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  #1  
Old 01-01-2015, 10:22 PM
englishwheeler englishwheeler is offline
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Default Band saw blades

I have the Red Harbor Freight 4x6 Band saw. It cuts nice and straight and I have no complaints about it...but the blades are another issue.

I have purchased hard backed and bimetal blades and can't seem to get them to last very long before they crack and go bad.

Today I was cutting my 3x5x.250 wall tubing for my new English wheel frame. I put the brand new blade in this morning and went at it. By my third cut, my blade had a crack in it. I can always tell when it has a crack because the saw will develop a bounce.
I've tried the 18 tpi, 24 tpi, and 14 tpi. Used Morse brand, Olson, and Harbor Freight brands...all the same result. I've also experimented with different tension settings...same thing.

Does anyone have any advice for a remedy? It gets kind of frustrating going through blades rather quickly.
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Old 01-01-2015, 11:04 PM
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Old 01-01-2015, 11:31 PM
skintkarter skintkarter is offline
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Hi Cliff. I probably have the same saw - green and have owned it for over 20 years. Been using 18 and 14 tpi carbon blades on the medium speed setting. Blades would last 2-3 months of fairly serious hobby work and then crack and break. A buddy recently put me onto the bimetallic blades and suggested I run the saw a bit faster. Seems to work really well and I'm still on my first blade after over 6 months. Pretty sure the ones I have now are LS Starrett and Iv'e just cut a whole bunch of 4140 die blanks for my bead roller and the .250 frame with no issue. I don't do anything fancy with the tension.

Could it be that your guide rollers are gripping the blade too tightly?
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Old 01-02-2015, 06:41 AM
jehammer1952 jehammer1952 is offline
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Default Band saw blades

Hello, I am assuming this is a hand held portable "Band Saw" which is similar to the "Milwaukee" type, I have the Milwaukee saw and I have been using the "Bi-metal" blades from Milwaukee with great success cutting thru 4"" 8620 steel block, Hot Rolled plate, and Aluminum plate, on the steel I use 14 to 18 teeth per inch blade. Milwaukee has to different sized blades to accommodate the regulate body and also the "Deep" cut body saw, These blades should also fit your saw and other brands, it also helps when cutting to use a wax type pencil on the blade this will ad in lubricating the blade when cutting harder steels, also as with any saw use caution when cutting avoid "Twisting motion of the Saw when cutting also do not push hard on the saw let it use its own weight to cut thru the piece your trying to slice. also if you can find a blade that has a "RAKED" type configuration this will also help when cutting the heaver steel the only draw back is the width of the cut will be wider because of the rake of the blade tooth. just take that in consideration when marking out your cuts.
Hope this might help
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Old 01-02-2015, 07:54 AM
Maxakarudy Maxakarudy is offline
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Sounds to me like the wheels aren't concentric and at a certain point they are stretching the blade, I'd look at this first before assuming it's the blades.
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Old 01-02-2015, 01:47 PM
Doug M Doug M is offline
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I'd suggest checking all the adjustments running without cutting the blade should center on the 2 main wheels and not touch the guides or frame of the saw. I'm not sure but it sounds like something is work hardening the blade.

I'd check the blade guides to be sure they were guides and not pressing on the blades. Even wheel guides as with the rubbing guides will put a stress into the steel with rubbing. If you have a guide on the back (return) side a wheel rolling it will also stress and harden the steel allowing a crack to start in the now not flexible steel.
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Old 01-02-2015, 03:54 PM
SWT Racing SWT Racing is offline
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I would increase the tension on the return spring to slow the feed rate. I'm still on the first HF blade, but have some 10-14 Starrett blades that work very well. Using Castrol Stick Wax also helps.

Also, use a very light feed rate on the first few cuts with a new blade. This helps break in the set on the teeth.
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Old 01-02-2015, 05:52 PM
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I've never has this problem and probably have a similar saw - takes a 64" blade?
How is the crack developing, running across the blade or with the blade. Is it starting on the tooth side or the back?
You don't have the tension adjuster too tight do you? (blade tension, at the top)
The rollers are adjustable in a couple directions, is the blade running straight down from the upper roller to the lower? With those adjusters right at the blade guide it'd be easy to adjust everything with some deflection.
I assume you have played with the spring tension, with tube that thick the spring wouldn't do much anyway, it is more important on thin wall tube.
On the adjusters, are the side rollers spinning along with the blade? I don't think they should, the back roller yes but not the side rollers.
I'm just throwing things up, for good or bad.
Let us know what you find, good luck.
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Old 01-02-2015, 07:29 PM
englishwheeler englishwheeler is offline
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Thanks everyone for the replies. Joe...sorry I haven't called you yet. Took the family to the Wright Patterson AFB Museum today. Kids loved it!!

Gonna reply to all in a general paragraph....

I have the horizontal/vertical saw, not the handheld one. It does use 64.5" blades. The upper and lower wheel guides roll fine, as do the side guides. I do notice there is a groove forming in the rear bearing guide though.
It appears that my side guides may be too tight if the consensus is that they shouldn't roll with the blade....so I will adjust that.
The blade cracks where it is welded most of the time, other times it is near that area. Maybe 6" fore or aft of the weld.

I don't think the tension is an issue because I adjust it to where it's just past the point where I can make the blade slip on the drive wheels by hand. I believe that is what was recommended in the manual.

I will get a new blade tomorrow, but sadly I can't get a new bimetal one for a few days...it will have to be hardbacked.

I sure feel like a fool if I've had the side guides adjusted wrong.
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Old 01-05-2015, 09:40 AM
toreadorxlt toreadorxlt is offline
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I have the same exact issue no matter what the blade is. I run really low tension, and slowest speed. I get about 2 months out of a blade, weather I buy the $30 ones or the $10 ones. I've spent a few hours getting everything lined up right.. cuts like a dream, just snaps blades alot. I've finally embraced it as a consumable payment..
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