Update: my old band saw blade snapped mid cut on a 40 lb pork shoulder and I had to finish with a hand saw | Butchers - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Update: my old band saw blade snapped mid cut on a 40 lb pork shoulder and I had to finish with a hand saw
Was breaking down a bone-in shoulder last Tuesday morning at the shop and about halfway through the cut the blade just popped and went slack. Turns out the tension spring on my 20 year old saw had finally given out after who knows how many thousands of cuts. I didn't have a spare spring so I clamped the meat down and finished the job with my 10 inch breaking knife, which took me close to 25 minutes instead of the usual 3 or 4. Got a new spring ordered from a small shop in Ohio for 18 bucks, but now I'm second guessing every weird noise that saw makes. Has anyone else had a tension spring go on them, and is there a way to check wear before it quits on you mid cut?
Small thing but 25 minutes with a 10 inch breaking knife on a 40 lb shoulder is pretty normal once the bone is in the way, not some huge setback. A sharp breaking knife will get through a shoulder faster than most folks expect if you follow the seams instead of forcing it. The spring going was just bad luck, so don't overthink every noise now, just check the tension and look for cracks on the coils when you swap it.