My band saw blade broke mid-cut on a pork shoulder yesterday

I've been using the same blade for like 8 months figuring it was fine. Yesterday it snapped while I was breaking down a 40 lb pork shoulder at 6 AM and I nearly lost a finger. Got a new one from the supply house and spent an hour changing it out. Anyone else run their blades way too long before swapping?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_nelson2mo ago

Used the same blade for 8 months" is wild. I swap mine every 3 months tops, especially if I'm breaking down big cuts. That pork shoulder probably had some hard spots or the blade got dull and started grabbing instead of cutting clean. You got lucky it was just a scare and not a trip to the ER. A dull blade is way more dangerous than a sharp one in my book.

juliashah2mo ago

Thrown knives are no joke. Keep a ceramic steel handy and hone every few uses, it stretches blade life way safer than running them dull.

rubys801mo ago

Hone the blade right after using it, that's the move I stick with. 8 months is asking for trouble, that thing was probably catching on everything. Glad you're still got all your fingers to tell the tale.