Band saw blades annealing too quickly.

[Michael Thuman]

1/2" x 2 AS 163" timberwolf blades from suffolk machinery.

Cutting green (wet) wood 12" height by 2" thick by length of log usually 4' for shorter.

After 6 to 8 passes I start to see curved cuts like the blade like it has stretched or annealed.

If i ignore this next very next pass the blade binds up in the wood and stalls the machine.

I am tensioning the blade per their recommendation.  Flutter method.  

These blades are not cheap and at only 8 good passes the old pin oak will take about 30 more blades to process.

Any ideas?

Then blade when annealed still  are very sharp.

Sent email to timberwolf asking for help.

 

[lew]

I use Timberwolf blades but not cutting anything that high, and usually dry wood. Wondering if carbide tipped blades might be more economical, in the long run.

 

https://www.timberwolfblades.com/Blade-Selector.php#6

 

https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/carbide-bandsaw-blade.aspx

[Gerald]

That is way too large of a cut for a home BS. That is why the problem. I bought a rip chain for my chainsaw and that works much better. by the time I was thru i was getting much better cuts but not finished lumber. It helped a lot to get one moderately flat side and mark cut about 1/2 inch larger than planned with a chalk line. I then cut this line with a skill saw. Cut alongside this line with the chainsaw and much better cuts. Another thing is to cut blanks at a bit better than twice thickness. Then rip on tablesaw, flip to get the same cut on the second side. If this does not cut thru it is then easy to cut the center on bandsaw. Hope that makes sense.

[JWD]

I've never milled green lumber, but I would likely use a chainsaw as Gerald suggests.  I can make 12" rip cuts in dry lumber on my 2 HP saw, but I wouldn't expect it to work well in green lumber without a very heavy and coarse blade that has huge gullets to clear stringy wet dust.

[Michael Thuman]

Working with timber wolf to cut green wood the blade thickness say .025 has to have a cut a curf of >0.5.

the last blade failure when I stopped the saw the blade was so hot it melted into my new poly band saw tires.

I asked them about their bi-metal blade and comping me for the tires.  They have me 50% off the tires and 25% off the blade.

I will find out of the bi-metal blade lasts over 2 logs is so I may go with it it this fails again I am going with the triple chip carbide tip that at .025 cuts a 0.5 curf but cost 3 times the blade I was using.  i have a delta 18" bandsaw and agree with you all that I am pushing the machine but it is the blades that are failing me.

giving Timber Wolf credit for working with me.  Will go to highland woodworking next but they do not have my size so I need to custom order the blade.

I will update you when I get my replacements.

[JWD]

Based on your results, I would be looking for a 3/4" or 1" blade as coarse a TPI as you can find.  The question then becomes whether your saw can tension a heavier blade. 

 

I don't think sharp is your problem so I doubt bi-metal will help, or even carbide necessarily.  Clearing the wet chips is my guess for your problem.

[Michael Thuman]

On 1/9/2025 at 11:27 AM, JWD said:

Based on your results, I would be looking for a 3/4" or 1" blade as coarse a TPI as you can find.  The question then becomes whether your saw can tension a heavier blade. 

 

I don't think sharp is your problem so I doubt bi-metal will help, or even carbide necessarily.  Clearing the wet chips is my guess for your problem.

Well the blade cut fine for 4 to 5 passes then start to cut a curved surface that is how I now the blade has gone bad as soon as I see that i back it out and try another cut cut further in and it does not resolve even when retensioned to a very heavy tension.

The problem is finding a 3/4 or 1 " with a 2 or 3 wither an AS profile.  

Edited January 10 by Michael Thuman

[JWD]

20 hours ago, Michael Thuman said:

Well the blade cut fine for 4 to 5 passes then start to cut a curved surface that is how I now the blade has gone bad as soon as I see that i back it out and try another cut cut further in and it does not resolve even when retensioned to a very heavy tension.

The problem is finding a 3/4 or 1 " with a 2 or 3 wither an AS profile.  

 

I guess I'm not seeing the need for the AS blade.  Looking at Timberwolf's offerings, their heavier green wood blades (3/4" and up) are all raker.  The green bowl blank blades are AS and smaller backs (1/2" and 3/8") but that makes sense for cutting green bowl blanks.  But like I said, I don't do what you're doing so I might be way off base on this.

 

Once a blade has lost it's spring, I doubt tension changes are going to help at all.  If you're melting tires (wow!), then you're losing the spring in the blade.

 

To my way of thinking, the primary question is whether your saw's frame can adequately tension a really heavy blade that will last well in your application.

 

I did see a neat short vid on youtube recently (yeah, wasting time!) with a guy using a square post set in the ground and a plywood jig that rode on the post and held a chainsaw.  He used this set up to rip lumber from ~4' logs stood on end.  No clue if it actually works - the point of the vid was to get views, not necessarily to show how to really do something in practice.

[lew]

Would these folks have something?

 

https://woodmizer.com/us/how-to-choose-a-sawmill-blade-profile?srsltid=AfmBOootA4odp2TnCrPLV4g5XBGCu62w5T9ASwrcZKGGRnBlLa241wLS#

[Gerald]

while perusing YouTube saw a video made a ply platform for log and a riser beside it for chainsaw. Looked like it would work except I did not see a method to lower saw or raise log for the second and thereafter cuts.

[ASteinfield]

It sounds like your blade is experiencing fatigue or excessive heat buildup, leading to premature failure.

Here are a couple of things that you can consider. 

 

Blade Tension – The flutter method is great for fine-tuning, but green wood, especially something as tough as pin oak, may require slightly higher tension. Try increasing it just a bit and see if that helps.

 

Feed Rate & Speed – If you're pushing too fast, the blade could be heating up excessively, causing it to lose tension. Slowing the feed rate or increasing blade speed might help.

 

Tooth Pitch & Set – A 1/2" blade may be too narrow for consistent 12" deep cuts in wet wood. A wider blade (3/4" or even 1") with a lower TPI (3 TPI or less) could perform better. Also, ensure the teeth have enough set to clear the kerf.

 

Lubrication & Cooling – Green wood contains a lot of sap, which can cause drag and heat buildup. Are you using any lubrication or blade cleaner? Something like diluted dish soap or a dedicated blade lubricant could help.

 

Wheel Alignment & Tracking – If your bandsaw wheels are slightly out of alignment, it could be adding stress to the blade. Double-check tracking and make sure the blade is running true.

 

Since you’ve already contacted Timberwolf, they may offer specific guidance, but testing these factors should help extend blade life. Let us know what you find! If you answers right away, try doing chat with sawblade.com. They've been giving me real good answers ever since. 

[lew]

This just popped up in an email. Not sure if it will help, just passing it along-