Tooth Setting and Sharpening

Can a bandmill blade's teeth lose their set without becoming dull? September 15, 2006

Question
With the help of all of the guys that submitted info for a sharpener, I have been awaiting receiving my grinder, and the CNC work for the blade holder and advancer.

I have begun playing around with the tooth setter, and have noticed a couple things. When I set my teeth, some of the blades appear to have lost their set only on one side. Is this normal? The blades are still sharp. I set the teeth on one and sawed about 600 bf on 1x material before it began to get wavy, which would tell me it has again lost its set. Do you sometimes just set them without resharpening to prolong the life of the blade?

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor B:
I have noticed that the teeth set towards the inside of the blade loses its set before the outer side. I think it is the way the blade bends as it goes around the wheel. I always sharpen the blades. Never set without sharpening. I can usually get two sharpenings to one set. Also, I always set before sharpening.



From contributor A:
If you have a good sharpener, the blade should keep the set evenly, both sides. You should never set without sharpening. You have to understand how blades cut, and understand the engineering of sharpening blades.

How can you tell if the blade is still sharp without a microscope? A bandsaw blade only cuts with .004 of the tip of the tooth. This is one of many reasons you are getting wavy cuts. I could write a book on everything that it takes to sharpen and set blades correctly. Call Cooks Saw and talk to the experts about your blade problems. Talk to Stephen or Tim Cook. They should help you understand more about the problems you are having.



From the original questioner:

The reason I know it's sharp is I set the teeth and put it on the mill and watched it saw like a new blade. I wouldn't know what to look for with a microscope, but I know what a sharp blade saws like.


From contributor T:
Had a bearing replaced on a guide which was about 1/16" too wide. This caused one side to slightly flatten set. Anything that touches the teeth can cause the set to change, including guides. If you have metal wheels, check the band/belt for wear allowing blade to touch the metal part of the wheel. Also, be sure the blade is tracking properly on the wheels.