Bandsaw chip brush, roll on the side or under the blade?

aliva, totally off subject, but I noticed a pressure washer in your last post. Is that a Northern Tools "Powerhorse" 1.3 gpm model? If so how is it working out for you? I purchased one a few months ago and it turned out to be a bust. It wouldn't maintain the selected speed, and wouldn't idle down when the trigger was released. In addition it wouldn't work on any GFI circuit. I ended up returning it and replacing it with a NorthStar gas powered model 157123. The gas model cost far more than I originally intended to spend, however I'm very happy with the results.
 
The pressure washer is made buy Subaru from Costco. 3100 PSI. I've had it for 2 years' Its gas powered. Once it wouldn't power down , so I cleaned the pressure vale and all is good.
 
mikey said:
Ken, the best way to answer this question is to test it. I did exactly that and ended up with the brush in-line with the blade. I tested one brush vs two, side vs head on, static vs ball bearing supported and wound up with a ball bearing supported wheel in line with the blade under the lower blade guide. I use a 1" fine wire wheel and it has lasted over 10 years at this point and has not worn significantly or needed replacement.

There is not a lot of definitive information on bandsaw brushes on the net. Lots of opinions but rather than rely on that, I tested it myself. I use only stick wax on my saw so I do not know how using oil or coolant would affect performance, nor do I intend to find out because I find the wax sufficient for my needs. What is most important to me is that my blades last a long time; my current Lenox Die-master 2 blade is going on to its 6th year and is still going strong and I believe much of that has to do with the chip brush.

As to how well it works, this crappy picture is Delrin. Sorry for the quality but that blade is running. Note that the right side above the Delrin bar is nearly clear of any debris.

View attachment 338075

That is what the chip brush does. So, in my opinion, a single rotating in-line brush works well and seems to significantly extend the life of the blade. It is cheap and simple to make and has a very good service life. I have a write up on this that I intended to post but haven't gotten around to it.

Anyway, hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Interesting post Mikey, you mentioned you got your answer by testing it yourself, that's actually what I did and as I mentioned in my post, the easiest, most straight forward position was inline and under the blade but what I saw after testing it (without actually cutting any metal) was the groove in the middle of the wire wheel, so I wondered how long would it take for this groove to widen to the point of becoming ineffective.
To remedy this I thought a slanted wheel would kind of push the chips from the side and therefore (in theory) there's less chance of a groove taking shape. also, the rotation of the wheel kind of expels the chips toward the outside and away from the blade so these in my head were totally legitimate reasons to go through the pain of mounting the wheel from the side, I was all gung-ho about designing a contraption with that in mind until two thing happened:
#1, I read your very convincing report .
#2, after fiddling with my bandsaw all afternoon I have come to the conclusion that there's just not enough room to safely mount a 2" wire wheel from the side, period.. believe me I tried with the actual wheel/wheel holder/arbor but it looks like it can only work the from under and in-line with the blade just like your set up .

Up to now I have shamelessly copied many of your methods, (and quite a few of your designs) so this is no exception. why change now right lol.
Thank you for your post Mikey.
 
I'm glad you tested, Ken. Unless you do, you really don't know. As for "wearing a groove" in the wheel, I found that a bearing supported wheel doesn't wear much at all. This has to do with how that wheel is adjusted. When properly set, the wheel just lightly brushes against the blade; the blade drives the wheel. This allows the wheel to knock off most of the chips and keeps the blade pretty clear after it passes the wheel but without much wear at all on the wheel itself. My wheel is now over 10 years old, has never needed adjustment, works as well as it did when I built it and my blades last for a very long time. Good enough for me.

I am not saying that other methods won't work. I am saying that I am using what was most effective for me based on actual tests. I built multiple models and made test cuts and measured the results (amount of chips collected). Go with what you find works best for you.
 
I use compressed air to cool the blade and clear chips on my saw.

Coolant cannot be used as the Ellis has rubber tired wheels.

aa535b788a114b450f75872a22dbf6c8.jpg

0952ecbece01c2e864c780b0b0ab2038.jpg

047996403942160f6487f6d8b7e2c327.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top