How to Weld Band Saw Blades

You’re in the middle of a project and your band saw blade breaks right at an important part! Quick – what do you do?

If you find yourself in this predicament, you are probably just like thousands of other wood workers who have found themselves in similar situations and you aren’t alone! Lucky for you, if you don’t have a spare blade on hand, there are some options to apply a fix to the blade so you can get back to work.

Band saw blades can be expensive to replace and it takes some time, especially if you don’t have a spare on hand. If you have a welder available, you can actually just weld your blade back together and get back to work!

In this guide, we will walk you through a step-by-step process of how to weld your band saw blade back together. You can also check out this instructional video for some guidance if you prefer a visual aid.

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What You Need

Before we get started, you need to gather your supplies and the things you will need to get the job done. This isn’t an overly difficult task to work through but you will need to have access to welding equipment in order to weld a band saw blade back together.

Inevitably, your blades are going to malfunction at some point. It’s simply part of what happens when you put them to steady use. Of course, you can try to be proactive and have backups on hand, but this doesn’t always happen.

If you’re not quite ready to replace that bandsaw blade, you can weld it back together and make it last a bit longer. It will save you a few bucks in the end too. Just because the blade breaks doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. It could easily just be general wear and tear that led to the break.

A blade that is broken but still plenty sharp and has a lot of life left to it can easily be welded back together so it can continue to serve you for many more working hours. Why buy a new one when the blade is still useful?

We recommend using a TIG welder to put your blade back together and continue to use it. Here’s what you need.

• The blade in question
• A vise or grip
• A TIG welder and required gear
• A grinder
• Proper safety equipment

If you own or use a welder, you probably know that certain safety equipment and steps are necessary. You also know that you will need the proper pieces to actually be able to weld. Just be sure that you have the things and you will have no problem at all with the actual welding process.

How to Weld Broken Band Saw Blades

Alright, you’ve gathered your equipment and your safety gear and you’re ready to put this blade back into action. From start to finish, this process won’t take very long. In fact, it might take you longer to set up and get your safety gear than it will to actually weld the blade. However, don’t skip your safety gear as this is vital.

Prepare the Blade for Welding

You could certainly just take the blade straight from the band saw to the welder but we recommend a little bit of prep work just to ensure a smoother welding job and transition and have an all-around better weld in the end.

Before you remove the blade from the band saw, be sure to power off and unplug the band saw for safety purposes. Give your blade a good inspection to determine if welding the break is going to be sufficient to produce the blade back to working order.

Obviously, if the blade is pretty worn and not likely to hold up much longer overall, your welding may be a short-lived fix or may not even be worth your time to mess with. Look for other weak spots and things like rust that could impact your blade quality and durability.

Once you’ve inspected the blade, you want to clean it before welding. This should be pretty simple to do. Just use a degreasing agent or even some warm, soapy water to wipe it clean. Be mindful not to use anything that will corrode or damage your blade.

Grind the Blade

Before you actually weld the blade, you will need to grind the blade. This is part of your preparation process. Do not skip the grinding step as this will help you get a better weld and it actually will also strengthen the blade when the welding commences as well.

You can use your vise or clamp to firmly grip and hold the blade for you. Hold your grinder at a slight angle and grind the ends of the broken edges to a smooth, clean edge. Again, grind at a slight angle. When you weld the blade ends together, plan to overlap them slightly.

Completing the Weld

Now, it’s time to weld the blade ends together so you can get back to work. This will be quick and simple. Start with the blade in your vise and be sure that the blade ends are touching. It’s best if they overlap just a little.

Complete a quick weld in order to re-connect the broken ends of the blade together. Weld first one side to make the initial connection and then also weld the other side of the blade to complete the weld.

Welding both sides adds strength to the blade and is very important to really have a strong blade when you finish.

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Finishing Up

If you have a blow torch handy, you can hit the blade on both sides with a blow torch. This isn’t required but it can come in handy and actually adds just a bit more strength to your welded blade.

You will want to allow the blade to cool down completely before you do anything else with the blade. Once it is cool, you can use your grinder to smooth out the blade and the weld so that it will run smoothly through your band saw.

Once you’ve got it nice and smooth, go ahead and clean it up again just to be sure you’ve got any debris or anything off of it.

Now, using all safety protocol put your blade back on your band saw and it should last quite some time for you, as long as it was still in good working order after your weld.

Conclusion

Welding your band saw blade back together might give you several more hours of use with the blade. It’s a great option when you find yourself in a bind and you’re not quite ready to dispose of that blade or spend the money to replace it. We hope that you find this guide to be a helpful resource for doing just that! Now, get back to work!

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