Is it me or my bandsaw?

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Sisyphus

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I bought a re-conditioned Startrite 352 recently. As it came with a price list dated april 1986 I assume it is some 20 years old. I have never used one before but it seemed to coping well with whatever I tried to put through it. However,I am now having problems with logs.

I enjoy making bowls on my lathe. Every time I found or was given logs, I would cut them down the middle with a chain saw and then remove the rounded part with an electric planer. This gave me two flat sides and I could then cut round blanks up to say six inches thick on the bandsaw. I soon discovered that this is a time-consuming and wasteful process.

I thought it would be easier to build a sled and anchor a half log to it. I could then take two cuts from each half, say about three inches thick, and get two platters per half log rather than one bowl. I thought there would be no problem so long as the overall diameter of the bowl was 11 inches or less so that it would go under the guard on the chainsaw.

In practice, I am struggling. The blade wanders a lot, gets very hot and the logs have to be forced into the blade to get a cut. This leads to the machine cutting out. New blades begin well but seem to barely do a couple of logs despite my cleaning them frequently.

I have assumed that to get the logs cut I should use a blade about 3 skip with the machine speed set to high. There doesn't seem to be a great difference between using a 5/8 blade or a 3/4 blade. I am not sure about the motor, which is 1 HP, and wonder if an upgrade to 1.5 HP would be better or if this would just allow me to put even more pressure on the machine and damage the frame.

As far as I am aware, I am setting the guides correctly. Can anyone suggest how I might get the logs cut ( I am struggling with a pear tree which was felled in my garden a few weeks ago ) or is it just a case of the machine not being designed to handle wet wood of this size?

Many thanks.
 
I'd suggest that to deep saw wet timber you might want to try the type of blades sold specifically for chair frame makers who often work with part-seasoned stock. The sort of blades I'm thinking about are very coarse pitch, 1-1/2 to 3 tpi, have a hook tooth form rather than a skip tooth, and are given additional side set by the manufacturer to clear the waste efficiently. These blades create a wide and untidy kerf, but they are designed to saw stacked part-seasoned hardwood quickly. I know that Dure Edge in Stockport (Tel: 0161 430 2647, but no web site yet) used to sell blades specifically for this purpose so they may well be able to help you out.

I'm not sure whether or not going up an extra 1/2HP will male that much difference, though. Green timber should cut fairly easily with a sharp blade and given that a wide enough kerf is being produced to avoid the blade binding. So I'd start with the blade first and see how you go on from there

Scrit
 
Hi Sisyphus,
two most equally important things i find with bandsaws are
tension
blade quality
if as you say your guides are set correctly, perhaps your not getting enough tension on your blades.
5/8" and 3/4" are fairly heavy duty blades and need a lot of tension to cut properly.

blades also vary quite considerably in quality too, buy cheap buy twice springs to mind with blades !!

it sounds like your blades are dulling quite quickly, you say they start off great then you need to force the log through, this is a definite no no in my book, you shouldn't need to force at all with proper set up.
one problem i had was the thrust bearing behind the blade was loosening during the cut and therefore the blade was being pushed behind the side guides causing the teeth to loose their set, making them dull and useless quite quickly.

may be worth checking, i wouldnt waste time changing the motor for all the difference it would make.

try a 1/2" 3 tooth hook blade as they have a more agressive cut for wet timber,
round the back of the blade with a diamond stone or file,
run a candle against the blade sides before and after each cut,
oh and dust extraction is very important too.
hope this helps
 
Might be worth checking that the blade is tensioned enough as you mention blade wandering, and also check that the blade guides, top and bottom, aren't set dead tight against the blade such that the motor is using a lot of it's power to overcome the resistance of the guides.

Also check that the guides are set slightly back from the tooth gullet and that the back blade support is close to the rear edge of the blade so that it doesn't deflect to far backwards under load. Problems with either or both could cause the set on the teeth to be reduced by the guide blocks and again cause binding in the cut.

Sorry if it's granny's and eggs etc !

Cheers, Paul :D
 
I think the others have covered all the main points but one thing that I can add is that I find it helpful to lubricate the blade with a quick spray of "Pam" frying spray every so often when cutting deep unseasoned wood. I doubt it'll fix your problems alone, but once you've dealt with the other issues it might be helpful. It helps minimise the amount of fibres that stick to the inside of the blade, and cuts down noise a bit too. The (very small amount of) resulting surface contamination of the wood is quickly turned away.

I worried initially about effects on my tyres, but haven't seen any problems after several light applications on my Jet 18" saw. I think that very little probably remains on the tyres by the end of the cutting session anyway.

It was recommended by one of the American blade manufacturers.
 
Mines a 352 about 30 years old and it cuts anything more or less including green or wet timber up to 10" or a bit more if you take off the top guide. Green timber often easier as there tends to be less internal stresses, so I don't know what you are doing wrong except you definitely shouldn't be forcing it.
You might need a new 3/4 3tpi skip tooth hard edge blade which is useful for most things so not an extravagance.
You also need to carry the stuff through in a straight line - if the blade goes off center it tends to bind and get progressively tighter. If you are forcing it it will go more off line and jam. If it's a difficult shape it might help if you plane off a bit of a flat face first so that it'll sit on the bed without twisting
A deep cut may backfill with its own sawdust and if it's binding as well becomes impossible to remove - so deep cuts I do; in a bit then out, in a bit further then out etc.
So don't give up yet - it's an excellent saw.
Don't bother with the fast speed pulley it just wears out blades faster and you get it cutting out.

cheers
Jacob
PS blade tension I always set at medium - it needs to be just enough to keep the blades on the wheels, too high increases risk of breakage. Mine never break.
 
Thanks for all your comments. I think I need to start with new blades so I will get a selection tomorrow and see how I get on.

This is always assuming that I manage to get the washing machine fixed. Despite my suggestion of getting a man in, the Boss told me to fix it myself. Having spent hours getting the motor out and removing the brushes, all I have to do now is find somebody in Glasgow with some spares and then spend a few more hours getting everything back together. Such a waste of good woodworking time!
 

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