Printed from Kezuriba (kezuriba.net/en/maintenance/bandsaw/lubrication/)

Band saw lubrication

Where to lubricate, oil types and viscosity (ISO VG), and replacement guide. The values for tension, saw speed, feed, and break-in are guidelines published by blade makers and vary with blade type, maker, and material. The operation manual of your machine and the blade maker's recommendations come first. Band saws for woodworking are out of scope (the legal provisions also differ)

⛽Lubrication points and oils

Location	Machine	Oil (example)	Interval guideline
Moving parts (sliding parts of the feed, lift, and vise, etc.)	Common	Lubricant specified by the machine manufacturerDoALL recommends lubricating moving parts regularly as the manufacturer instructs, using the manufacturer's recommended lubricant, and taking care not to over-apply. No published source giving the lubrication points, oil types, and intervals for band saws was found, so check the operation manual of your machine	Interval specified by the manufacturer^[1](1 source, for reference)
Hydraulic unit (feed, vise, blade tension)	Horizontal	Hydraulic fluid (specified by the machine manufacturer)Starrett lists checking the hydraulic fluid level when mounting a blade. OSG lists changing the hydraulic fluid as a remedy when vise clamping force drops	Check the level at each blade change. Fluid changes follow the manufacturer's specification^[2][3]

🛢Oil types and how to choose

Water-soluble cutting fluid (emulsion, soluble): Cools and lubricates the blade and material, flushes chips, and prevents rust. The most common type on band saws. WIKUS recommends changing the oil content to suit the workpiece material and checking it with a handheld refractometer. It says cooling (water) matters in high-speed, heat-generating cuts, and lubrication (oil) matters in low-speed, heavy-load cuts. DoALL says water-soluble fluids are stable emulsions of oil and water and suit general machining^[4][5][6]
Synthetic and semi-synthetic cutting fluids: Water-soluble cutting fluids with no mineral oil (synthetic) or little (semi-synthetic). They emphasize cooling and long life. DoALL says synthetics excel in surface finish, tool life, and rust prevention in demanding ferrous cuts, and semi-synthetics last longer and are good at separating tramp oil and suppressing bacteria and mold. LENOX also offers synthetic, semi-synthetic, and soluble cutting fluids for band saws^[6][7]
Minimum quantity lubrication (MQL, mist): A very small amount of lubricant is sprayed onto the teeth before the blade enters the material. WIKUS says it provides no cooling or flushing, suits cuts with a short contact length (pipes, structural shapes), and as a guide handles solid stock up to 250 mm diameter in structural steel and 100 mm in stainless steel. It also says retrofitting to a vertical machine is easy. LENOX also offers MQL lubricants for band saws^[4][7]

📚Sources

Items without a mark are those on which two or more materials from different publishers agree. Values and intervals are governed by each machine's specifications. The text is summarized in Kezuriba's own words.