On Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 9:37:07 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I've finally gotten my new bandsaw (Laguna 18bx) on its feet and put
together (KungFlu furlough gives me time to practice being retired
;-). Everything seems to be right with the world (no sawdust yet) but
there is a clicking as the weld crosses the guide blocks. Is this
normal or do I have the blocks set too tight/close? It seems to be
coming from the upper blade edge guide. I'm not playing with an
expensive blade yet, rather a no-name 1/2" from Highland.

Thanks for any help. The bandsaw is a new adventure.

Have you mic'd the weld?

I have 2 WoodSlicer blades, A 3/8" installed and a 1/2" still in the paper,
which I unwrapped just for you. ;-)

Using my digital calipers, I read a 5-10 thousands of an inch difference
at various spots on the blade, including the weld. In fact, in the 1/2"
or so where the weld has been filed smooth, some spots are 5/1000 thinner
than other spots on the blades. In other words, certainly no lump.

Even without an actual lump, a bad weld could cause the clicking. If the
blade is not "flat" at the weld, but instead slightly angled (imagine a
very wide V at the weld) it would not slide through the guide blocks
smoothly.

On my blades, the welds are essentially imperceptible. On the new blade,
which is all nice and shiny, I have to hold the blade at just the right
angle so that the light makes the weld visible. I can also tell by the
slight difference in the distance between the teeth at that point.