Band saws are one of the Best tools for Modern-day carpentry. They are ideal for cutting any style and shape of the wood. You may think of other similar cutting tools like Bradshaw blade etc.
However, the band saw blade holds its significance. However, it requires a bit of working experience and skill. Its sharpness can make or break your imagined wood workout.
Band saws are ideal for carving angles in the wood besides being a perfect tool for lumbar sawing your thick logs. Its blades have such diversity and mastery that they can cut the logs as thick as one inch wide to delicate ones to create curve cuts. The curved cutting blade may be as thin as 1/8 inch in thickness.
How to change a bandsaw blade?
As there is no inbuilt or automatic system for changing the blades, you have to do it yourself. It would help if you learned how to change the saw and educate yourself on how to regulate the saw to hold the blades in proper working condition. The leaves should keep moving in straight consistency in an aligned manner.
So in this article, you will learn step by step two things. One is changing the blades, and the other is adjusting them to your desired height and position.
Step one — How to open the cabinet
The foremost thing before proceeding towards anything is your safety. Your safety gear is your gloves and safety glasses. These glasses will protect anything from getting into your eyes. The last, but essential safety measure, is unplugging the central unit controlling the saw table. As last unfortunate thing to expect while changing the blades is their automatic cutting. Just because you forgot to unplug them may result in mere disaster.
After unplugging:
- Open both arguments and bottom cabinets. Once you open the two cabinet covers, you will expose the two tires holding the band saw blade.
- Don’t wait for anything else.
- Just start clearing and cleaning any sawdust or remain of previous cuttings.
A clean area will ensure a smooth changing of the blade.
Step two releases the tension of the blade:
This one is a crucial step once you are done with clearing and cleaning the operational area. Locate the releasing knob in the vertical shaft on the top cabinet. If there is any other site of this knob due to change design or model, follow the manufacturer’s manual or products website. Once you have found the knob, start rotating it in the counter-clockwise direction. As you keep moving it, the tension on the blade will continuously become low. You have released the pressure enough when your edge is loose enough.
Step three — Raising the guards of the band saw blade guard:
After you have successfully loosened the blade by working on its knob, you are now into your next step. Everything is going well so far. Now you have to uplift the band saw blade guard. This guard is crucial. It stays on a track of its own. Now within this track, it keeps sliding up and down according to various thicknesses of the wood. It is adjustable, though. While it is operating, you have to make sure that your guard is at its lowest point so that it does not hinder the stock as it causes deflection of the blade.
Just as you can control the tension of the blade with a knob, likewise, you can raise the level of your guard height with the help of another knob. This knob is also in the top cabinet. Now keep rotating the knob in the clockwise direction to attain the maximum height. You can secure it by tightening the knob at this point.
Step four -removing the guard of the rear blade and under the table:
So far, you have loosened the band saw blade and raised its front guard. Now is the time for moving one step further. You start to remove the back guard of the blade. This guard has its significance to protects two folds. Firstly, it covers the blade as it moves from the top tire to the bottom, casing upward. Secondly, it guards the operator in case of unfortunate and sudden breakage of the blade.
You can remove this guard by merely unscrewing the screws at the top and bottom of the chassis, where it is fixed. Once extracted now, you can put both the screws and guard aside.
The under-table guard is also essential. These serve to help the blades in position both during working and in case of breakage.
Unscrew it too, and remove the guard aside along with the screws.
Step five – Remove the blade:
Once all the guards are removed, and the blade is loose, you can hold the blade and move it at 90 degrees. Now guide it out along the saw track until it is ultimately freeing. You can carefully fold your removed blade in thirds. Once folded, you can tie it up nicely for safe storage.
Step six – Slide the new blade in:
Now put the new saw blade in the exact center slot from where you removed the old one. Once in position, you can tighten the knob and extend it to the top and bottom tires. Make sure you are neither over-tightening nor letting it loose.
Now you have to adjust the blocks and rollers that keep the blade in a smooth motion. They are both above and below the table.
After all the adjustments have been made, test runs the blade to keep a close look at its alignment. You can handle it with the help of the adjustment knob. Once it is centrally aligned throughout its track, you can increase its tension by rotating the knob clockwise.
Final step — Test run
You can now test run all your settings and adjustment by plugging in the band saw blade. If it runs smoothly, good enough, and if not, then you can unplug it and readjust the knob where required.
Once satisfied with the blade adjustment and alignment, you can now close the cabinets. The blade guards are restored to their original position and height. Now your new blade is ready to follow your commands.
Conclusion
You can easily replace your old blade with the new desired thickness one by loosening it, removing its guards, and Then again restoring them all. You restore the guards only after changing the blades. Adjustment and tension-controlling knobs ease your task. At all times, beware of any unexpected breakage.