inexpensive bandsaw blade welder?

Howdy...I've got a half-dozen 1/8th to 1/2 inch broken band saw blades for my itty bitty three wheel Grizzly G8976 62 inch bandsaw. The model has been removed from the current Grizzly list. I break the blades with great regularity.. I mostly saw soft pine and rarely use the machine. However, it is a savior for some jobs, like the odd dimensioned & angled TV cabinet shelf that I am working on now.

Due to the odd size of the blades, I wind up paying about ten bucks for each one, and they never last. Is there an inexpensive way to weld these things back together? I've kept the broken ones. Maybe welding five or six blades back together will help pay for the equipment. I've done a little web searching and most of the blade welder units are $150.00 or up.

I've seen small $89.00/$100.00 110 v plug-in welders at Harbor Freight. Will any of those units do the job, and maybe allow for some additional fun projects? Obviously, I am not interested in making a business of this, nor of doing anything on large size metal.

As you can already tell, I know NOTHING about welding. thanks, Rich

Reply to
RichG
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As an alternative, you can silver braze the joints. A number of the woodworking supply outfits supply a kit which consists of a rudimentary jig, flux and filler. Usually under $20. Of you can hunt up some aluminum angle and bulldog paper clips and make your own. In either case, supplying the torch is up to you. With proper filler choice, a propane torch could do the job. A bench grinder is also needed to skive the joint properly. Google for the kits.

A blade welder is pretty much limited to welding blades and really thin strap. Not a really wide-application tool. You CAN get continuous blade stock in configurations that aren't available in pre- welded sizes, that's what it's really good for. 110v blade welders are pretty limited in what they can handle, carefully look at the specs. I've seen one of the 110v HF jobbies in the store, it didn't go home with me. You can't see how they're made from just looking at a picture.

If you keep busting blades, you might want to consider thinner blade stock. A three-wheeler bends the blade a lot more than a conventional two-wheel saw of the same throat dimensions, one of the trade-offs. A thinner blade can flex through a lot tighter curve. If you're not using a brand name blade, you might consider Lenox or Starrett. These generally outlast no-name chink tomato-can blades by a large factor.

Stan

Reply to
stans4

That is the curse of 3 wheel band saws, the small radius of the wheels flexes the blade too much and breaks them. Try to get thinner blades if you can. Or get a bigger bandsaw. :-) Welding the ones you have will only break again, SOON. ...lew...

Reply to
Lew Hartswick

Is this the sort of thing that I need? Sorry if I shouldn't be posting Ebay stuff., but it isn't mine ( obviously) Rich

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Reply to
RichG

Oh yes...would a propane torch or a Mapp torch be hot enough for that silver solder kit? I have both...Rich

Reply to
RichG

"RichG" wrote: Oh yes...would a propane torch or a Mapp torch be hot enough for that silver solder kit? I have both...Rich ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'm sure Mapp would do it, and I'm pretty sure of propane. However, be sure to note that the kit does not include the clamp that holds the ends in alignment, or a means of skiving (I think it's called) the blade ends. You're buying some solder and flux.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

OK Sounds like I am going after the right kind of material..

I'm checking with Northern Tool and Harbor freight to see if either stocks it...

re the "skiving" tool...it sounds like a couple of clamps bolted to a piece of metal??? Rich

Reply to
RichG

"RichG" wrote: (clip) re the "skiving" tool...it sounds like a couple of clamps bolted to a piece of metal??? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ An electric blade welder makes a butt weld, and a little cleanup on the sides produces the kind of joint you generally get on a new blade. "Skiving" produces two long matching tapers on the blade ends, which then have to be overlapped in alignment for soldering. If you don't get this exactly right, especially with a three-wheel saw, the joint will have trouble going around the radius of the wheels. I can easilly imagine a silver soldered joint where the combination of two layers of steel and a little solder end up being stiffer than the rest of the blade.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

I've bought from the gent before. He answers questions before and after the sale.

Wes

Reply to
clutch

Hi Rich, I work with steel, where blades are expensive and do snap on occasion. Most good bandsaws have a blade welder built in to the saw, but thats really only for vertical bandsaws.... horizontal ones rarely have them. While many people say that silver soldering is the way to go, the common practice in many shops i have worked in is simply to mig weld them, and people are none too concerned about precision! you will need to cut the two ends at a daigonal rather than meeting them at 90 degrees, then simply 'tack' weld them with a series of spots. youll need to get your heat pretty right. after that, a quick buff up with a flap disk will see you good. someone who knew what they were doing could probably weld and buff 5 broken blades in about 15 minutes.

Shaun

Reply to
Shaun Van Poecke

So...Leo are you recommending an electric blade welder? And if so..any ideas as to source?, manufacturer? price ? etc. ? thanks very much Rich

Reply to
RichG

Check this link for a brazing kit.

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Reply to
BJ

Thanks for the LINK.

After reading some of the wise advice on this site.... I decided that the three wheel Bandsaw was causing most of the problem. I donated it to a local charity thrift store ( I hope the new owner has a welder).

I bought a Delta home 9 inch Bandsaw this afternoon, on sale at Lowes for $79.00!. At least the two wheel arrangement shouldn't cause as many blades to break. My band saw needs are very limited, but it is the only tool that will do certain jobs, IMHO.

I am still thinking about trying to weld or silver solder some of the left over broken blades that I have. The new rig uses 59 1/2 inch. The broken ones are all 62 inch, so maybe I can make lemonade out of lemons yet.

Thanks for all the help and good advice here.. Rich

Reply to
RichG

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