Newbie question about my band saw

[Tim Solley]

Hi everyone. So I have a newbie question that will probably seem super basic. I bought a Grizzly 14" band saw a while back and used it for one project. The curves were fairly wide, nothing too tight, except for one area. To play it safe, I used a 1/4" blade.

My question is, first off, how do I know which size blade to choose? Secondly, when I'm cutting, how do I know if I'm "pushing the blade" a little too hard? That is, how do I know when I'm cutting too tight a curve?

Okay, I may as well throw another question out there. How do I know what type of blade to use. I have three sizes of blades, all raker style. When I used one on my project, it left the cut rough as all heck. It was ridged...like Ruffles potato chips. I spent a lot of time at the spindle sander smoothing it out. Was it the style of blade, or maybe I didn't have the tension correct?

Thanks for any help,

Tim

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Hi Tim, there are a lot of reasons this can be happening, the wrong blade, the wrong tension, the wrong technique, or in my case, a combo of all the above.

I strongly suggest you get

"The Bandsaw Book" by Lonnie Bird
ISBN: 1561582891

Well worth the $13 they want for it at Amazon.

This book will answer a lot of your questions, and they really cover the saw that you have (type 14") in detail.

Cheers!

[Mark Pruitt]

I echo Stu's suggestion; you'll find that book to be valuable. Another book worth considering is Mark Duginskie's Bandsaw:Workshop Bench Reference (click here). There is also a DVD titled "Mastering Your Bandsaw" also by Duginskie (click here).

In the books you'll find information on which blade width to select for different radius cuts, along with tons of other useful stuff. Enjoy the tool!

[Bob Rufener]

I also recommend Mark Duginske's book. I have one called "The Art of the Band Saw). Excellent information about setting up and tweaking your band saw. Also a number of how to projects. I'll try to attach a photo of a page from the book that should give you some direction about blade size and size of radius each blade will follow. The book

[Dave Falkenstein]

Timberwolf blades will most likely make your cuts improve dramatically. Call them and ask for their recommendations on blades for the types of work you expect to do. Look Here:

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/