bandsaw blade question

Exile

Exile

that definatly rolled....
Silver Member
Hi Guys,

I need a little help.

I recently bought a bandsaw to further the cue building quest. Its just a little one but it seems to be up to the task... ish :confused:

It came with a 1/4in thick blade which gives a beautiful straight cut along the wood in one direction but goes off at all angles when cutting along the grain.

So my question is this... "if i buy a 1/2in thick blade will this help to create straight cuts along the grain or would i be better off buying a table saw to split the wood?"

A table saw is on the to buy list but if i can put it off for now it will help with the cash flow.

Thanks for your help guys :thumbup:
 
Its just a little one but it seems to be up to the task...
I think the problem lies in that statement.
 
A good high quality blade with teeth that are ground such as a timberwolf and not stamped will help with blade drift.Also if your machine is a small one the frame is probably not stiff enough to properly tension a 1/2" blade.
 
I'm getting slightly better results with the 1/2in blade now but there is still room for improvement.

Could someone help me as i'm still a bit lost with picking all the following...

TPI =
Hook angle =
Carbon steel, spring steel, carbide tipped=

Can anyone reccomend an online supplier of a decent blade? 1425mm long.

Thanks in advance :D
 
band saw blade

I have an old craftsman 12 in band saw. I put a 1/2 in wood slicer blade from Highland Hardware. I cuts like wood is butter.

Kim
 
Exile said:
I'm getting slightly better results with the 1/2in blade now but there is still room for improvement.

Could someone help me as i'm still a bit lost with picking all the following...

TPI =
Hook angle =
Carbon steel, spring steel, carbide tipped=

Can anyone reccomend an online supplier of a decent blade? 1425mm long.

Thanks in advance :D
Click to expand...

PSI Wood Products is the online distributor for timberwolf blades. They will make a blade to any length and configuration you want. The fewer the teeth the better for resawing.

Chris
 
what are you trying to cut wood/length/resaw or end cut? when picking a blade this is the info you need to know. when resawing, the widest blade you can put on the bandsaw-the better. also, the LESS teeth is better. the rake for these type of blades is pretty much predetermined by manufacturor. i'm not sure in england, but in the us CARTER or OLSEN are good selections. Timberwolf are ok but for me they leave a rather rough cut. Carter also can help with fine tuning of the bandsaw as well. if you need more info just PM me.
 
With band-saws, the last piece of the puzzle is the blade.
Every component relative to the blade, ie guides, rollers, tension, alignment etc.
have to be properly set before the blade even matters.
The finest blade in the world will cut like crap on a machine that isn't setup right.
How much space is there btwn your work and the upper guide?
Too much space and your blade will wander, particularly if your guides aren't properly set.
A band-saw may seem like such a simple, non-complex machine and for the most part they are.
Proper setup will give you a machine that runs like it's suppose to.
You might try a fence for rip-cuts.

HTH, KJ
 
avscue said:
what are you trying to cut wood/length/resaw or end cut? when picking a blade this is the info you need to know. when resawing, the widest blade you can put on the bandsaw-the better.
Click to expand...

Blade width is a fallacy when it comes to resawing. Ive got a 4.5 HP laguna I use to saw paper thin veneers with and I only use a 1/2 blade. Blade width is only important when cutting curves. What matters is that the blade is properly tensioned and your guides are set correctly

avscue said:
also, the LESS teeth is better. the rake for these type of blades is pretty much predetermined by manufacturor.
Click to expand...

Almost. As I said in a previous post which I should have elaborated on, the number of teeth is dependent on the thickness of the wood. THe thicker the wood the fewer the teeth. Consequentially the better the blade is able to clear the dust out. Also consider that when cutting oily exotic woods, you should use a thicker kerf blade. Read the following link:

http://www.pswood.com/home.php?cat=47

avscue said:
i'm not sure in england, but in the us CARTER or OLSEN are good selections. Timberwolf are ok but for me they leave a rather rough cut. Carter also can help with fine tuning of the bandsaw as well. if you need more info just PM me.
Click to expand...

I suppose everybody has their preferences but Carter and Olson are roughly equivalent to the crap you get on a new bandsaw. Fully hardened spring steel does not make for a good bandsaw blade.

Chris <---- Happens to manage a Woodcraft
 
chris, its nice you manage a woodcraft store. they are fun to visit. my experience with bandsaw blades has led me to that conclusion. i've done the timberwolf thing and results were not as good as with a good ole olsen. suprised me considering the hype i was getting at oddly enough a woodcraft store(this is not a complaint). perhaps its just my situation, i don't know. for me, a thicker blade doesn't drift like a thinner one and yes i have roller guides and proper tension. you state "Blade width is only important when cutting curves.". i wonder why, perhaps because a wider blade stays...i don't know..STRAIGHTER...just a thought. i tend to lean towards the way KJ cues thinks, proper machine setup is the key. this is why i suggested Carter as they have made it a bussiness fine tuning bandsaws. we really don't know what kind of bandsaw Exile has and he's seems to be asking about blades only so, from my experience building cues, wider is better. it has fewer teeth and a thicker kerf.

by the way, if your interested, give me a PM. it might be nice to compare notes.
 
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Actually a wider blade doesnt stay staight in a curve. It binds. Not good. For a noticable difference in the blades ability to stay straight, you need to step up to a hitachi resaw or a northfield that can properly tension a 3-4" blade.

I assume, and its just an assumption, you are using a 14" bandsaw. Probably a cast iron frame. While the maximum blade width many of these can take is greater than 1/2", it is important to note that these saws simply arent capable of tensiong a blade over that width. Beyond half an inch, the frame starts to defelct and you loose tensioning capability. Tubular steel frame bandsaws are much stiffer but still not up to the job of tensioning properly over say 3/4 of an inch.

I'd have to say the single most important factor in controlling blade wobble is a properly tensioned blade. Period.

There are other factors such as tooth geometry and rake to consider but that can be summarized by saying if the teeth are stamped improperly, the blade is gonna wander.

Forthe OP - Get a hook tooth 1/2" blade with 2/3 teeth per inch and start properly adjsuting your guides and tension. Two great books to look into - One by Lonnie Bird and the other by Mark Duginsky.

avscue said:
chris, its nice you manage a woodcraft store. they are fun to visit. my experience with bandsaw blades has led me to that conclusion. i've done the timberwolf thing and results were not as good as with a good ole olsen. suprised me considering the hype i was getting at oddly enough a woodcraft store(this is not a complaint). perhaps its just my situation, i don't know. for me, a thicker blade doesn't drift like a thinner one and yes i have roller guides and proper tension. you state "Blade width is only important when cutting curves.". i wonder why, perhaps because a wider blade stays...i don't know..STRAIGHTER...just a thought. i tend to lean towards the way KJ cues thinks, proper machine setup is the key. this is why i suggested Carter as they have made it a bussiness fine tuning bandsaws. we really don't know what kind of bandsaw Exile has and he's seems to be asking about blades only so, from my experience building cues, wider is better. it has fewer teeth and a thicker kerf.

by the way, if your interested, give me a PM. it might be nice to compare notes.
Click to expand...
 
Cheers for all the info guys.

I've bought a new fence and a 3/8"x 6 TPI blade from Axminster and its flying through the wood like its not even there despite not having an upper guide as i broke it when walking past with a steel bar in my hand.:rolleyes:

I'll get a new guide and we should be cooking on gas.

Cheers again
 
I use different blades for different tasks. For cutting strips to go into ring billets, or cutting point stock, I use an 18tpix3/8 blade from Lowes. It fits my 93.5" saw. For ripping up burls & blocks into squares, I use a 3/4"x3tpi Timberwolf blade from Grizzly. The 18tpi blade will kill out quick if trying to rip up thick or irregular shaped stock. And the 3tpi blade leaves too jagged an edge to efficiently cut fine pieces, but makes quick easy work of thick & bulky stock. Different blades for different applications.

edit: Dave already posted a link to some of what I was saying.
 
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