I just made the jig in the video. At 70 years of age this was my first milling project. Took about 2 hours and worked as advertised. I used aluminum and the jig paid for itself on the first blade. Thank you Tom.
Couple of weeks ago I bought a 6 tpi blade for cutting aluminium and it snapped on the first cut. I complained to the seller and got ignored, but today I watched your video, I made a jig and silver soldered the broken blade back together and it is better than when I first got it, Thank you Tom!!!
@@Begontom I've always been impressed at the strength and durability of a silver soldered blade. A welded blade is quicker if you have a welder, but otherwise, these are hard to beat. I have blades that are years old and still going strong.
Thank you Tom, it's been 4 years and you're still getting thumbs up for this video, I was struggling with the idea of brazing my own broken blades but you after watching this video I realized how easily it can be done, just ordered the wire/flux from Gesswein and will be welding my own bandsaw blades with confidence.
I have a vertical 1/2 inch saw and a horizontal 1 inch saw. I watched your video after being frustrated with my blade welder. Today I went out got some silver solder, flux, made a jig and welded up my blades rather than using the blade welder. Your method works great and I will no longer bother with my blade welder as I am tired of hard weld joints that crack and fail. Thank you Tom.
Thank you Phillip, I'm glad it worked for you. Brazing is much more forgiving than welding. If you don't anneal a weld enough it'll break, and that step can be skipped entirely with brazing. Tom
I remember back in high school in the 70s we had to learn how to use the on board welder/ annealer before we could even begin to use the bandsaw. the annealing process was the most difficult for students to learn. This makes quick work of that. Thank you
I used this method ( I am a goldsmith) and I have been using the same saw blade for 8 months and it went blunt instead of breaking. Amazing--- and many thanks for the video.
Excellent. I just love watching talented people in the shop. Your fixture is sweet, and very well thought out. I am amazed that silver solder is sufficient for this, but clearly your experience has proven that it is. I imagine Sil-Phos might work well too . . . but it never crossed my mind. Well done.
great video Tom. Do this all the time. Old timer once told me silver solder was expensive and to beat out the wire to about paper thin size on the vise anvil before soldering and use 45 solder. Always worked well for me. Like the jig.
That jig is a nice milling project! Small electric welding machines are cheap but the secret sauce is holding the blade. Your jig reminds me of the electric versions built onto the sides of many large industrial band saws.
Thanks, Tom! what a useful video. I was going to try to just weld up my bandsaw blade with my little wirefeed welder, but after seeing this I'll just go with soldering them instead. Really appreciate the video! Mike
Tom, I'll be 70 on Saturday. I can hardly draw a straight line. I think my craftiness days are over, but I really enjoy watching people like yourself make things.
something I started doing while running the weld fab shop in kuwait for our metal cutting band saw. cut the joint at a matching 45 instead of a flat butt joint. This resulted in the weld passing over the rollers better than all of it hitting at one time.. Yes we sanded them down, but they still caused a bump. ex: 1/2 wide band..when connected via a 45..gave you almost 3/4" weld surface which gave you greater strength. After that...never had one break
Richard, I've heard of angling the joint to the blade, but the reason I like making the joint square to the blade is that it's much easier to get the joint between teeth and keep them evenly spaced, especially on coarser pitches. The 20º angle on the joint still provides for more than adequate strength. How to you make a 45º cut on the blade without affecting the tooth at the end of the cut? Tom
This video shows to be 9 years ago, and I just came across it. My little saw eats blades, and many times, it breaks in the original weld. I have used silver sorder for other applications, but never where strength was required. I have always heard it makes a strong joint. Thanks for the great video. I will be saving some money by using this information. It hurts when a new blade is used very little and still has sharp teeth breaks.
Thanks for showing this method of making saw blades. My Rockwell/Delta bandsaw is very similar to yours (built in 1973). I made a ~5" extension to my tension knob so that it now sits slightly above the upper guard, which is much easier to operate then. Jack
I thought extending mine and adding a crank, but after reading Reid's comment below, maybe the cordless would be the way to go. Thanks for watching. Tom
My dad always silver-soldered his bandsaw blades for woodworking. It held up very well, though he could have ground the seam a little thinner. I really love your jig.
9:28 I love that Starrett Vice. I live in Central Mass and have scoured the Flea Markets for years and have only seen two others that size and both had been cracked and repaired. Great video, can't wait to check your other videos out.
Took me back 55 year as an apprentice in the aircraft industry in the UK. We used to do them in a similar way but they were a bit rough and ready. When had ground the scarf joint we put fluxes on a piece of solder between the two ends and we had a switch to send a current though the joint and heat it red hot, we never managed to do a good job but they often lasted just long enough to do the job.
I needed to learn how to do this, and found that I already have a similar silver solder, a similar flux, the same Kennedy tool box, and same bandsaw. What a coincidence. Thanks Scotty
Tom great lesson, on silver soldering, I made the same type of clamp for mig welding blades an its been a bit of a pain grinding, i now plan to silver solder and add 2 of your improvements , bigger feet on my destaco clamps and the saw cut to get the evven 29 degree blade prep thanks for all your tips!
Thanks Ron. I would also suggest milling some clearance on the center of of the feet so they only bear on the ends. That would clamp the blade more securely with less pressure. Oh, and the angle of the scarf joint on mine is 20º not 29º. Tom
Another great tutorial. I have a couple of bandsaws, and have always welded new blades. Some last for a good working life while others have not. I think I am going to be making new blades with this method from now on. Also it seems quicker than welding new blades. Besides, a scarf joint is much stronger and flexible than a butt joint. Once again thanks for your time and tips.
This was one of the first things we learned in high school machine shop back in the 60s. I recommend a MAPP torch instead of propane but other than that this a good technique. Not only can you buy blade stock in bulk rolls, you can re-weld broken blades. (cut them at the maximum length workable on your band saw and you can re-weld the same blade several times). Also you can pick up odd length blades as surplus, yard sales and auctions and piece them together.
Real MAPP (a trade name for that gas mix) is out of production (the name remains as a trademark) but there are equivalents and the propylene is what makes the big difference. It's well worth owning (cheap used, absurdly overpriced new!) the predecessor to disposable LP torches, a small LP-air torch (Goss, ACSO, TurboTorch) if you want to up your game. They burn much hotter than cheap consumer heads for disposable cylinders. Of course you can run any LP torch head off any LP source with sufficient flow (I cut with oxy-LP too which is scrapping industry standard for that reason). In-between are the old TurboTorch heads you can still find as shown in this video: ua-cam.com/video/1ygQzfBhS38/v-deo.html
Just what I needed to see. I have an old bandsaw in my garage with an oddball length. Thanks Tom. Having only used the resistance welders on the saws way back in high school I never would have thought of silver soldering it.
good video i bought a commercial jig to silver solder blades years ago and never used it .you make it look so easy it think i will dig it out and give it a try.
Great knowledge, i just got a 1965 rockwell/delta bandsaw and also a old craftsman neither one has a blade you can readily can find at a hardware store. I came up here looking to see what was the best way and i had not even considered silver solder /old schooling it lol. That Jig is pretty cool seems I will have a side project. Thanks for the video.
Great video l was apprenticed as a tool maker in press tools so have made many band saw blades, l would grind the end angle about 5/16" to nothing then get some thin brass shim and hammer it till it was really thin break a piece off no bigger than the 5/16" and width off the blade hold the two ends of the blade in a jig like yours only it had a third hold down in the middle slide the brass between the two blades cover with flux apply heat when you see the brass start to melt take of the heat and pull down the middle hold down this makes for a good joint dress up just like you did to anneal it just warm from both sides off the joint not hot watch for the joint to turn blue then take of the heat and dip or just let it cool by its self just thought l would mention this method if the silver solder was hard to get hold of, you did a great job with yours and l will try it myself thanks for the video
Hi, Over the last 60 years I've done exactly what you've been doing.....I use the brass shim too as it's stronger than silver solder and comes in thin strips etc. One firm I worked for had 20 broken blades lying in the store because nobody knew how to braze or weld them. The secret of the on machine butt welder is to get the ends dead square first then after welding do the tempering and most important to grind the butt to the same thickness as the blade or it'll jam in the guides.......if the blade butt welded joint is not tempered it'll break quickly. I'm just getting a table top bandsaw this week so now I'll have to make a blade joiner before I get a breakage.
If you make the cut in the blade at a 45deg angle instead of 90deg you also increase the area being soldered for greater strength. The 20deg bevel helps a lot though, thanks for the tip :)
Andy, That would make a stronger joint if you could get it well lined up, but the 20º angle appears to be adequate for the task. Thanks for watching. Tom
Wow super impressed and I'd like to try this project myself I think I have the same bandsaw thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world I can speak for myself I really appreciate your knowledge
Great idea and video! I used to make Sterling silver jewelry and have always found that riogrande.com had quality silver solder and flux! A technique used in soldering jewelry is to cut a small piece of silver solder and place it on the join,,making sure it touches on both sides of the join. Heat the piece until the solder flows and let it cool. This will eliminate having to clean the excess solder after soldering is complete!
merci pour la vidéo, super, je soudait des lames de scie moi-même il y a des années, et je vais m'y mettre a nouveau car le prix des lames non standard est très élevé. bonne idée le support de soudage avec la rainure a 20° pour affuter l'angle, je vais reprendre cette idée car je n'ai plus de support et je dois en faire un neuf.
@@johnchalikian3239 Just cut off what you need with a pair of tin snips before grinding the tapers. Try to locate the joint between two teeth if possible.
You with this idea has contributed more to do better and the value of those we love woodworking. Thans you very much. Usted con esta idea ha contribuído a hacer mejor y mayor el valor de quienes amamos el trabajo de la madera.Muchas gracias.
Great video Sir. I had a need to solder some stainless steel wire cable. It took some investigation but I finally found with stainless you must use a liquid acid flux. I was amazed how strong the silver solder was. If fact while testing a joint the wire broke before the solder joint. Thanks again, nice tool you made there.
+Long Ridge Farm Thanks. The flux I use in the video works for stainless as well. The choice of flux is mostly about matching the temperature of the solder. Tom
Hi Tom, bought a coil of 3/4 X .035 metal cutting blade and tried soldering it with 56% silver solder and several configurations of propane torch and no good. When I put the torch on a unbroken section of the same blade, I can get it red hot but only the teeth get that hot when I try to heat up the splice area in the jig. (I know red hot is too hot) Pieces of the silver solder melt/break off the end of the piece I'm holding and fall on the joint and sit without melting. Tried Mapp gas, same result. Got out the oxy/acy torch with a welding tip (which I've never used before) and it's hard to get a cool enough flame and it's very narrow. The propane torch looks like much the better way to go. The propane torch is obviously hot enough to get the blade too hot when not in the jig but not hot enough to melt the solder when in the jig. Any suggestions? Thank you for taking the time to reply! Matt
It sounds like you might not be using the proper flux. Without it, the solder will fall onto the base metal, but not flow out. 56% silver solder melts at about 1200ºF, which is a dull red on steel. Propane is plenty hot to get the job done. Tom
Richard Yates. I use straight boraxo laundry borax. Then I put it in a spice grinder to make more of a powder. Wet the brush dip in the borax and apply sparingly. Wherever the flux/borax is the solder will want to flow. This applies to jewelry there are better fluxes for steel than borax.
In my opinion, that was one of your best videos, period. Great idea. How do you come up with that stuff? Where did you go to school? I have enjoyed your videos from the start. I think most people who found you really learn worthwhile information. You have a great talent - don't stop!!
Thanks Richard. I learned what I know from my dad and my uncle, my high school vocational machine shop program, Ferris State College and from working in many different machine shops. It's fun to be able to pass on some of that accumulated knowledge. Tom
HI Tom, Great Video! I like that multi use fixture. Clean and simple. I have the same bandsaw and I didn't like the tensioning knob either. I took a length of all thread, rounded one end and welded two nuts on the other. Now, I use a cordless drill and socket to run the tensioning wheel up and down. Much faster and easier. Thanks for the video! Reid
Thanks Reid. I use my cordless to feed the rotary table and the compound on the lathe. The bandsaw tensioner seems like a good application as well. Tom
Great job Tom, like your brazing jig and the clever 20 degree butt joint applicator. Silver soldered joints are better, most of the time, than my $12k welder, anneal, anneal, anneal. Thanks again Tom, cheers!
That's a great idea. i have about a dozen or more old blades and recently found I was able to sharpen them very easily using my Dremel and a diamond coated tool bit. The blades cut as good as new. If the blades have lost there set throw them away they wont cut straight. A 102" blade takes me about 15 mins to sharpen. That's half the time it takes to drive somewhere to by one !
That's good to hear. I'm still using the blade I made in this video more than a year ago. It's starting to get a little dull, but the joint is still strong. Tom
Hi Tom After many failures using 2 types of silver solder I had on hand I replayed your video and noted you recommended silver solder of around 50% silver. So not surprisingly I had tried the technique with no success using around 2% silver , used for silver soldering copper plumbing fittings here in Australia. This is a fairly low melting point solder and testing on old hacksaw blades with the correct flux this flows nicely and looks excellent but when tested (bent at the joint) the joint or blade snaps and the solder just peels off. My other solder at hand is some very hard stuff (silver content unknown) about 3mm diameter, that I have only ever been able to use with oxy acetylene to get it to flow. As usual I couldn't get the temperature I needed with my propane torch, wouldn't get past the 'pasty' stage and the flux ends up burnt very black. I even tried reducing the diameter to about 1 mm with no joy. I really need to be able to use propane as it is too expensive for me to run oxy acetylene. Your propane set looks similar to what I use and obviously it reached the required temperature ok forn50% silver. I have likely answered my own questions but any further input would be appreciated!
Yes, the soldier needs to be at least 50% silver to be strong enough. You also need flux with a high enough working temperature for the solder being used. The stuff you used for 2% solder will not work for 50% solder. Propane will easily generated enough heat (1100-1200°F) for 50% solder.
Thanks Tom On your advice I did intend to get some solder with around 50% silver content. However I have just been fortunate to pick up some stuff from a mate. An unopened pack of 0.5kg / 43 sticks of 35% Silver 1.6mm dia and 750mm in length. I'm nearly embarrassed to admit to paying only AU$20 for the half kilo pack. This was what he had paid for each of 4 packs from a local market stall some years ago. The manufacturer no longer exists but the packaging quotes the Australian Standards number and the comparable US Standards classification is BAg2. It is a Cadmium containing alloy. with the same composition as Easyflo 35 that being a BAg2 alloy. After testing it again on broken hacksaw blade I have used it to join a couple of bandsaw blades. It flows really well, didn't separate from the steel when the joint was broken up and seems to be successful. Time will tell of course and if not well, for the price it will go in my drawer with the rest of my solders etc for another day!
Thanks tom, yah mabe got the blade a little to hot & took the temper out of it, the solder held though. Need to find a sores for blade here in the uk,.
Oh, it broke next to the joint? If you quenched the blade in water, it would have become brittle. If not, then you probably just got it too thin or over heated it. use just enough heat to make the solder flow. Taking the temper out is ok. Tom
I have a Makatia Portable Bandsaw which converted into vertical bandsaw with a plywood housing. Makita replacement bandsaw blade(bimetal) cost me $65 from hardware shop. There is the cheaper version at $30 to cut wood and steel . Same goes blunt easily. Was looking forward to reclaim saw blade. Thank you for the video instruction. I am looking forward to DIY a mini horizontal bandsaw. Locked in a limited space balcony workshop.with room to put heavier bandsaw.
Better make a blade up by hand before spending a lot of time on a fixture. The small wheels on a portable saw will flex the joint much more than a full size saw and I'm not sure how the joint will hold up. Use the silver solder with the highest silver content from the source in the video description. Tom
Thank you Tom, I had just about given up on making my own bandsaw blades. I built the jig and tried out the technique. I brazed 3 blades the first night I tried it.
Tom, just subscribed, should have found your channel yrs back. My 1944 delta 14 is my goto, but last wk pickup up an older Dayton horz, so welding up blades will save our SS income,,thx, great to get on board,,Bear
I cannot tell you how any attempts I have made at welding blades using mig, tig, and even a functioning blade welder. Even made a similar fixture out of copper so the weld would not stick to it. Any machinist should know how strong silver solder is, but this process never crossed my mind, I will give this a shot and hope for the same result. It is very frustrating when you have 4 or 5 rolls of blade stock and cannot get them to bond correctly. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for our video I find it very usefull and interesting... how ever I sudgest when it comes to grind the blade ones brased to hold the blade on the holding tool with the blade teeth toward the tool to make grinding easier an avoiding any teeth damage.
Thanks. I clamp the blade with the teeth away from the fixture because it does a better job of aligning the joint. In my experience, grinding the joint in that same setup saves time and does minimal damage to the teeth. The blade I made up in this video lasted for well over a year before just plain wearing out. It never did lose any teeth. Tom
Elson,with silver solder the temps shouldnt get above the critical point where the steel changes,especially with a propane torch so there is no need to worry.
if you are using a resistive welder you usually pulse the electricity to get the orange color and then pulse it slower each time to slow the cooling after you reached the annealing color.Just dont forget to temper the blade too.
Just tried this, so far, so good. I had been doing something similar, with a much shallower angle, and bronze braze, which worked also, but was a much slower process. The 20 degree slit / fixture for grinding is so much quicker.
What a great little jig. we always used the welder that attached to the saw (industrial) but this would have done a much better job. How many small fab shops are sending blades out to be re-welded.
Thanks. I've used a number of different blade welders and they were all quite persnickety. It was tough to get the weld and the temper just right for a sound joint. This method takes slightly longer but it works every time. The blade I made in this video is getting a bit dull, but is still in use. Tom
Thank You, I copied your design except for / bevel guide. I decided replace the slot with 2 half in thick blocks with screws.The inside half was adjustable to allow for thicker blades. I tried 1inch and 1 5/8 inch (0.050) wood cutting blades blades not expecting good results and figuring I would need a 2nd fixture for the wider blades. Following your instructions exactly I was amazed at the perfect results.
If you take the time to make the scarf joint so the teeth line up it makes a joint that you can't even hear when it passes through the guides. I thought about making my fixture adjustable, but all my blades are the same thickness so it was easier just to saw the slot. The filler block method you used is a good alternative though if you don't have a saw (or have different thickness blades). It's good to hear the technique worked for you. Thanks for watching! Tom
Thank you for the nice instructions. I have tried this before but must have not used the proper solder. I had no idea the difference so you help me allot. i will give it another try.
Yes, there are lots of different solders and brazes. For this application you need a high content silver solder that will readily wick into the joint. A thin solder is much stronger than one with a lot of filler. Thanks for watching. Tom
thanks, bubby for this video, I'm looking to go the full 9 and cut the teeth from blanks i can't find the tools/punch's or whatever it takes i don't know what to even to call the toolset.
Hi loved your video it was a great help I was told to anneal the metal to soften the metal as heating can make it brittle Have a great new year Regards Steve UK London
my harbor freihht bandsaw had the same problem with the tension knob i replaced the screw with a long bolt cut origigonel head off and added two saw cuts at 90 deg so battery inpact driver w phillips bit fits even a screwdriver w/o battery is faster than that knob to get wider kerf put 2 blades in hack saw at same time
Hi Tom, love precision of your soldering fixture and your skilled work! The only I recommend as well is to attach your jig to sander table. Thanks for posting, again I have much to learn...
I realize that this is a couple years old, but It's very good information and I'll start on a jib like yours soon. I have two bandsaws, so it'll be nice to make my own blades. I have been looking for a used blade welder on Craigslist and they show up very rarely. The last one I saw was listed for $800.00!! My smaller saw is a Delta like yours (wood only version), and I added about 6" to the shaft that the tensioning knob is on so that it clears the top of the machine. Much easier to adjust that way. Thanks,Jack
So I have used this technique and its worked very well for my vertical wood and metal bandsaws. I even made the little jig! HOWEVER......for my horizontal bandsaw they keep breaking!! The saw is small so the blade gets bent a little tighter than the other machines. Also, the blade has to be twisted in order for the machine to be used so that adds to the stress of the joint. Any recommendations? Also, I have been messing around with scrap pieces and trying to figure out the optimal gap to leave on the scarf joint. I assume not as tight as possible right? Thanks!!
Where do you find 95" band saw blades for $13-14:00? I have a 93-1/2" X 3/4" metal cutting band saw. Cheap junk blades are in the $25 range. I'd love to find $13-14:00 blades for my saw. Went to Gesswein and found 4 grades of silver solder: Extra easy, 56% silver, Easy, 65%, Medium, 70% and Hard, 75%. Which one do you use? Is the rule "the higher silver content, the better, with no drawbacks except for cost?" I'm going to be doing 93-1/2" X 3/4" blades for a metal cutting bandsaw. Also, any ideas on where to get reasonably priced bulk blade? I'll be doing a couple thousand cuts on 1/4" galvanized 4 X 6 H pile ( highway guardrail post) Thank you, great vid!
Thank you for the info. I spoke with a sales person at McMaster-Carrand a few minutes ago, all they could find was just under $40. for my 93" X 3/4" X .035". What am I missing?
100' coils were $356. for Starrett 3/4 X .035. Still works out to be$27.59 for a 93" plus shipping, silver solder, flux. Starrett is apparently very proud of their name, their tools are top notch and I expect their blades are as well but I don't think they can be that much better. I do need to warn everyone that Fastenal is extremely expensive and has made more mistakes including some apparently outright lies on the order I placed with them than if the Three Stooges were handling my order. I can't believe any business in the first world could be so inept. I asked for a quote on a 200' coil of blade and got back a price of $120 shipped. It was the lowest price so I placed the order. Drove 240 miles (one way) to pick it up a couple days after they said it would be in and they said it hadn't actually arrived yet. (Turns out they probably hadn't actually turned in the order) Went home. Box showed up close to a week later full of...wait for it... hose clamps. Told the store manager about it, he said he'd get the right stuff coming and overnight it but it probably wouldn't show up before Labor day so Tuesday (6 days later) I call him and ask where my band saw blade was. "The hub needs you to email them a picture of the wrong item before they can release the correct one." He was unable to answer as to how long he was going to wait before telling me this and also couldn't explain why I had to call him to find this out. So I started dealing with the district manager. He placed the order and made sure they sent the right stuff. Per the tracking number, it showed up at the local freight hub...then disappeared. (Good job, UPS) It didn't re-surface in UPS's system a couple days later so the district manager re-orders it again. It finally shows up at my place and there's barely enough blade in the box for 2 of my 93" blade. Turns out the store manager who initially took my order thought that little mark after the 200 in my "request for quote" meant I wanted 200 inches. Which, at $120. is absurdly more expensive thanany of the other prices I got. I planned on starting the job I ordered the band saw blade for over 3 weeks ago. Now I'll likely be doing the outside portion of this job in the snow (I live in the far North) thanks to Fastenal's fuckery. District manager said he'd make it right but the tracking number he said he'd email to me today didn't show up. At this point, I'm not surprised. I asked my financial adviser to see if I have any Fastenal stock in any of my mutual funds and to dump it. Fastenal is very sick company and I can't imagine how it'll stay in business. Anyway, McMaster-Carr still wanted more than I want to pay. Any other ideas? Junk blades from Harbor freight would probably be cheap enough to be economical but I can't just pick them up at the store and they insist on expensive shipping to where I'm at.
Check out sawbladeexpress.com. They are a smaller, custom shop largely focused on the food cutting industry, but are expanding into woodworking. Better pricing than I could find pretty much anywhere else, custom lengths, good material choices, but limited widths, and 2 weeks lead time.
Tom, Thanks for the tips! I've been ordering my blades (they aren't standard) for years. I really like your clamp device… I'll be building one too. Now I can make my own blades AND save money.!! Thanks again!!
Tom, I've been waiting for this video since you mentioned it in one of your previous videos a week or two ago. Thanks for doing it. I learned A LOT!! Now I'm itching to try it myself :), Tony
great way to make up saw blades. when I was a young kid I was taught how to weld them up with a tig welder. but if you didn't anneal them they would break. Thanks Tom
Thanks. You can make the fixture out of wood, with a few changes. Click on the rather lengthy url. Tom www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CDAQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shakerovalbox.com%2Ffinished%2FBandSawBlades.pdf&ei=bogzU8SoLKyayQHTwYC4DA&usg=AFQjCNGSXT6Qn0bj4N5cwV2bTSIgKDKfIw&sig2=G9UQGotrP2Gpstx2b8aJDA&bvm=bv.63808443,d.aWc&cad=rjt
Great video. What about spot welding the blade ends? I have a 10 inch Delta band saw. Purchased in the early 90's. The blade length is 72 1/2 inches. Very hard to find. Found 1 at Lowes. Placed an order for several as I am afraid they will discontinue this length sometime in the future. A friend gave me several new blades( 93 inches). My goal now to to cut them to size. Is the silver solder expensive?
+Stephen Elkins Spot welding would require the blade to overlap, not a very good thing for the blade guides in your saw. If you look at the source I've provided in the video description above, you'll find that 1/2" of solder will cost about $16. That's enough to do hundred's of blades. Tom
+Toms Techniques , thank you for your reply. I found that our Lowes carry's the blades I need, but only a few at a time can be found. I am stockpiling the blades when I see them. I have new longer blades that were purchased in a garage sale. Will attempt to cut these down to size using this technique. Wish me luck.
+Darryl Dodge Oops. That should have been 1/2 ounce. You'll save a lot of money making the blades up from scratch instead of buying them ready made from Lowes, even if you have to buy the blade stock new. Tom
Thanks so much for a very clever idea on the jig. I go through a great number of blades and would like to try this technique. Do you forsee any problems doing two separate weld joints if attempting to salvage a blade from two used ones by eliminating the damaged areas of the blades? Also, My blades are 13 ft 6 in long by 1-1/4" wide, .042 thick. Do you thing silver solder will hold?
Buddy Frederick Thanks Buddy, I've been using this technique for years and have never had a joint fail. In fact the blade that I made in this video is still in use. I've never tried it on a blade as large as you describe, but would have no reason to believe that it wouldn't work as well as it does on smaller blades. You could always solder one up in a makeshift fixture to see how well it performs before putting the effort into building one. Just make sure you get a good fit in the joint before soldering. The tighter the joint is, the stronger it will be. Tom
17:06 LOL you put your knobs on backwards too ...... so do I ..... cuz the threads are only on the edge of the ID. Those are good little saws though imho
TIG welding them sounds kind of heroic! Seems like it would need annealing after maybe more than the flash butt weld. I think the flash weld is the best weld you could have by the way, I know that sounds funny. In welding literature you see this, the metallographs of it are amazing- there's almost no heat-affected zone. What might have BEEN the heat affected zone is of course thrown across the room! Silver solder is a different tack all together of course, it has a long history, and also it has worked fairly well for me, working to some extent in ignorance, and with the silver solder I happened to have. I think if everything is done right it might be as good as you can ask! I need that little 20 degree jig!
Hi there, Great video. can now see how easy it is. One thing though from what i understand is that, once joined, the blade needs annealing to relieve the stresses in the blade. You didn't mention that you did it. If not, why not?
Greg Bland Thanks Greg. Annealing is only required if the blade has been welded. Silver soldering doesn't get the blade hot enough to harden it, so annealing is not required. Tom
Toms Techniques Ok I can understand that. Thanks heaps. Love your Jig. Makes preparation so easy but for one, though very practical, who doesn't have the facilities to make it is expensive to get that sort of thing made.especially here in country Victoria Australia.
Greg Bland You should check out metalworkingfun.com. There are a lot of hobby machinists from Australia there. Maybe one of them could help you out. Tom
Well done Tom; thank you for sharing; your process is right on the money; Allow me a few comments: 1. I use a similar jig on my disc sander table but I grind a shallower ten degree angle for a little more overlap at the weld. 2. I use the silver solder and flux kit from Lee Valley. 3, After welding, I anneal the blade about three inches on either side of the weld by gently heating and cooling the blade a couple of times. I think it lessens the possibility of the blade becoming brittle near the weld. 4. I also sharpen blades with a Dremel- type tool. There are some good how-to videos on that.
Thanks Carl. Welding a blade creates hard spots, but silver brazing does not, due to the lower temperature required. I suspect annealing post soldering may be redundant since since the blade is already annealed from the soldering process. Annealing the blade is also going to anneal the teeth. Do you have any trouble with the blade dulling faster in the area where it's been annealed? If you are resharpening your bandsaw blades, you have much more patience (and time) than I. :) Tom
I've actually tried that and it's tough to keep the weld out of the teeth. With all the time it took to grind down the weld, it was quicker to just silver solder it.
I just made the jig in the video. At 70 years of age this was my first milling project. Took about 2 hours and worked as advertised. I used aluminum and the jig paid for itself on the first blade. Thank you Tom.
Darn, we are nearing 70 now, and wish I had stopped wasting money yrs back,,,Going to put the fixture on my too do list today👍
Couple of weeks ago I bought a 6 tpi blade for cutting aluminium and it snapped on the first cut. I complained to the seller and got ignored, but today I watched your video, I made a jig and silver soldered the broken blade back together and it is better than when I first got it, Thank you Tom!!!
@@Begontom I've always been impressed at the strength and durability of a silver soldered blade. A welded blade is quicker if you have a welder, but otherwise, these are hard to beat. I have blades that are years old and still going strong.
Thank you Tom, it's been 4 years and you're still getting thumbs up for this video, I was struggling with the idea of brazing my own broken blades but you after watching this video I realized how easily it can be done, just ordered the wire/flux from Gesswein and will be welding my own bandsaw blades with confidence.
Good to hear and thanks for watching!
5 year old video but the best I’ve watched for braising a blade. Thank you
I have a vertical 1/2 inch saw and a horizontal 1 inch saw. I watched your video after being frustrated with my blade welder. Today I went out got some silver solder, flux, made a jig and welded up my blades rather than using the blade welder. Your method works great and I will no longer bother with my blade welder as I am tired of hard weld joints that crack and fail. Thank you Tom.
Thank you Phillip, I'm glad it worked for you. Brazing is much more forgiving than welding. If you don't anneal a weld enough it'll break, and that step can be skipped entirely with brazing.
Tom
I remember back in high school in the 70s we had to learn how to use the on board welder/ annealer before we could even begin to use the bandsaw. the annealing process was the most difficult for students to learn. This makes quick work of that. Thank you
Yes, a welded blade has to be tempered just right to keep it from breaking. Not necessary here.
Thanks for watching.
Tom
I used this method ( I am a goldsmith) and I have been using the same saw blade for 8 months and it went blunt instead of breaking. Amazing--- and many thanks for the video.
Yes.It seems the fail is always on the weld if only the manufacturer's would put this kind of quality Craftsmanship into there product.
Excellent. I just love watching talented people in the shop. Your fixture is sweet, and very well thought out. I am amazed that silver solder is sufficient for this, but clearly your experience has proven that it is. I imagine Sil-Phos might work well too . . . but it never crossed my mind. Well done.
Thanks Phil.
Tom, I have been using a bandsaw for 35 years. Yesterday I brazed my first blade. Nothing to it with the right instruction! Thanks
Glad it worked out for you.
A man like Tom does not retire... That was just so cool and all fixed in the shop...No tax charged either...Thanks Tom...
I'll never quit working, but I will retire. Retirement is simply when you stop working for someone else and start working for yourself.
Tom
great video Tom. Do this all the time. Old timer once told me silver solder was expensive and to beat out the wire to about paper thin size on the vise anvil before
soldering and use 45 solder. Always worked well for me. Like the jig.
You can buy it already like that (ribbon, foil). Just cut out a tiny piece with snips.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video, it helps a lot.
That jig is a nice milling project! Small electric welding machines are cheap but the secret sauce is holding the blade. Your jig reminds me of the electric versions built onto the sides of many large industrial band saws.
Thanks, Tom! what a useful video. I was going to try to just weld up my bandsaw blade with my little wirefeed welder, but after seeing this I'll just go with soldering them instead. Really appreciate the video! Mike
Tom, I'll be 70 on Saturday. I can hardly draw a straight line. I think my craftiness days are over, but I really enjoy watching people like yourself make things.
My uncle is 92 and still an avid model airplane scratch builder. I think he has more energy than I do at 63. :)
First, cut back on the coffee.
something I started doing while running the weld fab shop in kuwait for our metal cutting band saw. cut the joint at a matching 45 instead of a flat butt joint. This resulted in the weld passing over the rollers better than all of it hitting at one time.. Yes we sanded them down, but they still caused a bump. ex: 1/2 wide band..when connected via a 45..gave you almost 3/4" weld surface which gave you greater strength. After that...never had one break
Richard,
I've heard of angling the joint to the blade, but the reason I like making the joint square to the blade is that it's much easier to get the joint between teeth and keep them evenly spaced, especially on coarser pitches. The 20º angle on the joint still provides for more than adequate strength. How to you make a 45º cut on the blade without affecting the tooth at the end of the cut?
Tom
This video shows to be 9 years ago, and I just came across it. My little saw eats blades, and many times, it breaks in the original weld. I have used silver sorder for other applications, but never where strength was required. I have always heard it makes a strong joint. Thanks for the great video. I will be saving some money by using this information. It hurts when a new blade is used very little and still has sharp teeth breaks.
Thanks for showing this method of making saw blades. My Rockwell/Delta bandsaw is very similar to yours (built in 1973). I made a ~5" extension to my tension knob so that it now sits slightly above the upper guard, which is much easier to operate then.
Jack
I thought extending mine and adding a crank, but after reading Reid's comment below, maybe the cordless would be the way to go.
Thanks for watching.
Tom
My dad always silver-soldered his bandsaw blades for woodworking. It held up very well, though he could have ground the seam a little thinner. I really love your jig.
Thanks.
I've been using a makeshift fixture for a while and it never worked quite right. This one works much better.
Tom
9:28 I love that Starrett Vice. I live in Central Mass and have scoured the Flea Markets for years and have only seen two others that size and both had been cracked and repaired. Great video, can't wait to check your other videos out.
Took me back 55 year as an apprentice in the aircraft industry in the UK. We used to do them in a similar way but they were a bit rough and ready. When had ground the scarf joint we put fluxes on a piece of solder between the two ends and we had a switch to send a current though the joint and heat it red hot, we never managed to do a good job but they often lasted just long enough to do the job.
Yeah, the trick is to get the gap as thin as possible. Less solder actually results in a stronger joint.
Tom
Nice fixture. I had access to a blade welder till I retired. Now I’m on my own. Nice video!
I know the feeling. I had exclusive access to a CNC mill until I retired. Not sure how much longer I can go without one.
I needed to learn how to do this, and found that I already have a similar silver solder, a similar flux, the same Kennedy tool box, and same bandsaw. What a coincidence. Thanks Scotty
Well there you go.
Thanks for watching.
I would like to say this guy has more common sense than most I’ve seen on here. Did a great job!!!
Tom great lesson, on silver soldering, I made the same type of clamp for mig welding blades an its been a bit of a pain grinding, i now plan to silver solder and add 2 of your improvements , bigger feet on my destaco clamps and the saw cut to get the evven 29 degree blade prep thanks for all your tips!
Thanks Ron.
I would also suggest milling some clearance on the center of of the feet so they only bear on the ends. That would clamp the blade more securely with less pressure.
Oh, and the angle of the scarf joint on mine is 20º not 29º.
Tom
thanks Tom sounds like i plan and i am a rotten typer hit the 9 instead of the 0
Another great tutorial. I have a couple of bandsaws, and have always welded new blades. Some last for a good working life while others have not. I think I am going to be making new blades with this method from now on. Also it seems quicker than welding new blades. Besides, a scarf joint is much stronger and flexible than a butt joint. Once again thanks for your time and tips.
Thanks Tom, I have used your techniques numerous times. And built your knurling tool. Thanks again for your time
It's always good to hear that the projects are being built.
Tom
This was one of the first things we learned in high school machine shop back in the 60s. I recommend a MAPP torch instead of propane but other than that this a good technique. Not only can you buy blade stock in bulk rolls, you can re-weld broken blades. (cut them at the maximum length workable on your band saw and you can re-weld the same blade several times). Also you can pick up odd length blades as surplus, yard sales and auctions and piece them together.
Real MAPP (a trade name for that gas mix) is out of production (the name remains as a trademark) but there are equivalents and the propylene is what makes the big difference. It's well worth owning (cheap used, absurdly overpriced new!) the predecessor to disposable LP torches, a small LP-air torch (Goss, ACSO, TurboTorch) if you want to up your game. They burn much hotter than cheap consumer heads for disposable cylinders. Of course you can run any LP torch head off any LP source with sufficient flow (I cut with oxy-LP too which is scrapping industry standard for that reason). In-between are the old TurboTorch heads you can still find as shown in this video: ua-cam.com/video/1ygQzfBhS38/v-deo.html
Just what I needed to see. I have an old bandsaw in my garage with an oddball length.
Thanks Tom. Having only used the resistance welders on the saws way back in high school I never would have thought of silver soldering it.
You bet.
good video i bought a commercial jig to silver solder blades years ago and never used it .you make it look so easy it think i will dig it out and give it a try.
Thanks.
Let me know how it turns out.
Tom
Great knowledge, i just got a 1965 rockwell/delta bandsaw and also a old craftsman neither one has a blade you can readily can find at a hardware store. I came up here looking to see what was the best way and i had not even considered silver solder /old schooling it lol. That Jig is pretty cool seems I will have a side project. Thanks for the video.
Great video l was apprenticed as a tool maker in press tools so have made many band saw blades, l would grind the end angle about 5/16" to nothing then get some thin brass shim and hammer it till it was really thin break a piece off no bigger than the 5/16" and width off the blade hold the two ends of the blade in a jig like yours only it had a third hold down in the middle slide the brass between the two blades cover with flux apply heat when you see the brass start to melt take of the heat and pull down the middle hold down this makes for a good joint dress up just like you did to anneal it just warm from both sides off the joint not hot watch for the joint to turn blue then take of the heat and dip or just let it cool by its self just thought l would mention this method if the silver solder was hard to get hold of, you did a great job with yours and l will try it myself thanks for the video
Hi, Over the last 60 years I've done exactly what you've been doing.....I use the brass shim too as it's stronger than silver solder and comes in thin strips etc.
One firm I worked for had 20 broken blades lying in the store because nobody knew how to braze or weld them.
The secret of the on machine butt welder is to get the ends dead square first then after welding do the tempering and most important to grind the butt to the same thickness as the blade or it'll jam in the guides.......if the blade butt welded joint is not tempered it'll break quickly.
I'm just getting a table top bandsaw this week so now I'll have to make a blade joiner before I get a breakage.
If you make the cut in the blade at a 45deg angle instead of 90deg you also increase the area being soldered for greater strength. The 20deg bevel helps a lot though, thanks for the tip :)
Andy,
That would make a stronger joint if you could get it well lined up, but the 20º angle appears to be adequate for the task.
Thanks for watching.
Tom
Wow super impressed and I'd like to try this project myself I think I have the same bandsaw thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world I can speak for myself I really appreciate your knowledge
Beautiful jig and great video! Thanks for taking the time to share such great info!
I like that little jig for making up the blades. Nicely done!
Great idea and video!
I used to make Sterling silver jewelry and have always found that riogrande.com had quality silver solder and flux!
A technique used in soldering jewelry is to cut a small piece of silver solder and place it on the join,,making sure it touches on both sides of the join.
Heat the piece until the solder flows and let it cool.
This will eliminate having to clean the excess solder after soldering is complete!
That would probably work if there were no gaps in the joint. Wire solder is more forgiving, but as you say, it must be dressed down afterword.
merci pour la vidéo, super, je soudait des lames de scie moi-même il y a des années, et je vais m'y mettre a nouveau car le prix des lames non standard est très élevé. bonne idée le support de soudage avec la rainure a 20° pour affuter l'angle, je vais reprendre cette idée car je n'ai plus de support et je dois en faire un neuf.
Thank you for a very effective video. What is the best way to cut the blade from a bulk roll?
@@johnchalikian3239 Just cut off what you need with a pair of tin snips before grinding the tapers. Try to locate the joint between two teeth if possible.
You with this idea has contributed more to do better and the value of those we love woodworking. Thans you very much.
Usted con esta idea ha contribuído a hacer mejor y mayor el valor de quienes amamos el trabajo de la madera.Muchas gracias.
Thanks Orlando, I'm glad you found the video useful.
Tom
Great video Sir. I had a need to solder some stainless steel wire cable. It took some investigation but I finally found with stainless you must use a liquid acid flux. I was amazed how strong the silver solder was. If fact while testing a joint the wire broke before the solder joint. Thanks again, nice tool you made there.
+Long Ridge Farm
Thanks.
The flux I use in the video works for stainless as well. The choice of flux is mostly about matching the temperature of the solder.
Tom
Great video! You mentioned a rabbit cut on the edge of your fixture. LOVE IT!!!!
subbed.....awesome! love the old kenedy machinist tool boxes in the back ground....my grandfather passed his down to me.
The Gerstner's are pretty, but the Kennedy's are functional.
Thanks for watching.
Tom
Thank you for your reply I would never think that tin snips would be able to cut that hardened steel.
@@johnchalikian3239 Only the teeth are hardened.
Hi Tom, bought a coil of 3/4 X .035 metal cutting blade and tried soldering it with 56% silver solder and several configurations of propane torch and no good. When I put the torch on a unbroken section of the same blade, I can get it red hot but only the teeth get that hot when I try to heat up the splice area in the jig. (I know red hot is too hot) Pieces of the silver solder melt/break off the end of the piece I'm holding and fall on the joint and sit without melting. Tried Mapp gas, same result. Got out the oxy/acy torch with a welding tip (which I've never used before) and it's hard to get a cool enough flame and it's very narrow. The propane torch looks like much the better way to go. The propane torch is obviously hot enough to get the blade too hot when not in the jig but not hot enough to melt the solder when in the jig. Any suggestions? Thank you for taking the time to reply! Matt
It sounds like you might not be using the proper flux. Without it, the solder will fall onto the base metal, but not flow out. 56% silver solder melts at about 1200ºF, which is a dull red on steel. Propane is plenty hot to get the job done.
Tom
Richard Yates. I use straight boraxo laundry borax. Then I put it in a spice grinder to make more of a powder. Wet the brush dip in the borax and apply sparingly. Wherever the flux/borax is the solder will want to flow. This applies to jewelry there are better fluxes for steel than borax.
In my opinion, that was one of your best videos, period. Great idea. How do you come up with that stuff? Where did you go to school? I have enjoyed your videos from the start. I think most people who found you really learn worthwhile information. You have a great talent - don't stop!!
Thanks Richard.
I learned what I know from my dad and my uncle, my high school vocational machine shop program, Ferris State College and from working in many different machine shops. It's fun to be able to pass on some of that accumulated knowledge.
Tom
HI Tom,
Great Video! I like that multi use fixture. Clean and simple. I have the same bandsaw and I didn't like the tensioning knob either. I took a length of all thread, rounded one end and welded two nuts on the other. Now, I use a cordless drill and socket to run the tensioning wheel up and down. Much faster and easier.
Thanks for the video!
Reid
Thanks Reid.
I use my cordless to feed the rotary table and the compound on the lathe. The bandsaw tensioner seems like a good application as well.
Tom
Great information. I just acquired a band saw so this will help a bunch. Now you just need to make and sell your fixture. ;)
Great job Tom, like your brazing jig and the clever 20 degree butt joint applicator. Silver soldered joints are better, most of the time, than my $12k welder, anneal, anneal, anneal. Thanks again Tom, cheers!
Thanks!
Annealing is always a crap shoot. Too much or too little weakens the weld.
Tom
That's a great idea. i have about a dozen or more old blades and recently found I was able to sharpen them very easily using my Dremel and a diamond coated tool bit. The blades cut as good as new. If the blades have lost there set throw them away they wont cut straight. A 102" blade takes me about 15 mins to sharpen. That's half the time it takes to drive somewhere to by one !
That's a lot of teeth to sharpen. You must be a patient man. :)
Made and used mine today,works really well,great idea. I used a Dremmel with a small sanding bobbin on it,cleaned it up easily and very well.
That's good to hear. I'm still using the blade I made in this video more than a year ago. It's starting to get a little dull, but the joint is still strong.
Tom
Hi Tom
After many failures using 2 types of silver solder I had on hand I replayed your video and noted you recommended silver solder of around 50% silver.
So not surprisingly I had tried the technique with no success using around 2% silver , used for silver soldering copper plumbing fittings here in Australia. This is a fairly low melting point solder and testing on old hacksaw blades with the correct flux this flows nicely and looks excellent but when tested (bent at the joint) the joint or blade snaps and the solder just peels off.
My other solder at hand is some very hard stuff (silver content unknown) about 3mm diameter, that I have only ever been able to use with oxy acetylene to get it to flow. As usual I couldn't get the temperature I needed with my propane torch, wouldn't get past the 'pasty' stage and the flux ends up burnt very black. I even tried reducing the diameter to about 1 mm with no joy.
I really need to be able to use propane as it is too expensive for me to run oxy acetylene.
Your propane set looks similar to what I use and obviously it reached the required temperature ok forn50% silver.
I have likely answered my own questions but any further input would be appreciated!
Yes, the soldier needs to be at least 50% silver to be strong enough. You also need flux with a high enough working temperature for the solder being used. The stuff you used for 2% solder will not work for 50% solder. Propane will easily generated enough heat (1100-1200°F) for 50% solder.
Thanks Tom
On your advice I did intend to get some solder with around 50% silver content. However I have just been fortunate to pick up some stuff from a mate. An unopened pack of 0.5kg / 43 sticks of 35% Silver 1.6mm dia and 750mm in length. I'm nearly embarrassed to admit to paying only AU$20 for the half kilo pack. This was what he had paid for each of 4 packs from a local market stall some years ago.
The manufacturer no longer exists but the packaging quotes the Australian Standards number and the comparable US Standards classification is BAg2. It is a Cadmium containing alloy. with the same composition as Easyflo 35 that being a BAg2 alloy.
After testing it again on broken hacksaw blade I have used it to join a couple of bandsaw blades. It flows really well, didn't separate from the steel when the joint was broken up and seems to be successful.
Time will tell of course and if not well, for the price it will go in my drawer with the rest of my solders etc for another day!
Thanks tom, yah mabe got the blade a little to hot & took the temper out of it, the solder held though. Need to find a sores for blade here in the uk,.
Oh, it broke next to the joint? If you quenched the blade in water, it would have become brittle. If not, then you probably just got it too thin or over heated it. use just enough heat to make the solder flow. Taking the temper out is ok.
Tom
I have a Makatia Portable Bandsaw which converted into vertical bandsaw with a plywood housing. Makita replacement bandsaw blade(bimetal) cost me $65 from hardware shop. There is the cheaper version at $30 to cut wood and steel . Same goes blunt easily. Was looking forward to reclaim saw blade. Thank you for the video instruction. I am looking forward to DIY a mini horizontal bandsaw. Locked in a limited space balcony workshop.with room to put heavier bandsaw.
Better make a blade up by hand before spending a lot of time on a fixture. The small wheels on a portable saw will flex the joint much more than a full size saw and I'm not sure how the joint will hold up. Use the silver solder with the highest silver content from the source in the video description.
Tom
Thank you Tom, I had just about given up on making my own bandsaw blades. I built the jig and tried out the technique. I brazed 3 blades the first night I tried it.
fantastic
Tom, just subscribed, should have found your channel yrs back. My 1944 delta 14 is my goto, but last wk pickup up an older Dayton horz, so welding up blades will save our SS income,,thx, great to get on board,,Bear
I cannot tell you how any attempts I have made at welding blades using mig, tig, and even a functioning blade welder. Even made a similar fixture out of copper so the weld would not stick to it. Any machinist should know how strong silver solder is, but this process never crossed my mind, I will give this a shot and hope for the same result. It is very frustrating when you have 4 or 5 rolls of blade stock and cannot get them to bond correctly. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for our video I find it very usefull and interesting... how ever I sudgest when it comes to grind the blade ones brased to hold the blade on the holding tool with the blade teeth toward the tool to make grinding easier an avoiding any teeth damage.
Thanks.
I clamp the blade with the teeth away from the fixture because it does a better job of aligning the joint. In my experience, grinding the joint in that same setup saves time and does minimal damage to the teeth. The blade I made up in this video lasted for well over a year before just plain wearing out. It never did lose any teeth.
Tom
+Toms Techniques how its made the annealing ? we use a machin from italy that weld but some time weldin its to weak????
Elson,with silver solder the temps shouldnt get above the critical point where the steel changes,especially with a propane torch so there is no need to worry.
if you are using a resistive welder you usually pulse the electricity to get the orange color and then pulse it slower each time to slow the cooling after you reached the annealing color.Just dont forget to temper the blade too.
Thanks for the video, what minimum pulley diameter can be use sir?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for a well done video on a subject so many of us needed help with.
Going by your user name, this technique should be right up your alley. Glad you enjoyed it.
Tom
DoingItChea
Just tried this, so far, so good. I had been doing something similar, with a much shallower angle, and bronze braze, which worked also, but was a much slower process. The 20 degree slit / fixture for grinding is so much quicker.
Really nice process and shop-built tooling! Well done Tom, and thanks for sharing it with us :)
Thanks for watching, Steve.
Great video, well narrated and easy to see steps. Where do you get the raw blade stock?
Thanks. Any industrial supply will have rolls of blade stock. I get mine from McMaster Carr.
A very nice and nifty little soldering-jig - a MUST HAVE !
Thx for showing !
Thanks for watching.
What a great little jig. we always used the welder that attached to the saw (industrial) but this would have done a much better job. How many small fab shops are sending blades out to be re-welded.
Thanks.
I've used a number of different blade welders and they were all quite persnickety. It was tough to get the weld and the temper just right for a sound joint. This method takes slightly longer but it works every time. The blade I made in this video is getting a bit dull, but is still in use.
Tom
Thank You, I copied your design except for / bevel guide. I decided replace the slot with 2 half in thick blocks with screws.The inside half was adjustable to allow for thicker blades. I tried 1inch and 1 5/8 inch (0.050) wood cutting blades blades not expecting good results and figuring I would need a 2nd fixture for the wider blades. Following your instructions exactly I was amazed at the perfect results.
If you take the time to make the scarf joint so the teeth line up it makes a joint that you can't even hear when it passes through the guides.
I thought about making my fixture adjustable, but all my blades are the same thickness so it was easier just to saw the slot. The filler block method you used is a good alternative though if you don't have a saw (or have different thickness blades).
It's good to hear the technique worked for you.
Thanks for watching!
Tom
Toms Techniques
Thank you for the nice instructions. I have tried this before but must have not used the proper solder. I had no idea the difference so you help me allot. i will give it another try.
Yes, there are lots of different solders and brazes. For this application you need a high content silver solder that will readily wick into the joint. A thin solder is much stronger than one with a lot of filler.
Thanks for watching.
Tom
Best jig and description on how. Better than my door hinge one. Which is much better than an MDF one with large gap so that it does not catch fire.
Thanks
hola muy buen educativo video.me podria desir q tipo de soldadura utiliza?...that type of weldding use? greetings from chile...
+21snicker
Thanks.
The brazing rod is a high content silver solder, at least 50% silver. It should melt at around 1170ºF.
Tom
thanks, bubby for this video, I'm looking to go the full 9 and cut the teeth from blanks i can't find the tools/punch's or whatever it takes i don't know what to even to call the toolset.
Hi loved your video it was a great help I was told to anneal the metal to soften the metal as heating can make it brittle
Have a great new year
Regards
Steve UK London
Thanks. Annealing is only required on welded joints.
my harbor freihht bandsaw had the same problem with the tension knob i replaced the screw with a long bolt cut origigonel head off and added two saw cuts at 90 deg so battery inpact driver w phillips bit fits even a screwdriver w/o battery is faster than that knob to get wider kerf put 2 blades in hack saw at same time
Hi Tom,
love precision of your soldering fixture and your skilled work! The only I recommend as well is to attach your jig to sander table.
Thanks for posting, again I have much to learn...
Thanks Milan.
I tried attaching the jig to the table, but it's nice to be able to pull it off to one side to get the blade in the slot.
Tom
I realize that this is a couple years old, but It's very good information and I'll start on a jib like yours soon. I have two bandsaws, so it'll be nice to make my own blades. I have been looking for a used blade welder on Craigslist and they show up very rarely. The last one I saw was listed for $800.00!! My smaller saw is a Delta like yours (wood only version), and I added about 6" to the shaft that the tensioning knob is on so that it clears the top of the machine. Much easier to adjust that way. Thanks,Jack
So I have used this technique and its worked very well for my vertical wood and metal bandsaws. I even made the little jig! HOWEVER......for my horizontal bandsaw they keep breaking!! The saw is small so the blade gets bent a little tighter than the other machines. Also, the blade has to be twisted in order for the machine to be used so that adds to the stress of the joint. Any recommendations? Also, I have been messing around with scrap pieces and trying to figure out the optimal gap to leave on the scarf joint. I assume not as tight as possible right? Thanks!!
The less gap you leave, the better. I don't know what solder you are using, but higher content silver solder produces a stronger joint.
Tom
I am using the 56%. I'll get some higher % stuff and try that. Thanks!
Where do you find 95" band saw blades for $13-14:00? I have a 93-1/2" X 3/4" metal cutting band saw. Cheap junk blades are in the $25 range. I'd love to find $13-14:00 blades for my saw.
Went to Gesswein and found 4 grades of silver solder: Extra easy, 56% silver, Easy, 65%, Medium, 70% and Hard, 75%. Which one do you use? Is the rule "the higher silver content, the better, with no drawbacks except for cost?"
I'm going to be doing 93-1/2" X 3/4" blades for a metal cutting bandsaw.
Also, any ideas on where to get reasonably priced bulk blade? I'll be doing a couple thousand cuts on 1/4" galvanized 4 X 6 H pile ( highway guardrail post) Thank you, great vid!
They are $14 from McMaster Carr and U.S. made.
Thank you for the info. I spoke with a sales person at McMaster-Carrand a few minutes ago, all they could find was just under $40. for my 93" X 3/4" X .035". What am I missing?
Sorry. I was quoting 1/2 x .025. Did you get a price on 100 foot rolls?
100' coils were $356. for Starrett 3/4 X .035. Still works out to be$27.59 for a 93" plus shipping, silver solder, flux. Starrett is apparently very proud of their name, their tools are top notch and I expect their blades are as well but I don't think they can be that much better.
I do need to warn everyone that Fastenal is extremely expensive and has made more mistakes including some apparently outright lies on the order I placed with them than if the Three Stooges were handling my order. I can't believe any business in the first world could be so inept. I asked for a quote on a 200' coil of blade and got back a price of $120 shipped. It was the lowest price so I placed the order. Drove 240 miles (one way) to pick it up a couple days after they said it would be in and they said it hadn't actually arrived yet. (Turns out they probably hadn't actually turned in the order) Went home. Box showed up close to a week later full of...wait for it... hose clamps. Told the store manager about it, he said he'd get the right stuff coming and overnight it but it probably wouldn't show up before Labor day so Tuesday (6 days later) I call him and ask where my band saw blade was. "The hub needs you to email them a picture of the wrong item before they can release the correct one." He was unable to answer as to how long he was going to wait before telling me this and also couldn't explain why I had to call him to find this out. So I started dealing with the district manager. He placed the order and made sure they sent the right stuff. Per the tracking number, it showed up at the local freight hub...then disappeared. (Good job, UPS) It didn't re-surface in UPS's system a couple days later so the district manager re-orders it again. It finally shows up at my place and there's barely enough blade in the box for 2 of my 93" blade. Turns out the store manager who initially took my order thought that little mark after the 200 in my "request for quote" meant I wanted 200 inches. Which, at $120. is absurdly more expensive thanany of the other prices I got. I planned on starting the job I ordered the band saw blade for over 3 weeks ago. Now I'll likely be doing the outside portion of this job in the snow (I live in the far North) thanks to Fastenal's fuckery. District manager said he'd make it right but the tracking number he said he'd email to me today didn't show up. At this point, I'm not surprised. I asked my financial adviser to see if I have any Fastenal stock in any of my mutual funds and to dump it. Fastenal is very sick company and I can't imagine how it'll stay in business.
Anyway, McMaster-Carr still wanted more than I want to pay. Any other ideas? Junk blades from Harbor freight would probably be cheap enough to be economical but I can't just pick them up at the store and they insist on expensive shipping to where I'm at.
Check out sawbladeexpress.com. They are a smaller, custom shop largely focused on the food cutting industry, but are expanding into woodworking. Better pricing than I could find pretty much anywhere else, custom lengths, good material choices, but limited widths, and 2 weeks lead time.
Really nice tutorial and fixture. I like the 20 degree saw cut idea.
Thanks.
It's really tough to get a good fit on the scarf joint without some sort of fixture.
Tom
A man like Tom cannot loose, he's wearing a Red Wing Jersey.
Thanks Tom good work
Thanks Norman.
It's been a tough season, but they are trying hard, what's left of them anyway.
Tom
Tom, Thanks for the tips! I've been ordering my blades (they aren't standard) for years. I really like your clamp device… I'll be building one too. Now I can make my own blades AND save money.!! Thanks again!!
Thanks Jeff, glad you enjoyed the video.
Tom
Good idea Tom, I have a bandsaw but the weels have a small dia, so I hope the weld isn't loosing because off that small diameter.
Tom, I've been waiting for this video since you mentioned it in one of your previous videos a week or two ago. Thanks for doing it. I learned A LOT!! Now I'm itching to try it myself :),
Tony
Great Tony. Let me know how it turns out.
Tom
great way to make up saw blades. when I was a young kid I was taught how to weld them up with a tig welder. but if you didn't anneal them they would break. Thanks Tom
Thanks for watching
Thank you for your time and effort on the bandsaw repair ( joining ) video very much appreciated
Thanks for watching
I had no idea you could silver solder a blade. I'll have to make a jig and try it! Thanks for the video!
You are welcome. I hope it works well for you.
Tom
Great video. It made me decide to buy an old bandsaw with an unknown blade size
Tom Great video on how to solder blades Can this be used for 1 1/4 x .042 band saw mill blades?
I don't see why not. The fixture would have to be scaled up a bit.
@@TomsTechniques thanks
Excellent video and extremely useful information! The only hard part is making up the fixture, if you don't have a milling machine etc!
Thanks.
You can make the fixture out of wood, with a few changes. Click on the rather lengthy url.
Tom
www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CDAQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shakerovalbox.com%2Ffinished%2FBandSawBlades.pdf&ei=bogzU8SoLKyayQHTwYC4DA&usg=AFQjCNGSXT6Qn0bj4N5cwV2bTSIgKDKfIw&sig2=G9UQGotrP2Gpstx2b8aJDA&bvm=bv.63808443,d.aWc&cad=rjt
Thanks very much, Tom.
Great video. What about spot welding the blade ends? I have a 10 inch Delta band saw. Purchased in the early 90's. The blade length is 72 1/2 inches. Very hard to find. Found 1 at Lowes. Placed an order for several as I am afraid they will discontinue this length sometime in the future. A friend gave me several new blades( 93 inches). My goal now to to cut them to size. Is the silver solder expensive?
+Stephen Elkins
Spot welding would require the blade to overlap, not a very good thing for the blade guides in your saw.
If you look at the source I've provided in the video description above, you'll find that 1/2" of solder will cost about $16. That's enough to do hundred's of blades.
Tom
+Toms Techniques Is that 12 " rather than 1/2" for $16.00 ?
+Toms Techniques , thank you for your reply. I found that our Lowes carry's the blades I need, but only a few at a time can be found. I am stockpiling the blades when I see them. I have new longer blades that were purchased in a garage sale. Will attempt to cut these down to size using this technique. Wish me luck.
+Darryl Dodge
Oops. That should have been 1/2 ounce.
You'll save a lot of money making the blades up from scratch instead of buying them ready made from Lowes, even if you have to buy the blade stock new.
Tom
Great video and very logical.But with limited means, how did you cut the 20degree bevel angle first. John from Oz
I used a slitting saw on the mill. Alternatively, a wider slot could have been milled with a filler piece to obtain whatever width groove was needed.
Thanks so much for a very clever idea on the jig. I go through a great number of blades and would like to try this technique. Do you forsee any problems doing two separate weld joints if attempting to salvage a blade from two used ones by eliminating the damaged areas of the blades? Also, My blades are 13 ft 6 in long by 1-1/4" wide, .042 thick. Do you thing silver solder will hold?
Buddy Frederick
Thanks Buddy,
I've been using this technique for years and have never had a joint fail. In fact the blade that I made in this video is still in use. I've never tried it on a blade as large as you describe, but would have no reason to believe that it wouldn't work as well as it does on smaller blades. You could always solder one up in a makeshift fixture to see how well it performs before putting the effort into building one. Just make sure you get a good fit in the joint before soldering. The tighter the joint is, the stronger it will be.
Tom
Hi Tom, Great video, Thanks for sharing. Do you think this would work for saw mill blades as well?
I'm sure the technique would scale up just fine, but you could always grind and solder a blade by hand for proof of concept.
17:06 LOL you put your knobs on backwards too ...... so do I ..... cuz the threads are only on the edge of the ID. Those are good little saws though imho
Great video! I was tigging mine and they weren't coming out this nice. I'm going to make a setup like yours. Thanks for the vid.
+8MADJACK
I've tried TIGing them as well but thin high carbon steel is a challenge to weld. This works MUCH better.
Tom
TIG welding them sounds kind of heroic! Seems like it would need annealing after maybe more than the flash butt weld. I think the flash weld is the best weld you could have by the way, I know that sounds funny. In welding literature you see this, the metallographs of it are amazing- there's almost no heat-affected zone. What might have BEEN the heat affected zone is of course thrown across the room! Silver solder is a different tack all together of course, it has a long history, and also it has worked fairly well for me, working to some extent in ignorance, and with the silver solder I happened to have. I think if everything is done right it might be as good as you can ask! I need that little 20 degree jig!
Hi there, Great video. can now see how easy it is. One thing though from what i understand is that, once joined, the blade needs annealing to relieve the stresses in the blade. You didn't mention that you did it. If not, why not?
Greg Bland
Thanks Greg.
Annealing is only required if the blade has been welded. Silver soldering doesn't get the blade hot enough to harden it, so annealing is not required.
Tom
Toms Techniques Ok I can understand that. Thanks heaps. Love your Jig. Makes preparation so easy but for one, though very practical, who doesn't have the facilities to make it is expensive to get that sort of thing made.especially here in country Victoria Australia.
Greg Bland
You should check out metalworkingfun.com. There are a lot of hobby machinists from Australia there. Maybe one of them could help you out.
Tom
Well done Tom; thank you for sharing; your process is right on the money; Allow me a few comments:
1. I use a similar jig on my disc sander table but I grind a shallower ten degree angle for a little more overlap at the weld.
2. I use the silver solder and flux kit from Lee Valley.
3, After welding, I anneal the blade about three inches on either side of the weld by gently heating and cooling the blade a couple of times. I think it lessens the possibility of the blade becoming brittle near the weld.
4. I also sharpen blades with a Dremel- type tool. There are some good how-to videos on that.
Thanks Carl.
Welding a blade creates hard spots, but silver brazing does not, due to the lower temperature required. I suspect annealing post soldering may be redundant since since the blade is already annealed from the soldering process. Annealing the blade is also going to anneal the teeth. Do you have any trouble with the blade dulling faster in the area where it's been annealed?
If you are resharpening your bandsaw blades, you have much more patience (and time) than I. :)
Tom
do you think think regular wire feed welder would work?
I've actually tried that and it's tough to keep the weld out of the teeth. With all the time it took to grind down the weld, it was quicker to just silver solder it.
Great idea, your jig! I would clamp it off centre in the vice to avoid annealing the hardened jaws when soldering!
Thanks John.
There is a lot of mass to that vise.. You can literally put your hand on the vise after soldering.
Awesome video MR.TOM DO YOU HAVE VARIABLE SPEED ON YOUR BAND SAW?
Nope. Five step pulleys and two speed ranges.
Do you think this same method would work on my 1-1/4" band Sawmill blades? Sure looks really good on your blades.
+HOSSMCGILLICUTTI
Absolutely. Larger blades would be much easier to join and the joint strength would be proportionate.
Tom