Bandsaw blades

[Tayler_mann]

I just picked up a new bandsaw and do not have a whole lot of experience. What's a good blade in NA. Also, is there a good all around blade for resawing and nice clean contoured cuts or is it something where it's better to just get the blade for the job?

 

[flair woodworks]

For a general purpose blade, a 3/8" blade with 3 or 4 TPI will work well for many tasks.

However, for resawing, I would recommend a wider blade, the actual blade dependant on the size of blade your saw can handle.  I use a carbide-tipped resaw blade, which does a very nice job.  However, they start at a couple hundred dollars.

 

[grbmds]

I just picked up a new bandsaw and do not have a whole lot of experience. What's a good blade in NA. Also, is there a good all around blade for resawing and nice clean contoured cuts or is it something where it's better to just get the blade for the job?

There is a lot of info on the internet about bandsaw setup and blades. One thing I have been told is to never use the same blade for reassign and curved cuts. The reasoning is that, when doing curve cuts, it is possible to take the set out of the teeth, which will cause the blade to wander when resawing. So, the advice given to me is to dedicate a blade to resawing and when, curve cutting, change the blade to one you will use just for that purpose.

How wide should the blade be for resawing? I have a 14" bandsaw and a 1/2" 3TPI blade works well. If you have a larger bandsaw, like 18" or bigger, it probably makes sense to use a wider blade. That said, a wise Canadian at a woodworking show once told me that woodworkers in Canada use a 3/8" blade for everything because that's what's readily available. He said that he gets results just as good as you would get with a wider blade.

The more important thing for resawing is setup of the guides, tension, and centering the back end of the gullet behind the teeth on the tire. Carter puts out a great pamphlet on setup by Alex Snodgrass which, when I followed it, gave me the best resawing results I've ever had.

 

[Tayler_mann]

Thanks for all the info. I figured it would be a buy the right blade for the right task.

 

[Cheese]

I've used Olson in the past and then switched to Timber Wolf. I like the Timber Wolf blades alot because they seem to stay sharper longer. Recently I switched to Starrett Duratec and I'll see how it compares to the Timber Wolf blades.

For a very versatile all-around blade, I like a 1/2" wide blade with 4 teeth per inch in a hook tooth shape.

As Chris said, for resawing, Laguna makes the Resaw King with carbide tips. MK Morse also makes carbide tipped blades which are about 15-20% cheaper than Laguna, but I don't know if they are available in the 3/4" width which is usually used on 14" machines for resawing.

 

[Tayler_mann]

I've used Olson in the past and then switched to Timber Wolf. I like the Timber Wolf blades alot because they seem to stay sharper longer. Recently I switched to Starrett Duratec and I'll see how it compares to the Timber Wolf blades.

For a very versatile all-around blade, I like a 1/2" wide blade with 4 teeth per inch in a hook tooth shape.

As Chris said, for resawing, Laguna makes the Resaw King with carbide tips. MK Morse also makes carbide tipped blades which are about 15-20% cheaper than Laguna, but I don't know if they are available in the 3/4" width which is usually used on 14" machines for resawing.

My sae is a weird one and can accept a 1" blade. It is the "pro" version 1 1/2 hp. It was one of jets weird bandsaws that got discontinued. At least on the tension guide it has a 1" blade setting premarked so I would assume I can get a 1" blade. Oddly enough the manual and spec sheet has nothing in it for blade sizes. If the setting is pre-marked on the machine is it safe to assume it accepts a 1" blade? That is if I can find a 93 1/2" 1" blade. Which as I just typed that out makes me want to double check the size of the blade it has since I can't find any data sheets on it except the manual it came with. Which is the least informative manual I have ever recieved with a larger machine.

Also, [member=44099]Cheese[/member] I'm coming to Minneapolis possibly this weekend to get a British Labrador and was curious as to a better woodworking store to visit.

 

[yworkcb]

  The  Alex Snodgrass bandsaw info is available on youtube in different forms and worth watching .

 

[grbmds]

I've used Olson in the past and then switched to Timber Wolf. I like the Timber Wolf blades alot because they seem to stay sharper longer. Recently I switched to Starrett Duratec and I'll see how it compares to the Timber Wolf blades.

For a very versatile all-around blade, I like a 1/2" wide blade with 4 teeth per inch in a hook tooth shape.

As Chris said, for resawing, Laguna makes the Resaw King with carbide tips. MK Morse also makes carbide tipped blades which are about 15-20% cheaper than Laguna, but I don't know if they are available in the 3/4" width which is usually used on 14" machines for resawing.

My sae is a weird one and can accept a 1" blade. It is the "pro" version 1 1/2 hp. It was one of jets weird bandsaws that got discontinued. At least on the tension guide it has a 1" blade setting premarked so I would assume I can get a 1" blade. Oddly enough the manual and spec sheet has nothing in it for blade sizes. If the setting is pre-marked on the machine is it safe to assume it accepts a 1" blade? That is if I can find a 93 1/2" 1" blade. Which as I just typed that out makes me want to double check the size of the blade it has since I can't find any data sheets on it except the manual it came with. Which is the least informative manual I have ever recieved with a larger machine.

Also, [member=44099]Cheese[/member] I'm coming to Minneapolis possibly this weekend to get a British Labrador and was curious as to a better woodworking store to visit.

I doubt a 1" blade is necessary. I use 1/2" on my 14" Rikon with a 1 1/2 HP motor. I have had great results using the setup guidelines from Alex Snodgrass. My opinion is that it is unlikely you will get your money out of them when compared with buying multiple regular blades. The carbide tipped are expensive and, unless you do this for a living and resaw constantly, I would just try a standard 3TPI hook or skip tooth blade. I can't emphasize the setup enough though for resawing. I have no special blade or guides on my Rikon and it works great; much better results than before I spent the time with setup. A sharp blade is also important. I like to be frugal and am always reluctant to replace blades, but I've learned recently that, when your results start to degrade, it is either time for a new blade or to check the guides, tension, and tracking of the existing blade.

I have recently used blades from Carter with excellent results but don't know if they are better or the same as Timberwolf or Olson. The Wood Slicer blades from Highland Woodworking are supposed to be great also, but I've never used them.

 

[Cheese]

My sae is a weird one and can accept a 1" blade. It is the "pro" version 1 1/2 hp. It was one of jets weird bandsaws that got discontinued. At least on the tension guide it has a 1" blade setting premarked so I would assume I can get a 1" blade. Oddly enough the manual and spec sheet has nothing in it for blade sizes. If the setting is pre-marked on the machine is it safe to assume it accepts a 1" blade? That is if I can find a 93 1/2" 1" blade. Which as I just typed that out makes me want to double check the size of the blade it has since I can't find any data sheets on it except the manual it came with. Which is the least informative manual I have ever recieved with a larger machine.

Also, [member=44099]Cheese[/member] I'm coming to Minneapolis possibly this weekend to get a British Labrador and was curious as to a better woodworking store to visit.

[member=42383]Tayler_mann[/member]
Tayler...I believe a 1/2" wide, .025" thick blade needs a bit over 300# of force to properly tension it. Thus a 1" wide blade would require double that amount. The biggest question is if your saw is capable of applying that much force for proper tensioning. Maybe a quick call or email to Jet would help solve that issue. As a compromise, I'm pretty sure tensioning a 3/4" wide blade would not be an issue for the Jet.

As far as woodworking stores go, Woodcraft & Rockler are probably it. However, ACME tool in Plymouth is having a sale this weekend.

http://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/plymouth-mn

Also Betterley moved and opened a new Festool showroom recently in Ham Lake. Haven't been there but here's the address.

http://www.mapquest.com/places/betterley-industries-inc-ham-lake-mn-290987153

 

[grbmds]

[member=42383]Tayler_mann[/member] The fact is that you probably don't need anything wider than a 1/2" blade to re-saw. I find it difficult to find anything wider than a little over 6" wide boards these days where there isn't waste, plus at a reasonable price. For a 6" - 8" wide board, a 1/2" blade will most likely do the job on most native hardwoods. In some, you might have to feed slower, but still will be OK. That's one of the reasons I stick with a 3 TPI blade and joint or plane the cut surface after.