DIY bandsaw blade welding?

[Doc Nickel]

I might have a chance to buy some bulk (100-foot) bandsaw blade, in the size just about perfect for my Wells horizontal.

I don't, however, have a blade welder. I do, however, have a TIG, among other things. If I made a quick and dirty little jig for holding the blade section straight as I welded them, how well do you think a carefully-done TIG weld would work- either fusion only or with a tiny bit of filler rod.

Doc.

[Circlip]

Bevel opposing thicknesses to make a lap joint and Silver Solder.

Regards Ian.

[joeby]

I've TIG welded a few bandsaw blades, and it will work; but it takes a little experimenting. I didn't have as much luck with fusion as with stainless rods. I was getting too much undercut with fusion.

Make sure to anneal after welding, and the blades should hold up fine.

Kevin

[Your Old Dog]

Make sure to anneal after welding, and the blades should hold up fine.

Kevin

I wonder if that's where I screwed up? I tried MIG with mine and no luck.

[JCHannum]

There have been a couple of posts by people who TIG welding, the anealing is probably what gets missed. The butt welders with the machines have an annealing cycle.

For most, it is just as easy to bevel and silver solder.

[ahidley]

Ya HAVE to anneal, no exceptions

[Mcgyver]

Ya HAVE to anneal, no exceptions

I understand why to anneal so the joint stands up - but don't you then end up with soft teeth. Would tempering be better?

As i understand it, blades rapidly deteriorate once a tooth is broken - puts a shock load on the next tooth, it breaks etc. I wondering if it makes sense to grind in a slight ramp into and out of this area of now softened teeth so the blade just rides in the is area and there are no soft teeth to go missing and start the deterioration?

[joeby]

Bandsaw blades will shed teeth if there's a gap large enough to get material into. A blade should have at least two teeth in the cut at all times. That in itself will prevent one missing tooth from causing too much grief, then there's the fact that the blade speed is probably high enough to keep you from stuffing in that much material at a time (unless you already have several teeth missing from the blade).

I have had more trouble with broken saw teeth from the maintenance guys cutting sheetmetal on a 6p blade than from annealing.

Kevin

[radkins]

I just use my torch and silver solder, I have also had good luck using regular Bronze brazing rods although that gets a bit tricky. Soldering with the torch works so well I hardly see the need to spring for the cost of a dedicated blade welder, nothing to it really.

[ahidley]

I thought the rule of thumb was 3 theeth in the material at a minimum.

When the blade is welded it is red hot. This means that it is now as hard as possible, (assuming its air hardening). Annealing takes some hardness away and adds some durability. this allows it flex vs snap off when its bent.
This is why hardening is a two step process. The teeth are still hard just not brittle hard.