I want to sell my Sartrite 401s Bandsaw but it has a problem

[sawdust1]

I have a Startrite 401S bandsaw that i purchased from Yandles in 2003 at a cost of just over £1,200. I needed a large single phase bandsaw at the time for ripping down some oak beams for a house build.
The problem i had is that the blades would break after about a couple of months of use. I tried various different makes of bands but the problem still persisted.
As it was under warranty Startrite send down an engineer to check the machine over and found no problems with the machine, (paperwork available). So thinking i was doing something wrong i set up the blade for the engineer to check and it was ok.
Again the blades kept breaking so i commissioned a local machinery engineer to check the machine over also my blade setting and again all was ok.
So in a year of occasional use i had about 8 blades break, having a saw bench and little use for a band saw it got resigned to a corner of the workshop.
I a'm now looking to sell the machine as the space is needed and don't have the time to spend trying to find out whats going on, so if someone wants a large bandsaw and has the time to sort this problem then get intouch.
For anyone who may have any idea's as to why this is going on, the blades start to crack at the base of the tooth gullet and if not spotted in time will then break in use.
Or do i just put it on ebay and don't mention the blade breaking problem.

 

[dickm]

Can't think think of any fault with the saw that could cause that. The cracks in the gullets that you are seeing are almost certainly metal fatigue and while the regular flexing of the blade as it goes over the wheels will certainly cause fatigue, most blades will be blunt long before fatigue cracks occur. Why not try an appropriate blade from Tuffsaws and see how it goes?

 

[Jacob]

Blades too tight. They need to be just tight enough to stop slipping, plus a bit.
Basically they never break before they get blunt unless they have a poor weld, which does happen occasionally.

Just reread your post - ripping down oak beams is not a job for a Startrite 401. Band saws are crap for ripping unless they are huge, except for the odd little job.
"about a couple of months of use" sounds like flogging them to death - surely they were very blunt well before that? The life of a bandsaw blade is measured in days of use, if anything.
I used to save new blades for emergency ripping e.g. tenon cheeks on 12" door rails, but wouldn't expect to get much use out of them before they were too blunt.

 

[RobinBHM]

I would talk to Ian at tuffsaws for advise (I hope Ian doesnt mind me suggesting this, as it isnt generating any sales).

Possibilities: blades guides wrongly set and heating the blade, over tension, leaving under tension permamently.

I do remember the wadkin pbr band-resaw suffered from blade breakages as it is a really a large narrow blade machine, converted with a powerfeed for resawing, but it has rubber tyres on the wheels which prevent heat build up in the blade from being absorbed by the metal of the wheels. Large resaws have metal wheels and no tyres. Bear in mind though wide resaw blades are very different from narrow blades and must never be left under tension. An experienced user of a wide blade machine keeps an ear out for the 'tick' and will turn off the machine before the blades goes -not much having to cut one out with an angle grinder!

To be honest, I leave my bandsaw under permanent tension until the blade gets blunt and never had a one snap.

I cant think of a way the machine itself could damage a blade, if the guides are not rubbing, youve just got 2 big wheels and a tension spring.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Give it to me, and yourself unnecessary thought and stress

Edit - I'm a kind person, I'll come and get it ...

 

[blackrodd]

As others have said, almost certainly the problem will be with the blade being, to use a technical phrase, "Shagged out"
You say the blades broke after "a couple of months use" This sounds like far too much work for what you say you have been doing with cutting oak beams.
As dickm and Jacob have said Metal stress is most likely the problem caused by blunt blades, an easy mistake to make
If you have no experience of how long a cutting blade should last.
I would guess and say you would expect to change the blade a couple of times a week, at least.
I would use some Tuff blades and keep an eye to the shiny bits, denoting a blunt blade,
This should show that the machine itself is not at fault, and you can sell with honesty and a good price.
Regards Rodders

 

[murdoch]

I have the same bandsaw bought new in 2006. We had the exact same problem but was advised (as others have said) that the blades were tensioned too tight. We had tensioned blades using the scale on the saw but it wasn't calibrated correctly. We now tighten the blades to the correct tension and it has solved the problem. It's used in a busy workshop for several hours a day and has never given us any trouble. We rip loads of oak beams and it copes easily with no more blade breaks.

 

[sawdust1]

Thanks for the replies, i think murdoch has hit the nail on the head as i to used the scale on the saw
to tension and maybe used the blades for to long.
Happy now to put it on ebay.

 

[Kalimna]

May I sidetrack this thread slightly by asking how people do go about tensioning their bandsaw blades? I do know that the included scale is rarely accurate but unless you have a strain gauge, what method is used?

Cheers,
Adam S

 

[Jacob]

There's a gauge on my 352 and i set everything to just above "low" but if it slips or isn't cutting well I go higher. Have to set the tracking if I change it too much, which isn't difficult.

 

[Lons]

There's a gauge on my 352 and i set everything to just above "low" but if it slips or isn't cutting well I go higher. Have to set the tracking if I change it too much, which isn't difficult.

That's interesting Jacob.
I have a 352 and I ignore the scale but I tension mine fairly tight so must try your method. I'm too lazy to release the tension after use but lucky as I've never had a blade break on the Startrite or my previous DeWalt in around 30 years.
There are various conflicting bits of advice around including a video I watched a few days ago which showed a "flutter test". Not sure I'd want my face that close to a running blade to see it fluttering but then it was from the good old US of A :wink:

As an aside, I've also seen a few vids of people resharpening the larger blades on the edge of a grinder wheel. Not sure if it's worth the effort but has anyone tried it?

Bob

 

[galleywood]

I tension the blade on my EB 316 to the minimum that is without slip or problems.
I pluck the blade, as with a guitar string, and try to remember the sound and the feel of it whenever I have to retention.

 

[dickm]

Much the same as Jacob with a 352, but mine seems to be more forgiving and tracks fine over quite a range of tension.

 

[DennisCA]

I never detension, as long as the blade isnt stretched beyond its elastic deformation limit the steel can stay under tension forever. Springs likewise are not worn by static wear but cyclic wear. I suspect a lot of worn out springs are the result of too much cycling or bad quality springs that you can too easily take beyond their limits. Never observed a flattened tire. From what I've read it seems to be related to old tyres with different formulations.

Read more here on this. My takeaway is that if you have a small hobby bbandsaw with a weak frame then perhaps you should detension.

Edit: förgör the link http://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/tension.html

 

[Alexam]

Have you tried the flutter test. This may help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8zZuDosSy0