Bill, Many manufacturers will replace blades that break at the weld. Upper blade guard not adjusted close to the wood being cut to minimize the amount of exposed blade above the wood. I’ve had many a band saw blade snap on me but never seen one do any harm when it did.
As my luck would have it, it wasn’t too long before I bent the new blade. Now I am stuck with a new blade that is bent and wobbles as it cuts. Almost broke my fat little finger, but in the act of slamming it down it bent the blade.
Not only will you have the multiple bends to straighten but the blade will very likely be twisted. If not perfect, the blade will thump and vibrate in use and the cut may wander a lot depending on the damage. Other unsupported scenarios are cutting into or along an overhang, cutting a chunk with an almost flat bottom that can rock against the table, cutting wood with poor integrity which suddenly becomes unsupported when a piece breaks, and one I just heard of recently: letting a piece of wood on the table tilt into the blade while distracted.
how to fix a bent bandsaw blade Related Question:
What causes a bandsaw to cut crooked?
When the band saw cuts crooked, a dull blade, improper feeding, loose blade tension or not using a work piece guide could be the cause. Use the rip fence or miter gauge to guide the work piece uniformly through the cutting blade to make straight cuts.
What causes bandsaw drift?
Drift is cause because the blade buckles under the load. You can see that by stretching a ribbon between 2 points and applying a pressure to one of the edges, it will turn sideway easily. A sharp blade and high blade speed will help a lot with that.
Why do bandsaws wander?
Tim Inman: Because band saw blades ride on crowned wheels, they always have a little “camber” angle relative to the vertical axis of the wheel. This causes the blade to tip a little and makes the cut “pull” to the side.