Apparently they don't mix very well. Everything I read online and searching the wreck says canarywood works easily. However it seems to have the ability to completely gum up bandsaw blades nearly instantly. I can get about 3 inches after cleaning before it starts smoking. The same setup and blade can go through walnut and yellowheart like butter so I don't think that's the problem. Any suggestions?
-Leuf
Ceramic guides?
I do have cool blocks, but I usually set them as you'd set metal guides. I guess I can try setting them tight.
I should add that the buildup is worse on the tire side. I don't have any dust collection or a tire brush, both things on my to do list for after christmas. I could juryrig something temporary with the shopvac, but I have no idea if that will help matters.
If nothing else, at least now I have the saw on a mobile base so I can move it to the other end of the shop, away from the smoke alarm and close to the fan in the window. Last time I think I set it off 2-3 times in one session.
-Leuf
What width bandsaw blade? (1/2" can be used for resawing)
How many tpi? (3 is often recomended)
Shallow or deep gullets? (deep gullets give the sawdust a place to be while in the wood rather than rubbing between the blade and the sides of the cut)
How thick is the wood?
charlie b
There were three operations.
1) rip 1/8" slices through 2": done with 1/2" 4 tpi, hook tooth - somewhat of an issue but not horrible.2) resaw through 4.5": same blade - big problems.
3) curve cuts through 2-2.5": 3/16" 10 tpi regular tooth - big problemsThese are Woodcraft house brand blades, no problems same operations in the yellowheart. The 3/16" 4 tpi skip tooth would probably be better for #3, but trying to keep the time at the OSS to a minimum. I do have a 5/8" 3 TPI hook blade I can try next time for #2.
-Leuf
Don't know if the shopvac would help much, but if you can stand the noise, you could try clipping a blower attachment hooked to your air compressor to the saw so that it blows out the teeth before they hit the wood. Probably need a fairly thin stream of high-pressure air to make it worthwhile, but it's be easy to try out, and blow chips off your workpiece as an added bonus.
I know more about metal bandsaws than woodworking ones, so it's possible that what I'm suggesting below is the tire brush you've mentioned above.
Most industrial metalworking bandsaws have a wire brush that cleans the teeth below the cut. Basically, the wires just press against the teeth laterally, and the movement of the blade causes them to spin. They are very similar the ones you can chuck in a drill, and must be free to revolve so that they don't wear out the teeth.
Depending on how far you're willing to modify your saw, it wouldn't be too tough to build and mount something like that yourself- it could even just be a block of wood with a hole drilled in it for the arbor of the wheel to sit in. If you wanted something a little more gentle, there are soft brass-bristled brushes that you could mount so that they scrub the blade as it moves past, but I suspect they would wear out really quickly.
Standard wet wood dodge is to lube the blade with spray lubricant. Cooking oil like PAM or similar is what most recommend. Slide the blade backward through an oiled cloth is my method.
From what you've written as follow-up, blade selection appears normal, save the excessive tpi in operation three which you know about. If the saw's not bowing on you, tension's right. Have you checked your thrust bearings to see that they're not seizing? Loading there can cause the blade to do some contorting.
I have never used cool blocks. My first BS only had the metal blocks, My second and temorary BS had a brush and roller bearings. I hated that set up . The debris was literally pressed on to the blade by the bearings. My current Laguna BS has ceramic guides. The upper and lower guides each have
5 ceramic blocks, 2 on each side of the blade and 1 on the back. With the ceramic you can run the them against the blade if necessary. Theat keeps the depris wiped off for me. The brush on the BS with the roller bearing guides did not help the tires at all when cutting sticky stuff.I did with out dust collection for many years until I finally got the Laguna BS. I finally bit the bullet and like thay say, how did I get by with out the DC for so many years. If you are using the BS much the DC would be a wise investment. You might also consider switching to ceramic guides.
;~)
If you are resawing it is typically better to use fewer TPI. I use 3 at most and have one blade with 1.3 TPI. When there are a lot of teeth burried inside the wood they remove too much and clog more easily. Fewer and larger teeth clean out faster when resawing.
I had the 5/8 3 tpi blade on first, and it was the first time I was using it. It just so happened the first piece of wood I tried was a particularly nasty section of walnut and I was having issues. After tinkering a bit I put the 1/2" blade on that I'd used before and still had issues. I just didn't bother switching back as it was smooth sailing after that, until I got to the canarywood. I don't have a riser and I'm usually not doing anything thicker than 4.5" so I suspect the difference between 3 and 4 tpi is not a big deal for me. I'll go back to the 5/8 after the 3/16 comes off though.
I adjusted the guides to be tight, and that seems to help. Didn't cut too much but the outside seems pretty clean. Still some buildup on the inside, but it's pretty much just on the side of the tooth not the body of the blade. Still some smoke, but not as much.
I juryrigged the shopvac. The tapered nozzle is a pretty good fit between the underside of the insert and the top of the guide so i just hung it from the table pin with a shoelace. It's not doing a damn thing as far as buildup, but it gets the smoke. Easier to point the exhaust towards the fan than move the saw anyway.
It's at least workable now.
-Leuf
Usually on a woodworking saw it's a nylon brush, and it's mounted against the tire on the lower wheel, at the back just above where the blade stops making contact. Supposed to be more about keeping stuff off the tire than the blade.
May have to do some experimenting, after the holiday rush.
-Leuf
Follow-up: Got the 3/16 4 tpi skip tooth blade today. Wow! Before I could do one box, maybe, and have a blade that was all gummed to hell. I just did 7 and not only does the blade still pretty much look like it did when it came out of the box but I did them in maybe 2/3rds the time, the limiting factor being my ability to control the turns, not the saw. May have to try a skip tooth on the resaw instead of the hook as well.
-Leuf
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