How to Make Custom Length Bandsaw Blades Without a Welder 

I just made the jig in the video. At 70 years of age this was my first milling project. Took about 2 hours and worked as advertised. I used aluminum and the jig paid for itself on the first blade. Thank you Tom.

9:28 I love that Starrett Vice. I live in Central Mass and have scoured the Flea Markets for years and have only seen two others that size and both had been cracked and repaired. Great video, can't wait to check your other videos out.

Beautiful jig and great video! Thanks for taking the time to share such great info!

Thank you Tom, it's been 4 years and you're still getting thumbs up for this video, I was struggling with the idea of brazing my own broken blades but you after watching this video I realized how easily it can be done, just ordered the wire/flux from Gesswein and will be welding my own bandsaw blades with confidence.

I remember back in high school in the 70s we had to learn how to use the on board welder/ annealer before we could even begin to use the bandsaw. the annealing process was the most difficult for students to learn. This makes quick work of that. Thank you

Just what I needed to see. I have an old bandsaw in my garage with an oddball length. Thanks Tom. Having only used the resistance welders on the saws way back in high school I never would have thought of silver soldering it.

great video Tom. Do this all the time. Old timer once told me silver solder was expensive and to beat out the wire to about paper thin size on the vise anvil before soldering and use 45 solder. Always worked well for me. Like the jig.

Excellent. I just love watching talented people in the shop. Your fixture is sweet, and very well thought out. I am amazed that silver solder is sufficient for this, but clearly your experience has proven that it is. I imagine Sil-Phos might work well too . . . but it never crossed my mind. Well done.

5 year old video but the best I’ve watched for braising a blade. Thank you

I have a vertical 1/2 inch saw and a horizontal 1 inch saw. I watched your video after being frustrated with my blade welder. Today I went out got some silver solder, flux, made a jig and welded up my blades rather than using the blade welder. Your method works great and I will no longer bother with my blade welder as I am tired of hard weld joints that crack and fail. Thank you Tom.

Tom, Thanks for the tips! I've been ordering my blades (they aren't standard) for years. I really like your clamp device… I'll be building one too. Now I can make my own blades AND save money.!! Thanks again!!

I used this method ( I am a goldsmith) and I have been using the same saw blade for 8 months and it went blunt instead of breaking. Amazing--- and many thanks for the video.

Great knowledge, i just got a 1965 rockwell/delta bandsaw and also a old craftsman neither one has a blade you can readily can find at a hardware store. I came up here looking to see what was the best way and i had not even considered silver solder /old schooling it lol. That Jig is pretty cool seems I will have a side project. Thanks for the video.

Tom, I've been waiting for this video since you mentioned it in one of your previous videos a week or two ago. Thanks for doing it. I learned A LOT!! Now I'm itching to try it myself :), Tony

Thanks Tom, I have used your techniques numerous times. And built your knurling tool. Thanks again for your time

A man like Tom does not retire... That was just so cool and all fixed in the shop...No tax charged either...Thanks Tom...

Thanks, Tom! what a useful video. I was going to try to just weld up my bandsaw blade with my little wirefeed welder, but after seeing this I'll just go with soldering them instead. Really appreciate the video! Mike

Made and used mine today,works really well,great idea. I used a Dremmel with a small sanding bobbin on it,cleaned it up easily and very well.

Really nice process and shop-built tooling! Well done Tom, and thanks for sharing it with us :)

Hi Tom, love precision of your soldering fixture and your skilled work! The only I recommend as well is to attach your jig to sander table. Thanks for posting, again I have much to learn...

That jig is a nice milling project! Small electric welding machines are cheap but the secret sauce is holding the blade. Your jig reminds me of the electric versions built onto the sides of many large industrial band saws.

Great information. I just acquired a band saw so this will help a bunch. Now you just need to make and sell your fixture. ;)

Thanks for showing this method of making saw blades. My Rockwell/Delta bandsaw is very similar to yours (built in 1973). I made a ~5" extension to my tension knob so that it now sits slightly above the upper guard, which is much easier to operate then. Jack

Another great tutorial. I have a couple of bandsaws, and have always welded new blades. Some last for a good working life while others have not. I think I am going to be making new blades with this method from now on. Also it seems quicker than welding new blades. Besides, a scarf joint is much stronger and flexible than a butt joint. Once again thanks for your time and tips.

I like that little jig for making up the blades. Nicely done!

My dad always silver-soldered his bandsaw blades for woodworking. It held up very well, though he could have ground the seam a little thinner. I really love your jig.

Great video Tom .Thanks for your expertise.

good video i bought a commercial jig to silver solder blades years ago and never used it .you make it look so easy it think i will dig it out and give it a try.

Thanks for taking the time to make this video, it helps a lot.

A very nice and nifty little soldering-jig - a MUST HAVE ! Thx for showing !

Tom great lesson, on silver soldering, I made the same type of clamp for mig welding blades an its been a bit of a pain grinding, i now plan to silver solder and add 2 of your improvements , bigger feet on my destaco clamps and the saw cut to get the evven 29 degree blade prep thanks for all your tips!

Tom, I have been using a bandsaw for 35 years. Yesterday I brazed my first blade. Nothing to it with the right instruction! Thanks

I would like to say this guy has more common sense than most I’ve seen on here. Did a great job!!!

Excellent demonstration, thanks for sharing your skills/knowledge.

Took me back 55 year as an apprentice in the aircraft industry in the UK. We used to do them in a similar way but they were a bit rough and ready. When had ground the scarf joint we put fluxes on a piece of solder between the two ends and we had a switch to send a current though the joint and heat it red hot, we never managed to do a good job but they often lasted just long enough to do the job.

Thanks for sharing Tom. I love your shirt BTY... reminds me of the good old times when I used to live (and learn) in the Detroit area. Greetings from the island of Malta.

Thank you for the video and the info for purchasing the silver solder

Wow super impressed and I'd like to try this project myself I think I have the same bandsaw thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world I can speak for myself I really appreciate your knowledge

seen a good few of these , done it myself a couple of times , like your methods thanks

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for a well done video on a subject so many of us needed help with.

Thanks for the video. I know its been around a while but I'm finally getting around to making a blade soldering jig. My saw blades are 117" on my Dake and are $$$$.

Great video! You mentioned a rabbit cut on the edge of your fixture. LOVE IT!!!!

Great video, Tom. I'll have to try this next time around! Loved catching the Winged Wheel on your shirt too.

Great video Sir. I had a need to solder some stainless steel wire cable. It took some investigation but I finally found with stainless you must use a liquid acid flux. I was amazed how strong the silver solder was. If fact while testing a joint the wire broke before the solder joint. Thanks again, nice tool you made there.

I needed to learn how to do this, and found that I already have a similar silver solder, a similar flux, the same Kennedy tool box, and same bandsaw. What a coincidence. Thanks Scotty

Thank you for your time and effort on the bandsaw repair ( joining ) video very much appreciated

Thank you for the nice instructions. I have tried this before but must have not used the proper solder. I had no idea the difference so you help me allot. i will give it another try.

This video shows to be 9 years ago, and I just came across it. My little saw eats blades, and many times, it breaks in the original weld. I have used silver sorder for other applications, but never where strength was required. I have always heard it makes a strong joint. Thanks for the great video. I will be saving some money by using this information. It hurts when a new blade is used very little and still has sharp teeth breaks.

Tom, Awesome. Thanks for sharing your time and talent! Chuck.

Good idea Tom, I have a bandsaw but the weels have a small dia, so I hope the weld isn't loosing because off that small diameter.

This was one of the first things we learned in high school machine shop back in the 60s. I recommend a MAPP torch instead of propane but other than that this a good technique. Not only can you buy blade stock in bulk rolls, you can re-weld broken blades. (cut them at the maximum length workable on your band saw and you can re-weld the same blade several times). Also you can pick up odd length blades as surplus, yard sales and auctions and piece them together.

Great job! Thanks for the lesson.

Richard Yates. I use straight boraxo laundry borax. Then I put it in a spice grinder to make more of a powder. Wet the brush dip in the borax and apply sparingly. Wherever the flux/borax is the solder will want to flow. This applies to jewelry there are better fluxes for steel than borax.

Nice fixture. I had access to a blade welder till I retired. Now I’m on my own. Nice video!

Great job Tom, like your brazing jig and the clever 20 degree butt joint applicator. Silver soldered joints are better, most of the time, than my $12k welder, anneal, anneal, anneal. Thanks again Tom, cheers!

Great video l was apprenticed as a tool maker in press tools so have made many band saw blades, l would grind the end angle about 5/16" to nothing then get some thin brass shim and hammer it till it was really thin break a piece off no bigger than the 5/16" and width off the blade hold the two ends of the blade in a jig like yours only it had a third hold down in the middle slide the brass between the two blades cover with flux apply heat when you see the brass start to melt take of the heat and pull down the middle hold down this makes for a good joint dress up just like you did to anneal it just warm from both sides off the joint not hot watch for the joint to turn blue then take of the heat and dip or just let it cool by its self just thought l would mention this method if the silver solder was hard to get hold of, you did a great job with yours and l will try it myself thanks for the video

That's a great idea. i have about a dozen or more old blades and recently found I was able to sharpen them very easily using my Dremel and a diamond coated tool bit. The blades cut as good as new. If the blades have lost there set throw them away they wont cut straight. A 102" blade takes me about 15 mins to sharpen. That's half the time it takes to drive somewhere to by one !

something I started doing while running the weld fab shop in kuwait for our metal cutting band saw. cut the joint at a matching 45 instead of a flat butt joint. This resulted in the weld passing over the rollers better than all of it hitting at one time.. Yes we sanded them down, but they still caused a bump. ex: 1/2 wide band..when connected via a 45..gave you almost 3/4" weld surface which gave you greater strength. After that...never had one break

A very well thought out video, and well executed, plus a nice jig.

subbed.....awesome! love the old kenedy machinist tool boxes in the back ground....my grandfather passed his down to me.

Thank you Tom for the idea,that will do me very nicely.

In my opinion, that was one of your best videos, period. Great idea. How do you come up with that stuff? Where did you go to school? I have enjoyed your videos from the start. I think most people who found you really learn worthwhile information. You have a great talent - don't stop!!

Way to go Tom, you "Fluxed up the blade". lol that was great. Love the vid. That multi purpose fixture is awesome. Thanks for sharing again!... SKI

Really nice tutorial and fixture. I like the 20 degree saw cut idea.

Tom, just subscribed, should have found your channel yrs back. My 1944 delta 14 is my goto, but last wk pickup up an older Dayton horz, so welding up blades will save our SS income,,thx, great to get on board,,Bear

I never thought of silver solder. Great idea!

Compliments on a nicely presented, very useful bit of information!

HI Tom, Great Video! I like that multi use fixture. Clean and simple. I have the same bandsaw and I didn't like the tensioning knob either. I took a length of all thread, rounded one end and welded two nuts on the other. Now, I use a cordless drill and socket to run the tensioning wheel up and down. Much faster and easier. Thanks for the video! Reid

thanks for this great tip. i will build this tool for my bandsaw blades as soon as possible. Greetings from Austria. Rudolf

I realize that this is a couple years old, but It's very good information and I'll start on a jib like yours soon. I have two bandsaws, so it'll be nice to make my own blades. I have been looking for a used blade welder on Craigslist and they show up very rarely. The last one I saw was listed for $800.00!! My smaller saw is a Delta like yours (wood only version), and I added about 6" to the shaft that the tensioning knob is on so that it clears the top of the machine. Much easier to adjust that way. Thanks,Jack

Just tried this, so far, so good. I had been doing something similar, with a much shallower angle, and bronze braze, which worked also, but was a much slower process. The 20 degree slit / fixture for grinding is so much quicker.

That's pretty slick. Thanks for the info.

Good jig. Clean and easy to use.

Great work sir the best method I have seen.

Perfekt und so schnell erledigt. Sehr gut gemacht.

absolutely brilliant. thank you.

That is a great solution I was tig welding mine and frustrated each time. Thank christ I never have to tig one again. Thank You

Thanks Tom, I have always wanted to fix my wood bandsaw blades. Mike

Great idea and video! I used to make Sterling silver jewelry and have always found that riogrande.com had quality silver solder and flux! A technique used in soldering jewelry is to cut a small piece of silver solder and place it on the join,,making sure it touches on both sides of the join. Heat the piece until the solder flows and let it cool. This will eliminate having to clean the excess solder after soldering is complete!

Super idea Tom thanks

Best jig and description on how. Better than my door hinge one. Which is much better than an MDF one with large gap so that it does not catch fire.

Tom, I'll be 70 on Saturday. I can hardly draw a straight line. I think my craftiness days are over, but I really enjoy watching people like yourself make things.

thanks tom super demo and very professional fixture; i think the finer pitched blades i did w/ the machines welder maybe made the blade(s) brittle or the stock not matching the blade or the machine set-up nuances not recognized or the (student) operator forced the cutting (the hands-on variable of how much is excessive when cutting what...) > had to re-make them a couple times as an apprentice tool maker...its not an exact science even using the handbook blade pitch & speed recommendations only because...its not butter your trying to go thru there young man, the closer to it than you can get the better is how it was instructed & paid . again, thank you for demonstrating.

thanks for showing how its done that was a great video.mike

Excellent video and extremely useful information! The only hard part is making up the fixture, if you don't have a milling machine etc!

Hi I just subscribed. Great tips I have never considered silver Soderling a blade but I was in the middle of a rush job broke my blade and Tiged it together with some 308 stainless filler wire. I would definitely like to try your way. Great work on your jig very well thought out down to the last detail. 🇺🇸

You with this idea has contributed more to do better and the value of those we love woodworking. Thans you very much. Usted con esta idea ha contribuído a hacer mejor y mayor el valor de quienes amamos el trabajo de la madera.Muchas gracias.

Hi loved your video it was a great help I was told to anneal the metal to soften the metal as heating can make it brittle Have a great new year Regards Steve UK London

If you make the cut in the blade at a 45deg angle instead of 90deg you also increase the area being soldered for greater strength. The 20deg bevel helps a lot though, thanks for the tip :)

Thanks a lot Tom! I appreciate your help for us, good job! best regards…. rey.

Right on. Great vide. Hard to find some right size blades. Thanks for the video

Great video! I was tigging mine and they weren't coming out this nice. I'm going to make a setup like yours. Thanks for the vid.

and also, thanks for posting such an informative video, very well explained, gave me the courage to make my own blades...

Very innovative Tom. Thanks for the video- Fred

Well conceived and engineered.

That's a pretty clever pice of engineering you have right there, congratulations!

Thats fantastic! I always wanted to know how to do that my 4x6 will break a blade sometimes even when its still sharp and it always seems to break on sunday about 3 pm. Thank you!

great way to make up saw blades. when I was a young kid I was taught how to weld them up with a tig welder. but if you didn't anneal them they would break. Thanks Tom

Nicely done. Thank you for sharing.

I have a Makatia Portable Bandsaw which converted into vertical bandsaw with a plywood housing. Makita replacement bandsaw blade(bimetal) cost me $65 from hardware shop. There is the cheaper version at $30 to cut wood and steel . Same goes blunt easily. Was looking forward to reclaim saw blade. Thank you for the video instruction. I am looking forward to DIY a mini horizontal bandsaw. Locked in a limited space balcony workshop.with room to put heavier bandsaw.