jimrbto
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2007
Posts: 94
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Post by jimrbto on Jul 26, 2009 19:50:50 GMT -5
Bent my 10" saw blade! It has been a lloonnnggg time since that has happened but a hidden crack/fault in a Montana Agate got me. Put a hard "S" bend in the blade on Sat. I hammered it out with a 2lb lead hammer (on a long piece of 6" "I" beam) but it still has a long lazy "s" in the periphery of the blade. Took it off again today and hammered until my arm is tired with a hard face non-metal mallet and the "s" is still there, just a little wiggle but enough to be irritating. Any suggestions? Bob1? Thanks for any help, Jim
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Post by catmandewe on Jul 26, 2009 20:07:30 GMT -5
The I beam has no give, put a piece of wood under it and tap it back into the place. I use a piece of plywood on a concrete floor that I lay the blade on and a 2x4 or 2x6 on end and a hammer to tap with. The wood provides some give so you can go slightly past dead center and get the final wobble out. After you straighten the s bend out, it will have stretched the rim of the blade, so when you first start cutting it will hammer some until the stretched part wears down even with the unstretched part of the blade. Conversely, when you do finally wear the blade out, it will likely fail in the part that was stretched as the diamonds will have worn down farther in that section of rim.
Good luck with it..........................Tony
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jimrbto
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2007
Posts: 94
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Post by jimrbto on Jul 27, 2009 21:27:41 GMT -5
Tony, thanks. I tried your suggestion and it helped a lot. Still have a little wiggle I am just tired of putting the blade on and off the saw right now but will work on it some more later. Eyes just don't see like they used to. Blade was a little dished also, as evidenced by laying it on a piece of plate glass. Jim
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Post by bobby1 on Jul 27, 2009 23:31:39 GMT -5
I straighten my blades by laying the blade on a flat concrete surface and whacking it with a "dead blow" hammer. It works most of the time. Any harder hammer dents and distorts the metal. Sometimes if the metal has gotten stretched too much, no amount of effort will straighten it. There used to be companies that would anneal, straighten and retemper your blade but I don't think there any that now do it. They would rather sell you a new blade. Here is a photo of the hammer that I use. Bob
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jimrbto
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2007
Posts: 94
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Post by jimrbto on Jul 28, 2009 20:20:55 GMT -5
Bob, thanks for responding. I have never had such a hard time with a blade as this one. I will stop at Harbor Freight tomorrow and get a dead blow hammer. I have always used lead before. There is too much life left in this blade to give up on it. Not working on it today, temp outside is near 108F. Sadly there are not many (any) blades made in this country so getting help from a maker is out of the question. Jim
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 29, 2009 20:56:16 GMT -5
Bobby, Barranca was the last to retemper blades in the old Star Diamond furnace. The thing was huge and drank electricity (made in the 40's). 36" blades in the bottom up to 6" in the top. Repair blades went in during blade production runs. 4 Americans then finished the process either new or repair. When it was no longer feasible to manufacture it made absolutely no sense to continue repairs. It would mean waiting until oven was full (people complained about time when waiting for blade run) or charging actual cost to whatever blades were in for repair. The previous $40 to repair an 18" blade would have to be over the cost of a new blade to break even. It is a shame you can't get a blade repaired /retempered or a blade made in this country anymore for that matter.
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redrummd
starting to shine!
Member since July 2009
Posts: 38
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Post by redrummd on Aug 1, 2009 23:35:53 GMT -5
There is a shop in Puyallup, Washington that straightens bent lapidary blades, Blum's Saw Service, 9823 160th St E, Puyallup WA 98375. 253-845-9629
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jimrbto
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2007
Posts: 94
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Post by jimrbto on Aug 6, 2009 21:19:05 GMT -5
I got the dead blow hammer but will have to put off working on the blade. I have to go to Santa Cruz/ Los Gatos to visit classmate and pick up a load of agates and lapidary equipmnet being gifted to me Must be a bunch, I was told to bring my 8' trailer. Will get back to the saw blade on next Thurs. or Fri. Jim
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