Thread: Bandsaw blades, where to buy?

Dean
From my limited experience there is no such thing as 'standard' sizes. The blade come in very long rolls and are cut and welded to suit each customer. So design your saw and then order the blade to suit your needs. Run a piece of string around both wheels and measure it to get the length for the first time.

Whitewood

Hi Dean, Henry Bros. in Sydney are a good source for Lennox blades, not sure about in Vic tho but there would be somebody Lenox make the woodmaster b 11/4 wide bimetal blade also the woodmaster ct which is the carbide tip blade
If you are gonna build a saw I'd consider going for the 2 inch wide blade lot more robust especially for wide cuts,( say 400mm plus)
If you order from US I have found that if you stick to whole inch length blades they are a bit cheaper


Pete

Hi spray- tech,
You don't have to go to Sydney, as I get mine from Williamstown, Vic.
Here you go ;

McDivens Saws Pty. Ltd.
9 3971458
328 Kororoit Creek Road,
Williamstown North, 3016.

McDiven Saws P/L specializes in all types of bandsaws
Ask & you shall receive. They are very good at what they do, & will send their Blades all over Australia.
I buy a 100ft. of 3/8in. x 6TPI. Blade for $ 85.00 but that was 2 maybe 3 yrs. ago. I make up my own Blades.

Dean, I use Henry Bros 1"1/4 Woodmaster B Bimetal these tend to last longer on the Australian hardwoods, you tell them what length you want the blade and they make it to suit. I built my Homemade Bandsaw Mill approx 6 months Ago. I did about 3 years research before I started Buiding it. I was originally going to use a 2" Wide blade as PJT suggested. The down side of this is a 2" Blade requires a lot more Tension to acheive Beam strength then the 1" 1/4 Blade. You have to build a very Strong Carriage to be able to tension the blade adequately without distorting the frame or carriage. The 1 1/4 will do the job for you.

Good Luck! It is a challenging task and very rewarding when you see those slabs coming off! If you need any info I am happy help.
Cheers, Jon

Guys,thanks for the contacts, I'll call Henry Bros and McDivens to discuss my options.
I'll probably start with 1 1/4" but know doubt I'll try a 2" blade to compare the difference. I'm building the cariage out of 3X3" RHS with 4mm wall and 2.5x2.5" RHS with 5mm wall, the drive shaft is 1 3/4" diameter 41-40 tensile rod.I think it's all going to be quite strong (and damn heavy). Better to be over spec than under.

Most of the timber I'll be milling to start with will be Macrocarpa, as this will be used in a Post & Beam Frame house that I'm planning to build in a couple of years time, also some blackwood & who knows what else after that.

Thanks,
Dean

Dean

I have dealt with Henry Bros and found they to be helpful and knowledgeable. They post blades out. Also good for advice. They have been around for a very long time.

I am quite sure there are others too.

Regards
Paul

the stellite tipp blades 2in are used in my saw, had good reults with them . linn lumber in us has plans and dvds on building mills , may be usefull cheers Bob

Ironic. I'm about 3 days away from finishing my own bandsaw mill. My old man started building it about 15 years ago, but he never finishes anything so I thought I'd better give it a crack.

I've got a 2" blade from Henry brothers on mine. It's running 18" wheels, which are probably a little small for that size blade, but I'll give it a crack anyway.

I'll post some pics when its finished as well.

Originally Posted by Jamesg1981

Ironic. I'm about 3 days away from finishing my own bandsaw mill. My old man started building it about 15 years ago, but he never finishes anything so I thought I'd better give it a crack.

I've got a 2" blade from Henry brothers on mine. It's running 18" wheels, which are probably a little small for that size blade, but I'll give it a crack anyway.

I'll post some pics when its finished as well.

Hi james, pics are always good from what I understand the thickness of the blade is where the concern from using small diameter wheels comes in, not the width of the blade, a thicker blade under goes higher compressive and tension stresses as it bends around the wheel when compared to a thinner blade.


Pete

I contacted McDiven Saws yesterday & they're posting me a blade of 172" x 1 1/4" x .042,
They also said the band thickness is the issue for smaller diameter wheels, the 1 1/4" can be made in a "narrow kerf" of .035 which may be useful

cheers,
Dean.

I have bought blades from here online.
BandsawSupplies.com.au - Bandsaw Blades, Bandsaw Machines, Bandsaw Parts, DoAll Australia

Originally Posted by pjt

Hi james, pics are always good from what I understand the thickness of the blade is where the concern from using small diameter wheels comes in, not the width of the blade, a thicker blade under goes higher compressive and tension stresses as it bends around the wheel when compared to a thinner blade.


Pete

Hey Pete,

Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well. I'm an aircraft mechanic by trade, so metal fatigue (albeit it aluminium, not steel) is something I've got a pretty good handle on.

This one is .042" as well.