sure you are wearing either safety glasses or a face
shield before welding and then stand back from the
welder when you push the button.
5. When the welding is complete, release the
jaw clamps and remove the band from the welder.
Inspect the band to be sure it is straight and welded
completely across. Do not bend or flex the band at
this time to test the weld. The welding process has
made the weld and the area near it hard and brittle and
breakage will probably occur.
6. Place the lever that controls movement of the
jaws in the anneal position. This should separate the
jaws again. Set the control that regulates the anneal
temperature to the setting for the width of the band.
7. Place the band in the clamping jaws with the
teeth toward the welder and the welded section in the
center of the jaw opening. Close the jaws.
8. The band is ready to be annealed. Push and
Figure 4-17.--Upper wheel tilt adjustment.
then quickly release the anneal button repeatedly until
the welded area becomes a dull cherry red. (Do NOT
push and hold the anneal button. This will overheat
teeth are pointing downward on the cutting side of the
and damage the band.) After the proper temperature
band loop and that the band is properly located in the
is reached, push the anneal button and release it with
guides. Place a slight tension on the band by turning
increasingly longer intervals between the push cycle
the upper wheel takeup hand wheel. Revolve the
to allow the band to cool slowly.
upper band wheel by hand until the band has found its
tracking position. If the band does not track on the
9. The metal buildup resulting from the weld
center of the crowns of the wheels, use the upper
must be ground off. Using the attached grinding
wheel tilt control to correct the band track as
wheel, remove the weld buildup from both sides and
the back of the band until the band fits snugly into the
correct slot on the saw band thickness gauge mounted
When the band is tracking properly, adjust the band
on the welder. Do this grinding carefully to prevent
guide rollers or inserts so that you have a total clearance
looseness or binding between the saw guides and the
of 0.001 to 0.002 inch between the sides of the band
band. Be careful not to grind on the teeth of the band.
back and the guide rollers or inserts, and a slight contact
between the back edge of the band back and the backup
10. Repeat the procedure for annealing in step 8
bearings of the guides. When you have set the band
after grinding the blade.
guide clearance, increase the band tension. The amount
11. The weld is complete. To test your weld,
of tension to put on the band depends on the width and
hold the band with both hands and form a radius in the
gauge of the band. A narrow, thin band will not stand as
band slightly smaller than the smallest wheel on the
much tension as a wider or thicker band. Too much
bandsaw by bringing your hands together. Move your
tension will cause the saw to break; insufficient tension
hands up and down in opposite directions and observe
will cause the saw to run off the cutting line. The best
the welded area as it rolls around the radius that you
way to obtain the proper tension is to start with a
formed.
moderate tension; if the saw tends to run off the cutting
line, increase the tension slightly.
BAND INSTALLATION.--Insert saw band or
tool guides of the correct size for the band you are
Sawing Operations
going to install. Adjust the upper band wheel for a
height that will allow you to easily loop the band
We mentioned earlier in the chapter that you can
around the wheels. Then place one end of the loop
use a band tool machine to do straight, angular,
over the upper band wheel and the other end of the
contour, inside, and disk cutting. The following
loop around the lower band wheel. Be sure that the
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