Be careful when uncoiling BS blades!

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MesquiteMan

MesquiteMan

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It may see like a bandsaw blade is pretty harmless when coiled and not on the machine but they too are pretty dangerous. I did this to my right forearm a week ago while uncoiling a 1 1/4" 7/8 pitch blade for my TimberKing sawmill. I always clip the zip tie that they use to keep it coiled and then throw it into the yard and let it open on its own. This time, right as I was throwing it, it started opening and sent me to the ER for 7 stiches! Pics below. do not scroll down if you are offended by this sort of thing!























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I didn't live in hot Texas when I got my first BS and uncurled a BS blade for the first time, - therefore I was saved by a "long sleeve" shirt that became rags! Now I am wiser. It is with care that I uncoil (and coil) BS blades - it takes a _firm_ grip.

One photo is worth a thousand words to those who haven't experienced such things. Hope everyone heeds the warning!
 
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Ouch!

Whenever I am uncoiling my BS blades...I go out to the yard, remove the bindings and throw it on the lawn. Honestly...that is how I do it. It does uncoil fast so watch it!
 
Dario said:
Ouch!

Whenever I am uncoiling my BS blades...I go out to the yard, remove the bindings and throw it on the lawn. Honestly...that is how I do it. It does uncoil fast so watch it!
Click to expand...

I'm with you! Only thing in danger is a runaway squirrel.
 
:eek: Stiches!!! C'mon Curtis I thought you would use a little CA and get on with the worthless wood. Guess now your "Worthless Curtis"........hehehe:biggrin:

Thanks for the heads up man. My saw is a stupid little table top Delta that has a hard time cutting melted butter. Sorry just got saw envy....:worship:
 
just think of the castings you can make from the stitches! :biggrin:

I have an exterior door to my shop and simply toss the unclipped bandsaw blade out into the grass...it unwinds on its own and I go pick it up after it simmers down...had a few "kisses" before i figured that one out....now refer to it as blade wrangling!:biggrin:
 
Dario said:
Ouch!

Whenever I am uncoiling my BS blades...I go out to the yard, remove the bindings and throw it on the lawn. Honestly...that is how I do it. It does uncoil fast so watch it!
Click to expand...

Dario,

That is how I always do it as well. These are large (1 1/4" x 165" x .042") and they are impossible to uncoil without throwing them in the yard. This particular one just started uncoiling as I was throwing it and it got me!
 
Ouch!! Sorry to hear you had the mishap. But thank you for the warning. I've always opened them the same way you do and thought I was completely safe. Now I know better and will take more care!!

Thanks again and I hope you heal soon and well!!!!
GK
 
I ran a Woodmizer sawmill for about 6 years and never had a coiled blade attack me once. Seems to me throughing a blade is more dangerous than putting on a good pair of leather gloves and uncoiling the blade slowly. Always worked for me. And when taught the right way it is easy coiling a blade back up with a flip and twist of the wrists and you have a coiled blade :biggrin: The guys from Woodmizer taught me that one when they delivered my mill and did a demo.

I sure do miss cutting lumber out in the woods since moving to Texas.
 
mrburls said:
I ran a Woodmizer sawmill for about 6 years and never had a coiled blade attack me once. Seems to me throughing a blade is more dangerous than putting on a good pair of leather gloves and uncoiling the blade slowly. Always worked for me. And when taught the right way it is easy coiling a blade back up with a flip and twist of the wrists and you have a coiled blade :biggrin: The guys from Woodmizer taught me that one when they delivered my mill and did a demo.

I sure do miss cutting lumber out in the woods since moving to Texas.
Click to expand...

I have been running my TimberKing for 8 or 9 years and HAD never had an issue either! BTW, I had on leather gloves too!
 
Hey Curtis, you didn't need stiches. CA works just fine. Troops are using it in the field and many hospitals around the world use it for surgery. It leaves no scar unlike stiches. How big is that blade...it isn't like the little ones we all use? Take care and heal quickly.

George
 
MesquiteMan said:
Dario,

That is how I always do it as well. These are large (1 1/4" x 165" x .042") and they are impossible to uncoil without throwing them in the yard. This particular one just started uncoiling as I was throwing it and it got me!
Click to expand...

Seems like I jumped the gun and didn't read the whole story :redface:...the pictures does draw you right away (excuse) :biggrin:

I guess the width of the blade did make that much difference. Consider yourself lucky...imagine if you are holding that blade and it kicked your face! :eek:

Hope you heal quickly.
 
Is it ok if I laugh? You did the right thing, you're supposed to throw it away from you to open. But, otherwise, you are ok, and now we can all pick on you about the time you got bit by an unpowered saw blade. "Little sucker bounced right back and attacked me." How you going to live this down with your construction buddies?
 
Curtis,
I have a healthy respect for anything with teeth... I've had a couple of "nips" from my blades, nothing like what you got, plus I don't have a big BS anyway.. mine is a Delta 14" that uses the 83" blades... I don't throw them in the yard, but generally will toss them in the open area of the shop to uncoil.

Keep well and hope you heal quickly, and don't let these guys give you a hard time, you know that what goes around comes around and he who laughs last, laughs best.
 
Imagination

workinforwood said:
Is it ok if I laugh? You did the right thing, you're supposed to throw it away from you to open. But, otherwise, you are ok, and now we can all pick on you about the time you got bit by an unpowered saw blade. "Little sucker bounced right back and attacked me." How you going to live this down with your construction buddies?
Click to expand...

I suspect, when the guys see the scar, the story will go something like, "yeah, there were Three guys about to attack, but only ONE had a knife, so I went RIGHT FOR that guy. He knicked me, but they all went on their way, MUCH worse off than I!!"


The construction buddies will, of course, retort:
Wow, can we buy you another beer????!!!
 
Dario said:
Ouch!

Whenever I am uncoiling my BS blades...I go out to the yard, remove the bindings and throw it on the lawn. Honestly...that is how I do it. It does uncoil fast so watch it!
Click to expand...

Thats what I have done thus far, too... Hope you heal up fast, Curtis.
 
Curtis,
Maybe you need to get one of those shelters they use on Mythbusters. Then you use a 22 caliber to shoot off the tie wrap, then a long stick................

Sorry to see another "war wound". Keep it clean!
 
Man ... I feel your pain, Curtis. Those 1 1/4 bs blades are animals. Just looking at them coiled in the box worries me. It could have been worse .... like biting you in the face.
 
mrburls said:
I ran a Woodmizer sawmill for about 6 years and never had a coiled blade attack me once. Seems to me throughing a blade is more dangerous than putting on a good pair of leather gloves and uncoiling the blade slowly. Always worked for me. And when taught the right way it is easy coiling a blade back up with a flip and twist of the wrists and you have a coiled blade :biggrin: The guys from Woodmizer taught me that one when they delivered my mill and did a demo.

I sure do miss cutting lumber out in the woods since moving to Texas.
Click to expand...
I agree. Those blades are actually a tad bigger than the ones we use at work on the metal cutting saw. They are about 151"x1"x.062. I used to give a machine shop test. If you touched the blade with out gloves, you failed. If you threw the blade, you failed. It is a tricky thing!
 
You may want to check out this link. A Laguna rep shows two methods for coiling (and uncoiling) blades. It looks like the one he is demonstrating with is at least 140". No tossing; no running; no fuss. Although... he never does mention how many times it didn't work while he was learning to do this!

At the local woodshow I saw another bandsaw salesman doing the same thing; he made it look effortless and entirely under control. I guess that's another difference between having done something thousands of times and three.

Anyway, hope you heal quick; and if there's something in the video that prevents another injury that's a bonus.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-Z45BIMQ3WlM/how_to_fold_a_bandsaw_blade/
 
Spats.

Thanks for the video. I have the folding part down just fine. I have been doing the one handed method forever it seems. I need a video for unfolding under control since Paul says I would fail for throwing the blade!:biggrin:

Actually, throwing it is how the Timberking Rep that delivered my mill many years ago showed me. Just never learned any other method. Those 1 1/4" blades are pretty stout and have a mind of their own when they start to open.
 
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