Bandsaw struggling

[wallace]

Hi all I have a wadkin DR 30" which is 5hp ran from a static converter. I am trying to rip some 9" thick Victorian pine joists into floor boards for my workshop. I have a new sabre cut 3tpi from tuffsaws. My saw is struggling and progress is not as quick as I thought it would be. If I push remotely quickish my saw bogs down and starts to stall. The static is at its max and if I push too hard the boost comes on and you can tell its struggling. I know I'm not getting the full hp of the saw because of the static, I have a biggish motor idling to help balance the 3 phase supply better. The moisture content of the wood around 25%. Any ideas? I have contacted Ian to ask him his thoughts.

 

[heatherw]

Hmm, you couldn't have hit a nail at the beginning of the cut, could you? That happened to me the other day, ruined a nearly new blade., and it took me a while to figure out what had happened. (Which reminds me, I need to order another one.)

Another thought. When we used to resaw old joists or any resiny pine we found it useful to have a jar of diesel with a brush handy and regularly anoint the blade as it was going into the cut. It lubricated the blade in the wood and stopped it getting clogged up with resin. That was an ancient bandsaw that had wooden shop made blade guards.

 

[Bod]

Blade is fitted the correct way round?

Basic question I know, but it's not unknown.

Bod

 

[markslathe]

Blade is fitted the correct way round?

Basic question I know, but it's not unknown.

Bod

Hi Bod,sorry to jump in mate,im new to the scene and wonder how you get a blade the wrong way round,im asking because i have 2 blades coming soon and it is my first attempt at putting one on the band saw,i don't want to get it wrong,how do you know which is the right way? sorry for the dumb question.

Mark

 

[RogerP]

Blade teeth towards you and pointing downwards.

 

[blackrodd]

Some of these "pines" can be quite sticky, Maybe you ought to have the superfast cut with the centre clearing tooth as I would say the blade is having some difficulty in clearing out the sawdust/waste.
I bet the sawdust/waste is pretty hot when it comes out.
Perhaps try the diesel idea above but what effect this will have on you're tyres I wouldn't like to say.
On that type of machine they are probably bonded direct on to the wheel.
Rodders

 

[blackrodd]

Blade is fitted the correct way round?

Basic question I know, but it's not unknown.

Bod

Hi Bod,sorry to jump in mate,im new to the scene and wonder how you get a blade the wrong way round,im asking because i have 2 blades coming soon and it is my first attempt at putting one on the band saw,i don't want to get it wrong,how do you know which is the right way? sorry for the dumb question.

Mark

When you're blades arrive, follow this vid on unfolding and folding a bandsaw blade, You shouldn't be able then to make a mistake as the blade is ready for fitting when it arrives,
These people at Warwickshire college do many excellent and safe demonstrations for wood machine users on several different types.
Regards Rodders

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_hhrRLy9ac

 

[wallace]

I hit a buried nail that I had missed when I first tried cutting with a newish blade. One of them big square jobbies so that was toast. I then checked every joist with a metal detector and I'm confident I got everything. After cutting there is quite a bit of sawdust sandwiched so I think clearing is not helping. The timber is not really resinous, its really nice stuff with tight rings as you'd expect for 100 year old wood.

 

[custard]

If I push remotely quickish my saw bogs down and starts to stall.

When I'm cutting 200mm to 300mm wide veneers on a bandsaw (3.5HP, 3TPI blade) I feed the boards in at about 100mm per 20-30 seconds. It's a really slow process, otherwise the gullets just clog up with saw dust and the blade starts to wander off the line.

 

[wallace]

Thanks all I have just spent the last couple of hours cutting some more and I've come to the conclusion it may be a combination of a crappy electric supply and me being greedy with the feed rate. If I go really steady things work ok. At the end the blade was getting gummed up and smoking, so now I have 5m of blade to ungum. Was it Mr Muscle that was good for cleaning blades?
I got a message back from Ian and he said I should be fine with the sabre cut, in future he also recommended the 1" M42 2tpi or the ripper.

 

[Racers]

Mr Muscle is what I use for blade cleaning, and a brass brush.

Pete

 

[MIGNAL]

My bandsaw cuts Oak faster than it cuts Pine! It's all down to the blade clogging up with the waste dust.

 

[Tetsuaiga]

Some things not mentioned that ive had issue with is the blade pinching the wood into the fence if its misaligned, also bits of dust/fibres settling around the blade clearance insert as you're cutting.

I don't think i ever want to use larch again on my bandsaw after all the resin it spread everywhere, not suren if pine is so bad.

 

[marekskoczylas]

I purchased a drill press before I got a bandsaw and the bandsaw was a used 16". If you have a lathe or think you will a bandsaw is a great compliment to lathe. OTOH I use the drill press on just about any project I do. Probably a drill press would get more general use.