Bi-metal Bandsaw Vs. Carbon Steel Blades

My 7x12 TurnPro is still cutting fine with the factory blade, kind of surprising I ran a bunch of 3/16 and 1/4 wall tubing through the saw plus some 1/2 steel and aluminum. I did take the time to properly align/adjust the saw when new. I have a bi-metal hanging on the wall for when the factory blade wears out.
 
I once paid $128.00 for a carbide bandsaw blade to resaw some rosewood. It soon broke,and got mangled in the spokes of the bandsaw's wheels.
 
On Frank Hoose's site he did some time trials with the stock blade vs bimetal. The bimetal cut twice as fast (or faster) but it could be that the stock blades are really bad. A quality 'regular' blade will probably be better than stock but I just went bi-metal anyways, the cost isn't really that significant especially with the low volume cutting that I do. I've had the same bi-metal blade on for 3 years now.
 
Franko said:
It's time to get some more band saw blades for my horizontal band saw.

I see claims that metal cutting bi-metal blades can have 5-10 times the life of hardened carbon steel blades.
They seem to be recommended for production shops,
but are they worth the extra expense for the home shop machinist?

Are they sharper?
Click to expand...

I don't think they are any sharper. The bi-metal ones just last a whole lot longer. It is recommended to make some light cuts with
a new blade to break it in. Bi-metal is the way to go.
 
I would suggest, whether carbide or bi-metal, that you get multiple blades. You should have a minimum of three teeth in the material so if cutting thin material then you need a high tooth count blade, thick material then a course blade.

I have blades in, I think, a 10 tooth, an 18 tooth, a 24 tooth and a 32 tooth count to cover all the bases for my little 4x7 saw.

Vlad
 
Note to self - get bi-metal band saw. I already broke two carbon blades in just few months and that is with hobby use. The 5x6 I have just turns a lot in short distance even when I set the knob to minimal cut size (to minimize the twist).
I welded one blade but have not tested it - I still have to heat it up and let it cool slowly so its not brittle in that weld spot.
 
I've been using the same 8 tooth carbon steel blade my 7 x 12 horizontal saw came with a year ago. It still cuts fast and straight, although the quality of the finish on the cut has deteriorated. I bent it the other night and couldn't straighten it, so I replaced it with a 14 carbon steel blade. The old blade had a few broken teeth, although as I said, it was still cutting fast and straight. I curled it up for the recycle bin.
 
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