Troubleshooting Guide
Band SawsProblem / Solution
ProblemReasonSolution
Premature and
excessive tooth
wear
Feed pressure too lightIncrease feed pressure
Band saw too slowAdjust band speed
Insufficient coolant, improper coolant mix, or wrong coolantApply proper coolant for type material being cut, check flow of coolant
Improper tooth selectionCall Greenfield Industries for additional information
Feed pressure too highCall Greenfield Industries for additional information
Guides hitting teeth alignmentCheck blade
Improper break-in with new bandFeed should be reduced for first few cuts
Tooth Strippage Teeth too coarse for material thicknessSelect finer pitch
Material not securely visedAdjust clamping pressure
Insufficient or improper coolantApply proper coolant for type material begin cut, check flow of coolant
Excessive feed pressureReduce feed pressure
Band speed too slowIncrease band speed
Chips loaded in gulletReplace or adjust chip brush
Finished Surface
too Rough
Improper blade selectionSelect finer pitch
Band speed too slowAdjust band speed
Feed rate too highSlow down feed rate
Improper coolant for type of material being cutApply proper coolant
Premature Blade
Breakage
Thickness of blade too heavy for diameter of wheelsSelect thinner blade
Band tension too highAdjust tension
Improper speedCall Greenfield Industries for additional information
Excessive feed pressureReduce feed pressure
Brittle weldIncrease annealing period, decreasing heat gradually
Saw out of alignmentGet machine properly re-aligned
Improper coolantApply proper coolant for type of material being cut
Band wheels wornReplace wheels
Cutting Rate too
Slow
Incorrect band speedAdjust band speed
Incorrect feed pressureAdjust feed pressure
Blade pitch too fineSelect coarser pitch blade
Gullets Loading
with Chips
Excessive cutting speedReduce cutting rate
Blade pitch too fineSelect coarse pitch
Chip brush not workingReplace or adjust chip brush
Insufficient coolant, improper coolant mix, or
improper coolant
Apply proper coolant for type of material being cut, check flow of coolant
Band SquealsFeed rate too slowIncrease feed rate
Insufficient coolant flowCheck coolant flow
Belly Shaped Cuts Blade tensionCheck blade tension with tension meter
Guide arm is too far from work pieceAdjust guides closer to work piece
Blade pitch too fineSelect coarser pitch blade
Excessive feed forceReduce feed force or feed rate
Blade Leading in
Cut
Excessive feed force or feed rateReduce feed force or feed rate
Possible hard inclusionUse cutting oil to reduce leading
Chip brush not workingReplace or adjust chip brush
Blade tension too lowCheck blade tension with tension meter
Band Develops
Twist
Wrong width for radius being cutSelect a narrower blade
Binding in cutAdjust blade tension
Saw guides too close to work pieceAdjust saw guides further from work
Band Stalls in WorkFeed pressure too greatReduce feed pressure
Improper blade tensionAdjust blade tension
Blade pitch too coarse for material being cutSelect finer pitch blade
Burring or
Mushrooming of
Back Edge
Improper blade tensionAdjust blade tension
Excessive feed pressureReduce feed pressure
Blade pitch too fineSelect coarser pitch blade
Improper guide adjustmentsAdjust guides
Band ScoringBand has side wear or groovingCheck saw guide inserts for wear and replace
Improper alignment of saw guidesAdjust guides so they are square to front vise
Worn guidesReplace guides
Blade Not Running
True against Saw
Guide Backup
Bearing
Clicking noise against the saw guide backup bearing
indicates there is a burr on the back edge of the band
Remove burr on the band
Weld not in proper alignmentReweld blade straight and true
Saw guide backup bearing wornReplace
Improper blade trackingCheck band wheel alignment
Band Develops
Negative Camber
Band is riding on saw guide backup bearing too
heavily
Adjust band alignment on top and bottom wheels
Check band wheel alignment
Band Develops
Positive Camber
Excessive feed forceReduce feed force
Poor tooth penetrationSelect a coarser pitch blade for increased tooth penetration
Saw guide is too far from work piece or no lockedAdjust saw guides closer to work piece
Blade VibrationGuides poorly adjustedCheck guide adjustments
Improper band speedIncrease or decrease band speed
Low blade tensionIncrease blade tension
Feed rate too lowIncrease feed rate
Blade pitch too coarse for material being cutSelect variable pitch blade
Work piece not properly securedAdjust clamping pressure
Chip WeldingExcessive feed pressureReduce feed pressure
Excessive cutting speedReduce blade speed
Chip brush not workingReplace or adjust chip brush
Insufficient or improper coolantApply proper coolant for the type of material being cut, check coolant flow
