There are some common issues that cause band saw blades to fail:

– Blade tension
– Breaking in new blades
– Blade weld point
– Speed and feed rate
– Band saw blade chip brushes
– Blade selection and the material being cut
– Tooth pitch

Band saw blade tension

Band saw blades need lots of tension to perform correctly. However the incorrect amount of tension can lead to body breakage or cracks on the back edge or on gullets.

Breaking in new band saw blades

No matter who manufactured the band saw blades you use, you must break them in. This is because teeth on new blades are too sharp, and using them at full rate will cause premature blade failure. If you break the blade in, you will have fewer challenges with crooked cuts or stripping or breaking of teeth.

Blade weld points

Band saw blades are made by cutting a strip of teeth to the desired length and welded together to form a loop. This weld point can be a cause of weakness if not tightly joined together or proper process followed to ensure the join is not brittle and hard. The weld point of band saw blades can take too much load and break if the tension on the band saw wheel is too high.

Speed and feed rate of band saw blades

You need to follow the correct speed and feed rates for band saw blades and material being cut. This ensures you avoid teeth being stripped and breakage or fracture of the blade as much as possible.

Chip brushes for band saw blades

You need to ensure you use a chip brush to clear away debris and allow the the band saw blade maintain the most efficient and straight cuts. A good idea is to have a chip brush made of nylon or brass, as wire brushes can damage your band saw blades.

Band saw blade selection

Ensure you select your band saw blade based on the material you want to cut. Selecting the incorrect blade can lead to blade failure and damage your machine.

Band saw blade tooth pitch

Tooth pitch is referred to as TPI, or tooth per inch. You need to select the TPI correctly for the material you need to cut. If you select the incorrect tooth pitch this can cause difficulty for the blade to cut the material.