As promised, I’m back with more helpful information about diamond saw blades. The topic of the day — troubleshooting diamond saw blades. Really looking over all of the stuff from our manufactures’ documents there are really many different problems that can occur, but all they have repeating causes (and therefore remedies). So what are the main things that need to be looked at when troubleshooting?
- Are you using the correct saw blade for the material you are cutting?
- Did you properly secure the saw blade?
- Are you using a saw with worn/bad parts?
- Is your water pump working correctly?
There you have it – all of the problems that you should take a look at before delving into the mess of symptoms/remedies that I have for you below.
Loss of Tension
- Cause: The saw blade is being used on a misaligned saw.
- Remedy: Check to make sure the saw blade is aligned properly.
- Cause: The saw blade is too hard for the material being cut which creates stress on the center of the blade.
- Remedy: Make sure that the saw blade you’re using is right for the material you’re cutting. (See my post about choosing the right diamond saw blade if you need more information).
- Cause: The material being cut slips and causes the saw blade to bend.
- Remedy: Be sure to hold the material tightly while you’re cutting it.
- Cause: Using saw blade flanges that are either too small or not the same diameter which creates uneven pressure on the center of the saw blade.
- Remedy: Be sure that the saw blade flanges are the same size and the correct diameter.
- Cause: The saw blade is being used at an incorrect RPM.
- Remedy: Be sure that the saw blade and saw RPM ranges match.
- Cause: The saw blade is not mounted on the arbor correctly and when the flanges are tightened the blade is crooked.
- Remedy: Securely hold the saw blade on the arbor until the outside flange and nut are tightened and double check to make sure that everything is tightened correctly.
Undercutting
Undercutting is when the center of the blade wears faster than the diamond segments. This is most noticeable where the segments are attached to the core.
- Cause: Highly abrasive material grinding against the saw blade during cutting. This can happen when cutting materials that contain sand.
- Remedy: The slurry needs to be dispersed over a wider surface area and away from the segments. First try using higher water flow to help wash out the abrasive slurry. If the problem persists, undercut protectors can be placed around the steel center of the saw blade to prevent the constant abrasion from the slurry.
Uneven Segment Wear
- Cause: Segments are worn only on one side which is caused by misalignment of the saw or lack of sufficient water flow.
- Remedy: Check the saw alignment. Also check to make sure that the water supply to the blade has sufficient water flow to ensure that the slurry is getting washed away from the segments properly.
- Cause: The saw blade is worn out-of-round due to bad bearings, a worn arbor, a missing bushing, the arbor hole being larger than the arbor, or damage to the flange surfaces.
- Remedy: Replace bearings or the worn arbor, make sure the saw blade has the correct arbor size for the saw, check the flange surfaces for defects and clean any debris that may have accumulated on them. Replace the flanges if necessary.
Cracked Segments
- Cause: The saw blade bond is too hard for the material being cut.
- Remedy: Use a saw blade with a softer bond (saw blades with soft bonds are made to cut hard materials). See our post on choosing saw blades.
- Cause: The cutting speed is too fast for the saw blade to do its work properly.
- Remedy: Reduce the speed at which you advance the material.
Excessive Wear
- Cause: Using the wrong blade on an abrasive material. For example, using a blade with a soft bond on abrasive material. In general the diamonds will be highly exposed if this is the case.
- Remedy: Be sure that the saw blade you are using is made to cut the kind of material you are cutting. See our post on choosing saw blades.
- Cause: Lack of coolant to the saw blade will cause the diamonds to become highly exposed and the excessive wear will be most noticeable in the center of the segments.
- Remedy: Clean the water cooling system and make sure that the water pump is washing away the slurry properly.
- Cause: Wearing out-of-round is caused by bad bearings, a worn shaft or using a saw blade that has a bond that is too hard for the material being cut.
- Remedy: Check the bearings and arbor and replace with new parts if worn. Again, make sure that you are using the correct saw blade for the material being cut.
- Cause: Lack of power caused by loose v-belts or inadequate voltage.
- Remedy: Tighten/replace v-belts as necessary. Check the voltage supply (this may come down to making sure that you’re using the correct extension cords).
- Cause: You’re cutting speed is too fast.
- Remedy: Slow down! Advance the material being cut slowly.
- Cause: The saw blade is not perpendicular to the material being cut.
- Remedy: Make sure that the saw blade flanges and saw blade are aligned correctly.
- Cause: Saw blade RPM is too low.
- Remedy: Make sure the recommended RPM of your saw blade matches RPM of your saw.
Segment Loss
- Cause: The material slips during the cut which can jam or twist the segments loose.
- Remedy: Be sure to securely hold the material while cutting.
- Cause: The saw blade’s bond is too hard for the material you’re cutting which causes the segments to break as a result of dullness.
- Remedy: Make sure that you are using the right saw blade (maybe now you’re realizing the absolute importance of getting the right saw blade). See our post on choosing saw blades.
- Cause: Worn saw blade flanges do not provide proper support to the saw blade.
- Remedy: Replace the worn saw blade flanges.
- Cause: Pounding caused by out-of-round blade rotation which is a result of a worn arbor or bad bearings
- Remedy: Check the arbor and bearings and replace the worn/bad parts.
- Cause: Overheating. You will know this is the case if you see a bluish color on the steel center near where the segment was lost.
- Remedy: Test the water pump to make sure there is enough water flow. If dry cutting, make sure your cutting depth is shallow (about an inch) and run the saw blade freely (for 10-15 seconds) frequently to allow air cool the blade.
Overheated Saw Blade
- Cause: There is not enough water flow or the saw blade is not being air cooled properly.
- Remedy: Check the water flow to be sure that there is enough. For dry cutting allow the blade to run freely for 10-15 seconds frequently to allow the blade to air cool.
- Cause: Using a blade with a bond that is either too soft or too hard for the material you’re cutting.
- Remedy: Make sure you’re using the correct saw blade for the material that you’re cutting. See our post on choosing saw blades.
- Cause: Cutting speed is too fast.
- Remedy: Reduce the advance speed.
Arbor Hole Out-of-Round
- Cause: The arbor is worn because the saw blade has not been mounted properly.
- Remedy: Make sure that the blade is properly seated on the arbor before tightening the flanges.
- Cause: The saw blade flanges are not properly tightened which allows the saw blade to rotate on the shaft.
- Remedy: Always use a wrench for tightening the arbor nut and always use hex nuts, not wing nuts.
- Cause: The saw blade flanges are worn and not providing enough support for the saw blade.
- Remedy: Check to make sure the blade flanges are not worn or that there is no debris preventing the flanges from tightening down all the way so they can support the blade correctly.
Eccentricity
- Cause: The saw blade bond is too hard for the material being cut. A hard bond will hold the diamonds in for too long causing the diamonds to round off and the blade to become dull. The end result is that the saw blade begins pounding instead of cutting and the blade wears out-of-round.
- Remedy: Use a saw blade with a softer bond so that the diamonds will remain exposed and able to cut the material. See the post on choosing saw blades.
- Cause: The saw blade shaft could have a groove in it as a result of the saw blade spinning between the flanges.
- Remedy: Replace the worn blade shaft.
- Cause: When the saw blade shaft bearings are worn the shaft and the mandrel may run eccentrically causing the saw blade to wear out-of-round. This is usually caused by not properly lubricating the bearings.
- Remedy: Install new bearings in the saw blade shaft and lubricate them as specified by the saw manufacturer. In some cases the entire saw blade shaft may need to be replaced if it is worn out of alignment.
Saw Blade Won’t Cut
- Cause: The saw blade bond is too hard for the material that you are cutting.
- Remedy: Be sure that you are using the correct blade for the materials that you’re cutting. See our post on choosing saw blades.
- Cause: Lack of power causing the blade to not cut properly which could be due to loose v-belts, low voltage, or a lack of horsepower.
- Remedy: Check the v-belts and tighten as necessary. Check for low voltage to the saw. Also check to be sure that the motor has not lost power.
- Cause: The saw blade has been dulled from continuous use on hard or grainy materials.
- Remedy: Dressing stones are designed to help re-expose the diamonds within the bond. Simply take a few cuts into the dressing stone to remove the excess bond. If this is a frequent problem then you’re probably not using the right saw blade for the material you’re cutting. See our post on choosing saw blades
- Cause: The saw blade becomes glazed because there is not enough pressure being applied to the material being cut.
- Remedy: Be sure there you’re applying enough (but not too much) pressure while cutting.
- Cause: The saw blade segments look like they have plenty of life left, but the will not cut.
- Remedy: Some saw blades with a hard bond, that are designed for use with abrasive materials, require what is called a “free-back” section at the base of the segments to allow for better adherence to the steel center of the saw blade. A saw blade that has been used to this stage has in fact worn out and needs to be replaced.
- Cause: The saw blade becomes glazed because of excessive RPMs.
- Remedy: Be sure to match the saw blade with the saw’s specifications.
Cracked Core
- Cause: The saw blade bond is too hard for the material being cut.
- Remedy: Use a saw blade designed to cut the material you’re cutting. See our post on choosing saw blades.
- Cause: Excessive cutting pressure, or jamming/ twisting of the saw blade can cause the saw blade to bend or flex at the core. Eventually the core will crack as a result of the stress and fatigue.
- Remedy: When cutting be sure to apply even pressure and do not twist or jam the blade while cutting.
- Cause: Overheating due to insufficient water supply or incorrect use of a dry blade.
- Remedy: Be sure that you’re water pump is providing enough water flow. For dry cutting, be sure to run the blade freely often to help air cool the blade.
- Cause: RMP too high.
- Remedy: Be sure that you are using a blade that is meant for use with your saw.
Wow… That was long. I’ll bet you’re wishing that you had just skipped all of that, taken my advice, and stuck with the four most common problems that I suggested at the beginning of this post. Well hopefully you got some useful information out of it. Until next time…
