Grizzly G0561 - Manual (Page 30)

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g0561 7" x 12" Metal-Cutting Bandsaw
Blade Care
A bandsaw blade is a delicate piece of steel that
is subjected to tremendous strain. you can obtain
longer use from a bandsaw blade if you give it fair
treatment and always use the appropriate feed
rate for your operation.
Be sure to select blades with the proper width, set,
type, and pitch for each application. the wrong
choice of blades will often produce unnecessary
heat and will shorten the life of your blade.
A clean blade will perform much better than a dirty
blade. dirty or gummed up blades pass through
the cutting material with much more resistance
than clean blades. this extra resistance also
causes unnecessary heat.
Blade Break-In
the sharp teeth tips and edges of a new blade are
extremely sharp, and cutting at full feed rate may
cause fracturing of the beveled edges of the teeth
and premature blade wear.
To properly break-in a new blade:
1. Choose the correct speed for the blade and
material of the operation.
Note: We strongly recommend using mild
steel if cutting metal during the break-in
phase.
2. reduce the feed pressure by 1 ⁄
2
for the first
50–100 in 2 of material cut.
3. to avoid twisting the blade when cutting,
adjust the feed pressure when the total width
of the blade is in the cut.
4. use the Chip Inspection Chart on page 30
to check the blade efficiency for metal cut-
ting.
Blade Care &
Break-In
Workpiece
Inspection
some workpieces are not safe to cut; instead, a
different tool or machine should be used.
Before cutting, inspect the material for any of
the following conditions and take the neces-
sary precautions:
• Small or Thin Workpieces: small or thin
workpieces are dangerous to cut if held
by hand—avoid cutting these workpieces
if possible. if you must cut a small or thin
workpiece, attach it to or clamp it between
larger scrap pieces that will both support the
workpiece through the cut and keep your fin-
gers away from the blade. some thin sheet
metals will not withstand the forces from this
bandsaw during cutting; instead, use a shear,
nibblers, or sheet metal nippers to cut these
pieces.
• Material hardness: Always factor in the hard-
ness of the metal before cutting it. hardened
metals will take longer to cut, may require
lubrication, and may require a different type
of blade in order to efficiently cut them.
• Tanks, Cylinders, Containers, valves, Etc:
Cutting into containers that are pressur-
ized or contain gasses or liquids can cause
explosions, fires, caustic burns, or machine
damage. Avoid cutting any of these types of
containers unless you have verified that the
container is empty and it can be properly sup-
ported during a cut.
• Magnesium: pure magnesium burns eas-
ily. Cutting magnesium with a dull blade can
create enough friction to ignite the small
magnesium chips into a fire. Avoid cutting
magnesium if possible.