Bandsaw Repair, in Our Hamilton Shop or at Your Plant
Most saw trouble shows up as one of a handful of symptoms, and a fair share of them get fixed with a new blade, a tension gauge and twenty minutes. Before you book anyone, us included, go through the symptom that matches what you're seeing. If it's past a quick fix, send us the details and we'll tell you straight what it's going to take.
What is the saw doing?
Pick the symptom. You get the usual causes in the order we find them, what you can check yourself, and when it is time to call us.
Crooked or out-of-square cuts
- Dull blade. Most of the time, this is it. A blade that has lost its edge on one side wanders toward that side, and the cut runs off long before the blade stops cutting.
- Not enough tension. Most saws we walk up to are under-tensioned. After a few years the dial on the saw means nothing; use a gauge.
- Guides worn or set too wide. The guide arms belong as close to the work as the vise lets them. Worn carbides let the blade twist under load.
- Feeding too hard for the tooth pitch, so the blade deflects instead of cutting.
- Head out of square to the vise, or the fixed jaw out of square to the blade.
Blades breaking early
- Wheels worn or cracked. A blade riding hard against a worn wheel flange cracks from the back edge. Bad wheel bearings do the same thing.
- Tension too high, or the saw left tensioned overnight. Back the tension off at the end of the shift.
- Guides too tight or out of line, twisting the blade harder than it needs on every revolution.
- Blade too thick for the wheels. Small wheels need a thinner band or the back fatigues and cracks.
- The weld let go. If it broke clean at the weld, that one is on us and we replace it.
Teeth stripping off
- Pitch too coarse for the wall. You want at least three teeth in the material at all times. Thin-wall tube and sheet will take the teeth off a coarse blade in seconds.
- Chips packing the gullets. A worn or missing chip brush lets chips ride back into the cut and weld onto the teeth.
- Coolant not reaching the cut. Dry cutting packs the gullets and cooks the tooth tips.
- Work moving in the vise. Bundles and short ends that shift will snap teeth.
- Too much feed starting the cut, or a hard spot in the material.
Blade won't track or comes off
- Tracking out of adjustment on the idler wheel.
- Worn wheel faces or flanges, or a wheel bearing on its way out.
- Not enough tension.
- Guide arms out of line with the wheels, pulling the blade off the face.
Head drops or feed is erratic
- Low hydraulic oil or air in the system.
- Feed cylinder seals worn. Oil bypasses the piston and the head creeps down on its own.
- Feed control valve dirty or worn, so the rate jumps around.
- Leaking lines or fittings.
Coolant not flowing
- Tank low, or the pickup sitting in sludge.
- Screen or lines plugged with chips.
- Pump dead. No hum means electrical or the motor. A hum with no flow means a blockage or a gone impeller.
- Valve closed, or the nozzle knocked out of position.
Saw won't start
- A safety switch is open. Most saws will not start without blade tension, with a wheel cover open, or after the blade-break switch trips.
- An e-stop latched somewhere you did not look.
- Overload tripped on the motor starter.
- Bottom-of-cut limit switch stuck or out of adjustment.
- Control or motor fault.
Book a service call
Tell us what the saw is doing. We call back the same business day with a straight answer on timing and cost.
What we work on
Guides and carbides, wheels and wheel bearings, gearboxes and drives, hydraulic feed cylinders and valves, vises, coolant systems, and the electrical side: controls, starters and motors. Our millwrights are licensed and the electrical work is done by licensed electricians, so the electrical fault and the mechanical one get fixed on the same visit instead of two contractors pointing at each other.
On-site or in the shop
For a saw that's down in the Hamilton and GTA area, we can often be there the same day. Farther out, we schedule promptly and give you an honest ETA before you commit. Cylinder rebuilds, gearbox work and full overhauls come back to our shop on Bigwin Road, and if a saw needs more than a repair we'll talk you through a rebuild and whether it's worth the money.
Brands
All the major ones: Hyd-Mech, DoAll, Marvel, HEM, Cosen, Wellsaw, Ellis, JET, and most others you'll find in a Canadian fab shop. Age doesn't matter much. A lot of the saws in Canadian shops have been cutting since before their operators were born, and the heavy old iron is usually worth keeping running.
Keeping it from happening again
Worn guides and low tension kill more blades than bad blades do. If the same saw keeps calling you over, a preventive maintenance visit on a schedule costs less than one unplanned down day. And keep a spare blade on the shelf. We can usually weld one to length and ship it within a couple of days.