Bandsaw blades

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J

Jarheaded

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Joined
Nov 30, 2007
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1,264
Location
Fairfield county, CT, USA.
Can anyone tell me what all the different blade types mean when it comes to getting a new blade? I see all different kinds of blades and the discriptions seem pretty vague. I just want to know what type of blade I should be using, since we all have our own favorite brand, I will choose a brand as I try them all out. Most of the cutting that I do is turning large pieces of wood into blanks.
 
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I like resaw blades. They seem to be good for cutting thick cross sections. I've been buying them from Highland http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1293because my band saw is under powered and it takes a 92 inch blade, a non-standard size.

I have been using 1/2 inch thick blades, but I've got a new 3/4 inch blade ordered. They don't turn corners well, but for cutting pen spindle blanks that doesn't matter. Even if they won't turn you can still cut octagons for bowl blanks.

Highland also sells a woodturners blade that they say is made for sawing up logs and odd shaped lumps of woood. I haven't tried one because it does not come in custom legnths.
 
A buddy of mine has a Lennox BiMetal on his bandsaw.

A friend of mine sent me a box of DI to play around with, and I was concerned about cutting it. My buddy said bring that box on over and we'll use this bimetal on it.

Well I went over figuring I'd owe him a replacement $50.00 blade after we got done.

No worries, sliced through the DI like butta and kept goin strong afterwards.

Do a google search for Louis Iturra. Call him up and tell him what your wanting to do with your bandsaw and he will set you up without breaking the bank.
 
Your questions do not lend themselves to a simple explanations. Your best bet is to discuss with experts what kind of bandsaw you have and your anticipated cutting needs. Like many others I buy Timber Wolf blades from Suffolk Machinery.
http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/
Their tech support/sales people are expert and very helpful.
The blades are excellent. There may be better and there may be less expensive. But, for my money, I'll take dependability, good service and previous happy experience over unknown possibilities.
BTW, for resawing on my 14" bandsaw, I use a 3/4" blade (that's wide, not thick) with four teeth per inch. I had used three-tooth blades but found there could be problems with cutting stock under 1" thick.
Do call Suffolk and follow their recommendations.
 
Originally posted by MesquiteMan

I am a big believer in the Bi-Metal blades from Lenox. I used to use Timbrewolf blades but no longer. The Lenox last longer.
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I'll keep that in mind and might try Lenox next time. I cut a lot of Osage Orange and that stuff dulls quickly due to its high silica content. Long lasting would be a big plus for me. T'wolfs are fine but we should always consider new ideas.
 
Frank,

I use them for OO and mesquite all the time as well as cutting up root balls of agarita. The agarita is not particularly hard but the rock hidden inside sure are!
 
Originally posted by MesquiteMan

Frank,

I use them for OO and mesquite all the time as well as cutting up root balls of agarita. The agarita is not particularly hard but the rock hidden inside sure are!
Click to expand...

At one time I was selling both OO and red cedar blanks, both pen and bowl sizes. I was cutting a lot of each and my blades did not last very long. I called Suffolk and they told me I was cutting two of the worst woods possible for blades due to high silica content. That's where I got that information.
Further, they said that any (lotsa folks are going to disagree with this statement, but its what they told me) bandsaw blade will be dull after only 200 lineal feet of cutting. Thickness was not a factor. I don't understand that part but its what they said. Moreover, after keeping track of my blade usage, I found their statement to be accurate. This is very disappointing as 200 lineal feet can be only a couple hours work for some folks and, probably, only a couple weeks for average usage.
I'm still ordering T'wolfs from Suffolk. Partly from habit and partly because I'm not anxious to start experimenting with brands unknown to me. On the advice of a friend who is a professional wood worker, I may try Ellis blades. The problem there is the fairly large minimum order they require. But prices are low and my friend likes the way they cut.
 
Thank you all for your input on this. The main problem I am having is that I have a new bandsaw with a 111" blade. I threw away the stock one and replaced it with a timberwolf and a week later threw the dull one out. I put on another one(I had bought 2)and another week went by and it was dull again. I know that the dogwood was killing my blade, but I didn't cut any with the second blade. I was able to pick up a couple of the Olsen pros at $10 each and while they seem to get a bad rap, it is lasting longer than the timberwolfs did for me. I am going to buy a couple of the lenox blades and try them out. The real problem is that they make things called the flexback and hook toothed and I can't find what any of that means to me. I am also going to buy a couple of the blades from Highland and just keep trying all the different makes and models. I will look into the Ellis blades also. Thanks again for the help.

I found a site that has all the different types and descriptions of what they all mean, so now I just have to figure out what I am really going to need.
 
I got my new Highland resaw blades today and put one on tonight. The tpi alternate 3,4,3,4,etc. I don't know the real benefit of that, but they sure cut great when new.

Before I took the old blade off I cut up some soapstone, pipestone and sandstone. The blade was so dull that it wouldn't cut a 3/4 piece of pine, but it will still grind through soft stone as well as it would if it were new. Don't ask me how I know how a new blade cuts stone....long story.

The saw tune up that I did also makes a difference.
 
I tend to use a bandsaw blade for too long... I know it's time to change it when I get as much smoke as I do sawdust..

What do you guys do with your old blades....I've been just throwing mine in the garbage, but hate to throw something like this into a land fill.
 
Originally posted by ozmandus

I tend to use a bandsaw blade for too long... I know it's time to change it when I get as much smoke as I do sawdust..

What do you guys do with your old blades....I've been just throwing mine in the garbage, but had to throw something like this into a land fill.
Click to expand...

Same here. It is a real waste of good steel. But storage problems and my time override those concerns.
 
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