source for bandsaw blades

[Zahid Naqvi]

Well, since I finally have a bandsaw now I have to deal with the subsequent headaches. What is a good source for BS blades? In case it matters I have the Jet 12" saw.

[Mark Engel]

Grizzly has a pretty good selection. Also, Amazon.com.

McFeelys is another source.

[Michael McCoy]

I tried some of the BladeRunners from Iturra Design based on a good recommendation and was very pleased with them.

[Ryan Lee]

try highland hardware.com .... they have the woodslicer blades. I use these in my 18" jet and absolutely love them. Good luck!

[James Carmichael]

WoodCraft Bands has some good deals on Lennox carbon steel blades.

I've also used Starrett blades from BCSaw and they're excellent, but the shipping from Canada has become a deal-killer.

[Doug Shepard]

try highland hardware.com .... they have the woodslicer blades. I use these in my 18" jet and absolutely love them. Good luck!

I haven't used the Woodslicer since getting my Minimax (been using mostly the Lenox TriMaster on that) but used to use them on my Jet 14" and really like them. I think I've read somewhere that Iturra also sells them but under a different name and a little cheaper.

[Charley Preston]

Suffolk's Timberwolf blades have been great for me!

[Jim Becker]

http://www.Suffolkmachinery.com is where I buy my non-carbide blades...Timberwolf.

[Steve Prill]

Definitely don't use Grizzly bandsaw blades. My neighbor and I both have Grizzly bandsaws which are good, but the blades are crap. Very slow and rough cuts. The blades we got from BC Saw have been very good and made it fun to use the bandsaw instead of a chore. Hope this helps, Steve

[Tom Hamilton]

Another vote for Suffolk Machinery. I''ve got sizes from 1/8" to 1"+ and find they work great. Suffolk also promotes the "flutter" method of tensioning the blade which works well on my Griz 513X.

Best regards, Tom, in Houston

[Zahid Naqvi]

Thanks guys, looks like suffolk machinery has a lot of satisfied customers. So I will investigate that route.

[Zahid Naqvi]

Man! what did I step into, I just looked at the suffolk machinery site and the choice of blades is mind boggling. I think I should get "The bandsaw book" first and do some reading. Handtools are so much easier

[Paul Simmel]

Ryan,

>>> try highland hardware.com .... they have the woodslicer blades. I use these in my 18" jet and absolutely love them. Good luck!

How wide? Also, do you have the 133” or the 137”.



Thanks.

[Wilbur Pan]

Zahid,

Figuring out which bandsaw blade to get is kind of like asking, "Which hand plane should I get?" The choice of what bandsaw blade you need depends on what you intend to do with the blade. In order to get the best performance from your bandsaw, you'll have to match the blade to the task at hand. This is a bit of a pain in the tuckus, but then again, you wouldn't use a ripsaw to crosscut, would you?

There are a lot of factors to consider, but I've found that the two most important aspects of a bandsaw blade are the width of the blade and the TPI of the blade.

The width of the blade will determine how tight a curve you can cut with that particular blade. In a nutshell, the thinner the blade, the tighter the radius of the curve you can cut. This is one reason why resaw blades are typically wider. The extra width will help keep the cut going straight.

One issue with the width of the blade is that the wheel size of your bandsaw places a limit on how wide a blade you can put on your bandsaw. Wider bandsaw blades tend to be thicker, and there is a limit on how small a bandsaw wheel diameter a blade of a given thickness can negotiate. For example, if a typical 3/4" blade, which usually has a 0.032" thickness, is put on an 18" bandsaw, there will be no problems. Put the same blade on your 12" bandsaw, and now that blade has to make a tighter turn around the wheels, which will lead to a shortened life of the blade as metal fatigue will set in more quickly. Whichever manufacturer you go with, they should be able to recommend a maximum size for your bandsaw.

As for TPI, you're balancing efficiency of cut with smoothness of cut, much like with handsaws. A general rule of thumb is to keep 6-8 teeth in the cut for the smoothest cut. Therefore, resaw blades, which are intended for cutting thick stock, will have fewer TPI. Cutting thinner stock means having a higher TPI. If you have a TPI that's too high for the stock, you'll overheat the blade and shorten the life of the blade, and probably have burn marks on the wood as well.

There are other factors, such as the geometry of the tooth, and the set of the teeth, but the blade width and the TPI are the two most important factors.

Suffolk Machinery has a really nice chart on their website that lists the various types of blades and their recommended uses.

I have an old 16" Walker Turner bandsaw, which can handle 3/4" blades, and this is what I have in terms of blades (all Timberwolf blades from Suffolk Machinery):

3/4" 2-3 variable TPI for resawing
1/2" 6 TPI for cutting 1" stock or less
1/4" 6 TPI for cutting curves in 1" stock or less
3/4" 10 TPI for straight cuts in plywood (I don't have a tablesaw, and I do get cuts in plywood that are as smooth as a tablesaw cut with this blade.)

If you could mention what kind of cutting you plan on doing, I could help with which type of bandsaw blade would be best.

[Zahid Naqvi]

Wilbur, thanks for the detailed reply and I did read all of it. This being the first bandsaw I have ever owned I don't even know the extent of what I can do with it. For starters I do know that I will use it for cutting curves and resawing, it does have a 6" resaw capacity. The current blade is 1/4" wide and 6 TPI. It works well for curves and general purpose use, but highly inadequate for resawing. So I guess the first thing I need is a good resaw blades for a 12" BS.