Longest lasting bandsaw blade?

[Rob Edmiston]

I am fairly new to woodworking and have had to replace my bandsaw blade more often than anticipated. I will be working on small projects where I will be cutting oak on my bandsaw and need to know what manufacturer makes the longest lasting blades and if there is any particular type I need to look for. I normally use a 72" x 3/8" blade and will be doing some long gentle arcs in 3/4" thick white oak.

Thanks

[Loren Woirhaye]

Such short blades are usually used on band saws with smaller wheel diameters. This results in breakage.

I solder up my own blades from coil stock. The equipment to do it costs about $40 for a blade holding jig, solder and flux. Good for repairing broken blades too. I buy coil stock on ebay.

Rip-tooth band saw blades can be resharpened by mounting them inverted on the saw and grinding the gullets with a moto-tool held in a simple cradle.

[Tai Fu]

Usually bands that short requires special thin blades, and those can't be home welded.

Your options are few unfortunately. Diemaster lasts about 6 months, then it breaks (the blade is still sharp too)

[Gus Dundon]

If you're using a 3 wheeler band saw, blade breakage is a normal thing. I just found out there are manufacturers that specifically make blade for 3 wheeled bandsaw.

One of the problems with some saws use short band is that, due to the small diameter of the wheels, the blades are subjected to greater flexing, hence, blade fatigue/ breakage is likely to happen.

[Bill White]

I've used 73 1/2" blades for a LONG time without a break (watch me have one today).
Correct tension, correct band width and tooth profile goes a long way.
What tooth count are ya using?
Bill

[Loren Woirhaye]

I haven't found 3/8" and wider blades prone to breakage. I break a blade every few months on my INCA 710, which is a 3 wheeler with 10" wheels. The blades are 1/4" wide.

I guess the question would be for the OP, "are you looking for sharpness retention or resistance to breakage?"

[Yonak Hawkins]

Rob, here's a pretty standard chart to determine if you're using the correct blade width for the arc you want to cut :

radius_chart.gif

[Myk Rian]

See if Supercut sells blade stock. I've always had good life with their blades.

[Rob Edmiston]

Sharpness is what I am after. Thanks

[Loren Woirhaye]

You can get "carbide impregnated" steel blades. This hardens the steel around the tips more than standard hardening, in theory. I've never tried them. they are supposed to stay "sharp" longer.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Myk, I've heard that some others got good life out of Supercut blades, Unfortunately, I didn't have the same experience. I bought 5 blades from them and they all broke within a week. One lasted less than an hour. It seems like that would be an aberration but, after I returned the blades to be re-welded, I had the same thing happen again to the re-welded blades. On the positive side, I liked the way they cut but I guess that could be due to the fact that the blades never had a chance to get dull. I have not had any similar problems with any other blades.

[Tai Fu]

You get the best life out of bimetal blades, but unfortunately with a band that short chances are your wheel is tiny, so the blade will break in short order. Lenox Diemaster 2 is pretty flexible and can last a few months on a 9" wheel (note: TWO WHEELED only) but they will still eventually work harden and break before getting dull.

[Curt Harms]

See if Supercut sells blade stock. I've always had good life with their blades.

+1 on Supercut. They make blades for 3 wheelers 3/16" - 3/8" .014" thickness for flexibility with less metal fatigue. Rob hasn't said if the saw is 2 or 3 wheel but it sounds like small diameter wheels either way. There are 3 vendors I know of that only do bandsaw & bandsaw blade business. 1) Woodcraftbands.com 2) Iturra 3) Supercut. I assume someone like that would be better versed than a company with a broad product line.

[Peter Quinn]

I like Olson MVP bimetal blades for a good life versus cost factor on a saw that size. Carbide is the longest lasting but I'm not sure of any available for such short lengths.

[Tai Fu]

The problem with those thin blades is the metal is so soft that the blade is dull by the time you get the guide adjusted.