Folding a Bandsaw Blade Video

I recently bought some new bandsaw blades for one of my bandsaws and the company that supplied them went to great trouble to help buyers by giving instructions on how to fold a bandsaw blade. At first glance I thought that’s going to be helpful for new users to learn how to fold a bandsaw blade. Inside the package was a nicely photographed step-by-step guide to recoiling or refolding a bandsaw blade. I learned to do this 50 years ago and have done it throughout my working life, and so I looked at the instructions. I tried to make sense of what I saw and read and tried it by following and doing but I realised these instructions didn’t really work. I asked John to try to follow the instructions and he couldn’t make it work and so too Phil who couldn’t make it work either. So here is a method that works easily and gets the snake back into the bag without biting back.

 

6 Comments

  1. This made me smile as it was one of the things we have to learn to pass our machi9ne operators licence here in Germany. Turns out I could do it okay (then) if there wasn’t anyone watching. With the group it never worked.

  2. Another thing to rember, always check the teeth should pointing down!
    It is very easy to turn inside out.

    1. I take it by this you mean make sure the teeth are pointing the right way when you load it in the bandsaw and not for folding the blade. Sometimes a blade will arrive turned inside out and when you load it the teeth are facing upwards and not down towards the table of the bandsaw. Yo must flip the blade inside out by twisting the band along its length until it flips.

  3. In the past Paul has referenced Alex Snodgrass with Carter Products from the Woodshows. He has a great demo at the Woodshows on the bandsaw and that demo is on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

    In the first minute or 2 of this demo, he shows how to unfold and fold the blade. Very similar to Paul’s method. Watching the rest of the video is well worth the time.

  4. Many bandsaw blade manufacturers ship their blades folded into four loops instead of three. If any of you know how to refold a bandsaw blade into four loops instead of three, I’d love to know the trick!

  5. I do it by putting lower end of blade on floor put foot on it gently, while standing use one hand and twist and follow the spiral down to your foot. Narrow and short blades are relatively easy. It might help to. put mat on floor to protect the blade. I wear gloves, and have done 1″ wide x 150″ blades. Shorter blades are increasingly more difficult. I have Do-All Blane welder and when l used to weld for others it the four fold makes smaller ppackage.

    Be careful out there!

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