Bandsaw Blades how to ? braze or weld them together

[ironwolfforgeca]

I have a med size wells bandsaw & 5 new blades that are 1/2" or so to long :(

NO one ! even close does blades & will cost more to ship out & cut + re-work

than I can buy new again :angry: So I need to learn how to weld / braze blades correctly 

I have weld them together with my tig & high carbon rod I get about a 30% good rate

brazing I think is the better way --- ? is what rod to use ? pre heat - post heat ?

I do have a jig to hold the saw blade in place wile working themon the welding table :)

so someone out there tell me how to do this PLEASE !

 

job coming up will need bandsaw working soon its been in the corner not working way to long !!!

[Yetti]

I have done them with a mig but you have to be careful. jig them straight and weld one side then grind flat. use a propane torch and annel it a couple times before flipping and doing the same on the other side. a long length of angle iron works well for a jig. just remember when you cut out the old weld to flip one side and clamp the to halves together when you grind them . that way when you put the two sides together they match perfect.

FYI aneeling is very nessary. if you do not it will be very brittle and break at the weld.

[ironwolfforgeca]

ps -- blades are 5/8 W to wide for a 1/2 elec blade welder box none has a bigger blade welder box :(

[Steve H]

I tig weld them with stainless or mild wire. The trick is to keep the heat to a minimum and anneal the heck out of it afterwords. not just heat it back up, but hold it at a dull red for longer than you think. At least 20-30 seconds.  I often peen the weld a bit if you can before annealing., helps flatten it out a tad before grinding.

[ironwolfforgeca]

HMM :) did'nt think about using ss rod when i Tig welded blades earlier,, I can do that I have lots of 030 ss LOL that size is getting !!!!! harder & harder to see though :( will give it a try & will get back here on how it worked

 

THANKS Steve H

 

So still a ? ? on what to use to braze bandsaw blade together

[ciladog]

How about old school, use brazing tongs.  Brazing tongs have hefty  blocks of metal at the ends.  You heat them to a good  red heat and clamp them over the band saw joint until either silver solder or brass brazing rod melts. 

 

First grind a long scarf on the blade ends and fix them in a jig.  Hammer the brazing material flat into a thin wafer.  Put some flux in the scarf joint along with the flattened brazing material and then clamp the tongs over the joint.

 

[Ten Hammers]

Steve, I have used hard solder ( silver bearing 1250º Harris with their flux) to repair these.  Use an acetelyne torch and a little bitty tip ( unless you have that kind of control on your tig).

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Any high school, or community colleges near by with a welder?  I have a friend who worked at Pelican Bay, you may ask them if their maintenance shop may have a welder available too.  Good luck.

 I use to TIG mine.

[bosox]

A friend welded band saw blade and let me use it. Unfortunately, I broke it right on the welded part. Hoping to get some information here. I don't mean to hi jack this post. Thank you. 

[Alan Evans]

Steve, I have used hard solder ( silver bearing 1250º Harris with their flux) to repair these. Use an acetelyne torch and a little bitty tip ( unless you have that kind of control on your tig).

For many years I made up my blades from bulk rolls of Starret like tenhammers. I ground a long scarf on each end, over 12 mm (half an inch long) with a 120 grit Ø100mm sanding disc clamped it in a little jig and soldered it with Johnson and Matthey Easy Flo silver solder and flux which sounds much the same as the Harris. The important thing was to ensure that as the blade travels around the wheels the leading scarf holds the trailing one against the wheel so that it does not spring open. I did not quench or anneal just reckoned there would be a slightly less hard part. I had none break on me (smug? me?) I have often had a bad batch of ready-mades break on the welds.

One other nicety was to align the offset of the teeth so that there were no half thickness bits.

Alan

I just went down to forge and found the jig still on the saw, haven't used it since I discovered m42 blades, twenty years?

[yesteryearforge]

Most band saws have blade welders on them

Can you visit a local machine shop and have them weld it for you

[ironwolfforgeca]

I am glad to see posts from folks on this  :) !!!

 

no there is no one that can weld 3/4 W blade with band welder on a band saw here  :(  1/2 yes high school + one welding shop

I can ship outa town way outa town will cost me more to cut out 1/2" reweld cause there to long / I have 5 costly new blades

shipping cost is extra on reweld :angry: than buy new again , & theirs 3 wells band saws here same size that need blades in town 

so I need to do this myself in shop right the first time LOL  

 

SO next ?? is what blades do you like for cutting what LOL :rolleyes: 

I will start with a High volume mild steel blade -- hand rail stuff & the sort  

 

thanks for all you're input 

Steve P

[Alan Evans]

As I said in my post above I used to silver solder my blades until I discovered M42 blades and these I buy as ready-mades. They are a much better material and last longer than standard carbon steel blades...easily by a factor of ten. They cut stainless steel without difficulty (low speed, high feed as usual with stainless) and whereas I would replace the blade once a month (once a week with stainless) M42 blades have lasted over a year.

 

Mine is also 20mm (3/4") wide. I use variable pitch blades by Doall or cobra m42. I use 6/10 tpi for tube and angle and 4/6 tpi for solid.

 

There's at least one fairly recent thread which includes US sources of supply of blades on here, do a search...

 

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/29404-cutting-2-solid/page-3?hl=%20bandsaw%20%20blade

 

Cut and silver solder the ones you have then buy new ready made m42 blades when you have used the five.

 

Alan

 

PS Just re-read your OP, who supplied your over-length blades? Who specified the length? Are you sure you are getting the full tensioning adjustment?

Edited May 4, 2013 by Alan Evans

[ironwolfforgeca]

Alan the O'pps on blade length was me & I marked / painted it on the saw along time ago

Its at least a beer or two longer than will tighten up

& I forgot that I switch the 1 -3 PH plug out to 2- 1Ph 220 plugs LOL 

so wiring job coming up  and that mite just force me to re-wire my back wall since I moved the welding area back there years back

elec is safe but plugs are not where they need to be, then theres the new 10' slide door I want to put in the back next to the forge

that takes out the 3 elec conduits going to the back area need to go up & over the new door and down

total re-wire 110 + 220 1+3 ph

 

DANG its one of those jobs you look @ THEN go find a beer & do something else !! LOL

now that it summer cutting big holes in building is easier -- ALWAYS something