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Band Saw Blade FAQ's

My band saw is cutting crooked. What’s wrong?

It’s time to replace your band saw blade.

There’s a large section of teeth gone on my blade. What happened?

More than likely you hit some hard spots in your material, you may have had too much head weight or too many teeth in the work. You should never have more than 24 teeth in the work or less than three. Six to 12 is optimum.

Why are cracks forming on my blade?

This is called blade fatigue and is caused by improper tension or head weight.

My blade appears to be dull and has quit cutting- what’s wrong?

You may have hit some hard spots in your material or you were using the saw at too fast a speed.

How do I reverse the direction of the teeth on the blade?

Sometimes when you uncoil a new blade you will notice that the teeth are going the wrong way for your saw. Put on safety glasses and gloves and hold the blade in front of you with the teeth pointing toward you. Turn the blade inside out by simply flipping the teeth away from you.

What’s the best way to cut round stock and pipe?

Use our pipe clamp and table back extension.

How do I cut bundles of stock?

Use our screw vise and auxiliary clamps for more positive clamping.

How do I cut thin gauge or odd shaped materials?

Use jigs and block fixtures to stop distortion.

How do I cut softer nonferrous materials like aluminum,

When cutting these softer materials you should

Slow down your speed — the higher speeds produce heat, which melts the soft material, which then plugs the gullets of the teeth.
Change to a courser tooth blade — fewer teeth per inch. The gullets on these blade are larger and therefore less likely to get plugged up.
Use our Air System — this keeps the gullets from getting plugged up and helps to keep the blade cool.

Can I use a liquid coolant on my Ellis saw?

No. We do not recommend ever using a liquid coolant on the Ellis saws.

I’m cutting multiple pieces of the same size. Is there an easy way to do this?

Yes, by use of our stop gauge accessory.

How do I support long pieces of stock?

Use the stock support stands we manufacture that attach to the saw. The model of stand to use will depend on which saw you are using. Our freestanding models can be used alone or as an extension for the larger stock stands.

I just put in a new blade and I’m still not getting a good cut. What’s wrong?

New blades must be broken in properly before using. Also check that the blade has the proper tension and the guide bearing spacing and the head weight are set correctly. To break in your new blade, run it at the recommended speed but at only 1/3rd of normal pressure for ten minutes. Then gradually increase the pressure back to normal using the hydraulic cylinder. This will increase the life of your new blade and made it work more efficiently. Check the wear and adjustment of your guide bearings every time you change blades.

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