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Brazing Bandsaw Blades

3232 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Jeremys, Jun 5, 2009

DannyBoy

Discussion Starter · Jun 4, 2009 (Edited by Moderator)

So, as you may have read, I am the proud new owner of a Taiwan knock-off of a 1980s Delta 14" bandsaw (it was free). After some refurbishment and a discussion about tapping screw wholes, I came to the point at which to put a new blade on the sucker and start her up.

Well, shucks. The blade is longer than 80" and shorter (by almost 3 inches) than 93 1/2. So, I can't buy a blade for it. So, luckily the previous owner was nice enough to give me the brazing kit he had (the jig only) to be able to make my own blade lengths (I hate tooling up to use a tool). So, I (again) need some advice from our wonderfully educated and experienced community of kindhearted woodworkers.

I have done my research and found The Bandsaw Book on Google Books which has a nice set of instructions on brazing. It looks easy enough with a bit of a learning curve… Here are the steps it shows:

1. Bevel the blade ends.
2. Clean the blade ends.
3. Clamp blade ends to the fixture.
4. Spread the flux.
5. Braze.
6. Omitted for some reason…
7. Remove excess alloy.

A couple of questions come to mind for me. Any idea what should be in step 6? Also, I plan on cutting down 93 1/2 blades to make mine, so will a pair of tin snips be good for cutting the blade apart or do I need a different tool for that?

Thanks for you help!

~Danny Boy

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lew

· #2 · Jun 4, 2009

As far as cutting the blade, I think it would depend on the type of blade. So are hardened. I would try aviation shears, first.

I don't have any experience with brazing the blades but surely someone here will be able to fill in the blank.

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patron

· #3 · Jun 4, 2009

i think 6 is grind off sides ( so they don't get caught in guides )
i just order my blades from tri-gas in albuquerque n.m. (ask your local saw shop )
they buy it by the roll in all different teeth patterns ,
and will make them any length you want .
i just checked and here looks good ( sorry i cant blue highlite yet so you'll have to search it regular )
.
www.victornet.com
.
good luck !

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DannyBoy

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 4, 2009

Patron, thanks for the link. That may be a better option.

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Kindlingmaker

· #5 · Jun 4, 2009

When I have cut blades when I didn't have an industrial shear I use a sharp chisel (NOT A WOOD CHISEL) and and a hammer. Then grind the ends square and clean then bevel them for brazing.

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Kjuly

· #6 · Jun 5, 2009

DannyBoy,
I ran into the same situation.
Having to braze your own blades works and you can save money by buying your blades in coil stock. The down side it that you will have all the same type of blade and if you need a different blade then you would have to invest in another coil or order a custom made blade.
My saw took a blade that was 2" shorter(91 1/2") that the standard blade for a 14" bandsaw.
It was a simple fix, a home made riser block and now I buy off the shelf blades and also get them on sale.
The home made riser block is installed where the upper and lower half of the machine are bolted together. My saw had one large bolt that attached the two sections.
So I went to the local steel scrap yard and purchased some flat stock steel 1/2" thick. My saw required two 5" x 5" x 1/2" with a "U" shaped section cut out of the middle so it would slip around the bolt. I made a cardboard pattern of what it should look like and took it with me. They cut it to size and cut the slot for the bolt. A little cleaning and some paint and I was ready to go.
The question is what size riser do you need to get to a 93 1/2" blade.
In my case I needed to add a 1" riser to extend the length of the blade by 2"
The thickness of the riser doubles the amount added to the blade length. By adding a 1/2" riser you are moving the bandsaw wheels 1/2" apart and extending the length of the blade by 1".
If you choose this fix please use care when reinstalling the upper section making sure that the wheels are coplanar and ensure that the bolt is long enough. I believe that it is covered it the book that you referred to but if not then this one does. Band Saw Handbook (Paperback)
by Mark Duginske (Author)
Keith

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DannyBoy

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 5, 2009

I had considered this as well, but I'm wasn't too keen on asking about it. It sounds like it is a reasonable fix. When I was thinking about doing it, I was looking at the risers that were available through Rockler and they didn't seem like the right size plus they were $100 to $125 a piece and I wasn't prepared to spend that cash on a free saw.

I just purchased some custom length blades from the website Patron suggested. I'm going to see how that works out. When it comes time, I may do a riser block for this machine after all. Hell, it would be nice to have the extra few inches anyway.

~DB

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Jeremys

· #8 · Jun 5, 2009

If I were to guess, step 6 may have somthing to do with nutralizing the flux after the brazing has been completed. Water should do the trick (if using an acid base flux) and if it is not removed, it could start to affect the metal of the blade thus making it weak and the braze insufficient.

This is of course a guess as I've never brazed a band saw blade before but I do have experience brazing other metals together such as brass. Just a thought.

Good Luck!

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