Wrapping Blades

[Lucman]

How in the heck do you wrap the band saw blades without cutting yourself, is there a link here maybe a video, before I whack my fingers off? Lol

Wrapping to throw in truck not to send back to factory

[alecs]

I've always stepped on one part of the blade and twisted on the opposite end, until the band coils up into a nice little circle.  But I'm thinking more along the lines of a machine shop metal cutting band, which is not as wide or as long.  Wear gloves is one idea!

[Lucman]

Yeah, had gloves on and it got me on the wrist..lol need longer gloves

[drobertson]

there is a technique, not that hard to learn, gloves and the proper motion, might go on youtube to see an example, once you get it it is a done deal,   gloves, gloves, gloves, unless you have stock in band-aid, ;D

[Chuck White]

Here's some info that will help you!

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,40175.0.html

[Bogue Chitto]

Best way is get someone to show you. 

[wwsjr]

Go to WM website, blades, videos. Greg Baire and Jake Mooney has video posted how to uncoil and coil blades safely.

[Bibbyman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKXjLDQy9Yo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This should be the video. 

[dgdrls]

Here's some info that will help you!

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,40175.0.html

Chuck is a master at folding those blasted things!!  ;)

I got all balled-up and went to the foot method, figured I bleed enough making mistakes no point bleeding more
if I can avoid it :D

DGD

[Tom the Sawyer]

I hold the blade across my palms, facing up at 10 and 2, step through with one foot, turn palms inward and cross, step out.  The way I was shown, it always works, but a dulll blade can still shred your jeans if you're not careful.  I'm gonna try to learn the method shown in the video, looks safer as long as you get it on the first flip.  Either way, wear gloves!!

[OlJarhead]

The flat box doesn't require it ;)

[Dave Shepard]

Just make sure you tie them after you fold them. I once had two bands sitting on the seat of the truck and hit a pretty good bump in the road. I figure it was a fair rendition of a wildcat fight when they opened up, and I was right in the middle of it.

[customsawyer]

Practice with a fan belt first. ;) Once you get the hang of that then you just need to add the extra force for the saw blades.

[thecfarm]

I went to pick my blades up the other day. The guy that does them was talking and he coiled a blade to compare it to size with mine. Man,that guy did it so quick and easy and just about perfect too. I can do it,but it takes me a few seconds to get it. I mentioned how he made that look easy. He's been doing it for probably more than 30 years.

[MSSawmill]

And for the next million dollar question, do you all call it "throwing" a blade?

[SAnVA]

Best wear gloves coiling or uncoiling, once you learn it is easy , I do it with teeth up,  and if I must say, I do a pretty good job of it, but please don't watch me uncoil one, I promise you that isn't a very pretty sight!

[Magicman]

Personally, I call it coiling and uncoiling.

[Brucer]

I learned how to do it from an experienced sawyer; teeth up, hold the gloved hands just so, flick it down and curl the hands inward. That's an art and it takes practice to do it smoothly. But that's only the start. When you've got that part down you should end up with a coil hanging below each hand, and a third coil kind of flopping around beneath them kind of parallel to the ground.

Here's the important part. Right hand coil gets placed on top of the left hand coil and then the fingers of the right hand wrap around the two coils. Left hand reaches down and folds the third coil up on top of the first two. Grip them all in one hand and always tie them beside your hand (I use rebar wire).

You don't actually have to do them in that particular order. The important thing is to be consistent. Always fold them in exactly the same way, and be sure to put that tie wire at the top. When you go to unfold them the tie wire orients you to how you were holding the blade when you folded it. Unfolding then is just a matter of reversing what you did to fold them. The whole process is completely under control.

If you don't put a tie wire on, or if it falls off, find a lawn or a pile of sawdust and toss the blade at it.

The guy who taught me insisted I do it his way, every single time (I was running his mill for him). That way no matter who folded a particular blade, we could both unfold it safely.

[Magicman]

Plus, at blade change time, you can entertain the customer, bystanders, or off loaders.  ;D  I always tell a new off loader that I coil the first blade and it will be his job to coil the rest.      smiley_dizzy

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Plus, at blade change time, you can entertain the customer, bystanders, or off loaders.  ;D  I always tell a new off loader that I coil the first blade and it will be his job to coil the rest.      smiley_dizzy

As WDH would say....You're a bad man.  :D

[Magicman]

It get's their attention.   ;D 

I did have one teenage kid that was eager to learn, so I gave him the secret.  He could hardly wait until the next one dulled and he could flip them right up.  He was also a good worker.   

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Great idea. Blade handling should be part of the application process. Along with, do you have your own
First Aid Kit? 

[thecfarm]

I bet that teenager will grow up to be quite a good adult too. Hardworker and a good person.

[orion388]

Just make sure you tie them after you fold them. I once had two bands sitting on the seat of the truck and hit a pretty good bump in the road. I figure it was a fair rendition of a wildcat fight when they opened up, and I was right in the middle of it.

now thats funny... kinda like shoot up here in this tree with the raccoon in it... one of us needs some relief!

[francismilker]

I'd rather coil a thousand of them than to uncoil 1 of them.  I've had that little band climb all over me and almost depants/deshirt me many times while trying to ever so slowly unwind one of them.  I've got to the point to just toss it out in front of me and let it uncoil itself!! ;D

[Bibbyman]

 

 

Poked by blade - Nov 2009

I was moving a coiled blade that did not have a wire around it holding it. It came un-coiled in my hand. I got poked a couple of places - this one at the base of my thumb the worse. The blood is much worse than the cut.

I know I should have been wearing gloves but in this case I was only moving the blade and not trying to uncoil it.

[barbender]

That's ugly, Bibby! It does seem like band cuts bleed a lot. Now on the coiling/uncoiling methods, the coiling method came to me pretty easy, I suppose because it's as if you are tucking the blade into bed, whereas uncoiling one can be like letting a bear out of a trap :D. I actually took my smart phone out and watched the WM with Mooney learning to uncoil blades, and I learned right along with him ;D. My problem is, I haven't had a chance to mill much lately, and I haven't uncoiled enough blades on a steady basis for it to "stick" in my head. So, I have to keep relearning : The main thing is what coil to hold as you open. I just don't like the "chuck and duck" method, it doesn't look very proffesional, and I could see a band taking a bad bounce and coming back and biting me. I wanted to learn a method where I was in control of the band instead of the other way around :

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Bibby, I could have went all week without seeing that. Thanks for sharing. 

At least pics like that will make us think tomorrow.

[Migal]

 ;) I kinda figured there might be some blood involved here  :-\

[Bogue Chitto]

You are right Barbender. I just throw the blade in a pile of sawdust and let it do its own thing.

[Chuck White]

Here's some info that will help you!

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,40175.0.html

Chuck is a master at folding those blasted things!!  ;)

I got all balled-up and went to the foot method, figured I bleed enough making mistakes no point bleeding more
if I can avoid it :D

DGD

Dan; Sometime when you're going to be up this way, give me a little advance notice, then stop by and we'll practice a little more!

[barbender]

Another thing is that coiling/uncoiling, uninformed onlookers and passerbys are captivated by it, I don't have too many skills like that. Probably the closest I come otherwise is making fart noises with my hand under my armpit ;D

[bandmiller2]

Sooner or later you will get "band bit".Use the good advice above but practice with a long stiff "V" belt it will behave the same and won't bite. When possible I handle and transport bands uncoiled, simply less drama. Frank C.

[thecfarm]

Coiling a blade is kinda like cutting trees. There is a correct way to do it,takes a while to catch on to it,and if you don't do it right,you can get into a mess.  ;D

[petefrom bearswamp]

I don't seem to have any trouble with .042 and .045 blades but my old wrists won't allow me to coil and un coil the .055 ones.
I have been bitten a couple of times but not as bad as bibby.
I first learned the coiling method in forestry school coiling or "throwing" a 2 chain tape.
I agree with the v belt practice method.
Dave at WM told me once that they used to have a toothless blade they used to school folks on the method, but couldn't find it the day I was there.

[Dave Shepard]

I coiled an .055 once. I think it's still coiled somewhere. :D All my bands come flat packed.

[Al_Smith]

 :D I have the Time -Life  book on the westward expansion during early days of the great Pacific northwest lumber biz .They had an amusing story of  derailing a huge double toothed band saw blade which wrapped itself up like giant coiled snake .

They didn't know what to do with it nor how to get it out of the headsaw shed for fear it would uncoil and slice someones head off .So they very carefully encapsulated the whole mess with concrete one bucket full at a time .As far as I know it's still that way .

[Brucer]

I don't seem to have any trouble with .042 and .045 blades but my old wrists won't allow me to coil and un coil the .055 ones.

I learned on 1-1/4" x 0.045 blades. Didn't take long before I was snapping them closed and popping them open with almost no effort.

Then I upgraded to 1-1/2" x 0.045 blades. I got a bit of a surprise coiling that first one. It took quite a few blades before I was making it look effortless.

Last winter I started sharpening my own blades. With the mill buried in snow I couldn't try out my blades to see if I was doing it right, but my friend, John, came to the rescue. He's got less snow in his area, plus a roof over his mill. He was getting fed up with his sharpening guy (same one I used to use) and said he'd pay me to sharpen his blades. We agreed I would only charge him for blades that cut well.

So John drops off 11 blades, folded in the box and I sharpen the first one. Since the box still has 10 blades in it I decided to simply coil the blades and hang them on the wall until the box is empty. So a quick flick of the wrists and the blade doesn't even start to coil. What the ...  ??? I try again, with a little more snap and the blade coils 40% of the way and uncoils 50% of the way (gotta watch that backlash) and now I'm getting a little annoyed. So a quick snap, a lot of extra pressure, and I dislocate my shoulder :( . (The left one has been thoroughly abused and pops out pretty easily).

At this point I put the dial calipers on John's blade and it turns out to be a 0.050 blade. John kinda forgot to mention that he'd switched to thicker blades. And I shoulda clued in on the first one and saved my shoulder even more abuse :(.

I wonder if there's a market for a mechanical blade coiler.

[shortlogger]

You have to watch the toss it down and let it uncoil its self method . I tried that one time and the blade hit the ground just right and jumped back at me and hit my nose and the blood flew with some band aids and tape I patched my self back up so I could finish sawing when the wife got home and saw my bloody shirt and pants and taped up nose she made me go to the walk in clinic for stiches ( shots in the nose really hurt ) . After that little mistake I found a video on the proper way to uncoil a blade