Bandsaw Blade Repair

A bandsaw is one of the most useful power tools in a boatbuilding shop. The saw can cut the curves essential in boatbuilding to a much tighter radius than a circular saw; however, unlike the blade of a circular saw, which can be used for a long time with only occasional sharpening, a bandsaw blade, even if new, may break if it is stressed beyond its designed strength. This is especially true when attempting to cut a tighter curve than the blade’s width and the set of its teeth are designed to accommodate. Also, many of us have learned the hard way that it is dangerous to try to crosscut a cylindrical piece of wood with a bandsaw: No matter how firmly you hold the piece, as soon as the teeth contact the wood it can roll into the blade, causing it to break and risking pinched fingers.

In a commercial shop or a school setting, where there may be little time for repairs, replacing a broken blade may be the best option. However, there are good reasons to repair a blade yourself: If you don’t have a spare at hand, it may be difficult to get a replacement quickly. Or if the blade is fairly new, you may be upset by the monetary loss. Some bandsaws need a blade that is not of a standard length; for example, the smallest band­saw in my shop takes a 70" blade, which is not readily available, and my solution has been to buy the next-longer size, remove a piece of it, then join the ends.

The jig presented here is designed to create the scarf joint needed and to accurately align the cut ends of the blade for scarfing and soldering.

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