Hello all... Having recently acquired a new bandsaw I am looking to set myself up with some blades. I have been reading here and around the web but as is often the case have found many differing opinions and am suffering info overload. I am hoping that someone here may be able to help me decide my best option based on my specific needs.
My saw is an 18" "3HP" import model, it looks remarkably similar to the Rikon 18", right down to the paint job, just with cheaper plastic handwheels and fittings.
I will be using the saw for general furniture making and will be preparing my own boards from the large chunks of rough cut lumber available down here (Southern Mexico, mostly "semi-hard" woods..Primavera, Chechen, Laurel, some Mahogany and odd exotics such as Tigerwood and Ziricote) Quantities will vary but say an average of a few hundred BF per month.
Due to my location one of my main concerns is durability and long term economy as ordering new blades from north of the border is not something I want to do too often. At the same time short term economy dictates that pricey carbide blades are out of my range.
Finish of cut is probably not so important as I would expect to send anything I saw through the planer anyway.
I am thinking that ordering a number of cheaper "generic" 1/2"-3/4" blades for general breakdown of chunks into boards may be the best option, adding a decent Woodslicer or similar to reserve for resawing bookmatched panels or extra fine cuts.
Has anybody used the general purpose blades that Highland stocks or have any other recommendations for cheaper blades that will last a reasonable amount of cutting time and produce good results?