I talked to my bandsaw blade maker, and asked him about the breaking of
my blade. He said to make sure the thrust guides were set properly,
perfectly in line with the blade, and to make sure that you had the top
guides down close to the wood. If either or both of these conditions
exist, it will put stresses on the blade that can cause it to break.

When my blade broke, it was also making a ticking sound, but I figured
that was because the 1 1/4 inch blade was moving about 1/4 inch
foreward each time the blade came around to the broken spot. He found
several other breaks in the blade, so it was trashed. The ticking sound
only started when the blade began to break. There is no sound when it
runs now.
robo hippy