Thread: blade jamming

Sounds like the blade is too wide try a !/4" or even 3/16"

if you pivot the timber on a single point, the blade will twist inside the blade kerf cut line until it jams. This is probably what is happening when you are cutting freehand. With your circle cutting jig, you probably don't have the center point of your circle "perpendicular" to the cut line of the blade at the base of the blade gullet. Probably forwards or backwards of the correct point and therefore any cut you try and make, you are actually asking the blade to twist in the kerf line, but it is needing to twist too far

Originally Posted by WaggaSteve

I have an inexpensive bandsaw but does the job for me. Problem is when using my homemade circle cutting jig. Basically a false table with holes drilled 1" apart. Drill hole in wood, insert pop rivet into this with other end into hole in table and spin wood into blade. Issue is that blade bends to left from top of wood being cut to table and frequently jams even in soft pine. New blade 1/2" × 4 tpi and tensioned fairly tightly. Problem seems less when pivoting wood without jig. Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong please

Critical info needed : What size circle are you cutting?

Are you working within these rules? Your pivot point needs to be just a few millimeters behind the teeth of your blade to help the outer cut circle clear the back of the blade.

I this case 6" radius. To clarify, the issue is NOT as bad if I am cutting free hand

Originally Posted by WaggaSteve

I this case 6" radius. To clarify, the issue is NOT as bad if I am cutting free hand

Thanks.

6" should be OK with a 1/2" wide blade. I'd ne looking at Treecycle's advice.

BTW I've never been able to cut circles as small as what the web references above claim.