band saw blade advice sought

ken werner

Member
Messages
3,377
Location
Central NY State
I'm looking for suggestions for BS blades. Not the premium ones that sell for $30. I'm looking for the best value/use item. I also don't want to invest that much in a blade that can be trashed in a moment by a twisted cut.

An article in FWW some time ago recommended BCSaw.com, but I've no experience with their blades. I've had good luck with Hartville tools blades. Because I have a nice old PM 141, I need 95" blades, which some of the standard dealers don't carry.

Suggestions welcome.
 
Might be a bit off the wall here Ken, but have you ever considered buying a roll of blade, and making your own?

Sometimes you can find a deal on Ebay etc. of the right sized blade, in a roll, a simple jig, a propane gas torch and some silver solder and you are in business.

Just a thought.

Cheers!
 
ken i buy my disposa-blades from ellis mfg. in wisc. they have a minimum order and i don`t remember what it is? but a dozen blades covers it...their phone number is 800-383-5547.......know your tooth geometry when you order....i always buy 4 hook and they stock them in 1/2 and 1/4....tod
 
I'd suggest Suffolk Machinery. Good blades, and their prices are more in the $17 - $25 range for the size you want. They're also pretty good about helping you decide which blade is best for your intended purpose. They'll make the blade to your lenght specs if they don;t already have it in stock. I've been real happy with their products.

Note, however, that their blades don't cut rock very well. :p I toasted a blade a few nights ago cutting a piece of madrone burl that had a rock imbedded in it. By the time I realized I was hitting something, the blade was shot. (It burned on a straight cut through pine afterwards.)
 
I am not a bandsaw expert but I started with Suffolk Machinery blades due to recommendations and have seen no reason to change. I run them on a Delta 14" 2hp saw and their performance has exceeded what I expected. So like Vaughn said, Suffolk is worth a try.
 
I have to ditto what others have said about Suffolk service. But, when ordering Timberwolf blades, do ask about life expectancy. My 3/4"X3 resaw blade (for use in my Griz. G0555 14") went dull real quick. When I called Suffolk they said to expect only about 200 lineal feet of cutting life from a (meaning any) blade. Thickness doesn't seem to be a factor. Don't ask me why. :dunno: When I told him the majority of my cutting was red cedar and osage orange, they said I should expect even a shorter life from them as those woods have a high silica content that dulls quickly. This was about the amount I cut before experiencing dulling symptoms and I'm majorly dissapointed. Two hundred feet of cutting is only a couple hours work. Tod has reccomended the Ellis blades. I may have to order a bunch to meet their minimums and try.
 
I have to ditto what others have said about Suffolk service. But, when ordering Timberwolf blades, do ask about life expectancy. My 3/4"X3 resaw blade (for use in my Griz. G0555 14") went dull real quick...
To go off track a little bit here, I tried the 3/4" Timberwolf resaw blade that Suffolk recommended, and although it was decent, it didn't hold a candle to my 1/2 Woodslicer from Highland. On my 14" Shop Fox (w/riser), the Woodslicer is the best I've used for what bit of resawing I've done. Slow, but very clean as long as the saw was set up properly. The Timberwolf resaw blade was faster, but no matter how I tried, I could not get as clean of cut.

I really do like the 1/2" and 3/8" Timberwolf green wood bowl blank cutting blades. I've not had a problem with them dulling prematurely except the time I hit a rock in some burl. :doh:
 
To go off track a little bit here, I tried the 3/4" Timberwolf resaw blade that Suffolk recommended, and although it was decent, it didn't hold a candle to my 1/2 Woodslicer from Highland. On my 14" Shop Fox (w/riser), the Woodslicer is the best I've used for what bit of resawing I've done. Slow, but very clean as long as the saw was set up properly. The Timberwolf resaw blade was faster, but no matter how I tried, I could not get as clean of cut.

I really do like the 1/2" and 3/8" Timberwolf green wood bowl blank cutting blades. I've not had a problem with them dulling prematurely except the time I hit a rock in some burl. :doh:

You may be "off track" Vaughn ;) but yer still on subject. This is an interesting topic. Bandsaw blades seem to be a source of confusion for many, myself included. We want them to last and cut straight and clean. At the same time, it is very expensive to experiment at $15.00 to $30.00 a shot. I've been putting off ordering more blades but will have to do something pretty soon. One thing I do know, my 3/4" resaw blades (BTW, I'm limited to 6" thick cuts) will never be 3 tooth again. Under about 1" thick they catch before cutting. I'll go 4 tooth and maybe in carbide tip next time.
 
I used Olson brand for years on my now defunct 14" import that Stu now has.

Last ones were purchased from Hartville Tool.

I am now running Lennox on the MM16.

Seems to be some good blades so far
 
I pulled the trigger today

Bought 10 blades from BCSaw.com. These cost just about $10 each including shipping. Although there were several suggestions for the Timberwolf blades, I've also seen that they cut rough. I just couldn't see spending$30 a piece for the woodslicers, given the life expectancy of BS blades.

Once I've had a chance to test the new blades out, I'll post some impressions. Thanks to all for your input.
 
BC Saw blades - first impressions

I received my well packed box of 10 blades just a few days after placing the order.

I've only used the 1/2" 3tpi skip blade. The surface it leaves is a bit rough, but it cuts at a satisfactory speed, handles very well, and feels good. I found that it handled gentle curves with surprising agility.

Overall, at an early stage, I'm very happy with the purchase. I think that the low price allows me to keep a sharp blade on the saw, and I don't need to be worried that I [or my shop-mate] may damage a blade.

Ken
 
glad you found a source for affordable blades ken! i`m of the opinion that other than carbide i`d rather have cheap blades that i don`t feel bad about pitching when they get dull...tod
 
Glad to see you like the new blades. Ken. I'll have to give those guys a try next time I'm reordering blades, just to compare.
 
[
Note, however, that their blades don't cut rock very well. :p I toasted a blade a few nights ago cutting a piece of madrone burl that had a rock imbedded in it. By the time I realized I was hitting something, the blade was shot. (It burned on a straight cut through pine afterwards.)[/QUOTE]

so that is why those calf. folks are so hard headed they are impregnated with rocks like the trees of the area huhuh:rofl: :rofl:
 
Top