Bandsaws and their blades

Robin, this seems that your blade is too wide as my 6x4 bandsaw blades are more like about 1/2 inch wide. Here is a linky that may be helpful. **LINK**

* Danny M *

I just drove over to my workshop, tape measure and writing stick in hand. I wiped away the grime of ages to reveal two name plates. There was no blade size so I also measured wheel diameter and separation...

It is a Sealey SM35CEv4 300mm band saw.

The blade size is 93" x 3/4" x 0.81mm so my estimate was a bit dodgy but whaddya do?

In my absence the local denizens have been using it minus the top blade guide and assure me the blade stays on fine and dandy. As the top wheel is currently carrying the blade on it's outside rim, gasp, I rather doubt this is actually the case.

The wheels have a 16.2mm wide flat to support the blade. The strange groove (anomalocanalis?) would accommodate the teeth on a 3/8" blade width

I wonder - whatever happened to good old Martyn Duncumb - the OP?

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It appears that he got the information he wanted, and thanked everyone that had helped.

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MichaelG.

I do get a bit carried away and I will confess to being an opinionated old git. If I transgress it is quite okay to tell me to shut up. I am quite used to that so I probably won't shut up, but you might feel better for doing it

I think I have it, even managed to jam the blade mid-cut without it coming off

Close inspection showed that the tilt on the top wheel is limited by the 2 screws above the tilt adjustment screw.

I took the belt tensioner mechanism apart and it became obvious. Was a proper load bearing pivot really that difficult to achieve?

Once I understood it was easy to add extra tilt and keep the blade in place.

Just out of interest, in all the years I have used a 6x4 bandsaw, I have never lubricated the blade. Just keep it clean and properly tensioned and tracked. Use good quality blades and let the saw do the work at the correct pressure.

Perhaps I am just lucky,but I bought one of those cheap bandsaws many moons ago [20 years,perhaps ?],and it has never given me any real trouble. I use a 14 TPI blade most of the time and never bother changing the speed. The guides did need to be adjusted early on and the Chinese motor does get fairly hot on long runs,but the Good Book says that this is "Quite normal",and not to worry about it,so I dont. I have cut everything from RSJ to 6mm round,same blade,same speed,same result.

I do have wood cutting band saw,which did give a lot of bother,due to the wheels not being in line and broke many a blade.Time spent tracking the wheels cured that problem,but it re-appeared a few times over the years,and that saw was not made in China,but a lot nearer home !

I t would be well worth while spending a little time with your saw,there is not a whole lot that can go wrong with them which cannot be fixed and they give great service [a good make of blade helps ].

Play around with it before you scrap it.