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Thread: Releasing the blade tension.
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10th May 2022, 06:11 PM #1GOLD MEMBER
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Releasing the blade tension.
My bandsaw goes for some long periods without use, depending what I am up to. Yet I never release the blade tension. Am I a bad person?
Mine is so fiddly to set the blade I don't like to touch it if it's tracking right.My YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2_KPRN6I9SE
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10th May 2022 06:11 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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10th May 2022, 06:20 PM #2Senior Member
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Over the course of a year the blade may expand and contract up to about 1.5mm in length. I'm saying that's not a problem, but then again I always release the tension on my bandsaw when it's not in use.
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10th May 2022, 07:55 PM #3SENIOR MEMBER
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10th May 2022, 10:18 PM #4SENIOR MEMBER
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I have operated some big bandsaws over the years so will be interested to hear the hive minds perspective on this one.
On a side note, never understood why bandsaws don't come standard with a safety switch to ensure the saw won't start without tension on the blade. I understand the difference in blade size >< tension = no easy solution, but personally think it's an oversight.
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11th May 2022, 12:07 AM #5
Small band saws don't require a lot of tension compared to their larger brethren running 150 mm + bands / blades that require staggering tensions.
Leaving the tension set would cause issues with compression of a sector of the tire, flattening off the crown (if any) which then may cause tracking issues as the band runs on a part of the tire with a crown then no crown.
Most small band saw frames are fabricated from folded sections and aren't as robust as their cast iron forebears, so leaving a 3/8" band tensioned would not be as problematic as say leaving an 1 1/4" band in full tension for long periods. Many of the other components are relatively light duty castings etc which may not be as robust as earlier machines which tended to be over engineered.Mobyturns
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11th May 2022, 12:59 AM #6China
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Tension release on Bandsaws is a modern addition, in the "old days" Bandsaws had no such mechanism, and had no problems, My Bandsaw has tension release I have never worried about it and have never had any issues
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11th May 2022, 07:14 AM #7GOLD MEMBER
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