What happens when a bandsaw blade snaps?

[Richard Dragin]

bandsaw breakage misinformation conspiracy

So I guess I'm not paranoid after all.

[Harry Goodwin]

I'm not sure they are as harmless as advertised. A good safety habit is to keep your extremities out of right side of the saw. I saw a case in shop class where it slaped the table and his hand, soooo a safe way is to keep the guides low and your hand out of the line of travel. It was not a severe would but scared him to sy the least Harry

[D Randall]

I suppose mass and break location would be factors. if you hear it, step back and withdraw. hit the off switch as soon as you can muster. you'll be fine. band aid is all I can imagine anyone needing.

[ken gibbs]

When the blade breaks while using the saw, the blade stops going around the little wheely things. You hit the red button real fast.

[Richard Bell CA]

I have broken a number of blades. No serious issues, but a fully tensioned 1" blade letting go can startle you for a moment. The blade stops quickly. However, the upper wheel is now a heavy flywheel on ball bearings - it will spin silently for quite a while after everything else is stopped. Something to keep in mind before before opening the doors.

[Paul Atkins]

The centrifugal force of the blade makes it expand outwards and get stuck on the inside of the saw. It stops pretty fast and still stops my heart for a bit too.

[Lee Schierer]

I've broken several blades on a band saw and they just go pop and rub against the wheels until you turn off the power and the top one coasts to a stop where they were as the drive force is immediately reduced to zero. My experience is limited to blades under 1/2" on 18: and smaller saws.

YMMV on a large industrial resaw with an 1/8" thick blade.

[mark kosse]

Dave and I are both wood shop teachers and see a lot of broken blades. It is always about the same. A loud bang and a dumbfounded look on a kids face while he/she wonders what happened and why the machine won't cut amymore, or wonders if they're in trouble. The bandsaw is my most used tool and when we are really cutting, epecially using plywood, 1-2 a week is not unusual. A lot of the time I won't change a blade until it does break.

[Drew Loehr]

Usually a small "pop"ing sound followed by a much louder "OH DANGIT!"

Very similar to the sound you hear just after realizing that you cut your last board to short.

[Mr. Jeff Smith]

The centrifugal force of the blade makes it expand outwards and get stuck on the inside of the saw. It stops pretty fast and still stops my heart for a bit too.

It's not just the centrifugal force at work, its the tension which is perpendicular to the route it would take to "snake out".

And this is why its extremely unlikely anything seriously bad would happen to the operator, and part of the reason why band saws are one of the safest tools in the shop.

[tim rowledge]

Usually a small "pop"ing sound followed by a much louder "OH DANGIT!"

On the couple of occasions it's happened to me I find that the first thing I say is not quite that. Then I check to see if my heart is still beating; I find a blade break so startling it always worries me...

[Jeff Willard]

Then I check to see if my heart is still beating; I find a blade break so startling it always worries me...

You'll never get used to it. The bands we use at work are typically 5/8", and when they go it's as if someone snuck up behind you and fired a starters pistol.

[Randall Frey]

Wow, thanks for all of the response. Looks like the bottom line is,
* Not a real threat (unless using a 1" or larger blade)
* Always keep your hands as far from the blade as is practical.
* Keep the guides close to the work piece.
* Never allow a monkey in your shop.
Thanks guys

[Dave Cav]

Dave and I are both wood shop teachers and see a lot of broken blades. It is always about the same. A loud bang and a dumbfounded look on a kids face while he/she wonders what happened and why the machine won't cut amymore, or wonders if they're in trouble. The bandsaw is my most used tool and when we are really cutting, epecially using plywood, 1-2 a week is not unusual. A lot of the time I won't change a blade until it does break.

Yup, I almost never change a blade until it breaks unless we have been making plywood bandsaw boxes and the wood starts smoking when they are making the curved cuts; I'll usually change one then because of the smell....

[Eric DeSilva]

I usually just change my shorts, replace the blade, and go right back at it.

+1. Surprised no one else said it, or maybe I don't break enough blades. When I'm working on a piece of machinery that has large, heavy parts and a blade whirling around and I hear a really loud "bang," it tends to create... fairly instant anxiety.