Bandsaw Blades

[Julie Wright]

OK Turners, What brand and type of bandsaw blades do you use?
I am finally adding a riser kit top my 14" Grizzly and will need to order longer blades. Thanks in advance for your help and Info.

[Don Farr]

OK Turners, What brand and type of bandsaw blades do you use?
I am finally adding a riser kit top my 14" Grizzly and will need to order longer blades. Thanks in advance for your help and Info.

Good morning Julie, I think you will find that most folks will say Timber wolf. They improved my saw a lot and they are very helpful folks. I can't remember the website but I am sure someone will.

Found it.
http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/

[Mark Singer]

Julie,
In my14" bandsaw I use Timberwolf blades from PS woodworking . The best overall blade is a 1/2" 4tpi.
http://www.pswood.com/pswoodcart/b_saw_blds.pl
Another good choice are these blades from "The Best Things" ....these would be good overall as well.
They sell great products. Here is the link: Note the price is four 3 blades!
http://www.thebestthings.com/newtools/bandsaw.htm

[Glenn Clabo]

Hey Julie...
...depends on what you want...as always. I've been researching ones to get for my new BS. It seems Timberwolf and Lenox are the ones.

http://www.toolcenter.com/Lenox/index.html
http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/scragg.html

[Tyler Howell]

Don't have to be a Spin Doctor to know that one. TIMBER WOLF!!!!!!

TJH

[Jim Becker]

Julie...I'l agree on the Timberwolfs. Best blades for the money and Suffolk has excellent customer service. When you call them, be sure to tell them what you will be using the blades for. Why? Wet wood, such as turning blanks, are better handled with their AS series blades. I use the 1/2" AS for this work and the PS series for cutting dry wood.

Mark...PSWood are nice folks, but they charge more for the blades they make from the same stock that Suffolk uses. Buying direct can save you 20-40% in many cases.

[Lee Schierer]

I've had excellent results with Tuff tooth blades for my 14" Delta. I've had no tracking problems though admittedly I do relatively little resawing. You can see thier blades at Tufftooth.comTufftooth

I've met them at a couple of wood shows in Canada and they are very helpful. I would also recommend Timber Wolf from all the good reports I've heard of their blades over the years.

Be advised that the spring and frame of most 14" saws will not tension a 3/4" blade properly.

[Mike Kelly]

OK Turners, What brand and type of bandsaw blades do you use?
I am finally adding a riser kit top my 14" Grizzly and will need to order longer blades. Thanks in advance for your help and Info.

Julie, I use Timberwolf like everyone else, but I have noticed a blade from Laguna being advertised lately for resawing that looks like the king of the hill. They make a 3/4" x 105" for $158 called the "Resaw King" which I guess it is at that price.

[Kent Cori]

Julie,

I have the same saw with the riser block and use only Timberwolf blades from Suffolk Machinery on it. Jim is correct, Suffolk has the lowest price since you are buying direct and outstanding customer service. They will help you figure out how many TPI you'll need in the various sizes depending on the type of material you expect to be cutting. Their costs are low enough that when the blade becomes dull, I just buy a new one rather than spending a lot of time sharpening the current one.

I did buy the 3/4" resaw blade and in retrospect wish I had ordered the 1/2" version. I don't think I am developing sufficient tension in the 3/4" version even though it is advertised as a low tension blade. My other two blades are a 1/4" for relatively tight radius cuts and a 3/8" that I use for almost all my routine cuts. I'll be ordering the 1/2" resaw and a fresh 3/8" blade later this month.

[Steven Wilson]

On my Minimax MM20 I use a 1" Lennox carbide blade for resawing, accurate ripping, gentle curves, etc. For preping turning stock I use a 3/8" 3tpi Timberwolf AS blade. For general woodworking I use a 1/4" or 1/2" 6tpi Timberwolf PC blades.

[Byron Trantham]

Mark...PSWood are nice folks, but they charge more for the blades they make from the same stock that Suffolk uses. Buying direct can save you 20-40% in many cases.

I agree Jim. I just bought a 1/2"x105" for my saw and paid $17.50 for it!

[Wolf Kiessling]

OK Turners, What brand and type of bandsaw blades do you use?
I am finally adding a riser kit top my 14" Grizzly and will need to order longer blades. Thanks in advance for your help and Info.

Like apparently everyone else, I use the Timberwolf blades. I make sure I purchase them directly from Suffolk Machinery for the best price.

As someone mentioned, if you plan on purchasing the 3/4" blade, contact Grizzly to see if it will tension the blade properly. Some saws do not. I have the Delta and it does fine, whereas I have heard the Jet 14" saw will not. If Grizzly doesn't, you may have to replace the spring with something like Iturra.

There is one other thing you should be aware of. I believe you are probably going with the riser block to cut bowl blanks. Make sure that your motor has enough power to accomplish this. I was going to install a riser block on my 14" Delta which has a 3/4 hp motor, and, after extensive investigation, decided against it because I became convinced in order to work properly I would have jump up to at least a 1hp motor. I figured, between the cost of the riser block and a new motor I would be better off just buying a larger saw. So, I decided against the riser block and continue cutting my blanks, if the are over 6" high, with my chain saw.

This info is probably worth what you paid for it.....

Wolf

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned the Wood Slicer Blade from Highland Hardware. These are very good blades as well, and for resawing, I rate them right at the top. My opinion, of course, but they work great for me, and the cuts I can achieve with these blades on some difficult Exotic Woods has been very impressive.

[Phil Phelps]

....I've been buyin' band saw blades for 36 years. I buy from local sources and have great luck. Since some of my bandsaw work can take three to four days of constant cutting, I pretty much know how long a blade lasts. I wasn't impressed in the T Wolf blade when I tried it a coupla years ago. Different strokes....

[David Rose]

Phil, I kind of feel the same way. The guys at TW sold me a 3/4" blade for my Delta 14" and said it could handle it. I don't think there is any way even with a heavier tension spring. Their blades are "low tension" but a 3/4" needs quite a bit anyway. The 1/2" blades I got from them are fine but they didn't take long to dull enough to cause lead. I use my bandsaw for everything that will fit, so maybe I run it more than expected. And maybe I just got a couple of blades that weren't great. I switched to Lenox carbide and have used it for over 2 years with pretty steady (hobbiest) use. It still tracks straight and cuts well. It is pricey in comparision to carbon tooth blades, but I think it's worth it.

David

....I've been buyin' band saw blades for 36 years. I buy from local sources and have great luck. Since some of my bandsaw work can take three to four days of constant cutting, I pretty much know how long a blade lasts. I wasn't impressed in the T Wolf blade when I tried it a coupla years ago. Different strokes....