Swapped out my bandsaw blade mid-shift at a meat plant in Iowa last Tuesday

Everyone at our shop swears by the bimetal blades but I tried a carbon steel blade on a whim. Cut through 30 pork loins without any binding or overheating. The bimetal blade was costing us an extra 15 minutes per shift on changeouts. Anyone else ditched the standard for something simpler?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire648d ago

Our old shop foreman in Nebraska swore by carbon steel for bacon slabs. Said bimetal was overkill for pork because the meat fibers don't have the same grit or bone density as beef. He'd swap blades every two days instead of fighting with a bimetal that dulled slower but took forever to tension right. I ran a test once with a carbon blade on a busy Friday and it held up through 45 loins before the edge started to go. The trick is keeping a spare blade pre-tensioned in a bucket of warm water so the steel stays flexible during changeout. Bimetal is fine if you're doing mixed species but for straight pork I think your guys are overcomplicating it lol.

eva_ward888d ago

Honestly, that trick with keeping a spare blade in warm water is something I never would have thought of on my own @claire64. It makes total sense though, I've always hated how stiff carbon steel gets when you're trying to swap it out fast on a cold morning. Running 45 loins on a single carbon blade before the edge goes is a solid test, and honestly for a busy Friday that's more than enough to get through the rush without a changeout. I've seen guys in smaller shops swear by that same Nebraska style approach because it's cheaper and you don't have to fight tension curves all day. Bimetal is great for beef or mixed runs like you said but for straight pork it just adds hassle for very little gain. That pre-tensioned spare blade in warm water is a pro move I'm gonna steal for my own weekend pork shifts.