Craftsman 10" BS - Loosen Tension??

[IBBugsy]

Just got this BS during the promotional sale.

I will not be using it a lot (just a weekend handyman here). Do I need to loosen the blade tension when not in use? It came out of the box tensioned so why not leave it that way?

A related question if the answer is to loosen the blade after use - How do I know I have the correct tension when I tighten it back up? I can try to mark the position I have now before loosening so I can go back. That assumes the blade doesn't stretch over time. I've heard of the "give it a flick of your finger and listen to the sound" method but what sound am looking for??

[sacherjj]

The general answer is to loosen when not being used. I now do this with my 14" band saw with the Carter Release. When I used the 10" Craftsman Rikon, I didn't do it as often as I should. It really is a pain to do. You don't have to run it really high tension with a smallish blade, so I didn't worry about it too much. However, I would do it for long time out of the shop. The reason I de-tension my band saw immediately after use, is that I forget about it and don't know when a short time out of the shop will turn into what I am currently in (6 months out of the shop.)

For tension, I used Timberwolf blades and used their tension method with good results.

[big8pt]

I do the same as sacherjj described for my band saws (Laguna 16" and Craftsman/Rikon 10").

[LarryG]

Tension/detension == Ford/Chevy == Coke/Pepsi == etc/etc.

I always detension my Grizzly G0555, but then it has a QR lever that makes this little task a snap.