Welding a Bandsaw Blade

[FMC1959]

I have a Laguna 16 that takes 132" blade. I was using it and the blade snapped. This is a 1" width blade with 2TPI and the teeth are carbide...not a cheap blade to replace or easy to find.

Has anyone welded together a broken blade? Mine has a very clean break. I know that many blades are cut to size, then welded by the Manufacturer, but looking for some advice on how to go about welding it myself (actually my neighbor will do it).

What I need to know is, the blade being some kind of spring(?) or carbon steel, does it require special type of welding? He has a MIG welder, this should suffice? I have access to (but never used one) a stick welder also, if necessary. Once done, finely grind the weld so that it cuts smooth and rides well on the bandsaw wheels?

If done properly, it should be as good as a new one? (I checked the rest of the blade and it looks in good shape)

Any advice would be appreciated.

**** I am cutting branches to make 1/4" slices, from 2 1/2" to 6" in size, and I have used this bandsaw and blade for the past 4 years and made about 5000 such disks. My wife needs them, and they come out with a very smooth cut, no sanding needed. The branches can be semi dry to almost green. this has worked well to date. Anyone have suggestions on a better method of cutting these disks?

 

[Firebrick43]

The only way to really weld them is to use a blade welder that uses resistance welding as the blade is smashed together by the mechanism.

If your doing it without a blade welder you silver braze them together. Some mistakenly call this silver soldering. You prep/grind the blade with a taper and you need to make/buy a little fixture to hold the blade ends together and in alignment. Then you use a oxyacetylene torch to heat it up and add the silver braze.



https://carbideprocessors.com/pages/brazing-carbide/bandsaw-blade-brazing.html

 

[Old Man Roger]

I’ve welded them with a mig, but a lot of the time they break in the first place because the blade is warn thin.

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

Do you have a woodcraft or rockler near you? They may be able to have repaired.

 

[RTM]

I have a Laguna 16 that takes 132" blade. I was using it and the blade snapped. This is a 1" width blade with 2TPI and the teeth are carbide...not a cheap blade to replace or easy to find.

Maybe contact the seller, if they welded it to length for you. If you bought at a retail location, can they send it back?

**** I am cutting branches to make 1/4" slices, from 2 1/2" to 6" in size, and I have used this bandsaw and blade for the past 4 years and made about 5000 such disks. My wife needs them, and they come out with a very smooth cut, no sanding needed. The branches can be semi dry to almost green. this has worked well to date. Anyone have suggestions on a better method of cutting these disks?

Nope, nothing better, or nearly as safe, IMO

 

[dnschmidt]

If you've used a bandsaw blade for four years what's your *****? Take the rubber-band off of that roll of hundred dollar bills and break down and buy another one. I bought a shitload (like 50) blades from BC Saw and Tool in Toronto for my Laguna 16" and had them shipped to Arizona. This was 25 years ago. At the time they had the best bandsaw blade making dude in the country and used Starrett blade material. Still have at least half of them left.

 

[BigMike782]

I made a jig to hold the blade while I TIG weld it. Then it has to be annealed or it will break again.
I just pay the extra 3.00 to have the blade shop weld and anneal.

 

[Boilerhouse]

At the plant I used to work at, we bought our bandsaw blade stock in large rolls. The large DoAll bandsaw had a welder built into it. I was once shown how to use it and I made some blades for my own bandsaw. It seemed pretty straight forward. Leave a slight gap between the blades, engage the welder, grind the welds flat, then anneal it, (if I recall the steps correctly), all done right on the bandsaw welder. If I can do it, pretty sure anyone can. Check out a local machine shop in your area. They should be able to do it.

 

[dr_clyde]

I normally buy my blades welded to save the hassle, but I do join them in the shop when they break accidentally or prematurely.

I made a small fixture to hold the blade spine aligned and straight. I then lightly bevel the joint and slightly overlap the bevels, taking care to not increase the thickness of the blade. I then flux and silver braze the blade. I grind and smooth the joint and it is good to go.

Silver brazing is more forgiving than welding, it doesn't require annealing and it doesn't require a tig welding machine. The brazed joint is plenty strong and flexible.

Notice I am SILVER brazing this, not using random solders or braze rods. The silver braze is very strong and works very well.

Blade welders require a lot of steps to use correctly, they're fussy with the annealing and the welders themselves are pretty expensive. If you do it wrong, they'll snap easily. I have a blade welder on my DoAll, and I prefer to use the torch.

 

[FMC1959]

First off, thanks for the many responses.

I plan on buying another blade, or possibly 2, so at the very least, I will have a back up in future.

I will look around for a shop that does welding/brazing of blades. I had not really thought of that but makes sense that some would do it. I live in a rural area and for sure, there are welding shops, just need to find someone that does bandsaw blades.

If by chance there is no one close by that does this, the I will give the silver brazing a shot.

 

[cvairwerks]

Lots of places make blades. Bandsawbladesdirect.com is one.

 

[FMC1959]

I just checked Bandsawbladesdirect.com, and it is similar to other places I checked.

First off, I am in Canada, so ordering from a Canadian place is easier.

When I order from US located business, sometimes I have it shipped to a place I have in the US. But when I come back across the border, there is a chance I will get dinged at the customs office, depending on how much it was. Usually just have to pay taxes, not so bad. If I have it shipped to Canada, sometimes the shipping can be very expensive. Other times it goes through customs, no problem, or it gets hit by customs or the carrier. When this happens, I will have to pay Federal and Provincial taxes + the carrier adds the brokerage fee, which can be $10 to $50.

So, if possible, a Canadian retailer, otherwise, a US retailer.

I also checked dnschmidt's BCSaw.com, but it looks like they no longer exist.

I found a place (https://tufftooth.com/) and ordered 3 blades, a couple of 2 TPI and one 3 TPI. These that I ordered and the vast majority I see online are not carbide tooth. Apparently, carbide totth are close to 10 times the price of standard blades.

 

[lilredex]

Try here...

Bandsaw Blades Archives - R&D Bandsaws

Bandsaw Blades Archives - R&D Bandsaws | R&D Bandsaws

tufftooth.com

 

[dnschmidt]

I just checked Bandsawbladesdirect.com, and it is similar to other places I checked.

First off, I am in Canada, so ordering from a Canadian place is easier.

When I order from US located business, sometimes I have it shipped to a place I have in the US. But when I come back across the border, there is a chance I will get dinged at the customs office, depending on how much it was. Usually just have to pay taxes, not so bad. If I have it shipped to Canada, sometimes the shipping can be very expensive. Other times it goes through customs, no problem, or it gets hit by customs or the carrier. When this happens, I will have to pay Federal and Provincial taxes + the carrier adds the brokerage fee, which can be $10 to $50.

So, if possible, a Canadian retailer, otherwise, a US retailer.

I also checked dnschmidt's BCSaw.com, but it looks like they no longer exist.

I found a place (https://tufftooth.com/) and ordered 3 blades, a couple of 2 TPI and one 3 TPI. These that I ordered and the vast majority I see online are not carbide tooth. Apparently, carbide totth are close to 10 times the price of standard blades.

There Website apparently doesn't exist but they have phone numbers all over the Internet. Give them a call. If they disappeared that's a shame as they were a really good tooling supplier. I bought a lot from them when the Canadian Dollar was very low to the USD so as an American I got smokin' deals from them paying in USD.

 

[FMC1959]

Try here...

Bandsaw Blades Archives - R&D Bandsaws

Bandsaw Blades Archives - R&D Bandsaws | R&D Bandsaws

tufftooth.com

My post above yours, that is where I made my purchase earlier today.

 

[FMC1959]

For the silver brazing, do you need an OXY-Acet torch, or would either a propane or MAP torch be hot enough?

 

[Firebrick43]

For the silver brazing, do you need an OXY-Acet torch, or would either a propane or MAP torch be hot enough?

A mapp torch technically could with silver brazing if it was one of the better ones. The problem is that it would have a much bigger HAZ zone than a small cone that an oxy-acetylene tip will produce This may not be a big deal for wood or plastics, I would not like it one bit for a metal cutting blade.

 

[nadogail]

Check with a local shop that has a large band saw, if you take a box of doughnuts with you they just might "fix you up" on the spot.

 

[dr_clyde]

I use oxy acetylene. You could probably use oxy propane.

I would not recommend using a propane plumbers torch, you really need the oxygen to get things hot enough fast enough to make the braze without overheating the surrounding teeth too much.

 

[American Locomotive]

I don't have much to add except that I tried welding a broken bandsaw blade once, using the built in blade welder on that particular band saw.

The blade immediately broke again. I know it's possible to weld the blades back together, but it's definitely not as simple as it seems.

 

[toolenthusiast]

I would not like it one bit for a metal cutting blade.

Yup. Let the bandsaw dudes weld on the blades. Let the pressure vessel dudes weld on the tanks. Let the collision people weld on the unibodies.

A lot of people don’t know what they don’t know, and it can be dangerous.

 

[steel 35]

Saw your post a while ago and found my jig;
For a saw blade I couldn't get at the time.
put it in the Vise and clamp it.

 

[dogdog]

Hmmm thought most large bandsaw come with a bandsaw welder build in.

 

[Firebrick43]

I lot of 3/4 wheel metal bandsaws do but the metal 2 wheel bandsaws is about a 50/50

Wood bandsaws as the OPs bandsaw is rarely come with a blade welder

Band saw blades welders were not really thought of a way to make your own blades from stock. Before wire EDM larger dies would have the middle waste removed by drilling some holes, breaking a band saw blade thru and rewelding it so you could cut out the middle. This required them to be on the machine itself. Of course after you cut the waste out you had to break the blade again to get it out.

 

[FMC1959]

I think in the end I will probably have someone that has experience or expertise in doing this, take care of it.

I have Oxy/A torches, but no tanks. I have been looking at silver brazing/solder, but it isn't cheap; rod and flux starts at $50 and goes up from there...for something I do not have the torch.

I should be getting the new non-carbide tooth blades today or tomorrow. Then I will find someone to fix this carbide toothed blade, which are hard to find, usually $200 or more. the guy at TuffTooth Blades told me that he, and others don't sell the carbide toothed because they are about 10 times the price. Most people don't want to spend the extra $$$ for one.

One thing about the carbide tooth blade, he said when I make the wood cookies, the carbide blade leaves a parfect finish which does not need sanding. The non carbide blades, I will have to see how the results are, which will depend on the wood and how wet/dry it is.

I bought this Laguna 16 second hand about 6 years ago and it came with this 1" carbide blade. As well, it had 4 other non carbide toothed blades, that are between a 1/4' to 5/8", various TPI.

 

[Firebrick43]

I think in the end I will probably have someone that has experience or expertise in doing this, take care of it.

I have Oxy/A torches, but no tanks. I have been looking at silver brazing/solder, but it isn't cheap; rod and flux starts at $50 and goes up from there...for something I do not have the torch.

I should be getting the new non-carbide tooth blades today or tomorrow. Then I will find someone to fix this carbide toothed blade, which are hard to find, usually $200 or more. the guy at TuffTooth Blades told me that he, and others don't sell the carbide toothed because they are about 10 times the price. Most people don't want to spend the extra $$$ for one.

One thing about the carbide tooth blade, he said when I make the wood cookies, the carbide blade leaves a parfect finish which does not need sanding. The non carbide blades, I will have to see how the results are, which will depend on the wood and how wet/dry it is.

I bought this Laguna 16 second hand about 6 years ago and it came with this 1" carbide blade. As well, it had 4 other non carbide toothed blades, that are between a 1/4' to 5/8", various TPI.

I have a 1” carbide blade for my laguna bandsaw and the results for resawing is very impressive.

 

[slowtwitch73]

I have welded a bunch of them. Somewhere on this site is a pic of the simple jig I use....

I use Tig.. not sure stick or mig would work......(doubt it).

Blade welder would work as long as blade is NOT bimetal.

Silver is viable.. from what I have read, its not a **** 'weld' but an overlpapping.. guys make jigs up to taper the two ends on a sander to create a lap joint that is blade thickness.... too much farting around for this kid.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I have a Walker Turner band saw blade welder. It was NNS when I bought it 20 years ago. I have replaced or repaired the wiring as required. The insulation had crumbled, probably from UV. I have tested it and it worked perfectly.
The case is made from cast aluminum front with 16 gauge side panels.
Beyond that test I have never used it. I tried selling it on Craigslist. I was disappointed in the clowns that responded, so I pulled the ad and put my Walker Turner in storage. I would like to see if go to someone who can use it. Pictures later.

 

[Firebrick43]

I have welded a bunch of them. Somewhere on this site is a pic of the simple jig I use....

I use Tig.. not sure stick or mig would work......(doubt it).

Blade welder would work as long as blade is NOT bimetal.

Silver is viable.. from what I have read, its not a **** 'weld' but an overlpapping.. guys make jigs up to taper the two ends on a sander to create a lap joint that is blade thickness.... too much farting around for this kid.

Most of the blade welders made in the past 40 years can weld bimetal blades.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Most of the blade welders made in the past 40 years can weld bimetal blades.

'Past 40 years'... maybe that's my problem.

 

[NoahG]

Luckily I have two shops locally, and one is only a mile from my house, so it’s where I get all the blades for our 36” Tannewitz made/repaired.

 

[Firebrick43]

Luckily I have two shops locally, and one is only a mile from my house, so it’s where I get all the blades for our 36” Tannewitz made/repaired.

those are nice saws

 

[PoorUB]

My post above yours, that is where I made my purchase earlier today.

You found one place. I did a google search and there is other suppliers of band saw blades in your area. I would dod a search and call around. One of those shops will weld the blade for you. Also a doubt a welding shop would weld it for you unless you happen to run across a place that welds thier own blades.

I have welded band saw blades too. I certainly would not want to experiment on an expensive carbide blade. Take to someone, even if you have to mail it.

If you want to learn, practice on a old used blade, or buy some bimetal blade stock n a size that is common for you an give it a try.

 

[FMC1959]

You found one place. I did a google search and there is other suppliers of band saw blades in your area. I would dod a search and call around. One of those shops will weld the blade for you. Also a doubt a welding shop would weld it for you unless you happen to run across a place that welds thier own blades.

I have welded band saw blades too. I certainly would not want to experiment on an expensive carbide blade. Take to someone, even if you have to mail it.

If you want to learn, practice on a old used blade, or buy some bimetal blade stock n a size that is common for you an give it a try.

What did you use for search criteria? Bandsaw repair, or bandsaw weld, or bandsaw sales? Also, if you use where I bought it from, TuffTooth, as where I am, that is incorrect...that is 5-6 hour drive from me.

I am at postal code J0P1G0, which is in Quebec and in the middle of a bunch of corn and soya fields. I wanted to run some searches, just wanted to know what you used in Google, thanks

 

[mo_diggidy]

This Old Tony has a video where he tigs a bandsaw blade.

 

[PoorUB]

What did you use for search criteria? Bandsaw repair, or bandsaw weld, or bandsaw sales? Also, if you use where I bought it from, TuffTooth, as where I am, that is incorrect...that is 5-6 hour drive from me.

I am at postal code J0P1G0, which is in Quebec and in the middle of a bunch of corn and soya fields. I wanted to run some searches, just wanted to know what you used in Google, thanks

Search for bandsaw blade suppliers in your area, an keep enlarging the area until you find someone.
Your postal code means nothing to me, and Google either so that doesn't help me help you. What is the nearest city and direction? I used Montreal as you show that as your location.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Here's my jig:

 

[FMC1959]

Search for bandsaw blade suppliers in your area, an keep enlarging the area until you find someone.
Your postal code means nothing to me, and Google either so that doesn't help me help you. What is the nearest city and direction? I used Montreal as you show that as your location.

Yes, Montreal would be the closest...about an 1 hour drive

 

[FMC1959]

Here's my jig:

Nice jig, but for now, I will see about finding someone who does it.