Hammer n4400 bandsaw blades

johnnyb · 3 Dec 2018

Hi I've just brought one of these and it's come with a few blades. One is 30mm and a silvery colour, not the normal black. Any ideas if a this saw could tension such a blade(It implies it can on the tension scale) what type of blade this is?
What are good resaw blades and good go blades? The vendor said he'd had trouble with the bottom guides and had put upgraded guides on. They look similar to the uppers. He's had to butcher the cover to access the lever for the rear thrust. Anyone heard of this?

Ttrees · 4 Dec 2018

No way of knowing what blade you have without a picture.
Maybe you could tell from of the tooth profile, any markings and the thickness of the band.
If its bright silver it could be one of Ian Johns Tuffsaw blades, if a more of a matt light pencil colour it might be an M42 for instance.
I would give Ian at Tuffsaws some buisness and buy an all round 3TPI carbon.
These blades are thinner than most others and will have less wastage and also can be easier tensioned.
You will have a better idea of what your machine can take as those scales are very very misleading and can lead one to possibly damage their machine.
There's an old thread online where someone has upgraded the spring in their n440 to tension a woodmaster CT
I wonder if the frame needed beefing up also...
I dont think I would be too keen in bending the frame with that blade on it

Good luck with your new machine
Tom

johnnyb · 4 Dec 2018

It's a bright silver blade. Very coarse. Thick as well. It may well be a "tuffsaw". I suspect it's never been on the machine. I'd hate to strain the body through ignorance. It also has a few felder blades which have been with it a while these a hs blades(high set?) But these are just black carbon steel blades.
I do like the m42 blades though and may invest.

custard · 4 Dec 2018

I have an n4400. Unlike most bandsaw manufacturers Hammer underestimate the widest bandsaw the machine is rated for. However, a 30mm wide blade that's also made from heavy gauge steel is still pushing it!

I have used specialist 30mm blades that are made for butchers sawing frozen meat, they give an ultra smooth cut on timber that's ideal for cutting joints, but they are made from very thin steel.

For almost all your applications there's no need to go wider than a 3/4" blade, I regularly cut veneers in 200mm or 250mm tropical hardwoods with a 3/4" M42 blade. The M42 blades leave a fairly coarse cut and have a wide kerf, but they last for months and I'm using the bandsaw virtually every day.

I also upgraded the bandsaw guides to the latest Hammer/Felder versions. Waste of money, the original guides were perfectly good enough and I can't detect any improvement.

johnnyb · 4 Dec 2018

To be honest that heavy a blade I'll just not use. I'll work through the other blades as there just normal sizes. Then get some m42 as suggested.
It looks a good saw though. Not industrial but heavy duty definitely. The fence and bar seem well designed and sturdy. Mine are both bearing guides the top(original) guides seem a bit stiff. Maybe they need replacing. The bottom guides seem fine though.