Bandsaw Safety

[@gregoryhirsh3074]

Really, really, appreciate this video. I was thinking of cutting round stock soon, so glad I saw this before diving in.

[@TomsTechniques]

Yes be very careful. Make sure the stock is clamped and your hands are well away from the blade. Bad things happen fast.

[@priority2]

Thanks Tom...all of your videos are excellent but any time you can incorporate safety videos, they are really appreciated. Great tips!

[@TomsTechniques]

William Yester Thanks William.

[@outsidescrewball]

Hi Tom Errrrr...make a blade without welding.....you got my interest!!??? Good tips....wood push sticks/blocks are a must to have next to the saw Chuck

[@TomsTechniques]

Hey Chuck. I silver solder all my blades. It's a lot easier than welding and doesn't require much in the line of special equipment, just a simple fixture, a belt sander and a propane torch. As soon as I finish updating my fixture, I'll show you how it's done. Tom

[@AnthonyPaulO]

Thank you Tom, appreciate the time you put into making this safety video; I'm looking to buy a Bandsaw soon and can use the advice. Little bits of wisdom like this due to experience come in handy even if you already treat dangerous machines with the respect they deserve; I don't think I would've thought about the cylinder issue on my own, and using a clamp was pretty clever.

[@TomsTechniques]

Good to hear Anthony. Thanks for watching. Tom

[@BigMjolnir]

Great lesson! I've used a wood bandsaw (have a 14" delta with a riser block) and watch out for the same issues. Every tool seems to have danger areas to stay clear of. Two additional safety items I think might be worth a mention: 1) you want to pick a blade that has teeth spaced for the thickness of material you are cutting. You want at least two, and preferably three teeth in the cut at all times. Don't use a 4 tpi blade to cut 1/8 inch material. 2) when completing the cut, using a push block in line with the blade is a good idea...it keeps your hands away, but it also keeps the material from closing on the blade as the remaining material gets too weak to hold the kerf open. On a bandsaw pinching the blade probably won't be a disaster, and metal may be strong enough that it isn't a big deal, but I can tell you for sure that pushing from both sides of the blade on a table saw can be....the material gets picked up and thrown at you...hard. Got a broken thumb that way once and bits of the box bottom I was cutting hit me in the chest and made holes in the window shade behind me. The table saw accident reminds me of a third safety rule: when you start getting tired, stop. That one happened at the end of a long day, and I wasn't thinking as clearly as I should have been to be using a tool like that. I suspect a lot of stupid accidents happen at the end of long days.

[@TomsTechniques]

It's the little, unexpected "gotcha's" like this that will get you hurt and all of the machines have them. That's what I'm trying to include in these safety videos. Things like choosing the right blade are covered in my project tutorials. Table saws are extremely dangerous. I tangled with one once when a glued up piece I was sawing exploded in my face, taking a large chuck off the corner of my thumb. I don't think it was the blade that got me, but a piece of wood. I have an unwritten rule in my shop that I don't use machinery past 10:00PM. Being tired, or in a hurry is a bad time to use machines. Tom

[@jbstandsforjasonborne3847]

Nice camera angles and great demonstration very informative!

[@JamesGMunn]

I heard from a professional that when a bandsaw blade breaks it will sometimes come shooting out sideways perpedicular to the cutting line so be careful in that area.

[@TomsTechniques]

Normally they just stop dead James, but you never know.

[@BraveLoch32]

Though I have a HV bandsaw, I occasionally use it in the upright position, glad I never have for round stock of that diameter, because it didn't occur to me that would happen with round stock, and I even tend to try to use my brain once in awhile. Maybe you just saved me some digits, or at least a good set of smashed fingers, thanks again Tom.

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Barry. I learned this technique the hard way attempting to cut a piece of large diameter tubing. The blade didn't get me, but I got a nasty cut from the end of the tube where I was holding it. Tom

[@tpcoachfix]

Great info. I heard there is a difference between a bandsaw for wood and one for metal, not just the blades, but the speed also.

[@TomsTechniques]

For wood, your saw should be traveling at around 3000 feet per minute. For mild steel, that becomes 100 feet per minute.

[@peterheuts7738]

Tom, Thanks for the nice video. Found out a long time ago the same thing happens on wood bandsaws. In my case I tried to saw a log lengthwise but off-centre. The log tried to roll on me and trapped the blade. It scared the heck out of me, but luckily no blood. The sawblade was bent front to back though, impossible to use anymore. have used fixtures whenever in doubt after that. My metalbandsaw isn't ready yet (restoring one) so I have no experience there but I guess the same thing could happen on a metal bandsaw? (when sawing round stock lengthwise) Also, you stopped the cut before the clamp went off the table on the far side. Wouldn't it be dangerous to continue the cut? can't the same thing happen on the other side of the centre of the stock when you continue sawing? If so, how can you avoid that? Thanks again, Peter

[@TomsTechniques]

Peter, I just stopped the cut to save time. The problem does not occur on the back side because the blade won't catch like it does on the front. It has to do with the cut being made above vs. below the center line of the stock. In fact, I often rotate round stock purposely to reduce the thickness of stock being cut. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Tom

[@tzampini]

Great video! I converted a Craftsman wood band saw to cut metal by reducing the blade speed to 100 ft/min using a pulley system. However, seeing you cut that large diameter bar made me jealous. If I try to cut 1/4" thick aluminum plate, it takes forever to cut, like maybe 3 minutes per inch. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? My blade has more TPI than yours - mine is a 14 TPI bimetal blade made for metal. Looks kind of like a hacksaw blade. Thanks!

[@TomsTechniques]

Bimetal blades are generally intended for steel and other hard materials. They have a flexible back and a hard tooth with a wavy set. You should have a general purpose hook tooth, raker set blade for aluminum with a lot coarser pitch. Choose the pitch of a blade so that at least two teeth are engaged. For instance, your 1/4" aluminum would require a general purpose blade with at least 8 teeth per inch and on 1/2" plate you could use a blade with 4 or 5 teeth per inch. Steel requires more teeth per inch because of the higher chip load on the tooth. BTW, the aluminum round I'm cutting isn't solid, it's 1/2" wall hollow bar, but even if it was solid, the 5 tooth blade would still eat through it pretty quickly. Tom

[@tzampini]

Toms Techniques Thanks for the response. Can you recommend a good source for metal cutting bandsaw blades? Mine is 80" long. Thanks again.

[@TomsTechniques]

tzampini Mine come in 100 foot rolls from McMaster Carr, it's a lot cheaper than buying them already made up. I'll be doing a video in a week or so on how to make up your own blades without welding. Tom

[@tzampini]

Toms Techniques I look forward to that video! Thanks.

[@MinhTran-wn1ri]

Great safety tips. Thanks, Tom. Annotations for posterity.

[@MinhTran-wn1ri]

@1:10 Keep blade guard 1/4" higher than thickness of cutting material @1:38 Keep thumbs out of line of cut; hold the workpiece from the sides @2:55 Use a push stick/brace for small plates @[3:43-4:31] Never cut unsupported round stock; @5:07 Use clamp support brace

[@andregross7420]

The bandsaw in the woodshop is a meat cutting bandsaw. I wonder how many butchers' fingers were lost to it.

[@Opinionator52]

Great video Tom! And excellent gruesome description! The more the better, for guys just getting one (they do look harmless at first glance). I had ONE close call many years back. A tiny nick in the web of my thumb... It sent ugly pictures through my mind for days, and never another unsafe approach from this guy again! I've got a handy little horizontal Jet, a bit small for some stuff, but I'm glad I could squeeze it into the shop... I think we both have identical 14" vertical Deltas?/... Nice durable saw! I look forward to your next video, thanks. :o] O,

[@TomsTechniques]

Yes, they do occasionally bite. I used to work with a guy who slipped and managed to make a two inch saw cut between his first and second finger. I took him to the ER where a nurse held the two fingers apart while the doctor scrubbed all of the chips and debris from the wound before sewing it up. There wasn't enough Lidocaine in the world for that little experience. Tom

[@billdlv]

Good points Tom.

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Bill.

[@billdlv]

Toms Techniques I think my comment got truncated for some reason....I say the same things when covering bandsaw safety demonstrations in our shop. It is good to see I am saying similar things to someone with your background and experience.

[@TheRogerx3]

Thanks.. haven't got a band saw but, pre warned is preserved my fingers. : ) sooooo many thanks Tom for this video.

[@TomsTechniques]

You are very welcome. Tom

[@MrRobotRooster]

By any chance are you a toolmaker?

[@TomsTechniques]

Most of career was spent as a research machinist for a DOD contractor making lots of one of a kind widgets. As of late, I'm doing mostly mechanical design and prototype machining on instrumentation used in bio-research and drug discovery. Tom

[@mikeadrover5173]

As always, thanks’ for taking the time to make this video! And I support this site. ~M~

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Mike.

[@mclarpet]

Texas bandsaw massacre ? Push stick / board is a good idea.

[@TomsTechniques]

Yeah, I saw a guy slip and saw half way into his hand between the first two fingers. It still makes me cringe to think about it. Tom

[@iiinsaiii]

Nice

[@michaeltse321]

wished I had saw this video. Lost 2 fingers.

[@tylercunningham3275]

I may be wrong but I have heard that the bandsaw was invented for cutting meat.

[@TomsTechniques]

It wouldn't surprise me because it does a great job.

[@andregross7420]

Yep, it was. We have a bandsaw over here made to cut meat.

[@markladeroute4250]

i cannot believe anyone, in the year 2015 can advocate for wearing gloves on a saw, or any machine for that matter. if you ever think its a good idea to use gloves while operating a machine, please find a new line of work, before you have no choice.