Pro tip: Chill your bandsaw blade before slicing primal cuts

I noticed guys at the shop were getting ragged edges on striploins mid-day, and it clicked that the blade was heat-soaked from back-to-back use. Swapping in a pre-chilled blade (kept in the walk-in for 20 minutes) gave me clean cuts every time, has anyone else tried that trick with their saw?

3 comments

3 Comments

umak8918d ago

oh actually i think putting a cold blade on a hot motor might cause condensation problems. that moisture can mess with the blade tension and even rust the guides over time. better off just letting the saw cool down naturally between heavy use or keeping a spare blade at room temp to swap in.

cole_hall18d ago

Living in the deep south my whole life, I always figured the quick cool down from a cold blade was actually helping the motor, not hurting it. Never once thought about condensation forming inside the guides or rust building up over time. That makes total sense though, especially with the humidity we get down here. I bet that's why my backup saw always felt smoother after sitting for a while compared to the one I was swapping blades on hot.

wendygrant8d ago

You know what, I was in the same boat for years. Always thought that cold blade trick was a good thing, but hearing it explained like that makes me wonder how much damage I've done without even realizing it.