The room is usually active from around 8pm to 1am Central time.
Cya there soon!
 
BTW, Harbor Freight has the 4x6 bandsaw on sale right now, $149 until February 2 IIRC. I'll be picking mine up this weekend :D .
 
I've been using the same dull blade for several years to friction cut Ti liners on my band saw. I run it wide open, top speed, and the blade doesn't wear noticeably. 'Course, it won't cut anything else, though, because the tooth set is gone. :rolleyes:

To cut anything else, I change the blade and reduce the speed.

I don't believe your horiz/vertical HF saw has enough speed for that though, Michael. :(

And, the short blade length may overheat. I use a 105" long blade on my Wilton vertical wood/metal cutting band saw.

I have an old vert./horiz. saw like yours, too, that I use for cutoff.
 
Have you been using high quality blades? I had some cobalt bi-metal blades and they last a long long time if you dont abuse them. Also if your rebuilding your saw, a coolant system will speed up your cuts and lengthen blade life substantially, not to mention the benefits to your fingers.
 
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