When do you retire a band?

[Delawhere Jack]

Some of my bands are reaching their 4th or 5th sharpening. I run 1 1/4" .045 bands. Aside from broken of kinked bands, how do you decide that they're used up?

[terrifictimbersllc]

When you can't sharpen them anymore, or they break, or being mangled to any extent I feel better just stepping on them to make them go away. 

[uler3161]

Assuming they don't break beforehand, we go until the guide rollers will knock the set out of the teeth. We were using 1 1/4" blades, but started using 1 1/2", so we get quite a few sharpenings before it's done for. If I had to guess, we probably get around 10 sharpenings on a blade.

[customsawyer]

I go till they break. This way I know they are done.

[hamish]

I like to keep them for as long as possible , but after awhile once the temper is out of them, BF output is so minimal its not really worth keeping.

But I do, as mud/nail bands.

[bandmiller2]

I sharpen the 1 1/2" bands I use until their about 1 1/4," around that time they start to dive and misbehave. Usally get at least 12 sharpenings from a band by that time they have earned their keep, snap a salute and throw them in the dumpster. Frank C.

[delvis]

I look at it like this:  If you own your own sharpener there is no reason not to keep sharpening them and running them until they break.  If you send the blades out you need to decide how many times you want to buy one blade.  Lets say the blades are $25 each (just random numbers that are close to actual) and it costs you $8 per blade to sharpen it not counting the shipping or the fuel if you travel to a local sharpener.  Once you have sent the blade out three times you have spent enough on top of the money you laid out originally to have bought a brand new blade that has no run time on it. 

I'm certainly not saying you should stop using your blades after a couple sharpening or not send them out to be resharpened anymore, but I may run a blade that has had 4-5 sharpenings longer than I would a brand new one, and I will definitely run an older blade through the dirty logs first.

I think the best solution for me will be to buy my own sharpener and not worry about what it costs me to get a blade sharpened anymore. 

[woodyone.john]

I find that after the black hardening has been ground away from the tip of the tooth,their minutes on the saw make them uneconomical to put on.I use 1 1/2 10* doublehards. Perhaps there is some more fine tuning for me to do to get more the 10 -20 minutes out of such blades and if there are sawyers that are doing this then I really want to know.Otherwise I try to spend my time cutting wood than changing blades.
cheers john

[bandmiller2]

Woody, unless your cutting a really abrasive species or dirty logs 20 minutes is short run time.  I usally cut half a day and can run one band. I don't have a debarker but check and clean the saws path. Frank C.

[Chuck White]

I use my blades until the time comes when I start seeing cracks appear or the blade breaks!

I will never put a cracked blade on the mill!

I usually get anywhere from 8 to 12 sharpenings out of a blade!

[petefrom bearswamp]

I use them til they break

[LittleJohn]

Breakage is a definative sign that the blade is done!
Generally, I check for cracks when removing from mill (if cracked -> do not send to get resharpened, just destroy)
If the blade is misbehaving, diving, waving, etc. (will double check - tension, set, or crooked teeth) - save for dirty/suspect wood

NOTE: If you take a length of broken blade (may a foot) and remove all the teeth except the one at the end, you get a pretty decent poker or reach stick for when you are messing around with the mill.  Also a great tool for getting sawdust out of tight places, before you drag it down the highway.

[Babylon519]

When do you retire a band? When Mick and Keith get too old to rock!  :D :D :D

[woodyone.john]

Woody, unless your cutting a really abrasive species or dirty logs 20 minutes is short run time.  I usally cut half a day and can run one band. I don't have a debarker but check and clean the saws path. Frank C.

Bandmiller,I just find once the tips have gone theyre not up to much. what sort of blades do you run?

When do you retire a band? When Mick and Keith get too old to rock!
x2!!

[Dave Shepard]

I run them until they break. I run WM DoubleHards, 1.25"x.055". They go about 4-5 resharps, I think. I don't keep track of every band. You can run an .055" for a thousand feet of pine, but it is much more likely to break on the next usage. Sharpening grinds away micro cracking in the gullets. If you've run the band too long, the grinding won't get rid of the cracking. WM says 800 feet of two hours of run time on an .055".

The more times you can sharpen a band, the lower your cost per foot. For me, a band is something like $25, plus 4 ReSharps at $7. So I spend $53 to cut a theoretical 4,000 feet. If I only bought new, then I would have $125 for 4,000 feet.

[Delawhere Jack]

Some good food for thought, thanks all.

[delvis]

NOTE: If you take a length of broken blade (may a foot) and remove all the teeth except the one at the end, you get a pretty decent poker or reach stick for when you are messing around with the mill.  Also a great tool for getting sawdust out of tight places, before you drag it down the highway.

We have one of these old blade tools and it is very helpful.  I use it to get any wet sawdust out of the nooks and crannies every time we change the blade or put the mill to bed for the night.  This tool also works very well for scraping any built up sawdust off your band wheel tires when you're changing blades.

[bandmiller2]

Woody, I usually run timberwolf  bands, but have tried most and can't see much difference. Frank C.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

i went through the band breakage last month. Broke 9 blades in 1 week......it was time......they had served me well. 

[hamish]

I run them until they break. I run WM DoubleHards, 1.25"x.055". They go about 4-5 resharps, I think. I don't keep track of every band. You can run an .055" for a thousand feet of pine, but it is much more likely to break on the next usage. Sharpening grinds away micro cracking in the gullets. If you've run the band too long, the grinding won't get rid of the cracking. WM says 800 feet of two hours of run time on an .055".

The more times you can sharpen a band, the lower your cost per foot. For me, a band is something like $25, plus 4 ReSharps at $7. So I spend $53 to cut a theoretical 4,000 feet. If I only bought new, then I would have $125 for 4,000 feet.

Theoretically perhaps, however taking into account the additional shipping and taxes on each additional resharp, where does one stand versus a new order using a 15 band measure for both scenearios with respect to potential bf?  Of course using the "800BF" in the equation.

[Magicman]

I run them until they either break or WM Resharp rejects them.  Either way I get a new blade and keep on sawing.

[redbeard]

When the metal gets soft