Fixing the bandsaw blade was a pretty interesting job. Might come out handy if you break a blade and don't have a spare one. You can do that and continue working until you get new one! Thanks for sharing!
+Matthias Wandel Grinding the weld down after might have done that, it got fairly hot. I think I'll redo it, but clamp it up better and do a neater weld.
I always anealed the blade after. It was the way I was taught in the tool and die shop. A Tig welder would do a better job as it would fuse the pieces together without any rod, but you use what you have.
Thanks for sharing! Can't wait for the follow-up. It's taken a while to get around to getting acquainted to this channel, good stuff. I like the way you incorporate real world caveats, instead of step 1 step 2 step 3 done. You're approach is more entertaining.
I like how you do things I would never think to do. Great ideas. I have the same rock hard air hoses. I hate them because they get in the way and are hard to roll up. I am looking forward to the day when I replace them with a soft hose.
I'm more than surprised that a guy that built his own bandsaw would not prep the blade ends before welding. I'm even more surprised that you didn't make a fence to butt the back of the blade against to insure it welds the blade straight. This stuff is SOP! Here's a bandsaw tire tip: I used Flex-Seal (Spray) for my drive roller on my 6" stationary belt sander. I applied multiple coats. I did it with the roller powered which produced a beautifully even coat which has held up well. Wakodahatchee Chris.
When you saw the original weld thinking it was yours and "wow I did better than I thought" almost had me on the floor laughing because I have had that experience myself a couple times. Thanks for leaving that in! Then the chisel as a hammer.... Just grab anything nearby...... Another of my traits also. Haha
I worked at NASA Langley in the late 70’s in Electronics and in our shop the band saw had a welder and powered wet stone to make/ repair BS Blades. I made many blades on this BS.
Flux core has it’s place, but I’d definitely recommend using a gas with other wire for this since the bandsaw blade is so thin. I weld stuff all the time but I will probably attempt this weld with a Tig machine first. Mig/wire feed seems a little much for something so small.
I glanced at the thumbnail, thought it was a David Picciuto video and thought "This isn't a good idea." Video opens and I realize it's John and I think "Oh, nevermind, it'll work out."
Will be interesting to here the follow up how long it last. I also laughed when I first saw the use of the chisel. Was thinking that now some people will cringe. Then in the next shot John is ponding on the pipe with the flat side of the chisel. LOL
That's a good point about the handle for your vise. Really, how often do you need to add that much pressure that you need the extra leverage from the longer handle, right?
Actually, I just welded a blade for the first time yesterday, worked great. Next, I have some scraps that I'm going to try silver soldering. I have a 12" Craftsman that uses a 80" blade, which is tough to find. Whatever works better, I'll be buying 92" blades a cutting then down to size. BTW, the right tool for the job. I got a laugh with you using a chisel as a hammer. Like I never did anything like that.
John, you are a great problem solver. You try out new things and that results in useful learning for all of us. The weld seems to have fixed the blade as the subsequent cutting shows. But what is that ticking sound? Is it due to the slight bulge in the spot where the blade was welded? Will some more grinding eliminate that sound or will it reduce the strength of the weld?
interesting concept i like your approach because i have a mig welder like yours and today i was cutting some pieces of thick wood for it when the saw blade broke my project consist on creating a welding cart for the forementioned welder (lol) thank you for this i will try it tomorrow
That's a mig welder right? Do all mig welder a operate without gas if you use flux core wire? I was going to buy a stick welder but would prefer to get a mig welder if I can use it without gas any help is appreciated thank you
+Jon Stevens not an expert but usually mig uses gas. flux core welding (as seen here in the video) is also mig welding but the flux is inside the wire and produces its own shielding gas and slag. pro: you don't need external gas, con: harder to get clean welds. I swapped my VERY cheap flux core welder for a VERY cheap stick welder and see better results with that. however, a hobart is probably a much higher quality machine than what I used.
At work we have an old bandsaw that has a blade welding setup right on the side of the actual machine. it alows you to cut and weld a new blade. Never tried it but maybe I will soon
+Art Connolly yep, i remember the bandsaw at my highschool (back in the day) had what appeared to be a spot welder mounted on the side for welding the blades, and a small slot between a couple of grinding wheels that was used to grind the welds back, of course the only person who was allowed to use the bandsaw was the tech teacher who had already lost a finger to it.
"Everything's home made, except for the saw-blade, of course". Well actually.. I have to partly disagree on that. :) Also, I admire the way you talk to the camera as if it was a person. It's like I'm in the shop watching! I'll never be able to do that. But that applies to most of the stuff in your videos. Keep it up!
+Wordsnwood (Art Mulder) Not sure it can go any higher, since it needs to clear the camera gantry. I may re-cut the blade and do a better join. Hard to do a really good job when filming it.
The most important step is the annealing. I have welded hundreds of blades without issue. Welding hardened steel is not the issue here, as the welder will super heat the joint during welding. After the weld is complete, the material at the joint hardens as it cools, and it will break at the joint if you don't anneal AFTER welding. An industrial band saw blade welder has a built in anneal circuit that you use AFTER you weld the blade. All you need to do is grind the weld down flush, both sides and back (eliminates that clicking sound you have) and then heat the joint with a torch to a dull red and let it air cool. That is now annealed and therefore is slightly flexible and wont snap under blade tension.
Have you thought about swapping the drill press and bandsaw positions? It looks like the drill might slide in underneath the air cleaner with a bit of room to spare :)
+Pete G I'm thinking more along the lines of moving everything that's on the other side of the shop over (the miter saw. etc) onto a built-in type cabinet that's better organized. The band saw and drill press would then be on the other side.
Actually, the annealing process is more critical than you think. Annealing the blade first (before welding) returns the blade to a 'non-hardened' state, which of course, facilitates a weld that doesn't have stress cracks at each side of the weld. A TIG weld is best, but does take skill, a special welder most won't have, and more time. After welding, a 'controlled hardening' is ideal for the teeth, as this returns their hardness to the welded area. The best idea is to watch a manufacturer's video on band-welding, to understand why each process is important. While a small 3/8ths or even 1/2" band isn't necessarily 'life threatening', it can cause injury if a sudden failure occurs on that weld. NONE of this is recommended if you are dealing with 1" or larger width blades, as a poor weld can be deadly. Run away from ANYONE telling you that silver solder or brazing is an acceptable band repair method!
i like a lot this tipe of video please make more!!! BIG LIKE!!! I WELD 2 TIMES 2 BAND SAW BLADES BUT DON'T WORK , BROKE AFTER 5 MINUTES I USE SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH AND I LIKE YOUR VIDEO A LOT
Rony ,las sierras se quebraron porque quedaron muy templadas, es decir, muy dura la soldadura y un poco a los lados, probablemente se quebraron justo donde termina la soldadura, hacia un lado u otro, solo te faltó destemplarla , y se hace aplicándole calor, pero más lento, hasta que se vea un color entre naranja y rojo, y que se enfríe lentamente, esto la dejara más flexible y te durará mucho tiempo,
+Hyss That's what it is to be a full time RUclips woodworker, I only get one day per week on average in the shop, so not enough use to wear a blade out.
I attempted to weld my bandsaw blade back together after it broke this summer. My Mig welder kept burning through the blade. I contacted jimmy diresta to ask if he tries to weld his back together. Typically the blades are silver soldered together not welded. Jimmy suggested I start using a metal cutting blade as they last a lot longer. after purchasing a metal cutting blade he is correct and they last a lot longer. They also cost a lot more but they don't seem to break as fast. reason they break is cause they get dull. Matthias Wandel showed a video on sharpening the blade. Never attempted that but if you have the time and patience it might be worth a shot. That or throw down $16 for a new blade.
Item # 60358 Harbor Frieght Item number for a hose that wont do that in the cold. I grabbed one after I cut a hole in my rubber one and I have used it 2 years now and oddly for something I wouldnt purchase there I have been impressed. Works great and its 22.99 for a 50 ft, or 16.99 for a 25 ft.
I have bought cheap hoses before, waste of money! Next purchase will be a quality reel I can mount in the roof and just pull out to whereever i need it. Interesting take on the flux core wire, mostly heard negative things about it before.
+1873Winchester Not much choice in my local retailer for air hose, too many people only want the low cost stuff. You'll always hear negatives about things from guys that have never used it. There are only two downsides to using flux core, and those are spatter (not a big deal, unless you want your welds winning a prize in a fashion show) and the cost - it's more expensive than solid wire. Of course, you don't need to buy gas, so that offsets the extra cost of the wire.
More details in the website article: www.ibuildit.ca/Workshop%20Projects/Shop%20Tricks/tricks-64.html The forum topic covering the silicone band saw wheel tires: www.ibuildit.ca/ibuildit-forum/viewtopic.php?id=218 As mentioned in the website article, I know this is not the best way to do this, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I don't have silver solder to do the repair the "right" way, and don't see myself needing to do this often enough to make buying it worthwhile. The steel vise build: www.ibuildit.ca/Workshop%20Projects/bench-vise-1.html
How come everytime you look something up its always a video with someone that spends more time talking about stuff that's totally I'll relevant banter the video could be done in 2 min but It takes 30 minutes a total waist of My time 😢😢❤❤❤
Fixing the bandsaw blade was a pretty interesting job. Might come out handy if you break a blade and don't have a spare one. You can do that and continue working until you get new one! Thanks for sharing!
Nothing better than spending a day hanging out in your shop, always something good going on :-)
+The ShavingWood Workshop
Thanks, glad you could come :)
Next time pizza :-)
I love these type of videos where you show us how you deal with little eventualities and issues.
+baconsoda
Thanks :)
A great problem solving video John, your abilities in so many different areas, never ceases to amaze.
Cheers
Mike
I'm surprised that worked. I'll be curious to see how long it lasts.
I think I would have done a quick annealing with a blowtorch after welding.
+Matthias Wandel Haven't you talked about how the bicycle tires collect dust as well? By the way, that headphone review was quite something.
+Matthias Wandel
Grinding the weld down after might have done that, it got fairly hot.
I think I'll redo it, but clamp it up better and do a neater weld.
I always anealed the blade after. It was the way I was taught in the tool and die shop. A Tig welder would do a better job as it would fuse the pieces together without any rod, but you use what you have.
Matthias Wandel, can you imagine a electric short of the welding electrodes and the MAP gas or propane gas, /
Thanks for sharing! Can't wait for the follow-up. It's taken a while to get around to getting acquainted to this channel, good stuff. I like the way you incorporate real world caveats, instead of step 1 step 2 step 3 done. You're approach is more entertaining.
I like how you do things I would never think to do. Great ideas. I have the same rock hard air hoses. I hate them because they get in the way and are hard to roll up. I am looking forward to the day when I replace them with a soft hose.
+RetroWeld I bought a hose that is "for cold temperatures", and it's wonderfully soft.
+RetroWeld
I'm thinking about using it to plumb air lines in and just use a very short, soft line to the tool I'm using.
+Matthias Wandel I live in Memphis so I don't have to worry about the cold. Anything soft would be perfect. :)
+I Build It That is a wonderful idea.
I have a Flexilla hose. it works great in my non heated wisconsin garage. unfortunately they are not cheap.
I love your channel, and the fact that you seem so down to earth... Keep up with good work...
I'm more than surprised that a guy that built his own bandsaw would not prep the blade ends before welding. I'm even more surprised that you didn't make a fence to butt the back of the blade against to insure it welds the blade straight. This stuff is SOP! Here's a bandsaw tire tip: I used Flex-Seal (Spray) for my drive roller on my 6" stationary belt sander. I applied multiple coats. I did it with the roller powered which produced a beautifully even coat which has held up well.
Wakodahatchee Chris.
When you saw the original weld thinking it was yours and "wow I did better than I thought" almost had me on the floor laughing because I have had that experience myself a couple times. Thanks for leaving that in! Then the chisel as a hammer.... Just grab anything nearby...... Another of my traits also. Haha
One of my favorite videos John, you really are a funny guy.
Thanks for testing this! I've been told you couldnt weld Bandsaw blades and I just believed it like that.
+Felix Dietz John never believe in the things we take for granted.
God, I love watching your stuff John.Marty
Interesting video! I always thought that if the weld was not heat treated afterwards it would be a problem, it must be the weakest point! nice video!
+Cactus! workshop
The metal on either side of the weld will be the weakest, but still very strong - it is steel after all.
I use to work in a plant maintenance shop that had a band saw with a welder and annealer built into it with a fixture for repairing band saw blades.
+Anthony Browning I used one that even had a small grinding wheel mounting near the resistance welder. One stop repairs!
I worked at NASA Langley in the late 70’s in Electronics and in our shop the band saw had a welder and powered wet stone to make/ repair BS Blades. I made many blades on this BS.
Flux core has it’s place, but I’d definitely recommend using a gas with other wire for this since the bandsaw blade is so thin. I weld stuff all the time but I will probably attempt this weld with a Tig machine first. Mig/wire feed seems a little much for something so small.
I glanced at the thumbnail, thought it was a David Picciuto video and thought "This isn't a good idea."
Video opens and I realize it's John and I think "Oh, nevermind, it'll work out."
+Pat F John Heisz can make it work!
+Matthias Wandel
That's more confidence in me than I have :)
+Pat F Every third maker seem to have a saw-blade as a logo. :)
shots fired
Will be interesting to here the follow up how long it last.
I also laughed when I first saw the use of the chisel. Was thinking that now some people will cringe. Then in the next shot John is ponding on the pipe with the flat side of the chisel. LOL
+gamingSlasher
That's my utility chisel for pulling small nails, cutting sheet steel and banging on pipes :)
Nice work John, one tool you should look at for metal cutting is the Milwaukee portable bandsaw they work great!
That's a good point about the handle for your vise. Really, how often do you need to add that much pressure that you need the extra leverage from the longer handle, right?
It is good to see that someone else uses chisels for their real purpose - hitting things and opening paint cans!
Just one more reason for me to get a welder! Thanks John
Iv'e been looking for one of those flat hammers with the red handle. I can't find them anywhere?
I'll be interested to see if that holds up. good job.
Actually, I just welded a blade for the first time yesterday, worked great. Next, I have some scraps that I'm going to try silver soldering. I have a 12" Craftsman that uses a 80" blade, which is tough to find. Whatever works better, I'll be buying 92" blades a cutting then down to size. BTW, the right tool for the job. I got a laugh with you using a chisel as a hammer. Like I never did anything like that.
You might want to try a Flexzilla air hose. It is supposed to remain flexible all the way down to -40.
Interesting video as usual John! It might be interesting to experiment with some welding glass over the camera lens.
John, you are a great problem solver. You try out new things and that results in useful learning for all of us.
The weld seems to have fixed the blade as the subsequent cutting shows. But what is that ticking sound? Is it due to the slight bulge in the spot where the blade was welded? Will some more grinding eliminate that sound or will it reduce the strength of the weld?
Good safety tip moving the flammable stuff.
great video . i got tig welder and tomorrow i will weld my broken band saw blades , thanks for the suggestions
interesting concept
i like your approach because i have a mig welder like yours and
today i was cutting some pieces of thick wood for it when the saw blade broke
my project consist on creating a welding cart for the forementioned welder (lol)
thank you for this i will try it tomorrow
hi John, have done this many times but have found that bronze welding lasts longer.
That's a mig welder right? Do all mig welder a operate without gas if you use flux core wire? I was going to buy a stick welder but would prefer to get a mig welder if I can use it without gas any help is appreciated thank you
the cheap filled wire ones that use no gas are pretty shitty. much harder to get a good bead than with a simple stick welder
+Ivan Stroganov I was going to buy a Hobart mig if I got one would that need gas?
+Jon Stevens not an expert but usually mig uses gas. flux core welding (as seen here in the video) is also mig welding but the flux is inside the wire and produces its own shielding gas and slag. pro: you don't need external gas, con: harder to get clean welds. I swapped my VERY cheap flux core welder for a VERY cheap stick welder and see better results with that. however, a hobart is probably a much higher quality machine than what I used.
The fear of the blade not tracking has always kept me from doing this. Awesome video. Thanks.
At work we have an old bandsaw that has a blade welding setup right on the side of the actual machine. it alows you to cut and weld a new blade. Never tried it but maybe I will soon
I would love to see a video (or even still-shots) of that set-up, it sounds a great feature.
+Art Connolly yep, i remember the bandsaw at my highschool (back in the day) had what appeared to be a spot welder mounted on the side for welding the blades, and a small slot between a couple of grinding wheels that was used to grind the welds back, of course the only person who was allowed to use the bandsaw was the tech teacher who had already lost a finger to it.
+TKyCoss yeah mine has a small grinding wheel as well. Def a cool machine
"Everything's home made, except for the saw-blade, of course". Well actually.. I have to partly disagree on that. :)
Also, I admire the way you talk to the camera as if it was a person. It's like I'm in the shop watching! I'll never be able to do that. But that applies to most of the stuff in your videos.
Keep it up!
Awesome Video!
Was it dangerous when the blade first broke?
+Dale Hollocher
No, it just stopped.
Yup, can't make it any worse so why not try! good fix, John.
Hmmm, looks like you should have mounted that fan maybe 1" higher on the wall!
+Wordsnwood (Art Mulder)
Not sure it can go any higher, since it needs to clear the camera gantry.
I may re-cut the blade and do a better join. Hard to do a really good job when filming it.
The most important step is the annealing. I have welded hundreds of blades without issue. Welding hardened steel is not the issue here, as the welder will super heat the joint during welding. After the weld is complete, the material at the joint hardens as it cools, and it will break at the joint if you don't anneal AFTER welding. An industrial band saw blade welder has a built in anneal circuit that you use AFTER you weld the blade. All you need to do is grind the weld down flush, both sides and back (eliminates that clicking sound you have) and then heat the joint with a torch to a dull red and let it air cool. That is now annealed and therefore is slightly flexible and wont snap under blade tension.
Have you thought about swapping the drill press and bandsaw positions? It looks like the drill might slide in underneath the air cleaner with a bit of room to spare :)
+Pete G
I'm thinking more along the lines of moving everything that's on the other side of the shop over (the miter saw. etc) onto a built-in type cabinet that's better organized. The band saw and drill press would then be on the other side.
Actually, the annealing process is more critical than you think. Annealing the blade first (before welding) returns the blade to a 'non-hardened' state, which of course, facilitates a weld that doesn't have stress cracks at each side of the weld. A TIG weld is best, but does take skill, a special welder most won't have, and more time. After welding, a 'controlled hardening' is ideal for the teeth, as this returns their hardness to the welded area. The best idea is to watch a manufacturer's video on band-welding, to understand why each process is important. While a small 3/8ths or even 1/2" band isn't necessarily 'life threatening', it can cause injury if a sudden failure occurs on that weld. NONE of this is recommended if you are dealing with 1" or larger width blades, as a poor weld can be deadly. Run away from ANYONE telling you that silver solder or brazing is an acceptable band repair method!
Please more information on this
You didnt't really line the ends up parallel with a straight edge, did you? That would explain wobbling
+Pacific Film
I did, but steel can distort when welded if it's not securely clamped.
Clamp your blade to a peace of Aluminum , Copper, or brass at the weld point and this works great I’ve welded 6” sawmill blades using the brass backup
i like a lot this tipe of video please make more!!! BIG LIKE!!!
I WELD 2 TIMES 2 BAND SAW BLADES BUT DON'T WORK , BROKE AFTER 5 MINUTES I USE
SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH AND I LIKE YOUR VIDEO A LOT
Rony ,las sierras se quebraron porque quedaron muy templadas, es decir, muy dura la soldadura y un poco a los lados, probablemente se quebraron justo donde termina la soldadura, hacia un lado u otro, solo te faltó destemplarla , y se hace aplicándole calor, pero más lento, hasta que se vea un color entre naranja y rojo, y que se enfríe lentamente, esto la dejara más flexible y te durará mucho tiempo,
with saw blade usually after welding them you need to draw the metal back to releave the stress you put into the metal when welding it.
If the blade was cut last year how have you managed to not wear it out. I would have bought around 3 in that time.
+Hyss
That's what it is to be a full time RUclips woodworker, I only get one day per week on average in the shop, so not enough use to wear a blade out.
I attempted to weld my bandsaw blade back together after it broke this summer. My Mig welder kept burning through the blade. I contacted jimmy diresta to ask if he tries to weld his back together. Typically the blades are silver soldered together not welded. Jimmy suggested I start using a metal cutting blade as they last a lot longer. after purchasing a metal cutting blade he is correct and they last a lot longer. They also cost a lot more but they don't seem to break as fast. reason they break is cause they get dull. Matthias Wandel showed a video on sharpening the blade. Never attempted that but if you have the time and patience it might be worth a shot. That or throw down $16 for a new blade.
nice work .
11:52 ho there, chisel police wont like this :-)
Glad you moved the Lacquer thinner before causing an explosion in front of you. Gasses do build up around it.
Oh, and nice weld BTW!
Now i want to learn how to weld even more....
Silver brazing works too and is easy.
Item # 60358 Harbor Frieght Item number for a hose that wont do that in the cold. I grabbed one after I cut a hole in my rubber one and I have used it 2 years now and oddly for something I wouldnt purchase there I have been impressed. Works great and its 22.99 for a 50 ft, or 16.99 for a 25 ft.
"I'm gonna pound it with a chisel because every man made tool is only a specialization of a hammer."
It is better to use a copper plate under the weld. The weld does not stick.
Nice
that $40 hose would make me cry
That weld was far from good. I'm amazed that that didn't snap. It probably will if you put too much tension on it though.
I have bought cheap hoses before, waste of money! Next purchase will be a quality reel I can mount in the roof and just pull out to whereever i need it. Interesting take on the flux core wire, mostly heard negative things about it before.
+1873Winchester
Not much choice in my local retailer for air hose, too many people only want the low cost stuff.
You'll always hear negatives about things from guys that have never used it. There are only two downsides to using flux core, and those are spatter (not a big deal, unless you want your welds winning a prize in a fashion show) and the cost - it's more expensive than solid wire. Of course, you don't need to buy gas, so that offsets the extra cost of the wire.
ALWAYS use your guard with the angle grinder. Accidents do happen, and that guard could potentially save your life.
+R4MP4G3RXD
You must be new here.
I Build It
...
Neat
More details in the website article: www.ibuildit.ca/Workshop%20Projects/Shop%20Tricks/tricks-64.html
The forum topic covering the silicone band saw wheel tires: www.ibuildit.ca/ibuildit-forum/viewtopic.php?id=218
As mentioned in the website article, I know this is not the best way to do this, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I don't have silver solder to do the repair the "right" way, and don't see myself needing to do this often enough to make buying it worthwhile.
The steel vise build: www.ibuildit.ca/Workshop%20Projects/bench-vise-1.html
Chisels probably are not fully appreciated for their hidden all-round features...?
Chisels are the original multi tool
+Brian Luciano I completely love the sequence from 12.00 - 12.07
you get splatter with fulx cor welding wire and you get no splatter Gas welding
Not in my sub box:@
is wery gud:-D
This guys should never own a welder or a bandsaw for frig sake.
How come everytime you look something up its always a video with someone that spends more time talking about stuff that's totally I'll relevant banter the video could be done in 2 min but It takes 30 minutes a total waist of My time 😢😢❤❤❤
Never been so early :o