Bandsaw box blades.

[Honest John]

So I'm thinking of a change of tack and having a go at a bandsaw box, somnething ive never tried before. What size of blade do you bs box makers use? I've searched the forums and there are many differing opinions. Alexam and at least one other is using the carter blade guides with 8th inch blades with great success. Are quarter inch blades ok to use for the less radical cuts? My SIP bandsaw uses roller bearing guides so I can't use the the Steve Maskery mdf disc and double stick tapetrick without some further re engineering. Woodpigs use of a grooved bearing looks kind of interesting and might be worth me investing in one, but it isn't clear if other engineering work is required beyond just fitting it as a thrust bearing. All these mods are unrequired I guess if the job can be done with a quarter inch blade. I'm sure I saw a post some time ago in which someone suggested a 3/16th 4 tooth blade was the dogs for this task, and yet others have suggested14 tooth? Be nice to know what to use. I recon I could track a 3/16th blade with my current guides, although the handbook suggests 1/4 is the smallest that should be used.

 

[Steve Maskery]

My SIP bandsaw uses roller bearing guides so I can't use the the Steve Maskery mdf disc and double stick tapetrick without some further re engineering.

John, are your roller bearings mounted eccentrically with a front screw onto a round bar? If so, is it not just a simple matter of removing the steel bearing and replacing it with a wooden disk of the same dimensions? Or am I missing something?

 

[sunnybob]

John, it all depends on how tight you want the curves to be.
read this through
http://www.allbandsawblades.com/blade_width.htm

1/8" blade will give you a virtual right angle, but tight curves can still be made with wider blades.

 

[twodoctors]

I use 1/8" on a normal roller guide found with a Scheppach Baso 1.0. They are very nice to cut with, thin kerf and all that, but also prone to snapping if you are too rough/demanding with it. Also tried 3/16", which is also very good, but will also snap if you are rough with it (like I snapped one a couple of hours ago, my fault).

Why don't you drop Ian at TuffSaw a line and ask his advice?

Adrian

 

[Honest John]

Steve, your absolutely right of course I didn't think this through, I just rewatched your DVD section on sticking mdf pads onto your bearing surfaces. In the workshop today I had a look and it is need easy to engineer a solution. In fact I can't see that I need to cut discs of mdf, and blocks bolted to where the bearings normally go should work ok. I shall order a thin blade so that I can try it.
Thanks also to Bob and Adrian, I shall talk to Ian at Tuffsaws in the near future and see what he suggests. There doesn't seem to be any consensus on the TPI that box makers are using, with each end of the scale having its followers. As I said I shall talk to Ian and I'm going to try an 1/8th inch blade regardless as I am interested to see if I can support and use this fine blade, as I can think of other potential uses that could negate me having to dig out my scroll saw!

 

[twodoctors]

Scroll saw won't be able to handle the depth of cut needed for bandsaw boxes... at least you'll be there for ages trying to complete the cut!

The "problem" with thin blades on smaller machine like mine, as Ian explained, is that the blade can get quite hot because of the relatively shorter overall length of the blade. This makes it prone to overheat and snap. Also you may struggle with setting the guides so the teeth are in front of them, cause wear as well as overheating.

It is possible as I said. I use it (and snap a few!) but snapping is getting less frequent as I learn to use it properly. It won't replace a scroll saw (which you need for the finest work) but it is very useful.

I don't think 1/8" blades comes in anything larger than 14TPI. 10 or 14TPI are ideal as the kerf is smaller, and so the joint on the box will look better. 10 TPI is good as well, and I use that for straight cuts.

Adrian

 

[Alexam]

Hi Adrian,
I used the 1/4" and 3/16" blades when I started making bandsaw boxes and within the turning restrictions they worked well. Tighter turns can be cut in 'bits', but the 1/4" 14tpi from Tuffsaw is excellent. After I moved to a larger bandsaw and several months after that, I stuck to that size, but did try the 1/8" and had problems with the guides being set just right.

The Carter Stabilizer is not a necessity, but it certainly helps with only one connection at the back of the blade. I would suggest you keep going with the 1/4" until you have made a few boxes and then decide if you want to go further with changing. It's great fun, but even selling them doesn't cover the costs involved. A hobby not a business, but I like it and don't have the skills to do other woodwork.
Malcolm
From sunny Bath.