New Hammer N4400 - First Blade??

[paulc]

Hello,

After a long time saving I have just taken delivery of a Hammer N4400 Bandsaw. It came earlier than expected so I haven't got round to buying my first blade so I can set her up and get cracking. After a quick look here and elsewhere when ordering the saw, I decided to buy a blade separately - with Tuff Saws being recommended fairly frequently.

On a search today I have also seen Dure Edge Blades being recommended but I cannot find a website online.

To begin with I'll be cutting mostly one inch oak and walnut, but would like to get a blade which can achieve this and also perhaps some more general purpose tasks such as 3/8 birch ply. (Or should I get a completely separate blade for ply?)

In any case I want to get a high quality general purpose blade. What are your recommendations?

I live in Ireland, does anyone know if Tuff saws deliver to Ireland and how quickly it would get here? I'm dying to get started?

Cheers, Paul

 

[marcros]

i would give ian a call to discuss. I would expect that you will need a different blade for ply, but you may get away with a single one. I had a 3/4" fastcut as the last one that I bought, and I use that unless there is a real need to use something else- tight radius etc. I forget the tpi- probably 3 or 4.

To be fair the axminster ones seem fine as well, and i got a starter one with the bandsaw when I got it- that has also been fine. So if you have something available locally, it may be worth giving it a go.

 

[acewoodturner]

Its been a long time since Andrew (think that was his name) at Dure Edge has been in business. I used to get mine there many years ago and they were very good. I only get them at Tuff Saws now and usually order 10 at a time. Ian is a pleasure to deal with and very knowledgable. Its a pity a few others werent like him to deal with. I wont name names but you cant go wrong with Ian.

Mike

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If you are going to give the blade a hard life, it's worth considering an M42 (hss) blade - it'll survive the odd mishap and outlast anything else by miles. Tuffsaws, of course.

 

[custard]

I have the same bandsaw and I use a Tuff Saws 1/2" bi-metal blade 3 TPI. With this blade I set the tension for midway between 15 and 20mm, I checked the tension with a specialist meter and this is where this blade needs to be. The built in tension gauges on bandsaws just assume some nominal, average blade thickness.

My bandsaw is fitted with an after market fence, which makes blade changes a bit slower than usual, consequently I hunted around for a particularly versatile blade and this is the best I've found. I regularly cut my own veneers at about 3mm in 200-250mm wide hardwood boards, but the same blade will cut curves with about a 100-125mm radius. Plus, being bi-metal, it'll chomp through any nails that are buried in the boards and even in a commercial workshop, where the bandsaw gets used every day, I'm going six months or longer between blade changes. They're not cheap but they're worth every penny.

Good luck.

 

[ja2_k]

I bought a 1" Starrett woodpecker m42 blade from tuff saws and so far they seem excellent.

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

I would also recommend you go to Tuff saws. It is not common to be able to buy something from an expert in his field who can advise you quickly and save you money into the bargain. His saws are really good and with a bandsaw if it starts 'playing up' it is good to know that you are the culprit and not the blade. It is a lot quicker to find the problem and sort it when you can rely on the equipment and consumables. If only all retailers were this dedicated.

 

[Wizard9999]

I have the same bandsaw and I use a Tuff Saws 1/2" bi-metal blade 3 TPI. With this blade I set the tension for midway between 15 and 20mm, I checked the tension with a specialist meter and this is where this blade needs to be. The built in tension gauges on bandsaws just assume some nominal, average blade thickness.

Custard

About to buy blade(s) for my bandsaw and had been looking at the M42 from Tuff Saws. There are a lot of options for different TPIs for the 1/2" blade, what was it that informed your decision to go for the 3 TPI rather than something a little finer - forgive my ignorance but I would have expected that for veneers more teeth would be the preference.

My bandsaw is fitted with an after market fence.

Do you mind me asking what fence you have fitted?

Thanks,
Terry.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You shouldn't be disappointed with the M42. The reason for the coarse tooth pattern is clearance. Small teeth give a fine finish on thin timber, but the gullets quickly clog on thick stuff.

 

[custard]

I have the same bandsaw and I use a Tuff Saws 1/2" bi-metal blade 3 TPI. With this blade I set the tension for midway between 15 and 20mm, I checked the tension with a specialist meter and this is where this blade needs to be. The built in tension gauges on bandsaws just assume some nominal, average blade thickness.

Custard

About to buy blade(s) for my bandsaw and had been looking at the M42 from Tuff Saws. There are a lot of options for different TPIs for the 1/2" blade, what was it that informed your decision to go for the 3 TPI rather than something a little finer - forgive my ignorance but I would have expected that for veneers more teeth would be the preference.

My bandsaw is fitted with an after market fence.

Do you mind me asking what fence you have fitted?

Thanks,
Terry.

Hello Terry, I went for 3 tpi because I couldn't get 2 tpi!

Bigger teeth means straighter cuts. What happens is the gullet gets filled with saw dust and once the sawdust reaches the tips of the teeth the blade struggles to cut and starts to wander off line. Big teeth, big gullets, and slow feed speeds are the keys to deep ripping and veneer cutting, they are much more important than wider blades.

You're right, the finish is acceptable rather than great, but that doesn't matter because nothing that comes off my bandsaw is ever finished, it will all be subsequently planed or sanded. Now that isn't true for all woodworkers, some people cut tenons and dovetails on their bandsaws and hope to be "fit ready" straight from the machine. Personally I'd still stick to 3 tpi for tenons, but for dovetails I might want to prioritise the finish and go for something really smooth like a "meat and fish" blade. But then curve cuts would be out of the question because there's hardly any set on those blades, and deep ripping would be really tedious as the feed speeds might be as slow as 150-200mm per minute! Like most things it's all a compromise and what's right for you might not be best for someone else.

The fence is a Laguna Driftmaster, which allows easy drift adjustment, micro fence adjustment (0.1mm is easy), and a range of easily interchangeable fences right up to a 200mm tall whopper. It's personal preference but when cutting veneers I prefer to have the main part of the wood riding firmly against the fence, with the "falling piece" i.e. the actual veneer, to the right of the blade. I find this gives that bit more stability. The downside is that you have to adjust the fence after each cut by the thickness of the kerf plus the thickness of the veneer. The fence I use allows this because you can crank it towards or away from the blade with a wheel in accurate increments. None of this is essential, there are plenty of workarounds, but that's how I prefer to work.

Good luck.

 

[Wizard9999]

Most helpful as ever Custard! Many thanks.

Terry.