Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to change a bandsaw blade: teeth, tension, track

Updated: 22 October 2026

How to change a bandsaw blade on a vertical machine is a sequence: isolate the power, point the teeth down, tension to that saw’s scale, track by hand, then bring the guides and the guard back. Skip a step and the blade wanders or snaps. Length and pitch sit on the [buying guide](/hub/saw-accessories/band-saw-blade/sub/band-saw-blade-buying-guide). The [band saw blade comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/band-saw-blade) is the shelf, not a procedure. The notes follow HSE’s narrow bandsaw page and sheet WIS31. No single millimetre of tension is universal. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission.

How to change a bandsaw blade on a vertical machine is a sequence: isolate the power, point the teeth down, tension to that saw’s scale, track by hand, then bring the guides and the guard back.

Our top picks

AYAO AYAO 1400 mm 6 TPI two-pack

Best overall

AYAO AYAO 1400 mm 6 TPI two-pack
8.9/10about £17.99
View offer
Xiansini Xiansini 1400 mm 10 TPI two-pack

Best value

Xiansini Xiansini 1400 mm 10 TPI two-pack
6.7/10about £8.99
View offer
Starrett Starrett Univerz 733 mm 18 TPI

Alternative

Starrett Starrett Univerz 733 mm 18 TPI
5.6/10about £29.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Isolate the saw and back the guides off
  2. 2.Seat the loop with the teeth pointing down
  3. 3.Tension, then track the wheel by hand
  4. 4.Reset the guides and the guard, then cut scrap

Isolate the saw and back the guides off

Unplug the saw before you open a door. If it is work equipment, PUWER 1998 applies: the blade has to be suitable, and staff have to be trained. Gloves are only for a stopped blade. Back the side guides and the thrust guide off, and reset them after tracking. Release the tensioner, lift the old loop off, and point a coiled blade away from your face. A click from the old blade is the HSE warning that the loop is cracked.

Seat the loop with the teeth pointing down

On a vertical saw the teeth point down at the front, so the cut pushes the work down. Fit them upwards and the timber can lift. Read the direction before the blade goes on the wheels, and check the weld sits in line. Reviews on this shelf include a weld that opened as the tie was undone, a lumpy weld that pulsed once per revolution, and a two-pack that arrived as one rusty blade. A bad joint is a reason to stop. Seat the blade so both wheels carry it. Do not start the motor to pull a half-seated loop on. If it will not reach, the length is wrong: winding a 1575 mm loop to the stop does not make it 1400 mm.
AYAO AYAO 1400 mm 6 TPI two-pack

Testsieger

AYAO AYAO 1400 mm 6 TPI two-pack
8.9/10about £17.99
View offer

Tension, then track the wheel by hand

Your saw’s scale wins over a number from another manual. Record Power treats a tension meter as the accurate check and a push-stick test as the home substitute, and says to slack the blade when the saw sits idle. Axminster’s AP2920B manual uses about 1 cm of side movement for that model and says to track by turning the top wheel by hand. Do not copy either figure onto a different saw. Turn the tracking knob a little, rotate the wheel by hand, and look again. Do not track with the motor running. If the blade still walks off, stop. If the cut then burns, pitch is on the bandsaw blade TPI page.

Reset the guides and the guard, then cut scrap

Bring the side guides up until they almost touch the blade, without rubbing the teeth. The thrust guide sits just behind the blade until the timber feeds in. HSE wants the top guard close to the work, the blade guarded under the table, and a push stick for a narrow cut. Close the doors before you restore power, and make the first cut a straight line in scrap. A click once per revolution is a cracked blade or a bad weld. Burning, once the pitch matches the thickness, often means tight guides, a dull edge, or a forced feed. Get a machinery engineer if the saw is work equipment and untrained people are changing blades, or if a snap has damaged a tyre or a guard.

Common questions

Do I unplug before I open the doors?
Yes. Isolate the saw before the doors open and before the guides move. A tensioned blade and a wheel that can turn are enough to cut you even when the motor is only switched off at the button. If the saw is work equipment, PUWER 1998 expects a suitable blade and trained people. A home shed still follows the same first step. Put the plug back only after the doors are shut and the guard is down.
Which way do the bandsaw teeth face?
On a vertical saw the teeth point down at the front, into the table, so the cut holds the work down. Fit them upwards and the timber lifts. Check the direction while the blade is still in your hands, including after you unfold a coiled loop. The weld should lie flat. A tooth pointing the wrong way is not corrected by more tension.
How tight is tight enough?
Use the tension scale on your saw for that blade width. Record Power treats a tension meter as the accurate check and a push-stick deflection test as the home substitute. Axminster’s AP manual uses about 1 cm of side movement as that model’s check. Do not copy either figure onto a different saw. If the tensioner is at the end of its travel and the blade is still slack, the loop is the wrong length.
Can I track the blade with the motor running?
No. Turn the top wheel by hand, adjust the tracking knob a little, and turn the wheel by hand again until the blade stays on the tyre. Tracking under power is how blades leave the wheel. HSE also warns that over-braking can snap a blade, so do not use the switch as a brake to catch a wander. Power comes back only for a scrap cut, with the doors shut.
When is this a workshop training issue rather than a webpage?
When the saw is work equipment under PUWER and people who have not been shown the change are using it, when a snap has marked the tyres or the guards, or when the work is production stainless or structural steel. HSE sheet WIS31 covers guarding, training, and blade choice for that setting. A dull hobby blade on a single-user shed is the procedure on this page, done with the plug out.

Related pages

Best bandsaw blade for a stated job

Band saw blade

How to choose a bandsaw blade: length, width, teeth

Bandsaw blade TPI for the thickness you actually cut

Wood or metal bandsaw blade: which family you hold

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices are amazon.co.uk listings from 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE WIS31: woodworking bandsaws (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. HSE: narrow band saws (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Saws UK: blades buying guide (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. Axminster: bandsaw blade guide (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. NLS Tools: blade selection (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Screwfix: Starrett UNZ13A187333 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19.10.2026)