Thread: Bandsaw blades?

Originally Posted by Woody60

This is going to be a really dumb question for all of you - sorry.
How do I work out what size blade I need for my newly bought Paul Call 12" bandsaw?
Please advice on the size (what do I ask for)?
Number of teeth?
Material made from?
What do I need to know or what should I ask for?
Thanks
Robert

Robert

your question is not a "dumb" one

How do I work out what size blade – you need the length around the wheels and through the cutting guides when the saw is tensioned to the mm

then you need the width of the blade – typical sizes are 3/16, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 inches

then you need the number of teeth per inch – this can vary between 3 and about 14



ian

Thanks Ian
But where can I go to work out what i need?
R

Hi Woody, the width of the blade and the number of teeth depend on what you want to cut. ie thin ply to make jigsaw puzzles you want a narrow blade with small teeth, or if you are cutting think wood in straight lines you want a wide blade with big teeth. What are you cutting?

Wood straight most likely.
Can you reccomend a number of different blades and what they are used to cut?

If you have a blade that already fits, put a thin chalk mark on the inside of it and put it on the floor opposite a thin mark on the floor. Then roll the blade over along the floor until the inside mark comes around to touch the floor again. Put a second mark on the floor opposite the mark inside the blade and then accurately measure between the two floor marks. Use your foot on the blade to make sure it doesn't slip as you roll it over. Repeat from scratch and double (or triple) check your measurement.

Thanks - a good approach - I don't have a blade that came with it?

Sorry, my method depended upon you having an old blade that fitted. Carefully measure the outside diameter of your wheels. Just check that they are both exactly the same. Add a half a mm to this outside diameter (to allow for a half thickness of the blade on each side of the wheel). Multiply this dimension by 3.14. This should give you a good estimate of how much blade will be touching the wheels. You now need to add twice the distance between the centres of the wheels. Bandsaws usually have a bit of adjustment of the distance between the centres of the wheels to allow for small variations in blade length. When you take this measurement try to allow for the adjustment available in your tensioning mechanism. I think this should help you work out the length you need, but I would like others who know more about bandsaws to comment on my advice before you go ahead and act upon it.

If you speak to Henry Brothers & tell them what sort of saw you have, they will almost certainly have the details on file & tell you the length of blade you need. Tell them the type of cutting you will be doing and they will advise on the best size. They do phone orders, and advertise in most WW magazines.

Thank you to all - some good advice

Originally Posted by Woody60

Wood straight most likely.
Can you reccomend a number of different blades and what they are used to cut?

Don't go buying a lot of different blades. Get a 3/8-3tpi blade and use it for everything. I think you will soon convince yourself that you don't need anything else. Actually get at least 2, always have a spare on hand.
Probably the only reason to get any other blade would be a finer tooth blade for cutting non-ferrous metals or a very narrow blade for doing intricate curves.

3 teeth per inch is that right?

Originally Posted by Woody60

3 teeth per inch is that right?

Yes that would meet most of your needs.
Cheers Tony.

Originally Posted by Wizened of Oz

Don't go buying a lot of different blades. Get a 3/8-3tpi blade and use it for everything. I think you will soon convince yourself that you don't need anything else. Actually get at least 2, always have a spare on hand.
Probably the only reason to get any other blade would be a finer tooth blade for cutting non-ferrous metals or a very narrow blade for doing intricate curves.

Even resawiing?

Buzz

for resawing I use either 1" 1.6TPI or 1/2" 2TPI from Henry Bros