What do I need to know about bandsaw blades?

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Ives

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I know that with scroll saws you need to get really good blades and it makes all the difference, and I know about the different sizes, for different thicknesses of wood and depending on how detailed you are cutting.

Is it the same with bandsaws? How do you know what type of blades to get? If you have say, a 13" throat bandsaw, what blades do you get? Is it different for different brand saws?
 
Thanks! That site looks great! Also, do bandsaw blades break easily or wear out like scroll saw ones, and how many spare should you have?
 
If you search this site you will find nothing but praise for Tuffsaws.
BS blades break generally only when you are abusing them. That means using too wide a blade for a tight turn, for example, or pushing too hard because you are using too many TPI for deep ripping.
If you use the right blade for the job and the machine is properly set up, blades should last a long time.
I recommend you buy them in pairs. That way, if one does break, you have another immediately to hand instead of being held up for a few days whilst a replacement is procured.
Cheers
Steve
 
I have a Bandsaw blade i bought from Ian at Tuff Saws when he was at Dragon Saws ,i use it for cutting firewood ,90% of which is old Olive wood ,this stuff is as hard as Oak , the blade is 3 - 4years old and still going strong .
 
Is it cheap to get rip and mitre fences for bandsaws?

And, are bandsaws incredibly louder than scroll saws? Just watched a couple Youtube videos and they sound really really loud!
 
Steve Maskery":ioffejdy said:
I recommend you buy them in pairs. That way, if one does break, you have another immediately to hand instead of being held up for a few days whilst a replacement is procured.

Sounds like words of experience Steve :)

Another + for Tuff Saws BTW

regards

Brian
 
Another question! Could I cut something like this on a bandsaw? I want to do some a bit thicker than one inch, and also some two or three inch thick ones. Or are the curves too small for a bandsaw?

DSC07734.jpg
 
flh801978":3njel7td said:
To cowboy builder
any chance of some olive wood if you return to mansfield?
sizes to make serving platters?

Ian
Hi Ian ,
All my olive wood comes out of the firewood pile , most Spanish olive trees don't have very thick trunks ,the bigger older trees are usually hollow inside and are protected by law so can only be removed for transplant or destruction if they are deceased ,much of the wood is from the root area so there is some interesting grain , i will try and up load some pics in a new thread.
The biggest i've had is about 9inch ,but most is yields a bowl of around 6 inch .
I may be able to get some spanish Eucalyptus , but that will also be a little small for platers.........Allan
 
Ives, that sort of cut is perfectly possible with the right blade on a bandsaw. You can get blades as narrow as 1/16" and they will turn very tight corners indeed. But you could probably do that one with a 1/4" blade without difficulty.

S
 
I would use a 3/16" blade for curves like that and a bandsaw should easily cut that up to 4" thick without any problems
just make sure your bandsaw guides etc are set up properly and dont use cheap blades they act like rubber bands and go where they want
 
Steve's too modest to say, probably, but get his DVDs on bandsaw tuning. I've looked on YouTube and there is all sorts of 'urban myth' out there that will leave you frustrated.

My bandsaw is MUCH quieter than the vacuum I use for extraction. It cuts really well - cleanly and leaving a good finish, and it does accurate work - for example I've been making strange fences for the router table with 45degree mitres on (they overhang the cutter). I cut them on the bandsaw, as the table saw isn't running at the moment. True, straight and ready to go.

Tuff Saws' blades, Steve's know-how, and you'll enjoy using yours.

E.
 
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