How Tight Should a Bandsaw Blade Be – 3 Things to Consider

There is an anxiety that comes with the use of a power saw, especially when using it for the first time. The timidity occurs when one hasn’t mastered its use. However, that would no longer be an issue once you ask yourself ‘how tight should a bandsaw blade be’ before using it. It’s a leeway of making the best use of the unit and cutting with precisions.

Nonetheless, bandsaws are often used for woodworking, metalworking, and lumbering. Indeed, that’s why you can use different blades on it for smooth cutting.

The likes of blades are carbon-steel, bimetal, spring-steel, and so on. Although they are all blades, yet their capabilities vary. Indeed, that’s why the limit of tensions applied while tightening them ought to vary too so that one can scoop the best result. Of course, you wouldn’t want to compare the tension required to keep carbon-steel functional to what’s expected to keep bi-metal at its optimal; they are different. However, there are some prerequisites that the manufacturer stated. Let’s check them out in the subsequent study of this subject.

3 Things to Consider about How Tight a Bandsaw Should Be:

Measures to Consider

The thickness and width of the blade are worth considering when tightening it. Nonetheless, manufacturers directed that the tension on cutting blades should always fall within 15,000psi and 20,000 psi.

However, it all depends on the thickness of the blade itself and the type that one is using. This is valid on blades such as carbon-steels or some blades designated for executing woodworking projects.

In situations whereby you’re using a thicker blade or some other like bimetal and carbide, you’d need to intensify the tension between 25,000 psi and 30,000 psi. It’s paramount that one puts that into the heart when one is doing the exercise. One can use a clamp meter to read the measurement.

Practical Methods

It will help if you do the exercise absolutely well to attain a high beam strength.
Clamp the tension scale on it to read the measurement. Nonetheless, you’d have to flap the tip of your finger at the edge and see how flexible and rigid it has become.
You can even use your hand to make a “feel” of it. See whether it would shift out of its position or not.
If possible, you can switch on the machine and see how far you’ve tensioned it, then make some corrections.
In case there is no tension scale, you can intuitively set it. All you have to do is that the blade’s teeth are not halted in the kerf /stock of the workpiece.

Safety Measures

The blade shouldn’t be stiff; at least, it should be flexible.
Also, understanding the range you can set the tension is one thing, and understanding the best level to do that is another thing. In other words, it’s expedient you keep adjusting the firmness of the blade as the thickness of the workpiece and tensile strength of the edge varies.
Notwithstanding, you’d always need to be in full control of the whole activities.
Don’t forget to use the right blade for the right task.

Now that you’ve known the extent of tightness a bandsaw should be, what’s impeding you from getting down to work? Use these details and make the right choice. Of course, you’ll never have difficulties using this at all.