Port-A-Band not working

Fish30114

Fish30114

Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Messages
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I have a milwaukee port-a-band saw--the one that SWAG offroad recommends, and it has done well cutting out my profiles for about 60 blades. The last one I was working on it just seemed it would not cut anymore--I figured the blade was shot so I changed it to another of the same blades I had been using all along-this time it was a bitch to get it changed, when I through the lever to let the blade slacken, it was still damn near impossible to get the new blade onto the wheels of the saw--long story short after a lot of manipulation I got it mounted, ut when I went to cut the profile out of the steel I was working with, It just wouldn't cut--even though it was a brand new blade---I decided to change blades again--I will admit I'm not very knowledgeable about blades, but I purchase several back ups with different teeth counts when I bought the saw, so I put a new blade on that had more teeth per inch-not sure how many it had, but it was also brutal to get onto the saw, and it wouldn't cut worth a damn either. I am looking for advice on what I may be doing wrong-and what I may have done to make the blades so damn tight this time, also what blade do ya'll recommend for the port-a-band saws for blank cutting. I am so frustrated, that I also am curious what band saw ya'll would recommend and what blades for it if I need to start anew.

Any info/advice is appreciated---Thanks--Don
 
Could Someone have flipped your blades inside out to screw with you? Or sometimes the rubbers get worn or loaded with shavings and dust so they don't grip the blade. I've had luck removing and cleaning the rubbers. Sometimes I'll swap them so the drive wheel has the rubber from the floating one. Hope this helps
 
Quick question. What happens when you cut? Does the blade lock/stop? Or is it just tougher than normal to put through? I'd seen the lever for the slack strip and it actually won't unlock. When it acts like it is. If the blade is stopping then I'd say you may have damage to the rubber grip. Or possibly "junk" got in between the bearings on the wheels. Those thing are worm gear driven. And tough as hell. My bet is it's something to do with the bearings or wheel assemblies. That is as long as the motor is running. Last thought is... And I don't mean to imply anything.. But check the orientation of the teeth. And make sure it's moving in the right direction.

I hate that kinda frustrating stuff. It drives me crazy. Good luck!!

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
 
Well in a nutshell it just seems that the blade won't cut, it is moving fine and a full speed I'm pretty sure, I don't know how else the blade could be mounted--you know they are a loop and the teeth have to face one way--such that you are pushing into the teeth as they are moving--the 'tires' if you will are still in good shape, the 'guide' wheels seem fine, I don't really know what you would do to tweak them? I have cut many Farriers rasps, that's what this one I'm working on is, and I annealed it the same as I always do--it sat in the oven at 400 F for an hour twice, cooled down to room temp in between, and this has always been sufficient in the past--perhaps there's something funky with this piece of steel, that's the only thing I can think of that may be off. What blades do you guys use in your port-a-bands?
 
I take the blades home from work. They are usually Milwaukee or dewalt brand never really pay attention to tooth count. If the steel is hard the blades will dull very fast. I cut some hastelloy that eats blades like nothing.
 
-it sat in the oven at 400 F for an hour twice,
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I don't think that will anneal your file - try taking the file up to around 1400F (dull red) then let cool slowly. If you other files have allowed you to cut easy on porta-band with only tempering at 400F, they were not very hard to start.

Ken
 
Fish, May I jump in here. I don't claim to be an expert on machinery but I have been making knives for 9 years and I own a Milwaukee Portaband in a SWAG table and I love it. I have tried a lot of blades. Morse and Milwaukee brands suck in my opinion. I only use Starrett and Lennox now . The Starrett blades are variable pitch 14-18m teeth per inch and the Lennox are 14-16 TPI blades for metal. I have been told by machinists that you should start gentle with a new blade and not to put much pressure on them at first. I thought this might be bull but I have heard it twice now. I use a little spray of water mixed with a product called "Kool tool" or "Cool Tool" which machinists use to keep their mills cool and cutting. The only problem I have had with my Milwaukee is that the rubbers on the wheels will crack at the edges after less than a year and I live in sunny So. California so I keep a couple spares in my shop. Also, sometimes I have trouble changing the blades and other times it goes right on. That is my complete knowledge of the subject. I cut a lot of stainless and it's slow also. Maybe others will chime in with their recommendations. Larry
 
Your symptoms are very odd ! Decades of using Milw. Portabands. Never a problem changing blade.
Release the tension lever, blades nearly fall off & just as easy to re-fit.

"Not cutting" can only be. Material too hard, teeth very dull or teeth pointing wrong way. Simple as that.
 
You know what on some saws if you bottom the tensioner lever out for blade removal it will expand again after wheels are fully retracted. There is a sweet spot in between where the wheels are as close as they will get.
 
Looking at the point where the blade makes contact with what you are cutting are the teeth on the blade pointed up or down ? if they point up that would be the problem , if they point down the problem is something else. If the teeth point up just take the blade off and flip it inside out and reinstall.
 
When I was working as a machinist and had to replace the bandsaw blade I was taught to "Set" the teeth by going extra slow on a new blade that is the key to longevity on the blade. I have a Milwaukee Portaband an have used Lennox and Starrett blades and I now use only Starrett 14-18tpi they out last every thing else I've tried.

Try cutting simple carbon steel and check tooth direction...file may not be annealed soft enough.
 
FWIW, bandsaw blades can get "inverted" where the teeth are pointing the wrong direction. This happens a lot more easily on longer blades that are coiled up. Sometime when uncoiling them, they get flipped. You just have to roll the blade over and flip it the right direction. That said, I doubt your porta-band blade did this, though I would double check that the teeth are pointed down and not up.

I'm thinking that your file is just too hard still. I really wouldn't think that a 400F temper on a full hard file would quite be enough to get it cutting on a bandsaw. Yes, it will take some of the brittleness out, but it will still be like trying to cut through a hardened blade. You want a full anneal, not a temper.

Try putting a new blade on and cutting some known soft material like mild steel. I would also suggest following the "blade break in" advice above. Start your saw at the slowest speed and make a few "low pressure", slow cuts with some mild steel stock. This will extend the life of your blades considerably vs just hogging away at material right out of the box.

On my shorter portaband blades especially, I'll also sometimes put a couple drops of cutting oil on the OUTSIDE of the blade while I'm cutting. If you put it on the inside that touches the tires, it may slip on you, but I've found that a couple drops here and there on the outer part of the blade does help keep the blade cooler and cutting better. Use sparingly though.
 
Also, you should be able to look at your teeth, or even feel them (with the saw off of course) and see if they are rounded or sheared off. If you can take a good close up pic of the teeth, we can likely confirm as well.
 
Another good Lubricant is a Dry Lube "BOELUBE" comes in a stick about 4" long and inch and a half diameter not as messy as oils. I use it on my End Mills as well as some light drilling and metal cutting.
 
Hey folks, Ya'll are coming with many fixes and cures, but how many of ya'll can saw a file with your porta-band before it's annealed? I'd wager not many will cut a hard file, and heating at only 400ºF is NOT going to anneal that file. Am I on the wrong track here?
 
Ken H> said:
Hey folks, Ya'll are coming with many fixes and cures, but how many of ya'll can saw a file with your porta-band before it's annealed? I'd wager not many will cut a hard file, and heating at only 400ºF is NOT going to anneal that file. Am I on the wrong track here?
Click to expand...

I agree, and that's the first thing that came to mind when I read the first couple of posts. Looking at the teeth should be the quickest way to diagnose the issue. If Don could take a nice macro/close up shot of the teeth, I imagine that would be a sure sign of the issue.

Also, if you see any discoloration on the blade, or any sparks or red spots while cutting, that's a dead giveaway that you're cutting too hard of a material.
 
I want to know why you had a hard time changing the blade with the slack lever down , to start , sounds like you got the wrong size blades .
 
Folks, I appreciate all the feedback sincerely, first off to answer a few questions--There are not any sparks when cutting-attempting to cut. All these blades came in wired together in the same orientation and are tooth pointed down. I have cut several other rasps of the same make with the same 'annealing process' and the cut up easily. As to the hard to change part of my question, I am baffled, I found that there is a most slack position for the tension lever, and I have my saw set there when I am attempting to change these blades--they all were purchased at the same time-when I bought the saw, so I am assuming they are the right size--I don't really know how to check this--I'm open to suggestions, I will say that I was able to get a few of them onto the saw, but they were extremely tight when I closed the tension lever, that's for sure. I'm going to keep on working on things, I liked the saw when it was cutting!

Another question to those with the swag table, I have had my saw pop off of the table even with the forward 'anchor' screw tightened down, my table has a very small lip that slides into the saw itself, probably along the order of less than a 1/16" that slips into the cavity in the saw--is this normal--Thanks for all the help folks--Don
 
Busto said:
Another good Lubricant is a Dry Lube "BOELUBE" comes in a stick about 4" long and inch and a half diameter not as messy as oils. I use it on my End Mills as well as some light drilling and metal cutting.
Click to expand...

Boelube is amazing stuff for tapping too. I love it.
 
Fish have you checked hardness of that rasp with a file? They're still going to be high 50s or even 60 RC of they're anything like metal files

Tempering it at 400
 
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