Band saw blade choice (from a newbie)...

[Doug Hobkirk]

I have an older Jet 14" band saw that I bought used. I've changed tires. I flattened and adjusted all 4 guide blocks. It came with 3 Olson blades -

1. 1/2" (3 TPI)
2. 3/16" (10 TPI)
3. 1/8" (14 TPI)

My total experience with it so far is 3 Adirondack chairs (oak, pine, redwood), all using the 3/16" blade (back side rounded w/ stone). It seems to cut well, but I am a newbie. The tightest radius I can turn is 2.1" so there are times when I need to back out and change the approach angle to make a tight turn. But I haven't changed to the 1/8" blade because it looks so fragile.

QUESTIONS -

1. What size blade is the typical default (assuming curves are included and that I'm not resawing [which I havene't tried yet])?
2. Are Olson blades OK? ...good? ...bad?

Thanks, as always.

[Mark Singer]

A 1/2 " blade with 4 or 6 tpi is good. The Olson MVP is a good inexpensive choice

[John Bailey]

I'm one of those guys that keep just one blade 90% of the time. My blade of choice is a 1/4 in. either 8 or 10 TPI. While this isn't the fastest blade, it works well for most jobs. If I'm going to do a lot of straight cuts, I'll put the 1/2 in. 4 TPI blade. I've used the Olson blades and they are fine. I usually buy from Suffolk Machinery.

John