Thread: bandsaw blades. advise wanted

Originally Posted by OrangeBean

- I need one blade for general use here and there for "every day" cutting. I suppose it should be 1/2 inch 3tpi ?

No you dont. there is no such thing as a "general use" bandsaw blade. You want one for straight cutting and resawing, maybe more as you define what you want to do more, but start out with one wide blade for resawing and one narrow blade for curves and work out if you need more as you experiment.

Originally Posted by OrangeBean

- One for resawing. Not sure about veneer, but sounds like a fun . BP-355 can take up to 1 inch blade.

It might be able to take a 1" blade and it has a reasonable depth of cut and a 2hp motor, but its still a 14" bandsaw (don't get me wrong its a good one). On a 14" saw you would probably be better of with a 3/4 inch blade. 1" blades are typically thicker than 3/4 inch blades and therefore are subject to more metal fatigue when rolling around a 14" wheel as opposed to , say, a 21 inch wheel such as on my 21 inch bandsaw which I use for resawing. What sort of timber are you looking at resawing, hardwood, softwood, desert timbers etc? and how thick?

Blade manufacturers typically buy blade stock on big rolls and cut to length and weld it up so the 1" blade you want to run on your 14" saw will be as thick as the one I run on my 21 inch saw and the extra bending on yours will reduce its life considerably.

Originally Posted by OrangeBean

- And one for curves.

The narrower the blade the tighter the curve you can cut. I suggest that unless you want to cut really tight curves, that you start out with a 1/4 inch blade. That will allow a reasonably tight curve and let you practice initially. even if you eventually work out that you need something that cuts tighter curves than a 1/4 blade you will still find a 1/4 blade useful as it is easier to use on thicker and harder timber than a 1/8 or thinner blade. I have 1/8 blade for my smaller 14" bandsaw but I rarely use it, If I need to cut a curve tighter than I can do with the 1/4" blade it is usually in thin stock that I can cut with the scroll saw and that is what I use. Tight curve work often includes patterns that are easier done with a scroll saw anyway, needing a hole drilled in the internals to feed the blade through, which cant be done with a bandsaw blade unless you want to cut and reweld it.

My recommendation is to get a 3/4 inch 2tpi blade for straight cutting and resawing and a 1/4 inch 3 tpi skip tooth blade for cutting curves. Practice with them and identify what they cant do that you want to do with your saw and then come back and ask what can fulfill the deficiencies in what you can do with them and what you want to do.

The reason I ask what type of timber you want to cut is that I cut a lot of hardwood such as gidgee. I use a 2tpi 1" tungsten-carbide tipped blade on the 21 inch bandsaw for resawing. If you arent cutting anything that tough, you may be able to get away with a bimetal blade. The tungsten-carbide ones last a lot longer on the softer woods and can tackle the harder timbers and for me they are a much better choice even though they cost more.

I get my blades from McDiven saws at Williamstown in Victoria. they are just down the road about 15 minutes but when i move (the sooner the better - Victoria is the most hostile and rude place in the known universe - I will continue to get blades there. Last time I picked up a 1" 2tpt tungsten carbide blade there, in the few minutes I was there, three couriers came in picking up blades destined for anywhere from Darwin to Dubbo, Perth to Portarlington, Broome to Brisbane and big boxes of each. I cant fault his blades and I am just a user, no pecuniary interest.

I hope this is useful

Doug

That has help me alot there Doug,i'm in the process of buying a new bandsaw in the near future and your information has been very helpful...Thanks

Mick!!!

Originally Posted by OrangeBean

I'm looking into buying some blades for my new Woodmaster BP-355 bandsaw. It's time for next project .

- I need one blade for general use here and there for "every day" cutting. I suppose it should be 1/2 inch 3tpi ?
- One for resawing. Not sure about veneer, but sounds like a fun . BP-355 can take up to 1 inch blade.
- And one for curves.

All tips, recommendations and advises are welcome as I'm pretty new to this machine. As what type, brand, where to get, etc.
BTW I'm shire dweller .

- For daily work, you can just use a normal blade. I used 1/2 3TPI for my daily work , and it could also be used for resawing.
- What I've learned before, 1/2″ – 3/4″ blade with 3-4 Teeth Per Inch is best for resawing.
- Cutting curves, narrower blade is suggested.

Hi doug,

Thanks for such an extensive and helpful reply. This is very detail and structured reply I haven't seen for loooooong time.

Originally Posted by doug3030

What sort of timber are you looking at resawing, hardwood, softwood, desert timbers etc? and how thick?

I cut occasional spotted gum, blue gum, gidgee. I cut more radiata/hoop pine. Considering that I have time to do woodworking only occasional, mostly for home improvements (stairs, floor, some cabinets, backyard improvements - projects I've done so far), it's really hard to say for me I'm specialise in something.

Originally Posted by doug3030

My recommendation is to get a 3/4 inch 2tpi blade for straight cutting and resawing and a 1/4 inch 3 tpi skip tooth blade for cutting curves. Practice with them and identify what they cant do that you want to do with your saw and then come back and ask what can fulfill the deficiencies in what you can do with them and what you want to do.

I'll follow your advise and go with these 2 blades.

Originally Posted by doug3030

I use a 2tpi 1" tungsten-carbide tipped blade on the 21 inch bandsaw for resawing. If you arent cutting anything that tough, you may be able to get away with a bimetal blade. The tungsten-carbide ones last a lot longer on the softer woods and can tackle the harder timbers and for me they are a much better choice even though they cost more.

With tungsten-carbide blades is it possible to resharpen them? What you do with your blades?

Cheers,
K

Just call Henry Bros Saws.

Was told:
3/4" does not come in TCT and in bi-metal it can be 1.3tpi not 2tpi.
1/4" is 3tpi skip tooth is coming in carbon.

Any way, I put an order with them for these 2 blades delivered something around $80.

Will post when it come and when I try them out.

Originally Posted by OrangeBean

3/4" does not come in TCT and in bi-metal it can be 1.3tpi not 2tpi.

That makes sense, the gullets on the bimetal blade will be smaller than TCT, so fewer TPI to allow the waste to be cleared

Originally Posted by OrangeBean

1/4" is 3tpi skip tooth is coming in carbon.

That should be a very versatile blade.

Originally Posted by OrangeBean

Any way, I put an order with them for these 2 blades delivered something around $80.

Will post when it come and when I try them out.

Make sure you prepare the blades properly before you use them (rounding off the back corners - If you dont understand what I mean, just ask). Take your time in setting up the blade guides and track the blade properly.

Then the fun comes as you try the blades out and see what they can do. You may be surprised at how small a circle you can cut with a 1/4" blade. Have fun with them and be careful, and dont forget to let us know how it goes.

Cheers

Doug

I got myself a bandsaw recently and was curious about which blades and how well the Tungsten ones work. My internet searches seemed to find TCT bandsaw blades intended for metal but I didn't find any specifically for wood. Are they the same or did I look in the wrong place?

Also, just to be clear in my own head... when I talk about a 'ripping' saw I mean one that cuts along the grain but when talking about bandsaw ripping it's actually cutting across end grain?

I want to use my 2hp bandsaw for occasional micro-milling of small logs, could be green but could be seasoned. I'm thinking a 25mm TCT ripping blade. I thought 4tpi but would less be better? Better to get it right first time, than buy one that doesn't work as well!

Originally Posted by Ken Fabian

I want to use my 2hp bandsaw for occasional micro-milling of small logs, could be green but could be seasoned. I'm thinking a 25mm TCT ripping blade. I thought 4tpi but would less be better? Better to get it right first time, than buy one that doesn't work as well!

Hi Ken,

It might seem counter-intuitive but the thicker the piece of timber you are cutting the more teeth are engaged in the cut and the harder your saw motor will have to work to cut through. Less teeth rather than more works better for two reasons.

- less strain on the motor and less effort required to feed the workpiece through the blade, which equals a better cut among other benefits.

- Fewer TPI means each tooth is larger. Larger teeth have a larger gullet. The thicker the timber the longer the blade is in the cut and the more sawdust is accumulated in the gullet. If the gullet fills up before it reaches the bottom of the workpiece then it can cause sidewards pressure on the blade, resulting in blade wander. Friction also becomes a bigger problem requiring more power to turn the blade, and friction causes heat and an overheated bandsaw blade is not a good thing.

Mathias Wandell explains it with pictures and a video here - The physics of bandsaw resawing


I hope this helps.

Cheers

Doug