All band saws have their own service life, sooner or later they wear out.
The goal of any craftsman is to make sure that the band saw has served its time and does not fail ahead of time.
For example, if the tape idles for a long time, it will cause a breakdown.
There are a number of other, less obvious factors that directly affect the service life of the canvas and the tool.
Experienced craftsmen know that opposite situations often occur: one canvas loses the ability to cut and becomes dull, but does not break; but the other breaks quickly, although it remains sharp.
Let's take a closer look at the main conditions for long and reliable operation of the ribbon web.
Factors influencing the band sawing process
- Saw maintenance. With proper operation, the machine and the belt will last longer – a simple truth, which, however, is neglected by many specialists.
If the results of the device's operation have changed for the worse, evaluate the algorithm of its use.
Regular checking of the knowledge of the instructions for using the machine by specialists is your insurance against the formation of incorrect habits.
Objectivity is important in this approach: both beginners and experienced employees can make mistakes.
It is especially important that every master knows how to fix problems in the operation of the machine.
- Intended use.
Each type of machine has its own purpose and processes different materials, which explains the different principle of the device designs.
Be aware of the difference between a lumber sawing machine and a band saw.
- Technical condition. Any ribbon used on a defective machine will not be able to function properly for a long time.
The machine may have problems with belts, cylinders, bolts, springs, which significantly reduce the efficiency of its use.
If the tape sheet breaks frequently, first check how the equipment is working.
- The quality of the pulleys. The quality of sawing is affected by the condition and diameter of the pulleys.
For pulleys of small diameter, a blade up to 0.9 mm with a red-hot tooth is used.
It is worth paying attention to the surface of the pulleys: it should be smooth, without dents, without sawdust and waste on the surface.
There should be no cracks on the pulleys with a rubber coating, and the metal pulleys should be well sanded.
The pulleys must be adjusted correctly to avoid the runout of the web.
- The condition of the guides. Deformed and old guides or plates of poor quality lead to rapid rupture of the web.
If the guides are installed incorrectly, the canvas can give a wave.
As a result, the poor quality of the final product and the tear of the canvas.
- How the guides and the canvas are positioned.
The guides should always be positioned parallel to the canvas, because they support it during the sawing process.
A very important caveat: the rupture of the canvas may occur due to overheating during constant contact with the guides.
It is also important to pay enough attention to adjusting the placement of the guide plates.
They must be placed parallel to the workpiece being processed.
The quality of the lumber will noticeably decrease if the guide is higher than 1 inch from the edge of the workpiece.
- Tension. We mean the pressure at which the pulleys are at a sufficient distance from each other.
Normally, the tension should be 25,000 to 28,000 pounds (the measurement is carried out using a simometer).
If the tension is below the norm, the web will slide along the pulleys, and this will lead to a rupture of the tape.
Excessive tension leads to overheating, loss of stability of the equipment and breakage of the web.
You can find out the optimal tension value for a specific machine from the technical documentation.
- Mandatory running-in of the tape. To dull the cutting edges, it is necessary to reduce the feed by half during the first few cuts.
The service life of the canvas increases if it is used regularly.
Also keep in mind the danger of sliding on the surface of the workpiece, in which the canvas is immersed in the material only half the width.
If the width of the beam does not fit, the canvas may "exit" the sawing channel and begin to slide over the workpiece.
This leads to a decrease in the quality of the cut and damage to the wiring of the web.
- Speed adjustment. If the sawing speed is incorrectly set relative to the feed rate and the interdental distance of the blade, this will affect the quality of sawing.
For many band saws, a sawing speed of 4500-7500 feet per minute is suitable.
22 Martha 2018
