Bandsaws.. coolant or no... (my opinion)

[Evan]

Cost shouldn't be a problem. A drip oiler uses very little fluid and costs almost nothing to install. Here is mine.



When it is down it drips. When up it doesn't and is easy to fill. I ended up directing the drip onto the blade guide bearings permanently as that efficiently transfers oil to the blade where it is needed. A needle valve controls the flow.

[Fasttrack]

True ... that has actually been on the to-do list since I first saw your post some time ago. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Of course, being away at school means I don't see my saw very much anymore. To me, its just one of those things that could go either way. Dry or wet ... doesn't make a huge difference when the blades are no more expensive then they are. Shoot I can get blades for that thing that are only 8 bucks at my local Home Depot ... of course they suck compared to the nice Lenox ones.

[quasi]

when I got my first 4x6 bandsaw, I hung an I.V. bag over it and used it as a drip oiler.

[BobWarfield]

Nice setup, Evan.

I always thought it would be handy to have a self-contained portable mister for machines less often used. Never made one up, but it wouldn't be hard.

Cheers,

BW

[Lew Hartswick]

However.. my point is.. coolant does make a big difference in blade life.
Russ

:-) Only if the creatures using it know how to use a bandsaw in the
first place. :-)
The Kalamazo (sp?) at school has coolant but the blades last about
a week or sometimes less before half the teeth are striped off. :-(

Some people shouldn't be alowed to touch a machinetool.
...lew...

[lane]

Yes I am all for the coolant . Have it on my 7x10 wells . Sure saves the blades on long cuts. But then again I dont always turn it on . I bought a tube of saw wax for my Grob vertical band saw and that in its self mad a world of difference. So it all boils down to personal preference. coolant is some what messy. But I have never seen a clean machine shop .

[Fasttrack]

Some people shouldn't be alowed to touch a machinetool.
...lew...

AMEN! Thats how the tools are here in the shops I've been working in. I saw a guy trying to cut a piece of .125 Ti plate in a bandsaw with a blade that was meant for aluminum. Not sure what the TPI was before he got there, but by the time he left there weren't any teeth left


And the worst part is ... I'm a freshman - I've got no authority over these guys. Some of them are full time hired guys and the best I can do is offer "friendly" suggestions. I don't want to come off as a prick or a "know-it-all" and I don't mind starting at the bottom of the wrung ... but ... the way they treat tools...

[DICKEYBIRD]

I bought a tube of saw wax for my Grob vertical band saw and that in its self mad a world of difference.

Most of my 4X6 bandsaw work has been vertical lately and the tube of saw wax sounds great. Do you just get "saw wax" from Enco or whomever and use it on alum and CRS or are there different types for different metals?

[Evan]

Sure saves the blades on long cuts.

Yep, it sure does.

[beckley23]

Evan- Do you think you can get a bigger piece in there?

Seriously, there are a couple other factors that enter into blade life besides coolant, which I consider a necessity. Use the correct SFPM on the blade and break in the blade. DoAll and some other mfg recommend that the blade be run at reduced speeds for the first several hundred square inches of cutting. It's as if the teeth are too sharp and need to be dulled a slight bit. It may not be a necessity for you, but in my operation it does make a difference, that I learned the expensive way, once. My bands cost approx 50.00 ea, and with good practices I can get hundreds , or thousands, of pieces cut depending on material, without changing it.

A couple other suggestions.
Use the coarsest tooth pitch possible, at least 3 teeth in the cut. Don't let the blade skim the cut, you want to see nice curly chips, not dustings.
Harry

[IOWOLF]

Coolant all the way, IMHO

Or cool air jet, mister, they all will increase blade life.

The mess, It is just a minor inconvenience.

[madman]

No Coolant

I never use coolant cutting D2 . I was always taught not to use coolant on this material only??

[Evan]

Evan- Do you think you can get a bigger piece in there?

Heh.

[Michael Edwards]

Most of my 4X6 bandsaw work has been vertical lately and the tube of saw wax sounds great. Do you just get "saw wax" from Enco or whomever and use it on alum and CRS or are there different types for different metals?

I like the "LUBE TUBE" from Lenox. I got it from the local saw blade repair guy. I originally used it for a 10" carbide tipped chop saw on aluminum and it worked great. I like it a lot better than the old stick of bee's wax my dad had left over, it seems to work better and it is cleaner. It also woks great on a bandsaw on aluminum. Never used it on any thing else.


ME

[quasi]

Evan, your stock stand is very interesting. Can you provide details on it sometime?