Can I safely use a 3/4" wide blade?

Hello all,
I just ordered a new blade for my Craftsman 12 inch bandsaw (model no. 119.224000) from Timberwolf. The blade length for my machine is unusual and is 89.5 inches. They said they don't usually make 3/4 inch blades for anything less than about 91 inches or with wheels less than 14 inch diameter. The wheels on my bandsaw are 12 inch diameter. Should I be concerned that the turning radius is too tight for a blade this wide? I couldn't find anything in the owner's manual about it, but the tensioner has notches that go to 3/4 inches and the rubber on the wheels and the roller guides are able to accomodate 3/4 inches, so I think the saw is supposed to be able to handle it. Don't know if this has any relevance, but I upgraded to 1 hp from the 3/4 hp motor that came with the saw.

Thanks for the input.

You are in danger of slipping off the radar. I am a bit rusty, but I will have a say and maybe bump the post anyway.

I think you should be OK. The problem is often not the width but the thickness of the blade, and blades _tend_ to get thicker as they get wider. Thickness can stress both the saw and the blade. The main danger will be premature failure of the blade due to continual bending stress.

This may help.

Nick

Sorry. Other thoughts. What are you using the blade for, and a lot can depend in what the blade is made of. Softer blades with hardened teeth will bend more easily than some of the special purpose blades.

I hope this post gets modded and posted after me previous one! :)\

Nick

Rats! It did not. For some reason one of my posts has to be checked, and this one popped up straight away. So my previous post was an addendum to a post that has not yet got there. :?

Thanks for the reply. This is the actual blade that I purchased:

PS Wood Machines :: Timber Wolf Band Saw Blades :: Blade Width 3/4 Thickness 0.025

As you can see, the thickness is .025. The tpi varies between 2 and 3.

This is for making straight cuts in straight, hardwood logs that tend to be 5 to 6 feet long and range in diameter from 3 to 8 inches. The logs are cut in half lengthwise, each piece hollowed out (usually with Lancelot disk on angle grinder) and then glued together to make the wind instrument known as a "didgeridoo".

I've used a few different types of blades for this. For a time, I was using a blade with 14 tpi which left a very smooth finish and nearly invisible seam. But it cut much too slowly and the cut ended up bowing. Lately, I've been using a 3/8 inch Timberwolf blade with 4 tpi which works great for curved pieces. the finish is a bit rough though.

I was attracted to the Timberwolf VPC 3/4 inch blade because, although it is only 2 to 3 tpi, it is supposed to leave a very clean finish. I wanted a wide blade (3/4") so i can get the straightest cut possible on these next pieces that I plan on making. If the cut is perfectly straight, I can then attach the cut pieces to a jig and send them over my new router table for hollowing out. :)

Hope this makes sense.

HAH! I sort of guessed that might be the answer Your username gives it away...a bit :).

Router! You should be using termites, mate! :D That's the way it's supposed to be done.

I am just getting back into all this, but the BS was the love (and sometimes bane) of my life. From my dim and dimming memory you seem to have picked a pretty good blade for the job. Because it is specifically made thin, and TW claim low tension, you are going to get less strain on your saw. Thin kerf as well.

Just one thing. TW claim no wander from the blade. That may well be true when you first start, but _any_ deviation in set or sharpness of the teeth on one side will cause the blade to push one way or the other. Ironically this is often harder to counter in a wide blade than a narrow. From my experience you cannot assume true tracking from a blade. If you find it wandering you may need to adjust the fence if you can, to allow for the uneven blade, or make a jig to allow for it.

Using hardwood, you will blunt the blade. If it works really well for your job, definitely get another one or two, and get the blade set and sharpened if it shows any signs of needing to be pushed or of deviation. Unfortunately, IIRC variable pitch blades are very hard to sharpen. You may be refused or have to pay more. So check out wear rate and sharpening cost before you dive in and get more.

If you find the wear rate totally unusable, you may need to look at bi-metal. These seem not to be available in thinner metal :(

Someone please jump in if I am talking out my u-no-wot. As I say it's been a while.

BTW, I do not have access to this at the moment, but Band Saw Handbook - Mark Duginske ISBN 0-8069-6378-0 (thanks to ubeaut from an old post) is a killer for getting the best out of the bandsaw. I used a BS for a fair while before I bought that book, and learned a heap even then.

Nick

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Originally Posted by REALOldNick

Router! You should be using termites, mate! http://cdn.woodworkforums.com/http:/...rd/biggrin.gif That's the way it's supposed to be done.

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Yes, of course. My termite farm here in Utah is coming soon. :U These are didges with some unusual acoustics that are software-derived and, in order to get the predicted acoustics, exact interior dimensions are required. That's what the router is for. (If only I could train the termites to carve with millimeter precision.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by REALOldNick

If you find it wandering you may need to adjust the fence if you can, to allow for the uneven blade, or make a jig to allow for it.

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Yes, I recently learned about drift and have got in the habit of checking it and adjusting the fence before any important cut. I also build a jig onto the logs before sending them through the saw.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by REALOldNick

Using hardwood, you will blunt the blade. If it works really well for your job, definitely get another one or two, and get the blade set and sharpened if it shows any signs of needing to be pushed or of deviation. Unfortunately, IIRC variable pitch blades are very hard to sharpen. You may be refused or have to pay more. So check out wear rate and sharpening cost before you dive in and get more.

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I've gotten quite a few cuts out of a blade before having to replace it (never sharpened one). And most of the logs I've cut recently are Mtn. Mahogany which is an ironwood and so extremely dense. (It's my new favorite type of wood, and is near the same density as the prized bloodwood Eucalyptus from Australia.) I just push the logs through the bandsaw plenty slow.

Other than my question about using a 3/4" blade, I think I've got the bandsaw usage down pretty well. Where I really could use some advice from a pro is on the router. Having never used one, I bought a 3.5 hp router and naively thought I would do it handheld. But I ended up making a router table for the job. I've been reading all I can on safety and proper use and worked out most of the kinks for doing the job with a round nose bit. I think I've settled on the simplest, cheapest, quickest, most repeatable jig-and-bushing technique for getting the precise dimensions, but it would be nice to get some ideas. Anyway, it's material for another thread in another forum I guess.

Yeah sorry. As usual I let my enthusiasm get away from me! :D

Router tables are too big a pucker factor for me, but yeah hand routing is "fun", and round logs would be really tough.

Interesting to see the didge being technified! For a basically monotone instrument, some amazing sounds can be had from them.

Nick

A wee bit of drift isn't a deal-breaker, as far as re-assembly is concerned. The two parts will still mate well, because of constant-width kerf.

If the drift is enough to make the parts wobbly, attach straightedge (e.g. lath strips) timber to both sides for routing. Three screws each should be sufficient, and the screw holes can be carved away afterwards, or ignored.

A year or two ago, King Arthur's Tools had an Australia Day celebration which included construction of didgeridoos. Naturally, they used Lancelot and Merlin for hollowing. Sounded great anyway.

Cheers,
Joe

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joe greiner

If the drift is enough to make the parts wobbly, attach straightedge (e.g. lath strips) timber to both sides for routing. Three screws each should be sufficient, and the screw holes can be carved away afterwards, or ignored.

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Not sure I understand what you mean here. Could you elaborate.... it might really help me out. I do attach the log to a jig with a straight edge before sending through the bandsaw. If I don't get a perfectly straight cut at this step, it's going to mess up my jig and dimensions at the router step. The plan for the router is that once the log is cut in half, I'll screw the jig onto the flat side of each half piece. The jig is 3/8" plywood and this hits the bushing guide attached to the router table so that the workpiece is only carved where it needs to be.

If you use a straightedge for cutting on the bandsaw, there shouldn't be any drift. My suggestion would apply if you did not: The side strips would keep the workpiece from diving up and down on a short router table. The process you described sounds more perfect for precision, especially if you want to vary the shape of the interior lengthwise.

IIRC, Arthur (Aveling) didn't use a straightedge for the bandsaw cuts. And he used Lancelot and Merlin only, for the interior - pretty much freehand.

Cheers,
Joe

I do a small amount of resawing on my 14" Powermatic. I was going to go for the 3/4" blade, but after reading a lot of post from people far more versed in band saw work than me, I dropped back to a 1/2" blade.

What repeatedly appeared was that 3/4" blades require a lot of tension. Supposedly, my saw could deal with it, but some posts suggest I was just over the line of qualifying.

If memory serves, some indicated the claim of needing less tension for the Timberwolf blades was exaggerated. It might be worth doing a net search for blade comparisons.

In choosing blades, needed a couple 1/2" blades anyway, so I tried that first. As it stands, I've pushed a lot of oak past the 1/2" blades for veneer and cabinet facing material (no riser block) and I must say I am pleased with the results. I'm able to crank the tension up enough I have little or no wander, even using the stock fence.

If you can get enough tension on the blade, I have to wonder what it will do to your wheels, especially if you forget to relieve tension.

Consider trying a 1/2" blade, or if you want bigger, push up to 5/8" and put some tension on them, then see what results you get.