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My first bandsaw! Where is a good place to buy blades?

1476 Views 14 Replies 14 Participants Last post by MrRon, May 25, 2022

wadely

Discussion Starter · May 14, 2022 (Edited by Moderator)

I finally bought a (14") bandsaw, and am looking for advice re: types and sources of good blades. I cut dried wood. Will be doing dome resawing as well as gentle curves in 2" hardwood.

durability, holding an edge, and ability to resharpen at least once are the factors I can think of. Others?

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

Unknowncraftsman

· #2 · May 14, 2022

When I ha 14 inch bandsaw I bought Olsen blades.
I liked buying from nearby Rockler store because I could Check the weld. I hated sloppy welded blades.
So noisy clunk clunk.
Good luck

controlfreak

· #3 · May 15, 2022

I think I bought Timber Wolf for mine, no complaints.

rwe2156

· #4 · May 15, 2022

I've had real good luck with Infinity rip blade for resawing and general purpose. Much better blade than Wood Slicer IMHO.

Gene01

· #5 · May 15, 2022

I use Suffolk Machinery for blades. They'll make any length, width and, tooth configuration you need.

AGolden

· #6 · May 19, 2022

i have tried wood slicer, Olson, Timberwolf, and craftsman blades. Every time I have gone back to the wood slicer that you can get from highland woodworking. They are very reasonably priced and last way longer than any other bandsaw blade I have ever tried. I use my bandsaw as my primary saw (way more than the table saw), I do a lot of resawing and curve cutting for harp components and I can't say enough good things about the wood slicer blades. I promise you won't regret it.

tvrgeek

· #7 · May 20, 2022

sawblade.com is where I get most of mine.
I think Stumpy Nubs has some comments on bands.

I have a 3/4 Infinity re-saw band. First one was defective. The good folks stood up and sent me a new one that cuts fine, but still goes thump-thump as the weld, smooth and flat, is not strait. I think it would cut even smoother if it was straighter. Just guessing, the weld gets pulled skew as they do an automated continuous weld.

Unless a carbide tip, I dress the set as well as the back edge with a diamond block. Big difference in cut quality. Not sure anyone re-sharpens a non carbide "hobbyist" band any more. Too cheap.

NohoGerry

· #8 · May 20, 2022

I've bought good quality bandsaw blades from Highland Woodworking. Don't know if they're "woodslicer" blades that AGolden mentions or not.

A 1/2 inch 3 TPI skip tooth blade for my Delta 14 inch bandsaw is $23. At that price I just replace the blade and don't worry about resharpening. With that blade, I've cut curves down to a 2 inch radius, and with an auxiliary resaw fence attached to my Kreg fence have resawed veneer to 1/16 inch.

Setup of any bandsaw is critical-more critical than the blade you buy.

Suggest you view Youtube videos to see how this is done. Michael Fortune and Alex Snodgrass are good sources of setup info.
Gerry

bigJohninvegas

· #9 · May 20, 2022

As mentioned above, plenty of online sites to buy from. I found a local shop here in Vegas that custom makes all of my blades. NevadaCarbide.com
Check around, you may have a local shop that does the same.
if you find one, ask them what brand bands they use. There are not that many out there.
I call them up and generally pick up the next day. Tend to buy several blades at a time, but they will do singles, and always ask if I need it now.
Nice to support a local shop when I can.

LesB

· #10 · May 20, 2022

Like bigJohninvegas I get mine at a local saw shop. My saw takes a 131 1/2" blade so it is not standard (except at Grizzly).

ManySplinters

· #11 · May 20, 2022

I order Olson blades off Amazon. $11-12 for an 80" blade… don't use them enough to comment on longevity but read good things about them. Bought my boy a Woodslicer blade from Highland, he loves it!

MJCD

· #12 · May 22, 2022

This is a thread that I don't understand… I think there's much bad advice being offered. A cheap blade from Amazon or somewhere else will yield cheap results. A bandsaw can be no better than the blade doing the cutting. Spend $3,000 for a bandsaw, put a cheap blade on it, and you'll get crap cuts.

Lower quality blades will dull more quickly, flex more easily, not run true (as in well-balanced), the steel will not be tempered - then you'll try to compensate for this by doing something you shouldn't (forcing the cut, for example). I have found that most blades are simply brand names, and no better than most others.

Invest in good blades… Look to Lenox, for example - they make superior quality blades that will cut smoother and last longer than most others; Sterling is another better blade. Quality is expensive Once.

MJCD

AlanWS

· #13 · May 23, 2022 (Edited by Moderator)

Good bladestock from Lenox or Starrett makes a difference, but you also need a good weld. A local place is nice, but there are many that will ship.

Cheaper carbon steel blades can work fine at first but dull quickly. Bimetal blades last longer, and carbide longer still, so cost per use can be lower with the more expensive blade.

However with a 14" or smaller saw, blade flexing may lead to band failure before teeth are dull: the carbide blade may not be as good a deal as for a larger saw. Most carbide blades have thicker bladestock (.035") that may be more prone to fatigue, and that takes more tension. With a cast iron frame you may be best off with .025" or thinner bladestock.

I find most useful a 1/2" 3tpi blade for straight cuts and gentle curves, and a 1/4 6 tpi blade takes care of most of my other work. I have quite a few others for tighter curves, smoother kerf, green wood, and other special cases, but those two make over 90% of my bandsaw cuts.

I would try out blades, then move up to longer lasting ones only after confirming which configuration you want.

Resawing requires a very sharp blade. I keep a 1/2" 3tpi blade for that, and don't cut even shallow curves. Once it dulls a tiny bit I demote it to standard use, where it still seems perfectly sharp.

My favorite source of blades made with Lenox stock and always good welds was woocraftbands.com . That address now redirects to a place that hired their welder: the blades should still be excellent and priced fairly, but I don't yet have direct experience ordering from them. I plan to.

Woodslicer blades (.022" thick) are nice because of the very thin kerf (good for resawng on a low-power saw) unevenly spaced 3tpi/4tpi teeth for a smooth cut, and extremely sharp blades. They dull relatively quickly but are easy to resharpen. I usually just use a resharpened bimetal blade instead that is sharper than new.

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wadely

Discussion Starter · #14 · May 23, 2022 (Edited by Moderator)

Thanks to all for the responses.

AlanWS, thanks for the most complete response! I'm in the Twin Cities, and wondering if you can recommend a sharpening business that's near me.

MrRon

· #15 · May 25, 2022

I have been using Starrett blades. It is important to get them from a place that welds them properly. I believe I got mine from MSC as they did a first-class welding on them. A good weld is one that you can't see where it was made.

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