Advice on bandsaw blades

[mickb69]

hi guys,
i have an old black and decker BD 339 band saw, i bought it second hand off fleabay last year.
i think the blade was about 6 tpi on it, and it worked well until i tried to cut along some 3" hardwood (chinese oak).
the blade broke.

the speed controller on the machine is stuck in the middle and won't budge, i'm going to disassemble it later to try and find out what is wrong with it.

anyways, i'm making a mook yang jong, (a wing chun kung fu dummy) and got some wood that would be perfect for the arms.

the trouble is, it is hardwood, and involves lots of huge lengths of straight cuts along the grain,
i have a couple of good handsaws, one a small but handy saw, the other a big monster with huge teeth that rip through the wood, they chomp through across the grain nice and neat, but along grain, i'm getting nowhere.

so i decided to get a new blade for my bandsaw,
again, the model is black & decker BD 339 series 1,
i'm cutting along hardwood, up to (no more than) 3 inches thick.
what TPI should i get.

is it even do-able on a "little" home bandsaw like this, or does it have to be an industrial type bandsaw for wood this thick/hard?

any other info would be good too, cheers.

 

[Jonesy]

I'd try something like a 3 tpi, skip tooth blade. It will give a rough sawn finish but the fewer teeth and bigger gullets are more suited to shifting the saw dust when ripping.

 

[Frank S]

Have a word with Ian John at Tuff Saws, he will sort you out and sell you the best blades you will ever want.
F

 

[MIGNAL]

3" hardwood might be really at that machines limit. It's a long time since I had a similar machine (Burgess table top) so I'm not absolutely certain. I'm sure there are members who have a similar bandsaw and who can comment.

 

[hammer n nails]

I have a b&d bandsaw same model 3 inches is a bit thick for that model but tuff saws will give you the right gen on that saw and good advice

 

[Steve Maskery]

I made a set of exactly those things, for exactly that purpose, in the 1980s. I did it on a little Elu 2-wheeler, which I suspect is only a tad more powerful that what you have. I think you should be able to do it, given the right blade.
+1 for asking Ian's advice, you will get the right blade(s) for the job. Remember that to cut the long grain you need big gullets to carry away the sawdust ( = few teeth) but to cut the shoulders you ideally need smaller teeth (because the fibres are smaller in that direction).
But given that you are going to turn the cones after cutting the square post, I think cross-cutting with the rip blade would cause few problems. Just take it steady. You can clean up the face when you turn the cones.
HTH
Steve

 

[mickb69]

thanks guys, that's all a massive help, i have sent an e-mail to tuff saws for info on what blade to use and prices.

for the small cuts inward to remove the long bits that i am taking away, i'll just use a hand saw, it's easy on those bits.
i won't be turning the arms unfortunately as i don't have access (or knowledge) to a lathe or anything like that.
i considered planing the corners away until they are round, but that could end up a real mess for me,
so i might invest in a router bit that will round the corners near enough.

i had borrowed a router, and it has a small round corner cutting bit, but it is quite small, when the time comes, i'll cut some off cuts with it and see how it looks, if it's no good i'll look at getting a new bit especially.
then hopefully clamp the router upside down, and run the corners through it, a bit of flat bits are OK

 

[Steve Maskery]

Mick, NO!
If you don't have a lathe, a router bit is NOT the answer to this problem. You original idea of planing the corners away until round is a MUCH more sensible and viable approach. You can cut the cone into a pyramid first and that will give you a start.
In this particular case a router is not your friend.
Actually, your best bet is to find a mate with a lathe and buy him dinner. But the pyramid/ blockplane approach is a close second.
S

 

[mickb69]

Mick, NO!
If you don't have a lathe, a router bit is NOT the answer to this problem. You original idea of planing the corners away until round is a MUCH more sensible and viable approach. You can cut the cone into a pyramid first and that will give you a start.
In this particular case a router is not your friend.
Actually, your best bet is to find a mate with a lathe and buy him dinner. But the pyramid/ blockplane approach is a close second.
S

ok, so, normally, you mark out a line, then cut, you can see what you are taking away, but when doing this, how can i keep everything even and symmetrical?
i can see it ending up wonky and wavy.

part of the problem is, i am working off a cheap workmate with a vice bolted onto it, not a big heavy workbench, and will probably end up riding it all over the yard whilst chomping bits out of my workpiece.
i could butt it up to the wall, and then tape the wife and kids to it to secure it down a bit, they need to come in handy for something, right? :lol:

 

[Steve Maskery]

There is no reason why it should end up wonky and wavy.
Draw a truncated pyramid on each face and the corresponding octagons on the top and bottom, and cut off the wedges from two sides. Tape them back on, rotate the workpiece and cut off the other two wedges. You will now have a square pyramid which gives you the basis of your cone.
On the newly-sawn faces draw new lines joining up the corners of the octagons. Now, with a blockplane, you plane away the corners, until you reach the pencil lines. You now have an octagonal pyramid. Just keep going until it is round. It will take care and a little time, but it is not intrinsically difficult.

It's easier to do than to describe!

 

[mickb69]

i think i know what you mean.