Best saw blades…

[Redsquirelhunter]

What type of band saw blades is best for general steel cutting. Where is the best place to get blades?

 

[mmcmdl]

I used to get Starrett Bi-Metals , I guess they are still around . I'm sure I'll be searching for them in a while .

 

[BGHansen]

+1 on the bi-metals; HSS on the teeth, spring steel for the body. They'll last a long time if you don't abuse them. I was taught to select teeth per inch based on stock thickness; have at least 1 1/2 teeth in contact to keep from "hammering" the blade teeth. For example, if cutting 1/8" thick stock, 8 tpi would put 1 tooth in contact. You'd want to use at least a 12 tpi blade or finer.

I'm a hobbyist and make maybe 200 cuts a year. I have a couple of Morse 3/4" bimetal blades for my horizontal Harbor Freight 7" x 12" saw. Pretty sure they're 10/14 tooth. I paid around $35 each shipped off eBay. If you have a "ubiquitous" 4" x 6" saw, the 64 1/2" x 1/2" bimetals go for around $25 on eBay. HF has 64 1/2" bimetal blades for either $18 or $30 (18 tpi or 10/14 tpi).

My vertical saw is a DoAll ML 16" which has a blade welder. I bought roll stock of varying width and tpi off eBay for under $40 a 100' roll. That's the best value for me for the 10' blades on the DoAll.

Bruce

 

[Redsquirelhunter]

+1 on the bi-metals; HSS on the teeth, spring steel for the body. They'll last a long time if you don't abuse them. I was taught to select teeth per inch based on stock thickness; have at least 1 1/2 teeth in contact to keep from "hammering" the blade teeth. For example, if cutting 1/8" thick stock, 8 tpi would put 1 tooth in contact. You'd want to use at least a 12 tpi blade or finer.

I'm a hobbyist and make maybe 200 cuts a year. I have a couple of Morse 3/4" bimetal blades for my horizontal Harbor Freight 7" x 12" saw. Pretty sure they're 10/14 tooth. I paid around $35 each shipped off eBay. If you have a "ubiquitous" 4" x 6" saw, the 64 1/2" x 1/2" bimetals go for around $25 on eBay. HF has 64 1/2" bimetal blades for either $18 or $30 (18 tpi or 10/14 tpi).

My vertical saw is a DoAll ML 16" which has a blade welder. I bought roll stock of varying width and tpi off eBay for under $40 a 100' roll. That's the best value for me for the 10' blades on the DoAll.

Bruce

Thank you, that’s good info! I was wondering about tpi and how it applied to performance.

 

[markba633csi]

Morse and Starrett make good, reasonably priced blades- Amazon and Zoro are two places to buy them
I have four:
24, 18, 14, and 10 tpi
I use the 18 the most

 

[twraska]

I got

What type of band saw blades is best for general steel cutting. Where is the best place to get blades?some Lennox

Morse and Starrett make good, reasonably priced blades- Amazon and Zoro are two places to buy them
I have four:
24, 18, 14, and 10 tpi
I use the 18 the most

I got some Lennox in a box of goodies and they’ve held up well. Can’t comment on cost.

 

[twraska]

What the heck is going on with the site? My reply that posted is not what I had on the screen when I hit the post button.

 

[BGHansen]

Thank you, that’s good info! I was wondering about tpi and how it applied to performance.

If you happen to be in the Charlotte area I can probably fix you up. By your handle name, we may have a win/win scenario here. I've been dealing with red squirrels getting into the shop. I'll trade you a blade for each squirrel you catch!

Bruce

 

[Redsquirelhunter]

Lol, they can be a bugger to get rid of.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I like the 10/14 vari-pitch blades. I'm too lazy to change blades, so it has to serve for everything. If it was someone else's money, I'd buy Lenox or Starrett. Since it's not, these seem to serve quite nicely.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071L256X6

My blades seem to last until I do something stupid.