Reminders

Re: Reminders

Hank Knight

Bandsaw blades are the work of the devil!

How do you coil?

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I can imagine having one get away from me uncoiling but not coiling. I grab the blade with my hand rotated backwards. My foot is capturing the bade on my floor mat. Then I just push the blade toward the floor while rotating my hand (and the blade) 180 degrees. Even thick 1" blades roll right up. A glove for toothy blades is a good idea.

Re: How do you coil?

Kneale Brownson

I use that system too with a piece of wood instead of your mat. Sometimes they get away from me.

Re: Reminders

John K Jordan

Long sleeves, leather gloves and SAFETY GLASSES!

Uncoiling too. I can usually control the coiling but I uncoil the wicked big blades for my WoodMizer sawmill outside in the grass by throwing it away from me and letting it spring open. I usually wear one of the Stihl hardhats with visor I have for chainsawing.

Hey, I just learned a new trick I never tried before. I've always coiled once resulting in three loops. The 145" blades for my shop bandsaw come coiled more, 5 times I think, for a much more compact package. I finally tried it using the same "step and bend" technique and got five loops the first try. Now if I can duplicate it...

JKJ

Re: Reminders

Hank Knight

John,

If you figure out how to get 5 loops reliably, please post your method. In've been trying to figure it out for years. My 150" blades would be much easier to store with 5 loops.

Hank

5 loops

John K Jordan

I'll try it again when I get back down the hill to the shop.

JKJ

5 loop coil - Instructions

John K Jordan

Hank, I tried again and made 5-loop coils twice. I don't have pictures but perhaps could get some if I can get someone to take them. (hands are too occupied for a selfie!)

I'll try to explain what I did:

First make a 3-loop coil.

I made a 3-loop coil be the usual method then repeated it to get 5 loops. I must say here that I got instruction for a 3-loop coil years ago from WoodMizer and a YouTube video. IIRC these had me twisting one side with one hand. I never liked that method. I don't know what others do and if my 5-coil method will work the same but this I how I do a 3-loop coil:

I hold the blade in front of me with two hands holding at about 10 and 2 o'clock positions and with my foot pinning the bottom to the floor. I push the two sides together and forward which also bends the top of the blade backwards towards me. I continue to push the sides forward which causes them to move toward each other in the front until they overlap, all while moving both hands downward. I continue until the top is now bending towards the floor then bring both hands together until they are nearly touching. This swings the original top of the blade down near the floor where it begins to now move forward then swings upward. By the time my hands are touching the three loops are gently and perfectly formed.

Now for part 2, the 5-loop coil!

I gather two of the loops into one small coil so the rest of the blade makes a big loop which I continue to hold against the floor with my foot. Depending on how coordinated you are it may be easier to switch and hold the two small loops against the floor with the foot and which lets the large third coil be held in two hands exactly as before. (I tried it both ways and the foot swap method was easier.) Now repeat the 3-loop coil method exactly. This will make 3 loops in the part of the blade in the hands. Those three loops are added to the first two to make 5. (I didn't try 7 loops!)

This got a lot easier after doing it about 5 or 6 times to verify what I was writing. After a couple of times I quit flipping the blade at the 1/2 way point after forming the 2 small loops and simply kept my foot in place holding the bottom of the big loop; I just held the two small loops with one hand while I formed last loops. This was quicker and just as easy after a couple of times.

Since this was a fairly dull 1/2" blade I didn't need gloves.

If you want I could try to get pictures of the process but it might not be until the end of next week. Just ask if any of this is completely unclear. Technical writing was not my primary career path!

PS, just for fun I tried a 7-coil loop! It was trickier but I'd just had all that practice. My 145" blade made a 15" dia coil with 3 loops, 9" with 5 loops, and about 6-1/2" diameter with 7 loops. I quit at 7!

JKJ

3-pics

John K Jordan

But not pictures of the coiling process....

The two small, one large loop:

The 5-loop coil:

The 7-loop coil:

JKJ