Folks, am I overthinking bandsaw blades?

[Steve Riess]

I have a new (my first) bandsaw (Grizzly G0555) set up and tuned. Through your many recommendations I too have purchased and studied Mark Duginske's Band Saw book. Many recommendation's tout this bandsaw to be above average but I am advised to discard the standard blade that comes with it. So I need to purchase blades. I have learned not to buy the standard prewelded blades that I might find in the local box stores. After an exhaustive search I can not locate a wood working specialty store anywhere in my area. Mr. Dugninski does not seem to endorse the swedish silicon steel blades offered by on line outlets.
I have some smallish oak boards from pallets that I would like to resaw for start up projects such as bird feeders and such. Most of my initail play will likely be with standard store bought pine boards. Any suggestions like perhaps I am overthinking this one!

[John Coloccia]

You're over thinking it.

Tiberwolf Blades (call Suffolk Machinery)

Carter Accuright blades (from Carter, of course)

Lennox makes a nice, pricey blade.

I've had great luck with both Timberwolf and Carter. IMHO, you can't go wrong as a new user with either company. You call them, tell them what you have and what you want to do, and they will hook you up with the proper blade.

[Bill Huber]

1+ what John said.

I use the Tiberwolf Blades and when I first got my band saw I had no idea what blade I needed a call to Suffolk Machinery and they walked me right though what I needed.

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/

[Nathan Palenski]

I use timberwolf and resaw kings (from laguna) without an issue.

[mark kosse]

For what its worth I'd use that grizzly blade until it won't cut strait. People talk down about them but I buy 30 or so a year of grizzly 93.5" blades. I don't like them as much as I used to but they're OK blades. I haven't found the much higher priced blades to last very much longer.

[glenn bradley]

Another +1 with John. Start with a few Suffolk blades and see what you like. Fro re-saw on a 14" I favor 1/2" 3TPI but everyone has a favorite.

[Prashun Patel]

+1 on upgrading the blade. Timberwolf's a good go.
Woodcraft also sells Timberwolf blades.

I have the GrizG0555. The stock blade did not cut straight despite meticulous tuning. It'll just frustrate you.

I'd get a 3/8" 4tpi blade as yr 'first' blade. It'll do a little bit of everything pretty well.

I say practice on stock you plan to use for projects. Pine cuts misleadingly easy. You might have trouble turning the same radius or feeding at the same speed in oak or cherry.

I also don't think it's worth it to upgrade your guides (YET, that is). I'm looking into replacing mine but only after 2 years. The stock rollers are good enough. Use them until they seize on you or scream too loud.

I've also used the BORG RIDGID blades to good effect. They cut fine for me (and I've used them in 1/4 and 1/2 varieties for cutting curves and resawing 6" walnut). They just don't seem to last as long as the Timberwolfs. Conversely, I had a Timberwolf 1/2" that moved back and forth because of a bad weld.

[Steve Riess]

Great guys, thanks! So there are no problems with the silicone steel Timberwolf blades?

1+ what John said.

I use the Tiberwolf Blades and when I first got my band saw I had no idea what blade I needed a call to Suffolk Machinery and they walked me right though what I needed.

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/

[Joseph Tarantino]

+1 on replacing stock blade. afraid i can't agree on the t-wolf blades. had 4 brand new blades with defective welds. suffolk people were very nice but couldn't seem to get me a properly welded blade. finally got a lennox (not a high end one) from iturra design that lou welded. solved 90% of my BS issues.

here is one of the t-wolf blades. note the oscillating motion caused by a defective weld:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrxBP8YBKYM

here is the same saw, with non-coplanar wheels thanks to a crummy jet dealer, and a lennox blade from iturra design (note the nickel next to the blade):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67s4qtbxHsk

i know some people swear by t-wolf blades. i have nothing against them, they just didn't work for me. and lou iturra has forgotten more about band saws than most of us will ever know. he is an excellent source of information for anything band saw related. follow his advice and you'll get the most out of your saw.

[Ed Labadie]

The T-wolf blades are excellent. Suffolk is excellent.
Quit worrying about it.
Just call them........tell them what you want to cut, they will recommend whats best for your application.
They keep records of your saw(s) and what blades you buy. No rembering what blades you ordered.

I would also keep & use the original blade, it's good to learn with if you haven't used a bandsaw much. The T-wolf blades can cut a little fast for a learner.

Ed

[Michael Peet]

afraid i can't agree on the t-wolf blades. had 4 brand new blades with defective welds. suffolk people were very nice but couldn't seem to get me a properly welded blade. [...]

here is one of the t-wolf blades. note the oscillating motion caused by a defective weld:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrxBP8YBKYM

I have to agree with Joseph. I have had exactly the same problem with most of my Timberwolf blades and won't buy them anymore. The one Woodslicer I tried from Highland Woodworking was much better, so I bought two more (but haven't unwrapped them yet).

Mike

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> For what its worth I'd use that grizzly blade until it won't cut strait.

I agree, it's not an all bad blade like some other OEM blades that used to be supplied. It frequently gets a bad rap from new bandsaw owners who don't know that band saw blades are specific to a particular operation. The supplied blade is not going to work well in a resaw operation. It will work fine in cross cutting and many circle cutting operations.

[Prashun Patel]

I agree, it's not an all bad blade like some other OEM blades that used to be supplied. It frequently gets a bad rap from new bandsaw owners who don't know that band saw blades are specific to a particular operation.

Might be true in some cases. Was not true in my case. My stock 3/8" blade would not cut 3/4 pine straight. It drifted. Say what u want about newbie bandsaw owners, but I humbly beg to differ this one time with you, Howard...

[Van Huskey]

I am a fan of Lenox blades and despite what was mentioned their prices are usually BELOW most of the other blades if you know where to look. I assume the reference to high prices was talking about the Trimaster which is a carbide toothed blade and one of the best resaw blades.

Try Spectrum Supply, they carry a full line of Lenox blades and the prices are very good. The Kerfmaster is the equal of the Highland WoodSlicer for less money that and the Iturra (I think it is bandrunnner or bladerunner) are the best resaw blades for a 14" "clone" saw. I am in the camp that a 14" cast saw can not tension a 3/4" carbide or bimetal blade correctly, but others will disagree.

Good blades are a must and I agree with those that say replace the OEM blade, nothing worse than trying to learn to tune and use something when you have part of it frustrating you and you may not even realize it.

Have fun and after you get a good variety of blades consider the Carter stabilizer for the saw, for curve cutting with 1/4" and under blades its a wonderful addition.

[Rod Sheridan]

I have a new (my first) bandsaw (Grizzly G0555) set up and tuned. Through your many recommendations I too have purchased and studied Mark Duginske's Band Saw book. Many recommendation's tout this bandsaw to be above average but I am advised to discard the standard blade that comes with it. So I need to purchase blades. I have learned not to buy the standard prewelded blades that I might find in the local box stores. After an exhaustive search I can not locate a wood working specialty store anywhere in my area. Mr. Dugninski does not seem to endorse the swedish silicon steel blades offered by on line outlets.
I have some smallish oak boards from pallets that I would like to resaw for start up projects such as bird feeders and such. Most of my initail play will likely be with standard store bought pine boards. Any suggestions like perhaps I am overthinking this one!

Hi Steve, are there no industrial saw suppliers in your area?

These would be shops that cater to the industrial users, perhaps they're listed as saw sharpening companies.

They can weld blades to your requirements.

Regards, Rod.