bandsaw blades

Dan Diel

Member
Messages
8
I'm a new poster, but read everything you guys post. Don't feel knowledgeable enough to contribute much. With that said, I'm approaching the time to buy a new 1/2 inch bandsaw blade. I would appreciate a few comments on the following.......
A I know a bandsaw blade is kind of like a girl friend...everyone has their favorite. With that in mind, I would appreciate a few comments on which brand to buy. I currently have been using a timberwolf which has been ok. However,it has not seen any rough service.
B I have a 14 inch bandsaw, is a 1/2 inch as large as I want to go.
C Can I resharpen, what tools would I have to buy. I have a saw set.

Thanks in advance........ Dan
 
Welcome, Dan!

Happy to offer any suggestions I can. But first, could you give us some idea of what you're going to use the new blade for? What made you land on 1/2"? What kinda cuts will you be making (straight, curved, resawing, bowl blanks, wet wood, dry wood, etc)?
 
hi dan!
i don`t think it wise to run over a 1/2"blade on a 14" cast iron saw.
i have found the life of carbon steel blades to be pretty much the same so i shop on price. some of the companys use different grinds on the teeth for a somewhat smoother cut, or more set for easier radiuses but honestly there`s not enough difference for me to worry about.
sharpening a 10$ blade for over an hour is a loosing proposition for me so i don`t bother.
 
The blade would be used mostly for resawing. I am attempting to move from pine to hardwood and want a blade that will stand up to the pressure.

Dan
 
Yes you can but not worth the effort. count the teeth, a 4tpi 93.5" blade has 3740 teeth +- so lets say you can file 3 strokes each at 1 stroke per second giving 2 seconds to progress to the next one... Thats 32+ minutes if you don't let up and tire. then do the set, another 30 minutes at best. if you are like Super pooper sharpening man...
 
Yes you can but not worth the effort. count the teeth, a 4tpi 93.5" blade has 3740 teeth +- so lets say you can file 3 strokes each at 1 stroke per second giving 2 seconds to progress to the next one... Thats 32+ minutes if you don't let up and tire. then do the set, another 30 minutes at best. if you are like Super pooper sharpening man...

i`ve got an old foley-belsaw automatic saw filer and all the attachments as well as a setter and i still don`t sharpen:eek:
 
I have used 3/4" blades successfully on my 14" bandsaw. I prefer four tooth but note that three tooth gets the most recommendations here.
I will soon be installing a riser on the saw to give me an increase from 6" to 12" capacity. When that is done, I will use no more than 1/2" blades because trying to tension a 3/4" with the extra flex/weakness built in with the riser there could be problems.
 
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