Bandsaw Blades.

Jericho

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Need some sources and info on bandsaw blades. Length is 96 "' more or less. Want to cut some scroll type work as well as straight with wood and do some metal cutting Only rule of thumb I ever had for metal is the thicker the metal, the fewer teeth per inch for a portaband. Might need a little direction on that. Mild steel is hardest metal to cut with occasional aluminum.
 
The rule of thumb I use for metal is a minimum of 3 teeth in contact with work piece at all times. Does your bandsaw run slow enough for cutting steel? Many do not if they are designed for wood working. Just want to make sure you're not going to burn a new blade up right out of the gate...

Ted
 
The rule of thumb I use for metal is a minimum of 3 teeth in contact with work piece at all times. Does your bandsaw run slow enough for cutting steel? Many do not if they are designed for wood working. Just want to make sure you're not going to burn a new blade up right out of the gate...

Ted
Thanks for the info. It's an old Walker Turner I believe with a 4 or 5 step pulley and a chart. I can calculate blade speed from RPM if necessary.. I'm planning at some point to put a variable speed DC motor on it and use my Mach Tach to monitor blade speed for optimal. I still have to do some research on blade speed vs material.Trying to get a couple of blades for starters as they can add up quick. Especially for metal cutting.
 
As I see it, you basically have two choices... carbon steel or bi-metal. For me, it comes down to how much steel (and what type of steel/material) you'll be cutting and how much of it you're going to cut. For my money, I would go with carbon steel for wood and aluminum. For steel is where I would have to make a decision. If I was only going to do a little cutting and my saw ran slow enough I would go with carbon steel. If I were to need to do a lot of cutting in steel I would have to make up my mind whether I wanted to go through a couple of carbon blades or maybe just one bi-metal. Another thing to consider, is the steel you're going to cut "good" stuff, meaning no burnt edges and/or possible hard spots? That can ruin any blade in a heart beat! If the material is "unknown" in this regard I rather risk a carbon blade than a bi-metal because of the cost factor.

In my home shop I only use carbon steel blades for everything. But, there are a few points here: I have a coolant mister and use it to help keep my blades cooler. My saws run slow enough. I have a blade welder and make my own blades. I got really lucky and picked up a few hundred feet of various TPI NOS spools of carbon blade stock. This really cost me nothing since I sold some of it for what I paid for the whole lot! :) When I say NOS, I mean old! There are recommended cutting speeds on the boxes for different materials including asbestos! o_O I've found that carbon blades will last me a long time as long as I don't need to cut high carbon or alloy material. That's another story, but I can just weld up another blade that costs me $0.

I know many swear by bi-metal only for metal cutting and I can see where in a lot of cases this makes sense for them. As with everything in life, "it depends" on your individual situation and usage.

YMMV,
Ted
 
I extended the throat on my Taiwan standing band saw to resaw a 16" log and so I had to get custom made blades, I ended up with about 104 1/2". They'll make them from anything (width, teeth, bi-metal) that you want. They are very helpful with questions and special requests and charge about $20 per blade. I you look, there may be a similar vendor in your area.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with this vendor. I haven't ordered a blade for 5-6 years now. Take care of your blades (correct tension/speed) and they last forever.

Industrial Blade/ Santa Ana, CA
http://www.industrialblade.net/
 
make your own from bulk stock, and you can have any lg. you want, silver solder together
 
For low carbon steel blades use 150-175 fpm
For aluminum use 1500-3000 fpm
for wood use any speed that works

Blades can be bought from 1/8 inch wide to 1 inch wide depending on the saw capacity and the size of the radius to be cut.
Band gage can be from less than1/32 - 1/16 inch Thicker does not work as well on smaller diameter wheels. Thinner is more sensitive to band tension.
 
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