How Can I Increase Blade Life?
It’s a question we are asked daily and there is no one answer.
The life of a blade is dependent on many variables including: machine condition, material being cut, proper blade, cutting parameters and yes… something as simple as breaking the blade in before going to full production rates. Performing a proper break-in is one of the most important things you can do to increase it. Why is the break-in process so important? It creates a stable cutting edge on the new tooth tips.
A new tooth has an extremely sharp and sometimes fragile edge (1). During the break-in that extremely sharp cutting edge is honed to a small radius enabling the tooth tip to wear evenly and create a uniform chip load from tooth to tooth (2). Improper break-in will result in shorter blade life due to tooth tips chipping away (3).
So how do we break-in a new blade?
1. Use the recommended band speed for the material to be cut (material dictates blade speed).
2. Reduce the feed rate on the saw to achieve a cutting rate approximately 50% of the recommended cutting rate for mild steels and 75% of the recommended cutting rate for more difficult to machine materials.
3. Begin the first cut making sure that the teeth are forming a chip. Once the blade fully enters the workpiece, the blade speed and feed rate can be slightly adjusted to eliminate any vibration or squealing.
4. Make small increases to the feed rate over several cuts ( 50 square inches – 75 square inches) until the recommended cutting rate is reached.
