Bandsaw Tension Flag

Here's a quick way to remember to pull the blade-tension release lever before starting your bandsaw.

Mar 30, 2016

Many modern bandsaws, including mine, are equipped with a blade-tension release lever on the back of the machine. I know from experience that it is all too easy to start these bandsaws before remembering to pull the lever and tension the blade. Although there’s little danger, you can certainly wreck a blade and gouge the tires. Here is a quick, effective fix. With the blade tension released (lever up), I ran a length of the string from the lever handle over the top and down the other side near the switch. I tacked the string to the lever with cyanoacrylate (Super) glue so it won’t slip down. Then I placed a couple of rare-earth magnets on the top of the frame to guide the string. Finally, I tied a scrap of plywood (a card would also work) to the string so that when the blade tension is released, the flag drops and covers the on/off switch.

When the tension lever is engaged, the flag rises up and says “all systems go.”

—Illustrations by Jim Richey

Jo Jesty, Mount Sinai, NY

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